Frikadellen with Tagliatelle

I had these delicious meatballs for dinner last week. I was in the mood for creamy pasta and this hit the spot. 

Frikadellen with Tagliatelle (from Asda Magazine)
(Serves 4)

50g bread, crusts removed
500g beef mince
2 shallots, chopped
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp paprika
1 level tbsp mustard
1 tbsp oil
300g fresh pasta
300g green beans, halved
150g creme fraiche

Break the bread into small pieces, sprinkle over 2 tbsp cold water and soak for 3 mins. Put in a large bowl with the mince, half the shallot, 1 tbsp parsley, 1 tsp paprika and 1/2 tbsp mustard. Mix with your hands until evenly combined. Shape into 16 meatballs and flatten a little.

Fry the frikadellen in the oil over a medium heat, turning occasionally for 8-10 mins until cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the rest of the shallot to the pan and cook stirring often, until soft. Add the creme fraiche, 100ml water and the remaining mustard, parsley and paprika to the pan and heat until simmering. Return the frikadellen to the pan.

Cook the pasta according to packet instructions, adding the green beans for the last 3 mins. Drain.

Toss the frikadellen and sauce with the pasta and beans. Serve.

Tuna Meatballs

I made these meatballs a while ago and they are absolutely delicious, easy to make and make a change from beef or lamb meatballs. I served them with pasta and a tomato and aubergine sauce I found in the freezer.

Tuna Meatballs (from Anne's Kitchen)
(Serves 2)

1 tin tuna in spring water
1 tbsp finely grated parmesan cheese
1 medium egg
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs
1 tbsp finely chopped basil leaves
1 tbsp oil

Put the tuna, parmesan, egg, breadcrumbs and basil into a bowl and mix together gently. Use your hands to form mini meatballs.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium high heat and fry the meatballs for about 2 mins on each side until lightly crispy.

Breakfast Salad

So I'm back to packed lunches for work. Hopefully there will be lots of new salads and lunchbox ideas on the blog as I get back into the swing of things at work. This is an interesting breakfast salad which I had for lunch. It was very tasty and I used lovely fresh tomatoes picked from the garden including a variety called Lemon Tree which looks just like a lemon!

Breakfast Salad (from Fed and Fit)
(Serves 4)

400g pork mince or bacon
4 eggs, hard-boiled
400g cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 avocados, diced
handful coriander, chopped
salt and pepper
2 lemons, juiced

Season the pork mince and roll it into 1-1/2 inch meatballs. Over a high heat, cook and stir until brown on all sides and cooked through. Set aside to drain and cool.

Peel the eggs and cut each into 8 pieces.

Combine the eggs, tomatoes, onion, avocado, meatballs, coriander, salt, pepper, and lemon juice into a large mixing bowl. Stir until the egg yolks and avocado become a little creamy. Serve.

Spiced Meatballs with Roasted Carrot Couscous

This was dinner on Monday. I really enjoyed this meal, it was flavourful and tasty and I love meatballs! You really need to yoghurt though I think it would be a little dry without it. I also steamed a whole pile of veg to eat with it and then promptly forgot about it, so when I went back into the kitchen there was a pile of over steamed veg which was a bit yucky and the meal really didn't need the extra veg.

Spiced Meatballs with Roasted Carrot Couscous (from WW Fresh and Easy Everyday)
(Serves 4)
(11 WW ProPoints per serving)

450g carrots, cut into small chunks
cooking spray
250g extra lean beef mince
250g extra lean pork mince
1 tsp ras el hanout spice
30g dried breadcrumbs
1 bunch spring onions, chopped finely
1/2 tsp ground coriander
zest 1 lemon
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 200C, Put the carrots in a baking tray and spray with cooking spray. Season and roast in the oven for 10 mins until starting to brown.

Meanwhile, mix together the beef and pork mince, ras el hanout, breadcrumbs and white end of the spring onions. Season and divide the mixture into 24 pieces then roll each piece into a small meatball.

After the carrots have roasted for 10 mins, add the meatballs to the roasting tray. Sprinkle the carrots with the coriander and return to the oven for 20 mins, tossing everything halfway through.

Meanwhile, put the couscous, the green ends of the spring onions and the lemon zest in a bowl and pour over 400ml boiling water. Cover and leave for 10 mins.

Fluff the couscous with a fork. Remove the meatballs from the roasting tray and keep warm. Mix the carrots, meatball juices and seasoning into the couscous.

