Lasagne

The trick of having a good lasagne is a creamy bechamel sauce...i'm suck at doing that...this time round too by the Masterchef came to the rescue... haha... to make it quick, i used readymade pasta sauce to make the filling and prepared it earlier..

Lasagne sheets (ready to cook)
1 jar readymade pasta sauce (i used prego)
minced meat
fresh white/swiss mushroom, sliced
carrot, chopped
celery stick, chopped
onion, chopped
garlic, chopped
fresh oregano, chopped
olive oil
salt and pepper

cheddar, parmesan and mozzarella cheese, grated

for bechamel sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 1/4cups milk
salt and pepper
grated nutmeg

• Prepare the filling. Heat oil in pan. fry the onion and garlic till fragrant. Add in minced meat and fry until brown.
• Add in carrot, mushroom and celery and fry till soft. 
• pour in the pasta sauce, mix well. add in the oregano, season with salt and pepper.
• set aside
• Prepare the bechamel sauce. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour. Whisk to combine.
• Add milk, continue to whisk until mixture comes to boil. add nutmeg, season with salt and pepper. reduce heat to low and simmer. stir frequently until mixture thickens.
• now assemble your lasagne: filling, lasagne sheet, bechamel sauce, grated cheese. repeat until 3 layers.
• bake in preheated oven 180 degrees celcius for 40 min until cheese bubbling hot and turns golden.

Minestrone soup

out of idea what to cook for the family...? this one-dish meal saved our day... we love soup very much and i ditched in some vegetables (whatever available) and pasta to complete it... adapted from Jamie Oliver's ...

1 tablespoon olive oil 
minced chicken
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped 
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped 
2 carrots, washed and chopped 
2 sticks celery, chopped
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf 
1 can chopped plum tomatoes 
1 large potato, scrubbed and diced 
4 cups chicken stock
Large handful spinach, stalks removed, chopped
½ cup mixed small pasta shapes 
1/8 teaspoon sea salt 
large pinch freshly ground black pepper 

• Heat a large pot over a medium heat and add a lug of olive oil. Throw in the minced chicken and fry it gently until it starts to turn brown and smell fantastic. Add the garlic, onion, carrots, celery, oregano and bay leaf and cook slowly for about 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the vegetables have softened.
• Add the tomatoes, potato and chicken stock, then cover with a lid and bring everything slowly to the boil. Simmer for about 30 minutes, then check (with the tip of a paring knife) that the potato is soft and cooked through.
• After that, add the kale and pasta, and cook for 10 more minutes, until the pasta is cooked. If the soup is too thick for you after cooking the pasta, thin it with a little more broth or water.
• Finish by seasoning with a little salt and black pepper.

I did not mix the pasta in the soup, rather boiled it separately..

Seafood Olio Aglio

i love the garlic taste and smell in olio aglio...lots of garlic, and i mean you need lots of garlic to make this... ;)

here's the recipe (modified from noobcook.com)... (i used half packet of spaghetti to get this amount of serving)

• half packet of pasta (250g)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 40g butter divided
• 50g achovies fillet in olive oil or you can use 1/2 achovies cube (kiub ikan bilis)
• 10 to 12 large prawns shells off and deveined
• 10 cloves garlic peeled and sliced or roughly chopped (not too finely)
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
• a bunch of Italian flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
•  salt to taste
• freshly cracked black pepper to taste
*** you can add squid as well with the prawns and i added some strips of sun-dried tomatoes as well.. yummy!!

1. Bring a pot of water with 1 tbsp sea salt to a boil.  Cook pasta according until al dente(usually 2-3 mins minus recommended cooking time for spaghetti). Drain and set aside the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water.
2. Heat half the butter in a sauce pan. Cook the prawns on both sides and set aside.
3. Add olive oil to the sauce pan with the achovies fillet/cube. When the oil is heated, add garlic and chilli. Saute until the garlic turns light brown.
4. Turn off the stove. The garlic will continue cooking in the hot oil on its own for a few more seconds in the hot oil, until they turn a lovely golden brown.
5. Add cooked pasta, cooked prawns, about 2 tbsp reserved pasta water, chopped parsley and remaining butter (cubed) to the garlic & oil mixture. Stir to coat all the ingredients evenly. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Italian meatballs

we love spaghetti and meatballs... i made them in advanced and store them in freezer, take them out to thaw then cook it... can't find the photo of the dish though...will put it up once i cook this dish again..

