Pasta with Creamy Bacon Sauce

Pasta with Creamy Bacon Sauce

Ingredients
1 lb or 500g Penne pasta
6oz or 175g of bacon diced
5.5oz or 150g sliced button mushrooms
5oz or 140g frozen peas, thawed
4oz or 120ml cream
6 tbsp grated Grana Padano cheese wedge (or cheese of your liking)
Salt & pepper to taste

Method
Cook pasta until al dente, drain and set aside.
Pan fry bacon until lightly browned, then pour off all but 2 tbsp fat. 
Add mushrooms and peas, then cook on medium for 2 minutes.
Add the cream and stir in the grated Grana Padano cheese.
Bring mixture to the boil and simmer for 3 mintues, stirring.
Add pasta to the pan, toss thoroughly.
Season to taste with salt & pepper and sprinkle with additional grated cheese, if desired.
Toss and serve~     
  

Ricotta & Spinach Stuffed Tomatoes

Ricotta & Spinach Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients
  
2 tomatoes, seed and flesh scraped out (reserving lids)
1 tbsp olive oil
3-1/2 oz or 100g baby spinach
3-1/2 oz or 100g ricotta
Pinch of grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
Squeeze of lemon juice

Method    

Preheat oven to 410°F or 210°C.

Place olive oil in a pan on medium heat.

Once oil is hot, add spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted. (about 30 seconds)

Mix the spinach, ricotta, nutmeg, salt & pepper and lemon juice in a bowl.

Spoon the mixture into the tomato shells.

Place shells and lids separately on baking tray and bake for 10mins. 

Season with salt & pepper to taste, and serve immediately.

Parmesan and Dijon Crusted Chicken with Pan Fried Green Beans and Capers

Ingredients:
3 Slices White Bread
1/4 cup fresh parsely, roughly chopped
2 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
2 medium chicken breasts pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 small red onion, thickly sliced
1 tbsp baby capers, drained
250g green beans, ends trimmed, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
juice of 1/2 lemon

Method:

• Place bread slices in a food processor and pulse into small crumbs. Transfer to a large tray or baking dish and mix in parmesan cheese and parsely. Season well with salt and pepper.
• Using a pasty brush, coat the chicken breast with the mustard. Press the chicken into the breadcrumb mixture, coating well on all sides.
• Place a medium pan of salted water over high heat and bring to the boil. Add beans and cook until tender but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in large frying pan over medium-high heat until hot. Cook the chicken for 3 minutes on each side or until medium golden brown and cooked through, adding more oil as needed. Remove and place on a plate line with paper towels and light covered with foil. Drain all except 1 tbsp of oil from the pan and return to the heat.
• Reduce the heat to medium and cook the onion for about 2 minutes, until it starts to soften. Add the beans and cook a further 2-4 minutes until tender. Add capers and lemon juice and toss to combine. Season.
• To serve, slice chicken and divide between 4 serving plates. Top with green beans and capers.

Caprese Salad

Serves 4
Preparation 5 minutes

4-6 mixed tomatoes, sliced, at room temperature

250g fresh buffalo mozzarella, torn (or baby bocconcini, sliced)

1/2 cup picked basil leaves

Dressing

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1. Arrange tomato slices, mozzarella and leaves on a platter. Season to taste.
2. Dressing. In a jug, whisk all ingredients together.

Drizzle over caprese salad just before serving.

Cheese and Apple with crumble

For the cake mixture:

3 cups plain flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

3/8 cup sugar

3 drops vanilla extract in 1 tablespoon of sugar

1 pinch salt

5 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup cooking oil

For Filling:

3 lbs apples

4 medium eggs

3/4 cup soft butter or margarin

1/2 cup sugar

2-3 drops lemon extract

30 oz cream cheese

1/4 cup plain flour

For crumble:

2 cups flour

3 oz ground almonds without skins

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup soft butter or margarine

1. Preheat oven ot 350 ºF

2. make the dough by mixing together the flour and baking poweder then sift into a mixing bowl and add the other ingredients. Stir with a hand mixer until all ingredients mixed then hand knead until dough becomes less sticky. Shape dough int a roll on a floured work surface. Then roll out the dough and place on a stip of aluminum foil inside a baking sheet.

3. Making the filling: wash, peel, core and cut the apples into thin segments. Arrange the apples overlapping each other on the base. Whisk egg whites with hand mixer until stiff. Put the softened butter or margarine in a mixing bowl and whisk until homogenous. Add sugar, lemon extract, egg yolk, cream cheese and flour and whisk . Fold the beaten egg whites into the cream cheese mixture and cover the apples with this mixture.

4. To make the crumple: sift flour and add almonds, sugar, cinnamon, and softened butter or margarin. Stir with hand mixer until the crumble has the right texture. Sprinkle crumble over the cheese mixture and bake in the oven for about 60 min.

Easter Bread

2 packages of dry yeast

1/2 cups luke warm water

1 1/2 cups scolded and cooled to luke warm milk

1 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

4-5 egg yokes

1 1/8 cup butter

6 cups flour

1 cup raisins

3 tablespoons brandy

Directions:

-dissolve the yeast into the luke warm water

-mix milk, sugar, salt, egg yokes and soft butter into a large bowl

-beat in half flour and add raisins

-add brandy and yeast

-beat in the rest of the flour

-kneed dough until smooth

-put dough into a big greased bowl and let rise for 1.5 hours

-punch down and let rise for another 2 hours

-shape it and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 min.

Enjoy

Italian Lamb Steaks

Italian Lamb Steaks

Prep: 20mins Cook: 20mins Serves: 4

8 lamb leg steaks (Heart Smart)
2 tbsp Olive Oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/3 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp thyme leaves
2 tsp Tuscan seasoning
100g green beans, trimmed
1 Treviso radicchio, trimmed, torn
2 baby fennel, shaved
1/3 cup Deli style Vinaigrette
20gram shaved parmesan
135gram Fresh Red Peper

Tapenade, to serve

1. Preheat oven to 200° C (392 °F). Put lamb steaks into large roasting pan. Combine oil, garlic, parsley, thyme, Tuscan seasoning, salt and pepper in a bowl. Rub mixture onto steaks. Cover loosely with foil. Remove foil and roast for another further 10mins.

2. Meanwhile, cook beans in boiling water for 2 mins or until just tender. Drain and rinse under water. Combine beans, radicchio, fennel, dressing and parmesan. Toss until well combined. Serve steaks with salad and tapenade.