Pasta with Pork Meatballs and Tomato Sauce

This is simply a comfort food crowd pleaser!

You will need 454g of minced pork. Minced pork is great because when you start "manipulating" it it forms a very dense and tasty meatball.

To make the meat balls first very finely dice a big onion, and sweat it in a small covered saucepan with a glug of olive oil for 15 mins or so, after 10 mins add a finely crushed(!) garlic clove. Meanwhile grab a large bowl, and into it place the minced pork, a good tablespoon of finely chopped fresh parsley, twice that amount of grated parmesan cheese, and a beaten egg. Add the onion and garlic once cooked and with your hands mix everything very well - adding a good couple of pinches of salt and a few turns of a pepper mill.

 Once it is all really well mixed, tip a cup of plain flour into a shallow dish, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and some ground black pepper to season the flour, and start to form your meatballs. They need to be about a large walnut size - you will probably get 25 - 28 from this mixture. Each time you form one , roll it in the flour until well covered and place on a deep tray. Once the tray is full of the meatballs, cover it with clingfilm and place in the fridge for an hour.

For the tomato sauce - dice an onion and slowly sweat in a covered pan with a glug or two of olive oil, for 10 mins, then add a tin of good plum tomatoes, don't break the tomatoes up as they are bitter until really well cooked. Simmer for 30 mins covered, then break the tomatoes up, add salt and pepper and a bayleaf and a cup of milk and a little more good olive oil, then simmer for a further ten minutes.

To cook the meatballs heat some olive oil in a frying pan and fry the meatballs until well browned in batches of about 7-10 at a time depending on the pan size, when they are browned add them to the tomato sauce which has been cooking for 40 mins, after all the meatballs are added take two spoonfuls of the tomato sauce out of the pan and add to the frying pan to de glaze it - this will be a feisty moment!, and tip the deglazed contents back into the sauce.  Now place your pasta ( 5 oz for two people) into a pan of boiling weater and cook according to the packet details ( usually 10-12 mins|). Once ready - remove the meatballs with a slotted spoon and keep in a warmed bowl, drain the pasta and add to the sauce, mix really well and serve and place the meatballs on top  Fab!!

Mushroom, Garlic and Chilli pasta sauce

Had this tonight - very very flavoursome!!  Serves two.
Start by chopping a medium onion very finely, and then fry very gently in a little olive oil in a covered saucepan. After 6 mins, add a chopped/crushed garlic clove, cover again and continue to fry gently for another 3 mins. Meanwhile very finely chop  and dice 4 chestnut mushrooms, and add to the saucepan. Finely slice a small green chilli and add to the pan, along with a good pinch of salt and a good turn of freshly ground black pepper. After a further 3 mins, slice and chop 4 medium tomatoes and add to the pan.

In a small frying pan warm an ounce of butter and two good glugs of olive oil - slice a dozen chestnut mushrooms and gently fry, after 5 mins add a chopped garlic clove and a pinch of salt and ground black pepper..

Separately bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and when boiling add 5 ounces of penne rigatoni dried pasta. Boil according to the instructions ( usually 7 - 10 mins according to supplier).

After the sliced mushrooms in the frying pan have cooked, use a slotted spoon to add them to the saucepan of sauce, and then pour into the saucepan half of their cooking liquor ( ie the garlicky butter and oil)

When the pasta has cooked, drain and keep warm in the sieve/colander. Finely chop a good handful each of parsley and basil, add to the sauce saucepan, stir in, add the pasta - stir well and serve in a couple of bowls topped with some freshly grated parmesan cheese ( parmegiano reggiano for pref\)

very flavoursome and quite a hint of garlic||!!

Grilled mackerel with a chilli sauce

This is easy and quick!!  Prep - turn the grill up to max, and warm some olive oil in a pan - when warm gently fry a chopped onion for 5 mins with the lid on, then add a chopped clove of garlic, a chopped small chilli ( if you don't have one chuck in a wee pinch of dried chilli flakes) and cook for 3 more mins. Then add three chopped tomatoes, a nice pinch of salt and a good turn of freshly ground black pepper, and cover and cook for 15mins. After this has been cooking for 10 mins place the mackerel fillets on the grill and cook for four mins. Then place them on plates - half cover with the sauce ( check the seasoning again just before you serve!) and Bob is your relative - serve with boiled new potatoes, or rice, or whatever!!

