Articles Tagged with “Tomato”
15/01/2008: Gnocchi all’Amatriciana al Forno
This is a very easy Italian-style meal of my own creation, combining gnocchi with a simplified sugo all’amatriciana. If you prefer, macaroni or another small, cut pasta could be used in place of gnocchi.
Ingredients
- 500g pack of gnocchi
- 400g tin of tomatoes
- 6 rashers of pancetta, or 4 rashers of unsmoked streaky bacon
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2–3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- a small handful of parsley, chopped
- black pepper
- 150g mozzarella
Method
Preheat an oven to 190°C.
Prepare the gnocchi according to the instructions on the packet. Drain and set aside.
Dice the pancetta or bacon and fry with the onion, garlic and chilli. When cooked through, add the tomatoes, black pepper and parsley. Simmer for ten minutes.
Stir the gnocchi into the sauce and then transfer the mixture to a large ceramic baking dish, such as one suitable for making lasagne. Pat down and flatten the surface using the back of a wooden spoon.
Scatter torn mozarella over the top of the dish and bake for 30–40 minutes.
31/08/2003: Spaghetti Bolognese
Yes, I know Spag Bol isn’t actually Italian, but it is Italian-style. The sauce doesn’t just have to be served with spaghetti - any other pasta will do, as would chips, baguettes, garlic bread or jacket potato.
Ingredients
- 450g tin of chopped tomatos
- 500g of lean minced beef, frozen
- 4 rashers of pancetta or smoked bacon
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 to 4 mushrooms, chopped
- 2 to 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 glass of red wine
- 1 1/2 teaspoon of dried chopped basil
- 1 teaspoon of dried chopped oregano
- a little beef gravy powder or cornflour
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil
- 150g dried spaghetti
- 2 to 3 tablespoons of mushroom ketchup (optional)
- 10 black olives, sliced (optional)
Method
Grill the pancetta or bacon until it starts to crisp. Then leave to cool. Once cool, chop as finely as possible.
Fry the onions and garlic in the olive oil until they start to become transparent. Then add the minced beef. Cook the beef, stirring occasionally, until it has browned. Now…
31/08/2003: Chilli con Carne
Ingredients
- 2, 3 or 4 (depending on how hot you like it!) chilli peppers, deseeded and chopped
- 500g minced beef
- 450g tin of chopped tomatos
- 450g tin of red kidney beans or mixed beans, drained
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 or 2 sticks of celery, chopped (optional)
- small handful of coursely chopped corriander
- Mexican spices
- gravy powder or cornflour
- oil
Spice Blend
OK — I have decided to reveal my tried-and-tested cajan/mexican spice blend exclusively on my website. You might want to make a big batch of this blend in advance. The quantities shown below will make too much spice blend for a normal sized batch of chilli!
Level one spices — use about three teaspoons of each:
- cumin (seeds, toasted and roughly crushed; or powder)
- chilli (dried flakes, or powder)
- oregano (dried)
Level two spices — include about two teaspoons of each of these if you have them:
- corriander (crushed seeds and/or dried leaves)
- garlic (dried powder, or crushed)
*…
31/08/2003: Nachos
Ingredients
- Chilli con Carne or vegitarian chilli
- 300g tortilla chips
- 150–200g grated medium chedder
- 2 chopped green chilli peppers
- 6 chopped spring onions
- 6 chopped cherry tomatos
- 3 tablespoons soured cream
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- Fresh corriander, torn roughly
Guacamole
- 1 large avocado
- 2 tablespoons of soured cream
- juice of half a lime (equivalent amount of lemon juice will do)
- one small tomato, chopped finely
- half a green chilli, deseeded and chopped finely
- quarter of a red onion, chopped finely
- salt
Method
Preheat an oven to 180°C.
Cover the bottom of a large casserole dish with tortilla chips (about 120g worth). Sprinkle about 80g of grated cheese over the top. Now pour on the prepared chilli, while still hot. Layer the remaining tortilla chips and cheese over the top and place in the oven for about 10 minutes.
Mash the flesh of the avocado in a bowl using a fork. Stirin soured cream, lime juice, tomato, chilli,…