One Pot Pasta

This was dinner tonight, blog-worthy because it cooks in just one pot in under half an hour. Tasty and filling, the one-pot reduction makes the sauce beautifully creamy and the stock gives it a nice depth of flavour - a definite winner. It's also a spin on a family classic, which doesn't hurt ;)

1 brown onion, finely chopped
1 baby capsicum, diced
1/2 head garlic, crushed
200-250g mushrooms, sliced
olive oil
1 can nutmeat, diced OR g mince
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 500g bottle tomato pasta sauce
2.5c stock (I used vegetable)
oregano
basil
garlic salt
400g pasta (I used farfelle/bows)
splash of chili oil (to taste)

Saute the onion, capsicum, garlic and mushrooms in olive oil until soft. Add the nutmeat/mince and fry until browned. Add crushed tomatoes and pasta sauce; stir to combine. Add stock, season to taste with oregano, basil and garlic salt. Bring to the boil. Add pasta and simmer until cooked (10-15 mins). Stir more frequently as sauce reduces to avoid sticking. Add a splash of chili oil to taste.

Serve with green peas and parmesan. YUM.

Great Risottos Made Easy

I have a bit of a reputation for making a good risotto. My husband, in fact, refuses to order risotto on the odd occasion we eat out, for fear it won't live up to his expectations :D A couple of people recently have asked me for the recipe, and I thought I might as well share it on here with you. Enjoy :)

1 onion (or half, if you don't feel like chopping lots of onion)
Garlic to taste (I usually use a good 5-6 cloves, but then again, I love garlic. 2 is probably okay too! :D)
1c arborio rice (MUST be arborio or it won't be nice and creamy at the end)
3.5 - 4c stock (I use chicken stock with orange veggies and vegetable stock with everything else. The amount you need will depend on the rice: stop once it's cooked through and don't worry about any excess stock, as you don't want a gluggy risotto)
1/3 - 1/2c parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Make up the stock and put it in a saucepan over a VERY low heat on the stove. You just want to keep it warm so it incorporates easier.

Finely dice then saute the garlic and onion in some oil (I like olive).

Add the rice, stir so it's coated in the oil, then add enough stock to just cover the rice. Give it a good stir. Bring it to the boil, then turn the heat down so it's just gently simmering. Keep a close eye on it, stirring a couple of times every minute so the rice cooks evenly and doesn't stick, and as soon as you can drag the spoon from one side of the pan to the other in about half a second and still see the bottom of the pan, add another ladle-ful of stock. Continue this until all the stock is gone.

Check to make sure the rice is cooked through (make sure it's not crunchy) but turn off the heat as soon as the last stock is absorbed so the risotto doesn't dry out (yuck). Stir through the parmesan until it's all melted, season to taste, and serve!! :)

If you want to add things to make it tastier, this is what you add when:

• Vegetables that need sauteing to soften them go in with the onion at the beginning (eg capsicum, mushrooms).
• Spices go in with the onion at the beginning (heat releases their smell and taste).
• Green leafies go in at the very end, after the parmesan (this includes herbs).
• Other vegetables are best pre-cooked (microwaved or baked) and added once the last stock is absorbed but before the parmesan. (I often microwave pumpkin or sweet potato then grill it with sea salt and olive oil). This is also when you would add any meat (pre-cooked).
• Feta can be added either before the parmesan if you wanted it melted in a bit, or after if you want it chunkier.
• You can also add flavours to the stock - try substituting some of it with red wine vinegar, or a splash of lemon juice, for example.

And that's it! Too easy :)

Sweet and Spicy Chili (with the Vegetarian option!)

I love spicy food, and I'm an unapologetic carnivore. When cold season hits, I serve high octane protein on the basis that if it doesn't kill you, it will knock out any virus that came calling.

Everyone knows how to make chili, you dump things in a pot and simmer until it tastes right. So don't take this recipe as doctrine, it's a starter template. Adjust as you like to suit your style.

