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Mom’s Hockey Puck Meatloaf

“A greatly improved version of this timeless classic, I was surprised to find a meatloaf that was this good, and not as rich as the one I was used to.”

  • 1kg ground beef
  • 1 large red onion, chopped
  • 2 slices of bread, made into crumbs
  • 3 tbsp tomato ketchup
  • 1 medium egg
  • 2 tbsp brown sauce
  • 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
  • 50-100g parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 tbsp fresh oregano
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 180˚C Mix all the ingredients together until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball.  Add more breadcrumbs if you need them. Form the mixture into a loaf shape.
Place the mixture in an ovenproof dish or a loaf tin and bake in the centre of the oven for 50-60 minutes until the centre is firm.
Source: Hairy Bikers’ Best-Loved Recipes
Servings/Yield: 4-6
Difficulty: Easy
Course: Main
Preparation: Ready in around an hour twenty

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Dog\'s dinnerNot my sort of thingGood but not for meWould try againLoved it! (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Broccolini with Pine Nuts & Butter Beans

“Arguably a side dish as much as a main meal, this is a great treat regardless of the quantity”

  • 200g broccolini, chopped
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 can butter beans, drained (drained weight 235g)
  • 20g pine nuts
  • 4-6 tbsp single cream
  • 2 large handfuls parmesan, finely grated
Steam broccolini for 5-7 minutes until tender. Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, fry the butter beans for a few minutes until browned.  Add the pine nuts and fry until lightly browned, remove from the heat and stir in the cream.  Toss the broccolini with the beans and add the parmesan, season well.
Source: Stonesoup.com – 5 Ingredient Recipes
Servings/Yield: 2
Difficulty: Easy
Course: Main/Side
Preparation: Ready in 10 minutes

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Dog\'s dinnerNot my sort of thingGood but not for meWould try againLoved it! (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Asparagus Lemon Pasta

“A lemon and cream pasta with the beautiful taste of Asparagus, we loved this as a summer treat”

  • 1 1/2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
  • 1 pound bow-tie pasta
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest (from about 3 lemons)
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • Accompaniment: freshly grated Parmesan cheese
In a steamer set over boiling water steam asparagus, covered, until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer asparagus to a colander and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Drain asparagus well.
In a 6-quart kettle bring 5 quarts salted water to a boil for pasta.
In a deep 12-inch skillet heat butter and cream over moderately low heat until butter is melted and stir in zest, lemon juice, and salt. Remove skillet from heat and keep sauce warm, covered.
Add pasta to boiling water and boil, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Ladle 1/4 cup pasta water into sauce and drain pasta in colander.
Immediately add pasta and asparagus to sauce and cook over moderate heat, tossing, 1 minute, or until heated through. Add parsley and salt and pepper to taste and toss well.Sprinkle pasta with a little Parmesan and serve more Parmesan on the side.

Source: Gourmet Magazine, April 1995
Servings/Yield: 4
Difficulty: Easy
Course: Main
Preparation: n/a
Dog\'s dinnerNot my sort of thingGood but not for meWould try againLoved it! (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Cherry Tomato Pesto

“A fantastic pasta with the fresh taste of tomatoes and the graininess of walnut, we couldn’t get enough of this pesto”

  • 3/4 cups basil leaves
  • 1 oz extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 340 g cherry tomatoes
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 salt
  • 400 g penne
  • basil for garnish
  • parmesan cheese for topping
Combine basil, oil, parmesan, walnuts, tomatoes, garlic, and salt in the food processor. Pulse until the sauce is smooth, about two minutes. Toss the pesto with hot, cooked pasta. Serve with more basil and parmesan cheese on top.
Source: food52.com
Servings/Yield: 2
Difficulty: Easy
Course: Main
Preparation: Prep 5 minutes, Cook 10 minutes
Dog\'s dinnerNot my sort of thingGood but not for meWould try againLoved it! (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Courgette, lemon & chilli tagliatelle

Courgette Lemon and Chillie

“This pasta dish with bacon and courgettes is deliciously rich and creamy”

