Lamb Moussaka Meatballs

Made these tonight with the help of my good sainsburys magazine. Do love that subscription. However I tweaked it a bit and added few other things to make it super tasty enjoy!



Lamb Moussaka Meatballs


Ingredients:

400g lamb mince
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Sprig of mint finely chopped
1 large onion finely diced
1 vegetable stock cube mixed with about 200ml hot water
2 x 400g chopped tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic crushed
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tsp cornflour mixed with a little water
400g rigatoni
1 tsp of sugar
Aubergine chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Mixed herbs

Method:

1 Preheat the oven to 220 or 200 if using a fan oven. Place the diced aubergine in a baking tray and drizzle with oil.  Leave in oven for 20 minutes and then set to one side to cool.

2. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a frying pan and cook the garlic,and onion until translucent. Set half of this mixture aside into a bowl. Add the chopped tomatoes, mixed herbs, vegetable stock and sugar. Stirring every so often. Add the cornflour, until the sauce has thickened slightly. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and leave to one side

3. Meanwhile combine the lamb mince in another bowl adding the cinnamon, onion, cumin, mint and salt and pepper. Ensure all herbs are combined into the meat and form into small balls. Place onto a plate and put in the fridge to set firm.

4.  Cook the meatballs in batches until golden brown, turning over frequently. Place into a pyrex dish along with the roasted aubergine and pour over the tomato sauce mixture.

5. Place this into a preheated oven of 200 degrees 180 if a fan oven for 1 hour.

6. Meanwhile cook pasta according to instructions and drain into a colander. Serve with the lamb meatball mixture. Serve immediately with grated parmesan if desired.

Prawn and lemon orzo with peas

Quite like the orzo, and this dish is nice and refreshing, great with some big fat juicy king prawns. Enjoy and let me know what you think. Easy to make when you have little time!

Prawn and lemon orzo with peas

Ingredients:
1 packet of king prawns deshelled
1 cup of frozen peas
1 packet of pour over lemon and herb sauce ( I use a brand called Ina Parmaan which you can get from ocado)
1-2 cups of orzo (dependent on how hungry you are!)
Salt and pepper to taste


Method:

1. Cook orzo according to packet instructions. Drain and rinse away any excess starch, I find that if you do not do this that, the orzo is rather too much like rice pudding, this could just be me though.

2. Place the orzo back onto the heat and combine the prawns, frozen peas and the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook until completely heated through stirring occassionally.

3. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Courgette Fritatta

Was inspired to make this recipe when I saw it in a Sainsburys magazine. Give it a whirl, so easy to make, and yet so filling surprising considering its eggs but true, lots of protein there as well.


Courgette Fritatta Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 courgettes chopped and parcooked
1 onion finely diced
Roughly 75g good cheddar cheese grated
Salt and pepper to taste
Mixed herbs to season
2 diced and cooked potato
6 eggs

Method:

1.  Place a tablespoon of oil into a frying pan and place over a medium heat Add the onion until translucent. Add the mixed herbs and salt and pepper. Add the cooked courgette and potato until golden and combined thoroughly.

2. In a jug combine 6 eggs and beat with a fork lightly. Add the egg mixture to the frying pan, and cook until just set. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and place under a hot grill until golden brown.

3. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Lamb Meatballs with ratatouille

These are great to have with ratatouille and pasta I find however also just be good with a tomatoey sauce. Enjoy! Love the combination of mint and lamb they complement each other so well, even better for getting the herbs from my own garden. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

For the meatballs
1 packet 450g lamb mince
1 onion diced finely
Sprinkling of ina parmaan garlic and herb seasoning ( see note below)
About three sprigs of mint leaves chopped very fine
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of mixed spice
1 egg to bind
Sprinkling of breadcrumbs

For the ratatouille:

1 onion chopped finely
4 courgettes chopped roughly
1 yellow pepper
2 cloves of garlic crushed
2 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
Mixed herbs

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160 fan oven. To make the ratatouille heat some oil in a medium saucepan and add the onion garlic and herbs. Traditional ratatouille also has aubergine but I didn't have any so you have to be creative. Once onions are transluscent add the pepper and courgettes and stir occassionally for 5-10 minutes.  Then add the chopped tomatoes, simmer on a low heat for about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and put to one side.


2. Combine all of the meatball ingredients together in a large bowl.  Do not be alarmed if the mixture is wet, you can always add some more breadcrumbs if you wish. Form into small balls and place into a frying pan in a tablespoon of oil. Fry on a low to medium heat, until they are all browned. Cook in batches and place all of them in a pyrex dish.

3. Pour the ratatouille mixture over the meatballs and place in a preheated oven for 25 minutes. Serve immediately. Goes well with pasta and a good sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

Ina Parmaan Garlic and Herb Seasoning- this stuff is fantastic I discovered it when travelling to Africa. It adds so much flavour I find. You can buy it here, if you want http://www.thesavanna.co.uk/ina-paarman-seasoning-garlic-and-herb.html.


