Jamie Oliver 30 minute meals - Sausage pasta

Jamie Oliver has a new show - well it's been on for a few weeks now, but I've only got around to watching the episodes I've Sky+ed.

So far it looks good. The concept being you can cook a meal pretty much from scratch for 6 in 30 minutes. Great concept but some of his ingredients are very pricey. He did a lovely "roast beef" dinner in 30 mins but the piece of fillet of beef he used must have cost a fortune !

One of the ones that took my fancy was the "Pregnant Jools pasta" which is basically a sausage pasta, a little salad and some frangipane tarts (one of the Husband's favourite puds). I thought I'd give it a try for Sunday lunch and apart from anything else the kids are guaranteed to eat pasta in almost any shape or form. I was also interested to see if I could do it in 30 mins. I consider myself quite an accomplished cook so I was up for the challenge.

My ingredients all assembled ! Time on the clock 13.00...

PREGNANT JOOLS PASTA, CRUNCHY CHICORY SALAD & LITTLE FRANGIPANE TARTS

SERVES 6

4 spring onions

1 stick celery

1 carrot

1 red chilli (I deseeded this as the kids were eating too)

400g good quality sausages

1 heaped tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp oregano

500g dried penne (I used fusilli)

4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

4 cloves garlic

1x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

basil leaves - a small handful chopped and leaves to garnish

for the salad

1 bag prewashed rocket & watercress

2 red chicory

lemon

olive oil

parmesan shavings

for the frangipane

6 deep or 8 shallow shortcrust pastry cases

1/2 jar decent raspberry jam

1 egg

100g butter

100g ground almonds

90g golden caster sugar

ice cream to serve

TO START Get all your ingredients and equipment ready. Turn your oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. Fill and boil the kettle. Put a large frying pan on a high heat. Put the standard blade attachment into the food processor.

PASTA Trim the spring onions, carrot and celery. Roughly chop all the vegetables, then blitz in the food processor with the chillies (stalks removed). Add the sausages, 1 heaped teaspoon of fennel seeds and 1 teaspoon of oregano. Keep pulsing until well mixed, then spoon this mixture into the hot frying pan with a lug of olive oil, breaking it up and stirring as you go. Keep checking on it and stirring while you get on with other jobs. Put a large deep saucepan on a low heat and fill with boiled water. Fill and reboil the kettle.

TARTS Put the 6 pastry cases on a baking tray. Make a frangipane mixture by cracking the egg into a mixing bowl and adding 100g of almonds, 100g of butter and 90g of golden caster sugar. Grate over the zest of ½ an orange and add 1 tablespoon of vanilla paste or extract. Use a spoon to mix everything together. Spoon a small teaspoon of jam into each pastry base. Top with a heaped teaspoon of frangipane, add another small teaspoon of jam, then finally another heaped teaspoon of frangipane. Put the tray in the oven on the middle shelf and set the timer for 18 minutes exactly.

PASTA Top up the saucepan with more boiled water if needed. Season well then add the penne and cook according to packet instructions, with the lid askew.

SALAD Trim off the bases of the chicory, then click apart all the leaves and quarter the heart. Scatter over a platter, then sprinkle the rocket and watercress on top and toss quickly with your hands.

PASTA Crush 4 unpeeled cloves of garlic into the sausage mixture and stir in 4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and the tinned tomatoes. Add a little of the starchy cooking water from the pasta to loosen if needed.

SALAD Speed-peel or shave some of the Parmesan over the chicory salad and take it to the table with a bottle of extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon wedges for dressing right before eating.

PASTA Drain the pasta, reserving about a wineglass worth of the cooking water. Tip the pasta into the pan of sauce and give it a gentle stir, adding the basil and enough of the cooking water to bring it to a silky consistency. Taste, correct the seasoning, then tip into a large serving bowl and take straight to the table with the rest of the Parmesan for grating over. Scatter over a few basil leaves.

TARTS When the little tarts are golden and cooked, turn the oven off and take them out. Serve them warm, with a dollop of ice cream on the side.

the end result

pudding

the time on the clock ? 13.40.

It was a rather frantic 40 minutes. If I'd not made the puds then I'd have easily made it in 30 mins. I may have to have another go - son no 1 has already asked if I can cook it again ! It was very easy and very very tasty.

30 days / 30 things Day 20

Right, behind again. Bottom of the class F- for me !!

Day 20 (yes, yes I do know it's the 22nd today) is a cookery book recommendation. I have so many to choose from I don't know which one to use, so I had to go and have a rummage through my bookshelf to see which one was most thumbed and splattered - the sign of a good cookbook in my eyes anyway.

