Showing posts with label meatless. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meatless. Show all posts
It's always very handy to have a few recipes in your recipe repertoire for easy do ahead meals. I especially like these types of things for Sundays, because I am usually starving by the time I get home from church. Sundays is normally the day I make a do ahead casserole that I can just heat up . . . or I use the slow cooker. It's what works for me!
This is one of my favourite make ahead casseroles. It is not Todd's favourite make ahead casserole . . . because, as you know . . . the silly man HATES pasta! (I think it's a texture thing, but don't quote me on that!) I LOVE pasta, as you also know . . . and so every once in a while I just have to have some! Yes, today was torture Todd with pasta day!
Actually I do try not to torture him with it very often . . . and usually when I do make pasta, I am sure that I have something in the cupboard I can just heat up for him like a steak and kidney pudding (YUCK!) which he adores. It's only fair.
There is this program on Saturday mornings called oddly enough, Saturday Kitchen! (Took a genius to name that I think!) They usually have a celebrity guest on board, and they are asked what is their food heaven and food hell. Then they draw and it's up to the draw whether they will have to experience their food heaven or hell.
I would hate that myself . . . although I am thinking that pretty much anything would be food heaven in James Martin's presence . . . but I digress. (Look at those eyes ladies! Now that's what I call a tasty dish . . . and he is the master of desserts!)
My point is . . . Pasta is Todd's food hell and my food heaven . . . and steak and kidney pie would be his food heaven and my food hell, coz there would be no way on earth you could EVER tempt me into eating kidney. Sorry. I'm squeamish about that. After learning about them in cooking school, I am never eating a kidney.
Anyways . . . this casserole is my idea of food heaven. It's make ahead. It's easy. It's pasta. It's cheesy. It's delicious. What more could you ask for! It's like an easy, meatless lasagne . . . without any fuss.
*Tasty Pasta Bake*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe
A delicious pasta bake that you put together the night before and then bake the next day to serve. The perfect make ahead dish.
16 ounces of uncooked pasta
(1 pound)
1/4 cup of sour cream
8 ounces cottage cheese (1 cup)
4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 cup)
1 small onion, peeled and minced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp black pepper
28 ounces pasta sauce (tomato and basil, Bolognese, whatever you have. Homemade is best
but jarred works well also) (2-400g jars)
1 cup of chopped vegetables (peppers, mushrooms,olives etc.)
4 ounces grated cheese (a mixture of cheddar and mozzarella works fine) (1 cup)
Cook your pasta in lightly salted water, just until al dente. Drain well, rinse, drain again and then set aside.
Stir together the sour cream, cottage cheese, cream cheese, onion, Parmesan cheese, garlic salt and pepper. Set aside.
Butter a 9 by 13 inch glass baking dish. Layer in the ingredients as follows. 1/'2 of the cooked pasta. The cottage cheese mixture. Any vegetables you are using. The remainder of the pasta. Pour over top the pasta sauce. Sprinkle with the grated cheeses. Cover tightly and place in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 1/2 hour before you want to cook it.
When you are ready to cook it, preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Place the casserole dish into the preheated oven and bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Delicious!
Note: the leftovers taste even better and if you wish you can make this in two casseroles and freeze one for a later date.
One place I have not really visited yet during the 12 years I have been here in the UK is Scotland, not unless you count a flying visit up to Gretna Green one day while we were on Holiday one year in Cumbria.
It was only about an hour from where we were staying so we thought why not. It wasn't Scotland proper, even though it was truly an interesting place to see.
I have always had a certain amount of affinity for the Scots . . . probably due to my latent Scottish Ancestry . . . and to the sight of both Mel Gibson and Liam Neeson in kilts. Be still my heart.
I have always had a certain amount of affinity for the Scots . . . probably due to my latent Scottish Ancestry . . . and to the sight of both Mel Gibson and Liam Neeson in kilts. Be still my heart.
Do you think Scottish men really looked as good as all that way back when?? I dunno, but I sure like to think that they they did!
Yes, I also hold a certain yearning and love in my heart for historical romance novels about Scottish Lairds and clansmen . . . and Vikings . . . but we won't go there today, we're talking about the Scots.
The Scots are known for having wild temperaments, fabulous accents, huge calves, hairy cows . . . and their appetites for strange and unusual foods . . . like Haggis, Tatties and Neeps . . . and deep fried Mars Bars.
I have never tried anything but the vegetarian Haggis, and it was quite good . . . likewise the Tatties and Neeps . . .
I don't think my heart could withstand the onslaught of a deep fried Mars Bar . . . but they do sound oddly appealing in a gluttonous sort of way!
Today I learned about a favourite hearty snack which hails from the bonny bonny land up North of us . . . Macaroni Cheese Pies.
Yes! Macaroni Cheese Pies!!
Think of it . . . your favourite supper dish . . . except in a pie.
Deliciously rich macaroni and cheese . . . all rich and moreishly cheesy . . . baked in a crisp and brown, hot water pastry crust.
Apparently every baker has their own delicious version.
This is mine. I like to use a combination of cheeses in my macaroni cheese. A nice strong well flavoured cheddar, some Red Leicester for colour and taste . . . and some sharp Parmesan for yet another layer of flavour.
I make my sauce extra rich with the addition of a bit of single cream, which helps to loosen the sauce just a little bit and give it additonal scrumminess.
This hot water pastry is very easy to make. I don't think I've made pastry that was this easy to make before. I had never attempted to even try, always thinking that it must be very difficult, but it wasn't difficult at all, or even labour intensive.