This dish is savory and sweet, with enough heat to handle your worst head cold, and kill small children. If you want something a little less spicy, use fewer - or sweeter- peppers. Or stir sour cream into your bowl when you serve. Dairy kills the heat factor.

Ingredients
- 1 large onion chopped fine
- 1 head of garlic (about 18 cloves)
- 2-3 large bell peppers, seeded
- 4-20 chili peppers, seeded (four is spicy, twenty will kill people, choose something else if you
want less heat)
- 1 packet of chili seasoning -or- chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, a pinch of
cumin or oregano... combine and add as needed
- 8 slices of bacon -or- 2tbspn butter or olive oil
- 1/2 cup of frozen corn
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 tsp cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup sugar divided (you won't use this all)
- 1tbspn olive oil
- 2 cups beef stock or vegetable stock
- 1 pound ground beef/turkey/soy substitute browned
- 16oz can diced tomatoes (about four large tomatoes fresh diced)
- 16oz can tomato sauce (or another four tomatoes, diced)
- 16oz can kidney beans of any color, rinsed

Equipment
- crock pot or giant pot for simmering
- tin foil
- glass baking dish
- cutting board
- frying pan
- oven
- plastic bag
- plastic gloves for handling chilis

Directions
1. Turn the oven on to 400(F), break the garlic cloves apart (leave the peel on), drop in the glass baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, cover with foil and bake until fragrant - about 20 minutes.

2. Broil the bell peppers and half of the chili peppers, brushed with olive oil for 2 minutes, or bake for 10, until skin starts to blacken. Using tongs drop the peppers into a plastic bag to sweat. After they are cool, peel the skins.

3. Add rinsed beans, tomatoes, corn, beef stock, and seasoning packet to the big pot. Turn on low to start heating to a simmer. I like making this in the crock pot because it can simmer all day.

4. Chop roasted pepper and garlic, add to pot.

5. Dice the bacon into 1 inch pieces, fry, add onions and turn the pan to medium-low. You want the onions to slowly caramelize and turn brown. This takes 20-30 minutes. If they aren't turning start adding sugar a pinch at a time.

6. Drain the grease from the bacon and onions. Add bacon and onions to the pot.

7. Bring pot to a rapid simmer.

8. Stir in cinnamon, cocoa powder, and molasses. Adjust seasonings as needed.

9. Simmer for 1-10 hours on low in a crock pot or 1-2 hours on the stove. Serve with your favorite toppings. In my house we top chili with sharp cheddar, avocado, sour cream, and cream onion and eat with tortilla chips or ladled over a hot dog on a bun.

Enjoy!

Moroccan Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Stew

Full credit to Kerryn Boorman for gifting me with this recipe. I think by now we all know my love of orange vegetables, so this recipe is one of my hearty favourites. In fact, since I was just given some butternuts, I might make it for dinner!

Recipe
60 g butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 cinnamon stick (or equiv. ground cinnamon)
pinch of cayenne pepper, or ½ teaspoon harissa
500 ml (2 cups) vegetable or chicken stock
1/8 teaspoon ground saffron threads (this is in the official recipe, but given the price of it, I've always omitted it, and the end result seems just fine to me!)
600 g butternut pumpkin (squash) or other firm pumpkin, peeled and cubed
500 g orange sweet potato, peeled and cubed
60 g ( ½ cup) raisins or sultanas
1 tablespoon honey
coriander (cilantro) leaves, to serve


Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the onion and cook gently, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon stick and the cayenne pepper or harissa. Stir over low heat for 1-2 minutes. Pour in the stock, add the saffron, then increase the heat to medium and bring to the boil.

Add the pumpkin, sweet potato, raisins and honey and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover and simmer for a further 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Remove the cinnamon stick, transfer to a bowl and scatter with coriander leaves.

An amazing sweet-savoury that leaves me wanting seconds every time. Note, though, that it is a sweet-savoury; if you don't like your sweets and savouries combined (a la my husband), you may not like this so much.