Italian meatballs with tomato sauce

Recently we went up to Queensland for a bit of a holiday and stayed with our gorgeous friends Polly and Shane. Polly and I are in our element in the kitchen, so there was plenty of cooking to be done, which was loads of fun.

One of my favourite meals during our time there were these meatballs. Mmm mm. Prior to this event I had never really like meatballs, they seemed pointless, why not just bolognese? I know, I know, silly of me huh? I totally understand why meatballs now! These are perfect! I've made them several times since, and they are very popular.

180ml olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
100grams pinenuts, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
handful of parsley, basil and rosemary, roughly chopped
2 tsp fennel seeds, ground
50g fresh breadcrumbs
250g ricotta
25g parmesan, grated
zest of 1 lemon
1 egg
500g minced beef or pork

Sauce:
2 x 400g tins of tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
100ml red wine
large tbs tomato paste

Start with the meatballs - fry the onion, garlic and pinenuts in half the olive oil until soft.

In a large bowl combine the herbs, fennel, breadcrumbs, ricotta, parmesan, lemon zest, egg and mince. Add the cooled onion mix and some salt and pepper. Leave the mixture in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before making into balls.

Form the balls with about 50grams of the mixture (about the size of a walnut) and then flatten a little to make it easier to cook on both sides. Make balls out of all the mixture and then you're ready to fry.

Fry the meatballs in a large pan with the remaining olive oil until golden brown. Cook in batches so the pan isn't too crowded.

For the sauce, fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil for a few minutes till soft and add the remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes and then add the meatballs gently to the sauce and simmer for a further 10 minutes, covered. Allow this all to stand for 10 minutes and serve with pasta of your choice.

Sathya-rating *****

Easy week night dinner - Kheema with Peas

We're settling into Adelaide well, but there is just so much to do! The house is coming together and we're getting used to our jobs, slowly. All of this means I don't give this site or my kitchen as much attention as I'd like, sorry. However, the internet was connected yesterday and the kitchen is pretty much done so that will change soon.

Here is a little something I threw together after work that was so easy and so delicious! Its saucy, tasty and comforting. The best part was the leftovers the next day which we put into toasted sandwiches, yum!

2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed
750g lean minced lamb or beef
2 tbsp tomato paste
250ml water or stock
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp dried red chilli flakes
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
200g podded peas, fresh or frozen
1-2 tsp garam masala
3 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped

Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and fry gently for 5 minutes until light golden. Add the ginger and garlic, stirring well, than add mince and fry for 5 mins until browned.

Add the tomato paste, water, coriander, chilli, turmeric, salt and pepper, and stir well. Cover and cook gently for 20 mins. Uncover, add the peas and garam masala and simmer until the peas are cooked and the kheema is thick and saucy.

Sprinkle with coriander leaves and serve with yogurt and breads or rice.

Sathya-rating ****

Beef Vindaloo

Yep, that's the really hot one. This recipe goes out especially to Liam, the chilli challenger. On a recent curry night at our place, I wanted to make a curry I’d never made before and thought the spice tolerance of the invitees was high, so why not. The vindaloo was great! It was easy to prepare and the flavour was spot on. I struggled to add the amount of cloves and pepper, but I did and it paid off. Vindaloo is actually a Portuguese dish. The Portuguese introduced it to Goa, India, so yet again I learnt something new about curries. Food knowledge is never ending!

1 kg diced beef
200 mls white vinegar
2-4 tsp dried chillies (depending on how hot they are)
1 heaped tbs cumin seeds
1 tbs cloves
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
1 tbs black peppercorns
4 red chillies, deseeded and roughly chopped
10 garlic cloves
1 inch piece of ginger
1 tbs tamarind pulp
1 rbs brown sugar
3 tbs vegetable oil
2 onions, finely chopped
300 mls water
salt

Marinate the beef in 100 mls of the vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt for 20 minutes and then drain and dry well.

Grind the cumin seeds, cloves and peppercorns to a fine powder.

