Tag: onion

One Pot Spaghetti Bolognese

Ingredients:
  • 2 x tbsp Olive oil
  • 2 1/2 cups beef broth
  • 1 x jar pasta sauce
  • 250g spaghetti noodles
  • 1 x medium diced onion
  • 500g ground beef, veal, turkey, or chicken
  • 1 x clove minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Directions:
  1. Heat up olive oil in deep saucepan over medium heat
  2. Brown beef and onion for about 10-minutes unless onion is transparent
  3. Add minced garlic and cook for one more minute
  4. Add beef broth and pasta sauce, stir through and bring to a boil
  5. Add the pasta noodles
  6. Cook until noodles are cooked
  7. Add parmesan cheese and stir through

Creamy Chicken and Tomato Pasta

Ingredients:
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 500g chicken breast cut into 1″ pieces
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 tbsp dried basil
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • pepper
  • salt
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 250g spiral pasta
Directions:
  1. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
  2. Heat oil and sauté onion until tender, salt and pepper chicken pieces and add to the pan along with the garlic, cook until cooked through.
  3. Add can of diced tomatoes, including juice, to the onion and chicken an heat until bubbling. Add butter, milk, and cheese to the pan. After it has simmered for a while to reduce the sauce, add  the basil and 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes.
  4. Add the cooked pasta to the chicken pan and stir to combine.
  5. Salt the dish just enough to bring out the flavour of the basil.

Crispy Ginger Beef

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb flank steak or sirloin steak, sliced into narrow strips
  • 3/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 large carrot, julienned
  • 3 green onions, chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh ginger, minced
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • canola oil
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1/2 cup sugar

Preparation:

  1. Place cornstarch in a large bowl.
  2. Add water gradually while whisking.
  3. Beat eggs into cornstarch mixture.
  4. Toss in beef and stir to coat.
  5. Pour 1 inch of oil into pan (I used a pot, it helps cut down on splashes), heat until boiling hot, but not smoking.
  6. Add a quarter of the beef to the oil.
  7. Separate with a fork and cook, stirring frequently, until crispy, Remove, drain on paper towel and set aside.
  8. Repeat until all the beef is cooked.
  9. Drain off all oil except for about 1 tablespoons and add carrots, onion, ginger, and garlic in that order.
  10. Stir fry briefly over high heat.
  11. Combine last 5 ingredients and add to vegetable mixture.
  12. Bring to a boil and then add beef.
  13. Heat through and serve immediately.

Source: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/CRISPY-GINGER-BEEF-50004915

Super Easy Slow Cooker Pork Rib Recipe

Pork ribs were on sale last week so I thought that I would try out some in the slow cooker. They came out amazing and I will definitely be doing them again sometime soon.

Here is the recipe for my slow cooker pork ribs:

Ingredients:

  • 2kg (4 pounds) pork ribs
  • 1 onion
  • 1.5 cups of your favourite BBQ sauce
  • 1/4 cup of honey
  • 1 teaspoon ground mustard

Instructions:

  1. Cut 2kg (4lbs) pork ribs into portion size and put in the bottom of your slow cooker
  2. Slice the onion and put on top of the ribs
  3. Cover with 1.5 cups of your favourite BBQ sauce (I used President’s Choice Smokin’ Stampede Beer and Chipotle BBQ Sauce)
  4. Drizzle the honey over the top of the ribs
  5. Sprinkle a teaspoon of ground mustard on top of it all
  6. Cook on low for 8 – 10 hours

About half way through I stirred the ribs and covered it again with the sauce. Before serving I took the ribs out of the slow cooker and drained off the fat then added the ribs again to the sauce and stirred it through.

I ended up cooking the ribs for the full 10-hours and they turned out really well.

This is one meal I will definitely be doing again. It was very easy to put together and tasted great.

Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Ingredients:

  • Vegetable oil
  • 400 grams (1 pound) Ground Beef / Mince
  • 1 medium brown onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 4-cups mixed vegetables (I usually use 1 cup frozen corn and three cups of mixed frozen peas and carrots, but beans are also good)
  • Pinch of salt
  • Pinch of fresh ground pepper
  • 3 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 3 teaspoons dried rosemary
  • 4 large potatoes mashed (about 3-cups)
  • Grated cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Pre-heat the oven to 180C (350F).

Brown the beef and onion in a pan with the oil.

Add the garlic and mixed vegetables. Continue to stir the ingredients until the vegetables are tender.

Mix in the salt, pepper and other herbs and stir it all together.

Pour the mixture into a 6×9” casserole dish that’s been either sprayed with oil or buttered. Cover the mixture with the mashed potato and bake it until the edges are browned, which is about 30-minutes.

Optional:

My wife’s preference for this recipe is to cover the shepherd’s pie with cheese before baking. The cheese melts and browns during baking and tastes great.

The last time I made this recipe I poured some brown gravy over the Shepherd’s Pie before serving and it added a great richness to the meal. Next time I make this I will probably add the gravy again.

Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker Recipe

Yesterday I did a whole chicken in a slow cooker that turned out fantastic.

Here are the ingredients:

  • 1 Large Roasting Chicken (ours was 1.75kg, or 4 pounds)
  • 4 x Medium Potatoes
  • 2 x Large Carrots
  • 1 x Large Brown Onion
  • 3 x Cloves / Tea Spoons Crushed Garlic
  • 1/2 Cup Cooking wine (I used a $5.00 bottle of Chardonnay)

I bought a pre-marinated chicken, but if you use a normal chicken rub your favourite chicken seasoning on the outside of the chicken (my favourite is Montreal Chicken Seasoning).

Wash and cut your potatoes into quarters and put them on the bottom of the slow cooker.

Peal and cut the carrots and put them in the bottom of the slow cooker with the potatoes.

Cut up your onions and put them in the slow cooker.

Add the 1/2 cup of wine (it doesn’t sound like enough, but because of how the slow cooker works, it will be enough).

Add the 3 x tea spoons of crushed garlic to the vegetables and wine.

Place the chicken on it’s back in the slow cooker on top of all the vegetables and wine.

Put the lid on the slow cooker and let it cook. The time will depend on the setting you, but this is a rough guide:

  • High for 5 – hours
  • Low for 10 – hours
  • Auto for 7.5 – hours (I used this one)

When it’s finished you will have a very moist and tasty chicken. I left the skin on when I cooked it, but then scraped the skin off after cooking.

I served this with creamed corn and fresh white crusty bread for a really tasty dinner.