All That I'm Eating

Recipe ideas for budget meals, everyday cooking and a little indulgence. Travel inspiration and restaurant reviews too.

Meatball Pasta Bake

By 18 Comments

Just look at that cheese. All melted and stringy just waiting for you to stick a fork in. My meatball pasta bake combines two of my favourite comfort foods: meatballs in a rich tomato sauce and cheesy pasta. It’s almost like pizza meets meatballs meets pasta bake; and it’s all the better for it if you ask me.

Frying the meatballs off first and then making the sauce in the same pan gives the tomato sauce a brilliant depth of flavour. I love the herb flecked meatballs, the richness and fragrance of the tomato sauce (thanks to the fresh basil) and the soft creaminess of the mozzarella. The family agreed; this meatball pasta bake was devoured in minutes. read more

Tomato and Mascarpone Gnocchi Bake

By 13 Comments

Tomato and Mascarpone Gnocchi Bake in baking dish

I think this is a perfect meal in many ways: firstly, it’s just the right size for two people; secondly, it’s really simple to make; thirdly, it’s deliciously vegetarian and full of veg and lastly, it’s really versatile. My tomato and mascarpone gnocchi bake is made from a few ingredients which I often have in the kitchen anyway. Just the thing for a busy Monday night when you want something quick and tasty. You could add anything to it that you had hanging around in your cupboards, maybe some olives, sundried tomatoes, leftover chicken or roasted veg or you could pop some cheese on top.

Ingredients

You will need (for two*):

  • 1 small onion, finely diced £0.10
  • 1 small carrot, finely diced £0.08
  • Olive oil for frying £0.10
  • 1 large garlic clove, crushed £0.05
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes £0.75
  • 1 tbsp sundried tomato paste £0.15
  • Small handful basil, big leaves roughly chopped £0.30
  • 125g mascarpone cheese £0.75
  • 350g spinach gnocchi £2.29
  • Salt and pepper £0.02

Total £4.59

* This could easily stretch to feed four if you added a few additional ingredients, used extra gnocchi or served it with a big salad.

Method

The key to this dish is to get the onion and carrot lovely and soft and beautifully caramelised. Start by getting a saucepan on a low heat and add just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add the carrot and onion and leave to cook gently for at least 15 minutes.

Add the crushed garlic and continue to cook for another five minutes.

Increase the heat to medium and add the tomatoes and sundried tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper and leave to simmer for 10-15 minutes or until reduced and slightly thickened. Remove from the heat.

Cook the gnocchi according to pack instructions, drain and leave to one side. Preheat the oven to 180C.

Stir the mascarpone through the tomato sauce then add the gnocchi and basil to the sauce and mix everything together well.

Tip into an ovenproof dish and bake for 10-15 minutes until bubbling and slightly golden in patches on top.

I managed to find some lovely spinach gnocchi to use for this but you could use any gnocchi, or indeed any pasta for this. Also, if you don’t have any mascarpone I have used cream in the past and it works really well. This is my kind of cooking; because you don’t have to tend to it, keep stirring it or fuss over it you can get on with all the other things that need to be done when you get in from work. Not only that but it is scrumptious. The onions and carrot give a natural sweetness, the tomatoes are slightly sharp, the mascarpone creamy and the basil rounds it all off nicely. I do like the texture the gnocchi bring to this but whatever pasta you have would be great too. I know there are lots of people who say you shouldn’t cook with leafy herbs like basil but I actually think it imparts a lovely flavour into the dish; it’s not as vibrant as fresh basil but I like it.

Layered Ragu and Aubergine Pasta Bake

By 15 Comments

Layered Ragu and Aubergine Pasta Bake with salad and wine

I think I’m part Italian. More likely, I like to think I’m part Italian. The reason for this recent realisation is that Italian food is the food I crave the most; when I’m looking for inspiration I invariably turn my attention to that most wonderful of countries. Pasta is the obvious Italian ingredient to inspire meals but the rice dishes, salads, marinades, stews, cheeses, meats and sauces always make me feel like I’m having a little Italian getaway in my own kitchen. This ragu and aubergine pasta bake was inspired by Rick Stein’s recent series: Long Weekends. I’m sure my recipe is very different to theirs, I’m bound to have forgotten some ingredients or added others, but the principle is the same; great big, hearty portions of food. It’s worth getting hold of some fontina cheese for this pasta bake (more on that later).

Ingredients

You will need (for 4-6 portions):

  • 3 tbsp olive oil for cooking
  • 2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 sticks celery, roughly chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 slices pancetta, finely chopped
  • 500g pork mince
  • 500g beef mince
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 700ml passata
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • Salt and pepper
  • 50g Parmesan, grated
  • 200g orzo pasta
  • 2 aubergines, sliced thinly
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 200g fontina cheese, grated

Method

Put the sliced aubergine into a bowl with a sprinkle of salt and leave to one side while you start the ragu.

Start by getting a large saucepan on a medium heat and adding the olive oil. Add the onions, carrots and celery to a blender and blend until finely chopped. If you don’t have a blender you can finely chop them by hand (I blend to save time). Add the vegetables to the pan, pop a lid on and leave to soften for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the garlic and bay leaves to the pan and leave to cook for another five minutes.

Increase the heat slightly and add the pancetta, beef and pork mince. Stir often until the minces have gone brown and any water has evaporated leaving you with a dry-ish mix.

Add the tomato paste, passata, sugar and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Fill the passata jar up with a little water (about 150ml) and then tip this into the pan. Bring everything to the boil then leave the mix to simmer, with the lid ajar, for around 45 minutes and stir from time to time.

Wipe off any excess salt from the aubergine then add the 2 tbsp olive oil and mix into the aubergine well. You can either bake or fry the aubergine depending on your preference. Frying them gives a nicer finished texture but they can be a little oily and it takes longer to do as it needs to be done in batches. Baking them takes a little longer and the skins don’t go quite as crispy. Griddling would be fantastic. Whichever you choose, cook the aubergine slices and leave to one side.

The ragu mix should be nice and thick. Cook the orzo according to packet instructions, drain then stir into the ragu along with the Parmesan. Check the seasoning and adjust if needed.

You can make one big ragu bake or two smaller ones; I opted for two smaller so that I could have the leftovers the next day. Put half of the ragu mixture into the bottom of a baking dish. Put a layer of aubergine slices over the top and sprinkle over a handful of the fontina. Spoon the remaining ragu mix over the fontina then top with the remaining aubergine slices and finish with the remaining fontina.

Bake at 180C for 25-30 minutes until bubbling and golden brown.

Serve with a crisp green salad.

I hope that before you read the recipe you already knew that this was going to be pretty special. It is everything that I look for with hearty Italian food; perfect at this time of year when the days make you crave salad but the evening suggests you need stew. It’s a big dish and actually contains five different vegetables (and two cheeses and three meats!) so the flavours are complex and deep. Fontina is the best cheese for this; its low melting point means the inside layers are gooey and stringy but the top goes beautifully crisp and the tangy, slightly sweet flavour of the cheese is unique. You’ll need to find a cheesemonger to get hold of some, you can get it online too, it’s not easily available on supermarket shelves but once you’ve found it (and tried it) I think you’ll agree it was worth seeking out.


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