2 slices of white bread, crusts removed, torn
1/2 cup milk
1 onion, grated
500g mince beef
1/3 cup finely chopped basil leaves
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp olive oil
500g jar tomato pasta sauce
cooked pasta to serve

• place bread in large bowl. add milk. stand for 5 min. 
• add onion, mince beef, egg, basil, cheese and half of parsley
• season with salt and pepper. mix to combine
• roll level tablespoons of mixture into balls. place on to a plate
• heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. cook meatballs, turning, for 5-7 min or until browned or cooked through
• add pasta sauce. bring to boil. reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 2-3 min.
• sprinkle with remaining parsley. serve with pasta

fettucine pesto primavera

this recipe was taken from Chef Wan's Simply Sedap 2....it is amazingly delicious..astray from the regular tomato or cheesy creamy pasta...

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1/2 red capsicum, seeded and sliced

2 celery sticks, chopped

2 tbsp ready-made pesto sauce

400g fettucine, cooked until al dente

4 tbsp chicken stock

salt and blackpepper to taste

grated parmesan cheese to taste

• heat olive oil in pan. add garlic, capsicum, celery and fry for 1 min
• mix in the pesto sauce
• add cooked fettucine and toss until well-mixed. add the stock. toss a few more times and season to taste
• dish out and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and serve

fried spaghetti a la Ez

my version of fried spaghetti...making use of whatever available ingredients at home...

spaghetti, boiled  till al dante and drained

onion and garlic, chopped

fresh mushroom. sliced

celery stick, sliced

fresh parsley, chopped

sun-dried tomato, sliced
green bellpepper, diced

crabmeat sticks, sliced

chicken sausage, sliced

oil

tomato puree

lemon peel, finely chopped

sesame oil

• heat oil in pan, saute the onion and garlic till translucent. add in the mushroom, celery, bellpepper and cook till soft.
• add in the crabmeat and sausage.
• add in the tomato puree, mix well.
• put in the lemon peel, parsley, sun-dried tomato and cooked spaghetti and mix well until the spaghetti is well coated.
• season with salt and pepper
• add a dash of sesame oil
• remove from heat and serve

spaghetti carbonara

tried out spaghetti carbonara from Donna Hay's book...tip for this recipe, it needs to be served warm immediately...i added some mushroom to add some kick to it..

500g spaghetti
300g beef/chicken bacon strips
5 fresh button msuhroom, sliced
3 small onions, sliced
4 egg yolk
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan
2 tbsp chopped parsley
extra grated parmesan cheese to serve

• cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 10 min or until al dante. drain and keep hot
• while the pasta is cooking, heat a non stick frying pan over medium heat. cook the bacon, mushroom and onions for 3-4 min.
• whisk the egg yolk with cream and parmesan in a bowl and toss through the hot pasta, coating well. 
• stir in the bacon and parsley and top with extra parmesan

mushroom, chicken and thyme fettuccine

a yummy, creamy fettuccine...adapted from Donna Hay's pasta, rice+noodles, which i bought at the Big Bad Wolf Books Sale for only RM12...such a good bargain!

500g fettucinne

1 tbsp olive oil

1tbsp butter

3shallots, chopped

2 garlic, chopped

400g mixture of swiss brown mushroom and white button mushroom, sliced

1 tbsp dried thyme

1 cup cream

1/2 cup chicken stock

finely grated parmesan cheese, to serve

• cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 10-12 min or until aldente
• drain and keep warm
• heat a large frying pan over medium heat
• add oil, butter, shallots and garlic and cook for 2-3 min or until soft
• add the chicken, mushrooms and thyme and cook for 5-6 min
• stir in the cream and chicken stock and simmer for further 5 min or until the mushrooms are tender
• add the pasta and toss to combine. top with parmesan and serve warm

tuna and spinach lasagne

quick and easy...

250g lasagne sheets
2 x 200g cans tuna, drained
450g tomato passata
9 pitted black olives, roughly chopped
225g baby spinach
salt and pepper
250g ricotta cheese
4tbsp low fat milk
2 tbsp grated parmesan

• preheat oven to 200 degree celcius and grease shallow ovenproof dish.
• flake tuna, put into frying pan and add the passata. heat gently. stir in olive and spinach, then add black pepper to taste. cover and simmer gently 5 min to wilt the spinach
• spoon a third of tuna sauce into the dish. cover with a layer of lasagne sheets. spreadh half remaining tuna mixture on top and cover with lasagne sheets, then repeat.
• mix ricotta with milk and season to taste. spoon over top of lasagne, then sprinkle with parmesan. bake for 30 min  or until very hot. serve immediately.

