Spaghetti and Meatballs

Well I have been unable to make a posting due to the vagaries of the internet. It has crashed, dropped out mid click, and generally given me the pip.

Well here is a simple recipe for spaghetti and meatballs that I have been cooking for years. There is no need to fry the meatballs before cooking them in the tomato sauce. You can even just cook the tomato sauce and have it on pasta, or you could add mince at the first stage after cooking the vegies and turn it into bolognese sauce.

Tomato Sauce

1/2 bottle of tomato passata, 1 cup water, 1/2 stalk celery, 1 medium carrot, 1/4-1/2 onion all finely diced, 1 sachet/1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1 tsp dried oregano or marjoram, herbs to finish 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley.

In a large frypan saute for 2-3 minutes carrot, onion and celery in 2 tablespoons of oil. Push to one side add tomato paste stir 30 seconds, then stir into the vegetables. Add remaining ingredients, except fresh parsley. (You can make it to this stage early in the day, then just bring it back to the boil and add your meatballs) Bring to the boil add meatballs, reduce heat simmer, covered 15 - 20 minutes. Add parsley stir then serve.

Meatballs

500 grams mince beef, 2 tablespoons grated parmesan, 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, 1 large or 2 small cloves garlic grated, salt and pepper, 1 slice bread torn into small pieces placed into a bowl with 1/4 cup milk or I discovered this one day when I didn't have any bread 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs mixed with 1/4 milk

Now I mix the bread/breadcrumbs with the milk first, so the milk can be absorbed. Place all the remaining ingredients in a large bowl, add the milk/bread mixture (the bread may need to be squeezed if it hasn't absorbed all the milk). The best way to mix this is with your hands so you can squeeze the mixture together. Roll into golf ball size balls. You can make these ahead of time and keep in the fridge.

Now while I am preparing the sauce and meatballs I have the water coming to the boil for the pasta and I generally add the meatballs to the sauce the same time as I add the pasta to the water and the can cook at the same time.

To serve, drain pasta return it to the pot add 2-3 ladlefulls of the sauce, toss. You just need enough sauce to coat the pasta. Place some pasta in your bowls, place the meatballs on top drizzle some more sauce over meatballs and pasta. Top with freshly grated parmesan.

I hope you try this recipe, the bread milk mixture seems a odd addition but makes the meatballs very tender.

No Bake - Rose Chocolate Cheesecake

My youngest daughter who I shall call Miss Fish, as she is a Pisces and loves everything about fish. Cooking them, catching them, eating them. She has fish pictures, fish ornaments and green eyes like the sea, as they can change color like the sea. We even have 4 very well feed goldfish in a pond in the fernery with a waterfall, they are Nemo, Dory, Bruce and Fred.

So she helps out at a food bank and her wages are some of the food products. She is disabled so this is a job that her work takes her to, so that they can help out. She absolutely loves it.

So she presented me with a large bag of chocolate biscuit crumbs. My first thought is what am I going to do with these, then my second thought was what about a cheesecake.

So this recipe came about I was going to use orange flower water, but failing to find any in the pantry I resorted to my old favorite Rose water.

Now this was very easy I made it in a 23cm springform tin so it isn't very high. You could use a smaller tin or double the mixture for the filling if you would like a larger cheesecake. Now this isn't an overly sweet cheesecake it stir retains the tang from the cream cheese which I like.

Rose Chocolate Cheesecake

Base: 2 cups broken chocolate biscuits, 1/3 cup softened butter

In a food processor, process the biscuits until fine add the butter and process until it is starting to clump together. Dump into the tin and press it flat over the base. Leave aside while making the filling.

Filling: 500 grams cream cheese, 1/3 cup caster sugar, 500 ml cream, 2 capfuls rose water or to taste, this amount gives it a feint hint of rose not a strong flavour - you could replace it with orange blossom water, pure vanilla extract or even 2-3 tsps of lemon juice

Place soft cream cheese in a mixing bowl with a paddle - you could also use a food processor if you wish. Beat until smooth, add the sugar beat until the sugar has dissolved and the colour actually goes whiter, about 3-5 minutes. Stop mixer scrap down sides and add cream, beat until all mixed together and there are no lumps, you may need to scrap the sides and paddle a couple of times. Add flavouring beat until incorporated 30 seconds - 1 minute.

Now this is a quite a thick mixture place it over the base and spread carefully about. Put into the fridge for at least 2 hours.

To serve run a knife around edge of tin then remove the sleeve. Slice and enjoy.

A Lesson Learnt

Missing Puppies Last week I was quitely sitting in my recliner after cleaning up from tea. When I receive a frantic phone call from my daughter, her puppies had escaped. Nine month old Lola - an american staffie and five month old Zara - a minature bull terrier - whose father they think was a wandering staffie. Had broken out of the backyard and taken themselves for a walk. Now as much as I love these 2 dogs neither of them have any road sense or ability to follow their own smell trail back home. So of into the dark I went, by the time I had got to my daughters the oldest dog - Lola had been found 2 streets away and my daughter had collected her. So for the next 3 hours we drove around calling and looking for her mate Zara. I was quite amazed at the amount of cats allowed to wander at night, as I thought that by law they had to be by sunset. We had no luck that night. Well word of mouth and a thing called facebook is an amazing thing as by Tues afternoon hundreds of people new about our escapee Zara. We had reports of her wandering for the next 2 days, in the meantime an ad was placed in the local paper offering a reward. By Friday my daughter had received a call by someone who had "just" found Zara. So at lunchtime on a rescue mission I went. Home she came with me and vey relieved to. She was very glad to be back with her family. When she saw my daughter she was ecstatic. Lessons learnt 1. Have collars with a tag with the dogs name and their owners phone numbers engraved on them. 2. Ensure that your fences are secure. So after the saga of last week I am hoping for a quieter week this week.

Piccolo Restaurant - Warrnambool

Recently my husband went out with his work colleagues for an end of season thank you tea. Now normally this is a worker only event, but this time partners were allowed.

So off we all went to Piccolo. Now I have been hear before for meals and they always been good - except for the salty golden syrup dumplings. Which they chef assured us, via the waitress that the syrup should always taste like salt was added instead off sugar. As that was a couple of years ago now, there hasn't been any repeats of cooking mishaps.

We started the evening with shared plates of warm pita bread and 3 dips, beetroot, hummus and a slightly spicy red capsicum. Very enjoyable.

Then onto mains, my husband ordered the eye fillet with peppercorn sauce, it came out perfectly cooked served with potato and vegies. As it was eaten quite quickly I didn't get a good look, but he did give me a taste of his steak and it was very tender.

I had the seafood risotto it was piping hot with succulent prawns and sweet scallops. Very, very enjoyable.

Now while I was eating I sipped on a Expresso martini. I had had one of the on my last visit, last year and enjoyed them so much, that I recreated them for Christmas Day. Which my Dad and I enjoyed so much that the champagne he brought is still sitting in the fridge.

Now after this food I didn't think I would need desert, but we managed to fit it in. I didn't see what my husband had as he had table hopped and ate it there. I had white chocolate mousse, it was very light and totally delectable.

So if you are ever in Warrnambool, have a meal at Piccolo.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Piccolo-Restaurant-Warrnambool/128632707164688?sk=info