Add the ground spices, cinnamon stick, fresh chilies, garlic, ginger, tamarind, vinegar, chilli flakes and sugar and process to a smooth paste.

Brown the beef in some oil and then set aside.

Fry the onions in some oil for 20 – 30 minutes.

Add the spice paste and fry for a further 5 minutes. Add the beef back to the pan with the water and 1 ½ teaspoons salt.

Bring to the boil and turn down to a simmer and cover and allow to cook for1 ½ - 2 hours, stirring from time to time, until the beef is tender.

S

Another take on Lasagne

There are so many ways to make lasagne and everyone has their own personal favourite. Being a true Libran, I sway and sometimes like my lasagne with this style cheese sauce and sometimes the traditional béchamel. I like béchamel as it creates such a gorgeous silky texture, but sometimes I cannot be bothered with all that stirring in the preparation.

This recipe includes the way my Mum does the cheese component in her lasagne. Its quick, its easy, and its really tasty and especially cheese. Mmm.

2 tablespoons oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
700 minced beef
2 cans of tinned tomatoes, diced
½ cup red wine
1 tsp dried oregano
Dash of worcestershire sauce
375g fresh lasagne sheets
300 grams cottage cheese
1 large handful of grated cheddar cheese
100 grams grated parmesan
2-3 tbs milk
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Fry the onion over medium heat until softened. Add the mince and brown well, breaking up any lumps with a fork. Add the tins of tomatoes, wine, worcestershire and oregano, and season. Bring to a simmer for 15-30 minutes.

In a bowl mix the cottage cheese, cheddar, parmesan, milk, parsley and salt and pepper to make a cheese spread.

Preheat the oven to moderate 180.Start with a thin layer of meat sauce over the base and top with a thin layer of cheese spread. Lay the lasagne sheets on top, gently pressing to push out any air. Continue the layers, finishing with cheese spread. Bake for 30-45 mins or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before cutting.

S

Special Beef with Balsamic Glaze

By the time I made this I was full of gorgeous French champagne and delight of seeing a long lost girlfriend, plus setting the tea towel alight and all the mayhem that goes with that, this beef is all a haze. I’m surprised I remembered to take a photo! Thankfully it’s a half decent one.

What I do recall was the delicious flavour and texture as well as many comments around the table of how good it was. My first beef ever. Not bad really!

1kg beef eye fillet, trimmed
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1/4 cup oregano leaves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons thyme leaves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons brandy or beef stock
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup caster sugar

Preheat oven to 180°C. Season the beef fillet and add to a pan with 2 tablespoons for hot oil and seal each side.

Mix the parsley, oregano and thyme and press into the top of the fillet. Mix 2 more tablespoons of oil with the brandy and pour over beef. Cover the pan with foil, tightly and roast beef for 20 or till it is cooked to your liking. Remove from oven and set aside for 1 hour (keep it covered).

Remove the fillet from the frying pan onto a warm serving plate and add the balsamic and sugar to the frying pan. Bring to the boil, stir and turn the heat to create a simmer. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes (so the sauce becomes thick). Slice the fillet and pour over the balsamic sauce and serve.

S

Beef Curry (No fat if you wish)

a

We're on this ridiculous diet. One of the 7 days we're allowed only beef and tomatoes. Last week I struggled with this particular day, so this week I decided to try a curry without any fat. For all you slim people, follow the recipe below. Anyone like me, struggling to lose a few pounds - I toasted the whole spices (no oil) in the pan and then dumped everything else and allowed it to simmer for 3 hours. It was fantastic. It was incredibly difficult for me to restrain myself and not fry off all the spices and onion etc like the usual ceremony for curries so I was surprised it still tasted great!

2 tins of tomatoes
3 bay leaves
3 cardamom pods, crushed
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 cup of water
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, freshly grated
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
400 gm diced beef
salt
2-3 tbsp of oil
2 potatoes, diced
2 carrots, chopped
fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Heat the oil in a pan and when hot add the cumin seeds, cinnamon, cardamon, chill and bay leaves.