  • 4 large courgettes
  • 500g tagliatelle or linguini
  • 105g pancetta
  • 1 red chilli , deseeded, if you like, and finely chopped
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 75g Parmesan, grated, plus extra to serve
  • 4 tbsp double cream or soya cream
  • zest of 1 lemon
Coarsely grate the courgettes, then place in a sieve over a bowl. Press to squeeze out all the liquid – this may take a few mins, but try to drain away as much as you can.
Cook the pasta in boiling salted water following pack instructions. Meanwhile, heat a large, non-stick frying pan, then dry-fry the bacon, stirring often, until crisp. Add the chilli and cook for 1 min more, then tip in the courgettes and cook on a high heat for 2-3 mins.
Mix together the egg yolks, cheese, cream and lemon zest. When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving a little of the cooking water. Tip everything back into the pasta pan and toss together. Divide into bowls to serve, with extra Parmesan.
Source: Good Food, June 2011
Servings/Yield: 4
Difficulty: Easy
Course: Main
Preparation: Prep 20 minutes, Cook 20 minutes

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Dog\'s dinnerNot my sort of thingGood but not for meWould try againLoved it! (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Courgette Pancakes

“Something different as an appetiser”

  • 2 small zucchini, grated
  •  1 small onion, grated
  •  1 egg
  •  1 tbsp fresh dill, or 1 tsp dried
  •  Salt and pepper to taste
  •  1/2 cup (or more if necessary) bread crumbs
  •  oil for frying
  •  yogurt or sour cream for garnish

In a small bowl mix zucchini, onion, egg, dill and salt and pepper. Mix until thoroughly combined. Add bread crumbs and stir in. If the mixture seems too wet, add a bit more bread crumbs. Shape into small patties

In a skillet add enough oil to cover the bottom and heat oil until it shimmers. Add a small bit of zucchini mixture to the oil. It should start to sizzle right away. If not, let the oil get a bit hotter. Taste the test piece and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Place patties into the skillet in a single layer. Allow patties to cook until the bottom is crispy and golden brown, taking care that they don’t burn, about 5 minutes. Turn patties over and cook until the second side is crispy and golden brown.

Remove from skillet and pat with paper towel to remove any excess oil. Serve immediately with a bit of yogurt or sour cream on the side for dipping.

Source: Treehugger.com

Servings/Yield : Depends on the size of the patty

Difficulty : Easy

Course : Appetiser

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Pear, Parmesan and Rocket Risotto

“Picking this up in Vegetarian Living Magazine, I found it the perfect solution for the multitude of pears we get at this time of year”.

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 25g unsalted butter
  • 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • ½ celery stick, finely chopped
  • 350g risotto rice
  • 1.5 litres chicken or vegetable stock
  • 185ml white wine
  • 55g parmesan cheese, grated
  • 100g rocket
  • 2 ripe pears, unpeeled, cored and cut into small cubes
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the olive oil and butter into a thick-bottomed pan and place over a low heat. Once the butter has melted, add the onion and celery and cook them nice and slowly for around 15 minutes until soft but not coloured.

Now add your rice and fry over a moderate heat while you warm up your stock. When the rice starts looking translucent it means that the creamy starch is ready to be released, so add the wine in one go and keep stirring until it has been absorbed.

Turn down the heat a bit and add the hot stock one ladleful at a time, allowing most of it to be absorbed before you add the next one.

Cook until the rice is tender but still has some bite. Add a couple of pinches of salt and lots of pepper. Stir in the grated Parmesan cheese, then the rocket, and then, at the last minute, the pear. Serve immediately.

Source : Vegetarian Living Magazine, July 2011

Servings/Yield : 4 Servings

Difficulty : Easy

Course : Main

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Dog\'s dinnerNot my sort of thingGood but not for meWould try againLoved it! (1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
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Rigatoni with Eggplant Puree

 

“Smitten Kitchen Adapted this from Giada DeLaurentis’ original recipe, and added a few changes based on the comments on the food network website”.