Divide the couscous into four bowls and top with the meatballs and for an extra ProPoint, 1 tbsp zero fat yoghurt each.

Jamie's 15 Minute Meals: Chilli Con Carne Meatballs

I think I forgot to stir the sauce properly for this recipe as I ended up with a watery layer on top and all the delicious tomato and peppers at the bottom, my fault though. Otherwise this is a really tasty meatball dish and I loved the bulgar with preserved lemon, really tangy. I served it with the first purple sprouting broccoli from my garden. Delicious!

Chilli Con Carne Meatballs (from Jamies 15 Minute Meals - Jamie Oliver)
(Serves 4)

Bulgar wheat

300g bulgar wheat

1 preserved lemon

1 cinnamon stick

Meatballs

400g lean beef mince

1 heaped tsp garam masala

1 tbsp oil

3 jarred red peppers

4 spring onions

1 tsp smoked paprika

700g passata

bunch of fresh coriander

1 x 400g tin of red kidney beans

pinch of cumin seeds

4 tsp fat free natural yoghurt

1 lime

Put 1 mug of bulgar wheat, 2 mugs of boiling water, the preserved lemon and the cinnamon stick into medium pan, stir it occasionally.

Scrunch the mince with salt and pepper. Divide the mixture into 4, then with wet hands quickly shape each piece into 4 balls, placing them into the frying pan as you roll them. Add the oil and toss regularly.

Blitz the peppers, half the trimmed spring onions, the paprika, passata, half the coriander and a pinch of salt and pepper in the liquidiser until smooth. Pour the mixture into another frying pan and turn the heat up to high.

Rinse and drain the beans, then add to the meatballs with the cumin seeds.

Transfer the meatballs straight into the pan of sauce leaving the beans behind. Finely slice the remaining trimmed spring onions. Stir the beans into the sauce.

Remove the cinnamon stick, then mash the lemon into the bulgar wheat and serve with the meatball sauce over it.

Add some yogurt and wedges of lime, scattered with the remaining spring onions and coriander leaves.

Jamie's 15 Minute Meals: Swedish Meatballs with Celeriac and Spinach

I tried another Jamie Meal, I really am whopping though this cookbook, I made a major change to this recipe and left out the rice because I ate so much chocolate during the day that I decided I didn't need the rice too! Nevertheless and despite using 3 pans this was a really tasty meal. My meatballs actually stayed together and resemble meatballs and that must be the first time that's ever happened! Also much cheaper than the crab/smoked trout recipes.

Swedish Meatballs with Celeriac and Spinach (from Jamie's 15 Minute Meals)
(Serves 4)

1 celeriac
olive oil
a few sprigs of fresh lemon thyme
200g baby spinach

Meatballs
200g lean beef mince
200g lean pork mince
1/2 bunch of fresh dill
2 tsp caraway seeds
1 swig of vodka
4 tsp cranberry jam
4 tbsp single cream
4 tbsp fat-free natural yoghurt, to serve 

Carefully trim the knobbly end of the celeriac, remove the skin, then dice it into 1cm pieces. Put into the casserole pan with 1 tbsp of oil, a pinch of salt and pepper, the thyme leaves and a splash of boiling water. Put the lid on, turn the heat to high and cook, stirring regularly. 

Put all the mince into a bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper, finely chop and add most of the dill, then mix and scrunch together with clean hands. Divide the mixture into 4, then pinch and quickly roll out 5 balls from each piece with wet hands. Pour 1 tbsp of oil into the hot frying pan, add the meatballs and caraway seeds, turn the heat up to high and toss regularly until the meatballs are golden. 

Stir the spinach into the casserole pan, then season to taste. Add a good swig of vodka to the meatballs, carefully light it with a match (if you want), let the flames subside, then add the jam, cream and a few good splashes of water, and simmer. Season and serve with the rice, scatter with the remaining dill leaves and yoghurt. 

Spanish Meatballs

I made these delicious lamb meatballs for dinner a couple of weeks ago. They are really easy to make and fantastically tasty especially as it's a WeightWatchers recipe. I don't know what the points are as WeightWatchers seem to be releasing books with no points in which is completely daft. I borrowed the book from the library so there wasn't much point in ringing up for the points values. I do know that it's 295 calories per serving without the rice though, which doesn't help at all points wise but does give some idea.

