Last weekend Leon went on his UK stag party, as we’re leaving for Australia at the end of next week and some of his friends can’t make it to the wedding next year. Cooking for one can sometimes be tricky but don’t let it beat you! Hope you like this.

Serves 1!

Ingredients
75 – 100g pasta
half a red onion, or one shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 – 2 tbs olive oil
a small nob of butter
a handful of grated parmesan cheese
two handfuls of baby spinach
salt and pepper
optional: a wedge of lemon

Method
1. Cook the pasta in salted water as per packet instructions. When al dente or cooked to preference, drain and set aside.
2. Immediately place pasta pan back on hot hob; add oil and butter. When melted, add garlic and onion or shallot, and fry gently until golden. Add the spinach and toss briefly until wilted; return the pasta to the pan, and season with salt and pepper. Add more oil or butter if it looks too dry; toss to coat the pasta in the oil and butter.
3. Serve straightaway, sprinkled with parmesan, with the lemon squeezed over. Delicious and easy!

Ok, so there’s a lot of rumours about Spaghetti Bolognese.. The dish that we call Bolognese isn’t technically Italian, as far as I know – rather it’s a Western adaptation. The closest equivalent would be what the Italians call Ragu, but don’t quote me on this as I’d hate to upset an Italian about food!
Bolognese is one of my main comfort foods, and never fails to deliver.. here’s my version.

Ingredients:
olive oil
2 onions, diced
a stick of celery, diced
a larg carrot, grated
two cloves of garlic, chopped
2 – 3 bay leaves
2 stickes of fresh rosemary
500g beef mince, or a combination of pork and beef mince
a glass of red wine (or white if you don’t have red)
2 x 400g tins of diced tomatoes
a sachet of tomato paste
a cube of beef stock, dissolved in boiling water
a tbs of sugar
a tbs of red wine or balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
a large handful of fresh parsley, chopped

To serve:
80g of pasta (spaghetti!) per person
parmesan cheese
garlic bread and/or a green salad if desired

Method:
1. Heat 2 tbs of olive oil in a large stewing pot (preferably one with a thick non-stick base) over a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, rosemary and bay leaves, and stir. Turn the heat down and put a lid on the pot; cook gently for 10 – 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don’t allow the veg to burn – if you think it’s too hot put a splash of boiling water in, to stop it from burning.
2. Take the lid off the pot, turn up the heat and add the mince. Stir until meat is browned. Add the wine, and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato paste, as much of the beef stock as you think it needs, stir and bring to the boil.
3. Turn the heat down, add the sugar, balsamic vinegar, a bit of salt and pepper, and stir again. Put the lid on, slightly ajar, and simmer for 2 – 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Take the lid off for the last hour or half an hour, to allow the liquid to reduce.

I usually cook this for at least 3 hours, as I think it allows the beautiful rich flavours to develop, and it makes the house smell lovely. If, however, you are pushed for time, simply use less of either the wine, stock, or tinned tomatoes – if there is less liquid, you won’t need to simmer it for so long. I wouldn’t cook it for less than an hour though.

4. Stir through the finely chopped parsley, and season to taste. Serve with pasta and parmesan cheese, and garlic bread or a side salad if desired.

When I make this for Leon and I, we usually eat two servings and then I put 6 servings in the freezer! So I guess that means it Serves 6 – 8.

Emily – November 2009

 

Another favourite home recipe, lobby is a thick stew which is popular in my home city of Stoke on Trent, in the Midlands. There’s plenty of information on the internet about where it comes from, whether it’s an adaptation of a Liverpudlian recipe, or a basic stew with a couple of changes. Wherever it originates, lobby always reminds me of home, and this, another of mum’s recipes, is a favourite of mine.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
Handful of pearl barley
800g-1kg stewing beef, cubed 
1 large carrot, diced
2 potatoes, cubed
1/2 a swede, cubed
1 large parsnip, cubed 
1 celery stick, chopped
1 beef stock stock cube
1 tbsp tomoto puree
Handful of fresh seasonal herbs e.g. thyme, rosemary
2-3 bay leaves
Dash of Worcester sauce

Method:
1. In a large cooking pot, heat a little oil and fry onion until softened.
2. Add meat and brown.
3. Add pearl barley and vegetables and top up saucepan with boiling water to fill up pan, stir so it doesn’t stick.
4. Add stock cube, tomoto, puree, salt and pepper, herbs, bay leaves, and worcester sauce. Stir, bring to boil, and simmer at least an hour. If the sauce still needs to thicken you can add any thickening agent such as flour or gravy granules, or simmer for longer.

Leon- November 2009

This is a recipe for key lime pie which my Mum has adapted from a couple of different places. The recipe is extremely simple, and the dessert tastes great. The left over egg whites can be used to make a merengue, which can be added to the top of the pie before it goes into the oven.

Ingredients:
100g butter
225g digestive biscuits – crushed
5 limes
3 large egg yolks
400g can condensed milk

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180.c 350/gas mark 4.
2. Grease a flan tin or cake tin preferably loose bottomed. 
3. Gently melt butter in a saucepan and stire in biscuits crumbs till well mixed.  Tip into cake tin, press in well and level with back of metal spoon.
4. Bake in oven for 5 to 10 mins, set aside to cool.
5. Meanwhile, grate the zest of three of the limes and set aside.
6. Juice all 5 limes into a bowl and set aside.
7. Put the egg yolks and the zest into a bowl and whisk for 3 to 4 mins until thickened, pour in the condensed milk and whisk together for a few mins, then ad the lime juice and whisk until mixed.
 8. Pour over the biscuit mix and bake in centre of oven for approx 15 to 20 mins until set.
 