It is what is often used to make raised pork, chicken or ham pies . . . very sturdy and crisp . . . and forgiving. I baked my pies in stainless steel cooking rings, about 4 inches in diameter and about 2 inches tall, but you can use pie tins if you want.
Individual ones are best, or you could even use large muffin tins or individual ramekins.
They're really rather tasty I think, although I cannot imagine eating one as a snack. To me this is a meal.
Delicious served hot, straight out of the oven with some rustic chips and ketchup on the side . . . or even at room temperature, making them the perfect portable lunch.
I do hope you will give them a try. I think you'll be most pleasantly surprised. Next time I think I'll add little bits of ham or crisp bacon to the mix, or broccoli, maybe a bit of chopped tomato.
Or how about some crumbled Stilton and Walnuts?? Sounds positively scrummy!
Apparently this is a favourite snack from Scotland. You can use your own favourite macaroni and cheese recipe or the one I have posted here. You will want to make your macaroni and cheese first so that it can be cold when it comes time to put it into the pies.
For the macaroni cheese:
2 TBS butter
2 TBS plain flour
250ml of whole milk (1 cup)
50ml of single cream (1/4 cup)
1/2 pound of grated cheese (a good strong Cheddar, Red Leicester, Parmesan)
(In whatever quantities you want, I basically use 1/2 cheddar, and 1/4 of each of the other two)
a healthy splash of hot sauce (Tabasco, etc.)
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
150g of macaroni, cooked as per package directions, drained and rinsed (about 1 1/2 cups)
For the pastry:
250g of plain flour (2 1/2 cups)
3/4 tsp salt
50g of solid white shortening, or lard (1/4 cup)
125ml of boiling water (1/2 cup)
More grated cheese to top
First make the macaroni and cheese. To make the sauce place the butter into a saucepan over medium heat. Melt and once it just begins to foam, whisk in the flour. Cook, whisking for about a minute. Slowly whisk in the milk, whisking constantly until the mixture bubbles and begins to thicken. Whisk in the cheeses a bit at a time, allowing each addition to melt before adding the next. Stir in the hot sauce and seasonings. Taste and adjust as necessary. Stir in your cooked and drained macaroni. Cover with a piece of cling film and set aside to cool completely.
To make your pastry. Measure the flour into a bowl along with the salt, whisking both together. Drop the fat in bits over top. Pour the boiling water in all at once and stir quickly together with a fork until well blended. Once you can easily handle it, tip it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it gently until smooth. Cover with the bowl and allow to rest for five minutes.
Preheat your oven to 400*C/200*F/ gas mark 6.
Take 6 metal pastry rings, about 4 inches in diameter, and place them onto a baking tray. Roll your pastry out on a lightly floured surface until it is 1/4 inch thick. Cut out rounds large enough to fit into the metal rings with a bit of overhang. Carefully fit the pastry into the rings, pushing it into the sides at the bottom all the way around with your knuckles to fit. Once you have them lined properly, take a rolling pin and roll it across the tops to cut any excess pastry away. Discard any excess. Fill each of the rings with a portion of the macaroni cheese, filling them to just below the pastry edge. Sprinkle each with some more grated cheese.
Bake in the heated oven for about 35 minutes, or until a rich golden brown. Loosen the edges of the metal rings with a sharp knife and allow them to cool for 5 minutes before removing the metal rings to serve.
Best served hot or warm with some tomato ketchup and chips (French Fries) on the side.
There is nothing that brings me more satisfaction than being able to pull together a few simple ingredients and come up with a delicious dish that has people ooohing and aaahing and, well . . . wanting more . . .
You can't really go wrong with the combination of onions and cheese.
They are the perfect marriage.
Onions have a natural sweetness that goes so well with the tang of a good cheddar!
You see it in French Onion Soup . . .
With the added crunch of a toasted crouton on top . . .
This delicious casserole has all of the same elements . . .
except there's a tasty, creamy sauce as well.
Make this today. You will love it. I kid you not. Go on . . . you know you want to.
*Cheese Scalloped Onions*
Serves 4 to 6
This is a lovely side dish. Cheese and onions go together so very well. They also go very well with most things.
3 large onions, peeled and sliced
6 ounces grated strong cheddar cheese
2 cups croutons, crushed a bit
2 ounces butter (1/4 cup)
2 ounces flour (1/4 cup)
500 ml of whole milk (2 cups)
salt and black pepper to taste
freshly grated nutmeg
a knob of butter
Place the onion in a large saucepan. Cover with lightly salted boiling water and allow to sit on a slow simmer while you make the sauce.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for one minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk. Cook, whisking constantly, over medium heat until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Season to taste with salt, black pepper and some freshly grated nutmeg. Remove from the heat.
Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F/gas 4. Butter a 2 litre casserole dish.
Drain the onions well. Place half of the onions into the buttered dish. Sprinkle with half the cheese and half the croutons. Pour on half of the sauce. Layer on the remaining onions and cheese. Pour the remaining sauce over top. Cut into it a bit with a dull knife to distribute the sauce evenly through out. Sprinkle on the remaining croutons. Dot with butter. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving. Delicious!
I would like to announce my very first Cookbooklet, "A Royal Teaparty." You can read all about it in the top right hand column of this page. It is filled with over 20 special recipes, including everything from delicious savoury offerings, to delectable puds and delights. Also included are my own delightful water colour illustrations (Rule Britannia!), Teatime prose and folklore, Hints and Tips to make your tea party the very best that it can be, Teatime etiquitte, several crafts to help make your day special and unique, and your very own Tea Party Invitations that you can print and send out to your friends. Available for a limited time only!
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