When the seeds start to pop, add the onion, ginger and garlic and stir till it a nice golden brown and earthy smell.

Add the tins of tomato, beef, water, salt, turmeric and ground cumin.

Cover and simmer on a low heat for 1 to 3 hours. The longer the better. You want the tomatoes to become nice and thick. Depending on how long you are going to leave it on the heat, add the potatoes and carrots for the last 30-40 minutes.

Remove from heat, garnish with the chopped coriander.

S

The Woman's Got Taste...

Jamie Oliver called this gorgeous recipe "Jool's Favourite Beef Stew" and by golly does Jool's have taste. It is so delicious. As soon as you put it all together in the pot the aroma fills the kitchen. The unfortunate thing is that you have to wait at least three hours to taste it!!

The recipe makes loads so Andy and I have been enjoying it for three days now! We had it with hot crusty bread and it was so moreish and flavoursome and warming! You've got to try it!

Olive oil

a knob of butter

1 onion, peeled and chopped

a handfull of fresh sage leaves

800g stewing steak (I used gravy steak)

sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

flour to dust

3 parsnips, peeled and quartered

4 carrots, peeled and halved

1/2 a butternut pumpkin, seeded and roughly diced

500g small potatoes, roughly diced

2 tablespoons tomato puree

1/2 a bottle red wine

285ml beef stock

zest of 1 lemon

a handfull of rosemary leaves, picked

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees. Put a little oil and your knob of butter into an appropriately sized pot or casserole dish. Add your onion and all the sage leaves and fry for 3 or 4 mins. Toss the meat in a little seasoned flour, then add it to the pan with the vegetables, the tomato puree, wine and stock, and gently stir together. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt. Bring to the boil, place a lid on top then cook in the preheated oven until the meat is tender. Sometimes this takes three hours, sometimes four - it depends on what cut of meat you're using and how fresh it is. Once it's cooked, you can turn the oven down to about 110 degrees and just hold it there until you're ready to eat it.

The best way to serve this is by ladling big spoonfulls into bowls and some really fresh, warmed bread. Mix the lemon zest, chipped rosemary and garlic together and sprinkle over the stew before eating. Just the smallest amount will make a world of difference - as soon as it hits the hot stew it will release an amazing fragrance.

E.

Aromatic Vietnamese Beef Stir Fry

My darling mother gave me her electric wok. It's in perfect condition so I am ever so grateful! One of the things that always puts me off doing a stir fry is managing a wok... I'm about as good at that as I am managing chop sticks! But with an electric wok all my problems are solved!

I was cooking a belated birthday dinner for Andy and Laura. Laura is trying to eat low carbs and I'm still on this no carb diet so I thought this recipe would suit us just fine! Unfortunately I forgot to buy fish sauce so I added lots of salt instead... It tasted fantastic. There wasn't a scrap of food left at the end. But I assume it would be even more delicious if I wasnt such a bimbo and forgot the fish sauce. I know there will definately be a next time for this dish though! It took ten minutes and was a breeze!

2 tablespoons peanut oil

800g beef strips

1 medium onion, chopped finely

1 long red chilli, chopped finely

10cm stick lemongrass, chopped finely

3 medium bulbs garlic, crushed

4 cardimom pods, bruised

1 quill of cinnamon

1 star anaise

2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon fish sauce

350g snake beans, cut in 4cm lengths

1/4 cup sliced almonds, roasted

1/2 cup fresh corriander, chopped

Add 1 tablespoon peanut oil to the wok and brown meat. Set the meat aside but cover with alfoil to keep it warm. Add the remaining tablespoon of peanut oil. Fry the onions until soft. Add the garlic, chilli, lemongrass, cardimom, cinnamon, star anaise and the beans. Fry until the beans are soft. Remove the cardimom pods, cinnamon quil and the star ainaise.

Drain the meat and return it to the wok. Stir fry for another few minutes and serve into a bowl. Sprinkle the almonds and corriander over the top. Serve.