I came up with this one

Now I like to think of myself as quite an accomplished cook but I still love the basic cookery books such as this one. I've got a couple of recipes from here which are now firm favourites on our weekly meal plans. I have also lent this book to friends who have ended up buying their own copies when I've wrestled the book back from them ! It's split up into very user friendly chapters and it also addresses the issue of cost and availability of produce too. It focuses very heavily on cooking from scratch and the health benefits of doing so.

Pot-roasted meatloaf

Ok firstly I must say I'm not sure why I'm posting this. I am really quite cross and I suppose I need to vent my anger.

Don't you just hate it when you've been eyeing up a recipe in a new cookbook for ages only to make it, and it be REALLY disappointing ? Well that's what happened to me tonight.

I was using the Jamie Oliver recipe for pot roast meatloaf out of the Ministry of Food book. I've cooked several other things out of the same book and they were all lovely. This however was not.

Partly I can blame Tesco for not labelling their smoked paprika as "hot smoked paprika" but in general I wasn't impressed with the consistency of the meatloaf either. I would make it again but I would make several changes. It looks lovely but the sauce was far too spicy (so much so that the boys had to have beans on toast).

I will put the recipe below as it is. BUT if I was going to do this again I'd either source sweet smoked paprika or put 1/2 the quantity in. I wouldn't use the cream crackers either, it gave it a really odd consistency in my opinion. I'd add some fresh breadcrumbs to bind instead.

POT ROAST MEATLOAF
serves 4-6

For the meatloaf:
1 onion chopped
Olive oil
1 heaped tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
12 Jacob's cream crackers
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp Dijon mustard (I didn't use this)
500g minced beef
1 large egg

For the sauce
1 onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1 red chilli finely sliced
1 tsp smoked paprika (see notes above !!!)
2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes
1x 400g can chickpeas drained
2 tablespoons Lea & Perrins
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2tsp chopped fresh rosemary
6 slices smoked streaky bacon (or pancetta)

Fry the onion in the olive oil and then add the cumin and coriander. Cook slowly for about 5 minutes until soft and then set aside to cool.
Crush the crackers into fine crumbs and mix with the onion. Add the rest of the ingredients plus some seasoning and squish well together.
Form into an oblong shape, rub with oil and put into an oven proof dish. Bake for 30 mins at 200C

While this is cooking fry the onion for the sauce with the chilli and garlic in olive oil, add the paprika and cook for 5 mins until soft
Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and vinegar, simmer for 10 mins until reduced

Remove the meatloaf from the oven and pour the fat over the rosemary. Drape the bacon over the meatloaf and then pour over the sauce.
Finally add the rosemary mixture back to the pan and cook for 10 mins or so until the bacon has crisped.

Serve with salad and crusty bread.

Aubergine parmigiana

Finally my cooking mojo seems to have returned. Over the last few weeks I've had problems summing up the enthusiasm to cook anything new. Don't know why but I'm guessing it's something to do with the nightmare we've had over the past month. Latest drama is son no2 devloping chicken pox on possibly the worst week he could have done. Thank goodness for my Mum and some great friends who've helped us out on the childcare front though.

So, my mission over the next few weeks is to try some new recipes. The Husband doesn't consider a meal a meal unless it comes with a slab of animal protein, he'll just about tolerate fish with some protestations. So, I'm trying to increase my veggie repetoire. Something I've never really had to cook as all our friends are pretty carnivorous.

This is a fantastic veggie recipe that I've made several times. This serves 6 (apparently !) and there is always leftovers which I freeze and whizz up to a pasta sauce for the kids - minus the topping. Tonight I served it with simple lemon and garlic roast chicken but it's also lovely with steak and a side salad.

Sadly I can't take the credit for this, it's from Jamie's Italy, but I have done a few little tweaks. Best of all, it's one of the only things I've ever cooked which comes out of the oven looking almost identical to the pic in the book !

AUBERGINE PARMIGIANA
Serves 6

3 large firm aubergines sliced into 1cm rounds
Olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1 heaped teaspoon dried oregano
2x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
Red wine vinegar
Pinch of sugar
Seasoning
Large handful basil chopped
2 handfuls grated parmesan
Large handful dried breadcrumbs
A little fresh oregano chopped
1 ball mozzarella

Firstly brush the aubergine slices with oil and cook on a griddle pan for a few minutes each side
Set aside
Heat some olive oil in a large pan and add the garlic, onion and dried oregano
Cook over a gentle heat for 10 minutes until the onion is soft
Add the tomatoes and sugar and cook for 15 mins until reduced
Add some seasoning, basil and a splash of vinegar
Put a smear of sauce in the bottom of a large earthenware dish, sprinkle over some parmesan and then lay over the aubergine
Repeat the layers finishing with a layer of sauce
Toss the breadcrumbs with the oregano and some olive oil
Lay the sliced mozzarella over the top and then sprinkle over the breadcrumbs
Bake at 200C for 30 mins until crisp and golden.