Quick and easy spaghetti bolognese

i've tried many version of spaghetti bolognese and i love them all...this is another version of it...it is always the kids' favourites!

1 packet spaghetti, prepared according to the package
400g minced meat/chicken
2 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic , crushed
1 onion, chopped
a handful of fresh mushroom, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
400ml beef stock
400 ml passata (Italian tomato puree)

440g can of chopped tomato (i used whole tomato)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp dried oregano or a handful of fresh oregano, chopped
grated parmesan cheese to serve with (optional)

• heat oil in a pan. add in the mince meat and fry till brown
• add in the vegetables - onion, garlic, mushroom, celery and carrot.
  
• add in the passata and beef stock.
• season to taste. add in the oregano
• let simmer till the sauce is a bit thicken
• serve with the spaghetti and sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top

fried pasta with minced beef sauce

an eye opener for breakfast, i would say...the combination of western and oriental taste in one lip-smacking dish...! the kids love it so much..and the parents too!

200g pasta, prepare according to the packet, drain and set aside

3 fresh button mushroom, sliced

100g minced beef/chicken

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 tsp chopped shallot

1 tsp chopped ginger

1 tomato, diced

2 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp sesame oil

pepper and salt to taste

4 tbsp tomato sauce

1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, chopped

• heat oil in wok and fry garlic, shallot and ginger till fragrant
• add minced beef and stir fry until fragrant
• add the mushroom, sesame oil, tomato sauce and season with salt and pepper
• add in the pasta and tomato
• lastly, add in the coriander leaves
• fry until all well combined

spaghetti with chicken, sun-dried tomato and feta cheese

i love the taste of sun-dried tomatoes...this dish can be made with some left-over chicken from the previous night...

1 packet spaghetti (prepared according to the package)

1/4 cup olive oil

4 garlic, crushed

2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes (or more), chopped

feta cheese, crumbled

cooked chicken, sliced

1 bunch of fresh coriander leaves, chopped

1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

salt and pepper to taste

• mix in olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, chicken, feta and parmesan cheese. stir in the coriander and season with salt and pepper
• stir into the spaghetti, mix well, serve warm

tuna lasagne- UPDATED!

A creamy tuna lasagne…a simple and very satisfying dish…from my Pasta book…

1 tbsp butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic, finely chopped
115g mushrooms, thinly sliced
2/3 cup whipping cream
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
350g no pre-cook lasagne sheets
2 cans tuna, drained and flaked
¾ cups peas
115g mozzarella cheese, grated
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
salt and ground blackpepper

white sauce:
¼ cup butter
½ cup plain flour
2 ½ cup milk

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onion, cook for 5 min. then stir in the garlic and mushrooms, cook until soft, stirring occasionally.

Make the white sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook for 1 min, stirring. Gradually add the milk, whisking until the sauce boils and thickens. Stir in the mushroom mixture, cream and parsley. Season to taste.

Spoon a thin layer of sauce over the base of a 9x12 inch ovenproof dish. Cover with a layer of lasagne sheets. Strew half of the tuna, peas and mozzarella cheese over the lasagne. Spoon 1/3 of the remaining sauce evenly over the top and cover with another layer of lasagne.

Repeat the layers, ending with lasagne and sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan. Bake for 30-40 min.

macaroni with ribs soup

spaghetti with coney sauce

the sauce

jihan's portion with sausage

the bread roll

i tried out this lovely coney sauce with my spaghetti....(adapted from allrecipes.com)



300g ground beef

3 tbsp chopped onion

1/2 cup tomato ketchup

1 tbsp white sugar

1 tbsp white vinegar

1 tbsp yellow mustard

1/8 tsp celery seed (i omit this)

1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/8 tsp ground blackpepper

1/4 tsp salt

• place beef and onion in a large skillet over medium heat


• cook, stirring to crumble until beef is browned.


• stir in ketcup, sugar, vinegar and mustard.


• season with celery seed, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and salt


• cover and simmer over low heat for a few minutes.