  • 1 small eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 250g cherry tomatoes
  • 3 cloves garlic, whole
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
  • 450g rigatoni pasta
  • 1/4 cup torn fresh mint leaves
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
  • Glug of balsamic or red wine vinegar or freshly-squeezed lemon juice (optional)

Preheat the oven to 200°C Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or use a non stick baking tray if you have one.

Toss the eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl until thoroughly coated. Spread the vegetables out in an even layer on the baking sheet and roast in the oven until the vegetables are tender and the eggplant is golden, about 35 minutes.

While the vegetables are roasting, place the pine nuts in a small baking dish. Place in the oven on the rack below the vegetables. Roast until golden, about 4 minutes (only do it for 8 if you want them nice and burnt, like mine). Remove from the oven and reserve. Another quick alternative is to toast them in a small dry frying pan.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta to packet instructions, or until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain pasta into a large bowl and reserve (at least) 2 cups (approx 500ml) of the cooking liquid.

Transfer the roasted vegetables to a food processor. Add the torn mint leaves and extra-virgin olive oil. Puree the vegetables.

Transfer the pureed vegetables to the bowl with the pasta and add the Parmesan. Stir to combine, adding the pasta cooking liquid 1/2 cup (approx. 125ml) at a time until the pasta is saucy, as well as a glug of vinegar (optional).

Sprinkle the pine nuts over the top and serve.

Source : The Smitten Kitchen (Do visit the original link with some fantastic original photos and more descriptive than I have time for)

Servings/Yield : 4 Servings

Difficulty : Easy

Course : Main

Preparation Times : Prep 15 minutes, Cook 40 minutes

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Dog\'s dinnerNot my sort of thingGood but not for meWould try againLoved it! (2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Stuffed & baked ricotta shells

“These great-looking shells make a good alternative to stuffed cannelloni and look stylish in the dish”

  • olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1x400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 20 (about 200g) giant pasta shells
  • 500g courgettes topped, tailed and grated
  • ½ lemon, zested
  • 100g ricotta
  • 50g parmesan, grated

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan. Add ½ the garlic, cook for a minute then add tomatoes. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until thickened.

Cook the giant shells until almost tender. You want to slightly undercook them as you’ll be baking them again later. Drain, rinse under cold water then drain completely.

Heat another tbsp of oil in a large frying pan, add the rest of the garlic and the courgettes. It looks like a huge amount of courgette at the start, but it really wilts down. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the courgettes have reduced and all the liquid has cooked off. Cool then stir in the ricotta and zest and half the parmesan. Season well.

Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Spoon the tomato sauce into the bottom of a shallow ovenproof baking dish. Stuff a spoonful of courgette mix into each shell then sit in the sauce in rows. Sprinkle over the rest of the parmesan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until bubbling and golden.

Source : Olive Magazine, June 2011

Servings/Yield : 2

Difficulty : Easy

Course : Main

Preparation Times : Prep 10 minutes, Cook 50 minutes

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Dog\'s dinnerNot my sort of thingGood but not for meWould try againLoved it! (1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
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West Indian Chicken Curry

“This punchy dish is under 500 calories, but you won’t notice you’re being healthy.”

  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 tbsp curry powder
  • 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into small chunks
  • 4 skinless boneless chicken breast fillets, cut into chunks
  • 400g tin coconut milk
  • 100g whole cherry tomatoes
  • fresh coriander, to serve

Cook the onion and garlic in a tsp of oil for 5 minutes. Season, then stir in the curry powder. Cook for another minute, then add the potatoes and chicken. Pour in the coconut milk. Simmer for 10-12 minutes, then add the tomatoes and simmer for 2 minutes. Serve sprinkled with fresh coriander.

Source : Olive Magazine, June 2010

Servings/Yield : 4

Difficulty : Easy

Course : Main

Preparation Times : Prep 10 minutes, Cook 20 minutes

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Dog\'s dinnerNot my sort of thingGood but not for meWould try againLoved it! (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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