Spanish Meatballs (from WeightWatchers Satisfying Suppers)
(Serves 4)

For the meatballs
400g mince lamb
1 onion, finely chopped or coarsely grated
3 cloves garlic, crushed
30g ground almonds
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
small bunch parsley, finely chopped
salt and pepper

For the sauce
1 tbsp fennel seeds
150ml apple juice
400g can chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree

Put the first 9 ingredients into a bowl and mix well to combine, Using wet hands, take small handfuls of the mixture and roll into 20 walnut size balls.

Dry fry the fennel the fennel seeds for 2 mins in a large frying pan. Add the apple juice and boil for 2 mins, then add the tomato paste and tomato puree with 150ml of water. Season and then simmer gently for 10 mins.

Add the meatballs and make sure they are covered by the sauce. Cover and simmer for 20-30 mins. Turn them carefully once or twice and add more water if needed.

Serve over basmati rice.

Greek Meatballs

This was a really tasty and lovely sandwich. I'll post the recipe for the tzatziki tomorrow.

Greek Meatballs (from Closet Cooking)
(Serves 4)

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
450g lean ground lamb
large handful breadcrumbs
63ml milk
zest 1 lemon
1 egg
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp dill or mint, finely chopped
salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a pan, add the onions and fry until translucent. Add the garlic and remove from heat.

Put the remaining ingredients in a bowl, add the onion and garlic and mix well to combine. Divide the mixture into small pieces and roll into balls.

Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan and brown the meatballs for about 8-10 mins.

Serve in a pitta bread or wrap with tomato, red onion and tzatziki.

Daring Cooks October 2013: Italian Wedding Soup

In a "celebration" of past Daring Cooks and Daring Bakers challenges, Lisa challenged all of us to search through the Daring Kitchen archives and pick any one we'd like! The REAL challenge was picking which delicious recipe(s) to try!

The second Daring Cooks challenge I attempted was Italian Wedding Soup. It's from the Meatballs Around the World challenge from June 2013. It's a soup I tried in Boston with a Sicilian Sandwich and have wanted to recreate ever since. I used a farro pasta that my Mum had brought me back from Italy, which was a lovely texture contrast to the meatballs.

Italian Wedding Soup (from C Mom Cook via Daring Cooks)
(Serves 6-8)

For the meatballs:

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg, beaten

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon fresh black pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Using your hands, form small meatballs, about the size of a quarter. Set aside.

For the soup:

1/2 - 2/3 cup carrots, diced (about 5 carrots)

1 large yellow onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and fresh black pepper

6 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

1 box frozen chopped spinach

1/2 - 2/3 cup small pasta (I used orzo, the recipe called for tubettini or ditalini) (the more pasta, the thicker the soup)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving.

 

In a large soup pot, saute onion and carrot in the olive oil over medium low heat until soft and tender. Season well with salt and pepper. Add garlic and Italian seasoning and saute until fragrant (just another minute or two).

 

Add chicken broth and turn the heat up to bring the soup to a slow boil. Once it begins to boil, add the meatballs slowly, one at a time. Once all of the meatballs have been added, add the pasta and the spinach. Bring it back up to a simmer, season with additional salt and pepper, and simmer at least 25 minutes.

 

Stir in Parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.

 

Serve with additional Parmesan cheese.

Daring Cooks June 2013: Aubergine No-Meat Meatballs with Pasta

A slight break from my birthday recipes for Daring Cooks!

The June Daring Cooks’ challenge sure kept us rolling – meatballs, that is! Shelley from C Mom Cook and Ruth from The Crafts of Mommyhood challenged us to try meatballs from around the world and to create our own meatball meal celebrating a culture or cuisine of our own choice.

There were so many things I wanted to try for this challenge but time got away from me. I am obsessed with Italian Wedding Soup but have never made it myself. However, I had things that needed using up and chose to do that rather than go out and buy all new ingredients, but I will make some of the other recipes and the things other people made in due course! I had aubergines lurking in the fridge that needed using and a search found these fantastic aubergine no-meat meatballs. I had no idea what they were going to taste like and when I took that first bite, they were so good. Different from meat meatballs but really really good. So much so that I've mnade another batch which I've frozen.