E.

Teryaki Beef Stir Fry

I love stir fry because it is so quick and easy and tasty! And you can add whatever you like! My sister in law gave me this recipe and it was mighty fine! Thanks Catherine.

2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
600g rump steak, sliced thinly
1 medium brown onion, sliced thickly
230g can bamboo shoots, drained
½ cup bean sprouts
¼ cup teriyaki sauce
½ cup of beef stock
450g hokkien noodles
4 spring onions sliced thickly

Heat oil in wok or large non stick frying pan; stir-fry garlic and beef, in batches until beef is browned.

Stir-fry brown onion and bamboo shoots for 2 minutes.

Return beef mixture to wok with sprouts. Stir in sauce and stock; stir-fry until the mixture boils.

Meanwhile, place noodles in medium heatproof bowl; cover with boiling water, separate with folk, drain. Serve stir-fry with noodles sprinkle with spring onion.

E.

Beef Wat

By far my favourite of the Mistress of Spice curries so far... The meat was so tender. Its a hot dish but its just the right amount of heat. I've made it twice in one week already. I am amazed at how few ingredients it takes and how healthy such a great tasting meal can be!

1.5kg beef, diced
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 large onions, chopped
3 good size cloves of garlic, finely chopped or minced
3 rounded teaspoons Mistress of Spice Berbere
800g chopped tomatoes
Salt to taste

Fry the onion unitl lightly golden then add garlic. Fry for a couple of minutes longer. Add the Mistress of Spice Berbere spices and fry for a minute to release the aroma of the blend.

Add the meat, allowing to brown, stirring occasionally to coate the pieces well and increase the absorption of the flavours.
Pour in the tomatoes. Salt to taste. Simmer for a good hour and a half or longer if you can.

This great spice mix is wonderful for its effect on the taste buds as well as healthy. Black pepper and cloves aid food digestion by increasing digestive juices, including natural stomach acid. Ayurvedic medicine use it to treat colds, flus and other infections. Chilies contain capsaicin, which, among its other advantages, is a natural painkiller.

E.

Worlds Most Divine Osso Bucco

This dish is quite possibly the most fabulous dish I have ever eaten!

5 cloves garlic, sliced

1/2 bunch oregano leaves, chopped

2 bay leaves, chopped

sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

4 veal osso buco

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

100g pancetta, cut into strips

1 large onion, chopped finely

2 celery stalks, finely sliced

1 carrot, finely sliced in rounds

2 pinches saffron threads

2 tbsp tomato paste

3 sprigs thyme

200 ml white wine

700ml good-quality beef stock

500g large fusilli pasta

2 handfuls flat-leaf parsley leaves

1 lemon, finely zested and juiced

80g butter

70g grated parmesan to serve

Place garlic, oregano, bay leaves and a little salt in a mortar and pestle and crush to a paste.

I would suggest cutting 4 slits in the "corners" of the osso bucco to stop it curling.

Rub paste over veal pieces.

Heat olive oil in a large heavy-based pan over medium heat.

Cook pancetta for 6 minutes.

Move the panchetta to the side and add veal and cook without stirring for 2 minutes, then turn veal until evenly browned.

Season.

Remove veal from pan and set aside.

Add onions, celery and carrot topan and stir. Add saffron and cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Return veal to pan, turning over a few times, then stir in tomato paste and
boil for 3 minutes.

Remove the osso bucco from the ban and place in a baking tray in the oven at 170 degrees. Add one tablespoon of liquid per osso bucco and one extra. Cover with alfoil and place in oven.

Reduce heat slightly on the liquid in the saucepan on top of the oven and simmer for at least one hour. Once the osso bucco in the oven has begun to fall off the bone and shred, return it to the simmering liquid on top of the oven.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in lightly salted boiling water until al dente. Remove veal from pan and add pasta, parsley, lemon zest and juice and butter. Season, then return veal to pan.Serve with parmesan and accompany with a green salad.

E.