• serve over cooked spaghetti

* the leftover sauce, i rolled them with bread and sausage....

spicy baked pasta-updated!

My mum got this recipe from her friend....

300g macaroni (or other type of pasta), prepared according to the package

15 eggs

2 onions, chopped

200g chicken fillet/mince meat

1 small packet kurma powder/soup pwder

fried shallot

spring onion and daun sup, chopped

salt and pepper according to taste

• lightly beat the eggs
• add in onion, chicken, kurma or soup powder, fried shallot, spring onion and daun soup. mix well.
• add in the boiled macaroni/pasta
• put the mixture into a baking dish
• bake in a preheated oven 175 degrees for 40-50 min or until cooked
• serve with chilli suace or tomato ketchup

tomato, chilli and anchovy spaghetti

adapted from my favourite pasta book...!

spaghetti (or any other pasta), prepared according to the package

2 tbps sundried tomato paste

anchovy fillet

2 garlic, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 red chillies, seeded and chopped

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

basil leaves, chopped

olive oil

• heat olive oil in pan. add in garlic and onion, fry till fragrant


• add in the tomato paste and chillies. mix well


• put in the anchovy fillet and basil leaves


• season with blackpepper and salt


• toss in the prepared spaghetti and mix well


• serve with green salad leaves

chicken lasagne

a simplified version of lasagne...i used the readymade spaghetti sauce to make the chicken mixture...very creamy and tastes so italianies!...

2 tbsp olive oil

500g minced chicken

1/2 jar of readymade spaghetti sauce (i used Tesco's product)

12 sheets no-precook lasagne sheets

salt and blackpepper to taste

cheese sauce:

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup plain flour

2 1/2 cup milk

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

• 
  
  heat oil in pan, brown the minced chicken over high heat, stirring constantly.


• 
  
  add the readymade spaghetti sauce. bring to boil, cover and simmer for 30 min


• 
  
  make the cheese sauce. melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat, stir in the flour and cook for 1 min, stirring constantly. gradually add the milk, stirring constantly until the mixture boils and thickens. stir in 3/4 of the grated cheese until it melts, season to taste


• 
  
  preheat oven to 190 degrees. make layers of chicken mixture, lasgne and cheese sauce in an ovenproof dish, starting and finishing with a layer of chicken mixture


• 
  
  pour the remaining cheese sauce evenly on top. sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake for 1 hour or until bubbling and lightly browned on top

seafood pasta olio e aglio

also from the same book, 500 greatest-ever pasta recipes, but i came out with my own version...

1/2 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

450g spaghetti/pasta, prepared according to the instruction and drain (i used elbow macaroni)

2 tbsp fresh parsley (i used mixed dried herbs)

salt and blackpepper

cod fillet ]

prawns fillet ] blanched in hot water

squid ]

• heat olive oil in a medium pan and add the garlic and a pinch of salt. cook over low heat, stirring constantly. do not allow the garlic to become too brown or it will taste bitter


• add the blacnhed seafood to the oil


• put the drained pasta in a clean pan. add the warm garlic and oil with plenty of blackpepper and herbs. toss to coat


• serve immediately

baked pasta- updated!

lovely pasta from my 500 pastas recipes book....will write the recipe later....

ok, here's the recipe,folks...sorry for the delay!...

1tbsp olive oil
350g mince meat/chicken
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic, chopped
1 can chopped tomatoes ( i used 4 ripe tomatoes, chopped)
1 tbsp dried mixed herbs
2 tbsp tomato puree
350g pasta prepared according to the packets instruction and drain

cheese sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup plain flour
1 3/4 cup milk
2 eggs yolk
2/3 cup grated parmesan
salt and blackpepper

• heat olive oil in pan, add minced meat, fry over moderate heat, stirring
  occasionally, for about 10 min until browned
• add onion and cook for 5 min, stirring occasionally
• stir in the garlic, tomatoes, herbs and tomato puree. bring to boil, cover
  and simmer for 30 min
• meanwhile make the cheese sauce. melt the butter in a small pan, stir in
  flour and cook for 1-2 min, stirring constantly. gradually add the milk,
  stirring constantly until sauce boils and thickens. whisk in the egg yolks and
  cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste
• toss the pasta with the meat sauce
• preheat grill. pour the pasta into baking dish, spoon the cheese sauce on
  top and place under grill until well browned. serve immediately