Say mmmmmmmmmmm lots !

Spiced lamb casserole

The last few weeks have been so busy I just haven't had time to update things.

The best bit is that my low-carb diet has resulted in a 7lb weight loss over the last 2 weeks !!! I'm totally thrilled with that and my jeans have lost their "post Xmas pinch" ;-)

Today we had friends over for lunch and I'm ashamed to admit that I fell off the low carb wagon with some style. It damn well tasted good though. Firstly I did a rather adapted version of JO's spiced lamb shanks, although I couldn't get hold of any lamb shanks. This was then followed with mandarin cheesecake.

SPICED LAMB
serves about 6

2 tsp of coriander seeds
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp dried oregano
S&P
flour - about 2 tbsp
1 large shoulder of lamb
Olive oil
3 onions chopped
6 stalks of celery halved and sliced
2 large carrots diced
3 cloves of garlic crushed
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3x400g cans of plum tomatoes

Crush the coriander seeds and chillis together and mix with the oregano and rosemary
Rub all over the seasoned meat and then sprinkle over the flour
Add a lug of olive oil to a large pan and sear the meat, remove to a large casserole dish
Add some more olive oil and fry the vegetables until just tender.
Add the balsamic vinegar and reduce slightly.
Finally add the tomatoes and vegetables to the lamb. Stir well and season. Add about 1/3 a can of water and put the lid on the dish.
Cook for 2 hours at 180C and then a further 30 mins with the lid off.
Stir through some chopped fresh basil and serve with mash and green veg.

The original recipe calls for 6 anchovies but due to the Husbands irrational fear of these I left them out ! I may sneak them in next time because I swear he wouldn't notice.

Dirty food

Oh the shame ! There are many non-foodie foods that I do love, things to be eaten in secret and not usually admitted to. Some are relics from my childhood, so almost instant comfort food, others rather embarassing cravings while pregnant that I've never really lost the taste for.

I'm not alone with this, I bet almost everyone could name their "dirty food". For a friend of mine it's KFC, for another McDonald's chips dipped into a MaccyD's milkshake - each to their own ! Even a foodie of major standing such as Jamie Oliver has admitted to loving fish finger sandwiches and it's even got a mention in one of his books !

This whole topic came about after I had a craving for butterscotch Angel Delight. Now this covers two categories, I have fond memories of this from childhood but was also part of a pregnancy craving when it had to be eaten with tinned peaches.










So, what else is on my dirty food list ? I love cold baked beans (Heinz, natch !) and cold spaghetti straight from the tin. I positively adore fish finger sandwiches with ketchup and mayonnaise. I'm really rather partial to junk food too, but don't often indulge, much to the chagrin of my 6.5 yr old. Despite all my best efforts to bring him up as a mini foodie, he seems to think that McD's or KFC is the height of culinary excellence. Salad cream squirted over cold rice is also rather scrummy.

I've just asked the Husband what his dirty food would be, the answer just isn't publishable ! Just goes to show the mind of a bloke.

Pancakes !

Son no 1 asked for pancakes for breakfast this morning. I assumed he meant the American style ones and I had visions of pancakes with bacon and maple syrup for breakfast - totally scrummy. Anyway, it turned out he wanted "pancake day pancakes" instead.

So, in the interests of educating my 6 year old Jamie Oliver style I asked :"What do we need to make pancakes then ?" The reply came back "Eggs, milk and pancake batter mix in a box". Given I've never used this is my life I have NO idea where that concept came from !

In the end we used the basic recipe below. Son no1 had his with Nutella, the Husband and I had lemon and sugar and son no2 threw his on the floor.

Pancakes for 4 : makes about 10

6oz plain flour
Pinch of salt
3 large eggs
1/2 pt milk
Butter, melted

Sift the flour into a large bowl and add salt
Add eggs and milk and whisk well together
Heat crepe pan and brush with melted butter
Add enough mix to coat base of pan and cook until bubbles form
Flip over and cook other side
Serve immediately with topping of choice !

Finally a quick word about Lakeland. Now I love this shop and is my first choice for kitchen gadgets. Last year I bought a crepe pan from there which brought about much rolling of eyes from the Husband. He has finally conceeded that it was a good buy - makes fab omelettes in there too !