If you do not have it just add some garlic salt, herbs and salt. It will work just as well :)

Cookie Dough Ice-Cream

I love Ben and Jerrys cookie dough ice cream. So I thought I would experiment and try and make my own as I have an ice cream maker.   I am pretty pleased with the result! The recipe is below let me know what you think. Be patient it is time consuming but so worth it!


Cookie Dough Ice Cream

Ingredients:

300ml full cream milk
284ml double cream
3 eggs separated
85g caster sugar
1 tsp of good vanilla extract
Packet of chocolate chunks

The cookie dough recipe I used was http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/4807/best-big--fat--chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies.aspx, I think the recipe is brilliant! So chewy just how I like cookies to be. Make sure you make these before you start making the ice cream so they can chill in the fridge ready to roll into small blobs




Method:

1.  Combine the milk and vanilla extract into a saucepan over a low heat. When it has nearly come to the boil take off the heat, covered and leave to cool for 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile separate the whites from the yolks into a bowl. Beat the egg yolks and caster sugar until light and creamy. Whisk in the milk and pour back into the saucepan. Using a wooden spoon keep stirring the mixture over a low/medium  heat until the mixture lightly covers the back of the spoon and has thickened slightly.

3. Transfer slightly thickened custard mixture into a clean bowl and whisk in the cream until combined. Pour the mixture into a jug cover and refridgerate until completely chilled.

4. Once mixture is chilled, slowly pour the mixture into the ice cream machine and churn according to the ice cream maker instructions. Add the chocolate chunks a few minutes before the ice cream is finished.

5. Making little blobs of cookie dough with your hands put into the mixture and slowly fold to combine. Make sure to do it slowly otherwise it will separate.

6. Using a spatula transfer the mixture into a suitable freezable container.

Veggie Burgers with ratatouille

If you have any leftover it goes nicely with egg and bacon, sausages and baked beans and even pasta and ratatouille which is the recipe I will lay down here for you.


Veggie Burgers

Ingredients:
3 potatoes peeled and chopped
Half a butternut peeled de seeded and diced
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1 onion finely diced
Mixed herbs to taste
400g tin of mixed beans drained from the vinigarette
Flour to sprinkle on the burgers
Sesame Seeds

For the Ratatouille ( I didn't have any aubergine this time unfortunately!)

3 courgettes chopped roughly
1 onion chopped and diced
1 yellow pepper diced
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 garlic clove  crushed
Mixed herbs


Method:

1. Add a little olive oil into a saucepan and cook the garlic and onion on a low heat until transluscent. Add the courgettes and yellow pepper. Cook for 5-10 minutes stirring occassionally. Add the chopped tomatoes and mixed herbs. Turn down the heat to medium until cooked and then set to one side.

2. Meanwhile heat some oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Add onion and garlic cooking until transluscent and soft. Put in a bowl and set aside.


3. Cook the potatoes and butternut in a large saucepan for roughly 20 minutes until cooked. Mash the vegetables and add a little butter. Add the onion and garlic mixture, mixed herbs and the mixed beans to combine. Wait to cool and put into the fridge for at least 2 hours.

4. When you are ready to make the patties combine the butternut and potato mixture in your hands and form into patties using a little flour. ( This is a bit messy so be warned!) Add the sesame seeds and place into a greased lined tray.  Preheat the oven to 200.  Cook for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

5. Serve with the warmed ratatouille, works well with pasta. Serve immediately.

Pesto Orzo

So last night I experimented with orzo. I have never tried it before and was quite surprised.  Its a rice shaped pasta and is apparently really good in risotto so I shall be trying that next.

So here is the recipe!


Pesto Orzo Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
Breadcrumbs
1 egg
Half a packet of orzo
Half a jar of pesto roughly 200g ( I find that homemade is better but it is up to you)
Cherry tomatoes cut and quartered
Sprinkling of cashew nuts (optional)


Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160. Meanwhile line a baking tray with foil and lightly spray. Coat both chicken breasts in beaten egg and then into a bowl of breadcrumbs. Repeat this again, so that all egg is used up! Then place onto the tray and put into the oven as these will take about 25-30 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breast.

2. Meanwhile fill a saucepan with water and add a little oil. Bring it to the boil and add the orzo. Cook the orzo according to the packet instructions. Drain orzo into a colander and rinse in warm water draining away excess water to get rid of the extra starch.

3. Place the drained orzo back into the saucepan. Add the pesto, tomatoes and walnuts stirring continuously until orzo is completely covered in the pesto. Take off the heat once the tomatoes start to cook. Serve with the breadcrumbed chicken and serve immediately. Garnish with chopped basil and parmesan.