How to prepare the fish fillets - buy fillets!!- ha ha - but to prepare use a very very sharp knife ( boning knife for obvious preference) and cut a V shaped wedge lengthways down the centre of the fish to remove the bones - this will leave a wee v-shaped gap in the fish - but will make the eating much nicer!! It kind of peels off as a strip of bones.

Very oily fish so extremely good for you

Ken's Mushroom and Pea Risotto

You're going to know most of this - but here goes for all beginners!  This should serve four. First important point - Risotto needs to be made with a hot stock to hand. Lots of supermarkets sell great tubs of fresh stock which can easily be kept hot in a pan on the hob - but to be honest - I usually want to make this when I haven't remembered to get or make any fresh stock - so its a cube ( or two!) of chicken stock, pint of boiling water, mix and keep warm in the pan on the hob!

Once the stock is warm and available keep it on the lowest heat and have a wee ladle handy!

In a large suacepan heat a couple of glugs of olive oil, and gently fry a chopped onion for about five mins, add a chopped garlic clove and fry gently covered for another 4 or so minutes until all are soft. While this is happening, take a small frying pan and fry about 4 finely diced mushrooms, after 5 mins add some frozen peas that have defrosted and have been mashed a bit - cook for a further 3 mins in butter and oil ( not too much) and then set aside for use later. Then use the pan to cook some chopped mushrooms - much bigger pieces, and place a cupful of frozen peas to hand!

Back to the saucepan - to the onion and garlic add10oz risotto rice ( I use arborio - you can't use long grain etc - it won't grow and get sticky enough!). Turn up the heat and keep turning the rice until it looks slightly translucent - probably about 3 or 4 mins, then add a good glass of dry white wine - when this has burned off and been absorbed it's time for the stock marathon - essentially you keep adding a wee ladleful of stock every few mins - waiting each time until it has been absorbed by the rice before adding the next etc. Keep the rice moving with a spoon while you do this - its quite theraputic! It can take 15-18 or so minutes for all the stock to be absorbed - worth tasting as this time approaches to make sure it really is edible! Taste also for seasoning - add salt and pepper if needed.

Now stir in your mushroom and pea mix from your earlier work, stir in on a gentle heat, then add the sliced cooked mushrooms and some frozen peas - amount to your taste but probably at least a dozen cooked chopped mushrooms and a cupful of peas, cook gently for a further two mins or so and then do the luxury bit - remove from the heat and add a couple of ounces of chopped butter, a good handful of chopped fresh herbs ( mint/basil/parsley - together or individually - whatever you have - but it gives a real flavour burst!!) and a good handful of grated parmesan cheese - stir in, cover and leave for a couple of mins - then give a final stir - taste for seasoning again ( add salt and pepper if needed ) and serve!!

Perky Chicken Casserole

This is a wee bit of a crowd pleaser - chicken thighs casseroled with some lovely flavours!  In a small lidded saucepan  gently fry to soften two chopped onions - lid on, after ten minutes add two chopped garli cloves, and cook for a further five minutes very gently. Meanwhile in a separate large frying pan, that can take a lid,  fry some chopped smoked bacon, as they turn colour add 8 chicken thighs ( bones left in are best for flavour - but boneless are probably easier for youngsters etc to navigate on the plate later!). Fry the thighs and bacon until the thighs take on some colour - then add a tin of plum tomatoes. At this stage add the cooked onion and garlic from the other pan, stir and cook for a further five minutes. At this stage add two chopped green peppers, and a tablespoon of ground allspice, a good handful of freshly chopped parsley, a good pinch of salt and ground black pepper, break up the tomatoes with a spoon ( no sooner as whole tinned tomatoes can be slightly bitter) - then cover the frying pan and cook for a further 30 minutes gently simmering. Test for seasoning - serve with - well you choose - long grain rice or mashed potatoes - really tasty winter warmer with a good strong perky flavour!

the perfect prawn and spinach curry...mainly from the cupboard!

I just love this combination - finely chop an onion and gently fry it to soften ( the best way to do this is very little oil, low heat and the lid on - leave for at least 10 minutes - that way the onion softens ( sweats those cooky type persons call it) rather than frys!  Afetr the 10 mins add a clove of garlic chopped, 1/2 teaspoon each of ground ginger, coriander powder, turmeric, garam masala, chilli powder and a pinch of cinnamon powder - fry for a couple of mins then add 4 or 5 chopped fresh tomatoes - cover and simmer for 15 mins. Add a bag of frozen prawns - cook for 10 mins then add a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper ( if it needs more liquid then a little boiling water is in order) - then a bag of fresh baby spinach leaves - add and turn in the sauce until only just wilted - then serve!!!!