Cool and serve with cream if desired.

Leon- November 2009

Although this is not a Scottish dish, I first ate it in Inverary whilst Emily and I were travelling over the winter holidays. Mussells are my favourite seafood, and when I had this dish, we both began trying to figure out the recipe.

This is definitely the closest we can get to replicating the original Inverary dish; which was served with large mussells from the Isle of Mull.

Serves 2 (Rouille makes double and can be chilled for up to a week).

Ingredients:
For the rouille
1/4 tsp Saffron Threads
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 egg
2 egg yolks
1tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp light brown sugar
3-4 garlic cloves crushed
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and fresh ground pepper
300 ml sunflower oil

For the mussells
600-800g large mussells
1 small onion or 2 shallots, diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Small nob of butter or olive oil
Splash of white wine
Parsley, choppped, to serve

Method:
Rouille
1. Put saffron threads in a small bowl add 2 tbsp hot water and leave to soak for 5 mins
2. Put the saffron and water in a food processor with the vinegar, egg, egg yolks, mustard, sugar, garlic, cayenne and half tsp each of salt and pepper.  Process to combine, then with the motor running, very slowly pour in the oil until the sauce is thick and creamy.
3. Chill until needed.

Mussells
1. Wash and de-beard the mussells, discarding any that do not close up with a strong tap.
2. Melt the butter in a large pot, or heat the olive oil, and add the onion/shallots and garlic. Heat gently until softened but not brown.
3. Add the white wine and bring to the boil.
4. Add the mussells, put a lid on the pan, and steam for 2-4 minutes, until the mussells have opened.
5. Discard any mussells which have not opened.

To Serve
1. With a slotted spoon, serve the mussells into two bowls.
2. Spoon over the cooking sauce from the mussells.
3. Spoon over the rouille.
4. Sprinkle with chopped parsely, and serve with warm crusty bread.

I’ve made this traditional Andalucian seafood dish before as part of a tapas for a group of people, but it could easily be served as a main course in its own right with a side salad or vegetables. It’s easy to make and tastes great.

Get your fishmonger to clean the sardines and remove the heads, or do it yourself.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:
8 fresh sardines
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small white onion, thinly sliced
1 green pepper, thinly sliced
White wine vinegar
Olive oil
White breadcrumbs

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 190C/gas mark 5
2. Heat a little oil in a pan and add the garlic, onion, and pepper. Cook gently until the vegetables have softened.
3. Arrange the cooked vegetables in a shallow, ovenproof dish and place the sardines on top, skin side up.
4. Cover with breadcrumbs, then drizzle with olive oil and white wine vinegar.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are golden.

Leon- November 2009.

I’ve been to Greece on quite a few family holidays, and I’ve always enjoyed Greek food. So, I was very excited when we went to Greece earlier this year, especially as Emily had never been before.

Whilst we were in Santorini we found a very small, very cheap restaurant near to our apartment which made excellent Pastitsio.

Pastitsio is a favourite in Greece, and is similar to an Italian Lasagne. The minced beef, spiced with cinnamon and oregano, gives the authentic Greek taste.

Serves 8-10.

Ingredients:
500g rigatoni
2 eggs, beaten
50g grated cheese; kefalotiri or parmesan is best
2tbsp melted butter
10g breadcrumbs

Meat
4tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
1kg minced beef, preferably lean
200ml red wine
400g chopped tomatoes
2tbsp tomato puree
1tsp ground cinnamon
1/4tsp ground cloves
1tbsp dried oregano
2tbsp fresh oregano
3 bay leaves

White Sauce
115g butter
115g plain flour
1.2l milk
1/2tsp grated nutmeg or a pinch of dried nutmeg

Method:
For the meat:
1. Heat the olive oil in a pan. Add the chopped onion, garlic, and celery and fry until the garlic starts to brown.
2. Add the minced beef, and stir until the meat has browned.
3. Add the red wine, tomatoes, tomato puree, cinnamon, cloves, dried and fresh oregano, bay leaves, 100ml water, and salt and pepper and simmer for about 30-40 minutes; until the sauce has thickened. Remove the bay leaves.

For the white sauce:
1. Melt the butter in a non-stick saucepan.
2. Add the flour and cook, stirring over a medium heat for 1 minute.
3. Slowly beat in the milk, bring to the boil, and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Season with the nutmeg and salt and pepper.

For the pasta:
1. Bring enough salted water to cover the pasta to the boil.
2. Cook the pasta for about 10 minutes; it should be slightly undercooked as it will finish cooking in the oven.
3. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool slightly.

For the pastitsio:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 4.
2. Stir a fifth of the white sauce into the pasta with the beaten eggs and half of the cheese. Stir to coat the pasta.
3. Stir the remaining sauce occasionally, and if it begins to stick, add a little more milk.
4. Grease a large (about 23×33x7cm), ovenproof dish with the melted butter.
5. Spread 1/3 of the pasta over the dish and cover with 1/2 of the meat. Add another 1/3 of the pasta and the other 1/2 of the meat. Finally, add the final layer of pasta, spoon over the remaining white sauce, and cover with the remaining cheese and the breadcrumbs.
6. Bake for 40 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Leon- November 2009

New recipes coming soon!