Aubergine No-Meat Meatballs with Pasta
(from Abel and Cole and The Metro)
(Serves 4)

olive oil
2 aubergines, cut into a small dice
1 smallish onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
salt and pepper
zest 1/2 lemon
squeeze lemon juice
handful of pitted black olives
pinch of chilli powder
A large handful of fresh basil or 1 tbsp chopped rosemary leaves
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 mug of breadcrumbs
a bunch of fresh basil
1 medium onion
2 cloves of garlic
2  400g tins of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
300g dried spaghetti or penne
25g Parmesan cheese, for grating

Place a large frying pan over medium heat. Sizzle the aubergine, onion and garlic in a bit of oil till soft and starting to colour. Add more oil, if needed. Season well.

When it's almost done, add a squeeze of lemon juice and the lemon zest.

Tip it into a food processor with the olives, chilli, balsamic vinegar and breadcrumbs. Whizz it up till everything comes together. Or just chop and mix everything up on a large cutting board.

Taste the mix. Add more herbs or spice if needed. If it’s a bit dry, add a splash of olive oil. If it’s too wet, add more breadcrumbs. Shape into balls. Two aubergines will give you about a dozen rounded tablespoon-sized balls.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil for the pasta.

Heat a large pan on a medium heat and add 2 glugs of olive oil. Add the onion and stir for 7 mins or until softened and lightly golden. Then add the garlic. As soon as they get some colour, add the larger basil leaves then add the tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Bring to the boil and season to taste.

Sizzle the balls in olive oil till golden all over.

Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the package instructions. Drain, and return the pasta to the pan. Spoon in half the tomato sauce, adding a splash of the reserved water to loosen.

Pile onto plates with the rest of the sauce and meatballs on top. Sprinkle over the small basil leaves and some grated Parmesan. Serve.

Chipotle Meatballs

As you can see from the picture below these are not meatballs!! They started off as meatballs but they all fell apart in the pan so we had chipotle mince instead. It was still pretty tasty although the chipotle paste wasn't very hot and I definitely could have added more.

Chipotle Meatballs (adapted from Good Food Magazine January 2012)
(Serves 4)

500g pork mince
2 large handfuls fresh breadcrumbs
1 egg
2 tbsp oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 medium red onions, ¼ finely chopped, the rest sliced
small bunch coriander leaves and stems, finely chopped, plus extra leaves to serve
2 peppers, cut into chunks
400g can chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp chipotle paste
salad or rice to serve

In a small bowl, mix together the pork, breadcrumbs, egg, finely chopped onions and the chopped coriander leaves. Season, mix well and shape into small meatballs. Over a medium heat, add 1 tbsp of the oil to a large frying pan and brown the meatballs on all sides, then remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the remaining oil, sliced onion, garlic, coriander stems, peppers and some salt. Cook for 5 mins, then add the passata and chipotle paste. Pour in 100ml water and stir well, then simmer for 10 mins before adding the meatballs and cooking for a further 5 mins. Serve with rice and lettuce and scatter with the extra coriander leaves.

Italian Wedding Soup and a Sicilian Sandwich

I ate a lot of things that I associate with the US on my trip. One of the combinations I love is soup and half a sandwich, and you can't get it in the UK. This one came from Souper Salad in Boston, not far from Government Center T stop. Its an Italian Wedding Soup, which was one of the specials that day, and a soup I've always wanted to try, and a Sicilian sandwich. The sandwich contains: Smoked honey ham, Genoa salami, provolone cheese, olive salad, tomatoes and roasted red peppers, served on rustic Italian bread.

The soup and the sandwich were both delicious and went really well together, the saltiness of the sandwich complimented the soup. I might have a go at making the Italian wedding soup myself sometime.

Menu Plan Monday and Swedish Meatballs

I didn't have a menu plan last week, as I didn't come home until Monday evening and I was so disorganised that I never quite got to the planning stage. One of the highlights of last week however was these Swedish Meatballs from Dining Alone. Like me the writer of this blog cooks mainly just for herself, so I get some really good ideas for one person meals. These meatballs were delicious, although I cheated and used pre-made meatballs from the freezer.



Money is tight this month after the Christmas splurge and I got paid early before Christmas so its a long way to the next pay day. I managed not to go shopping until the weekend and then only bought essential things, so this weeks Menu Plan Monday is using mostly freezer and store cupboard items. Its a good job that my freezer and cupboards are well stocked! I am also trying to loose some weight over the next few months as the pills the Doctor has put me on for my headaches have made me gain weight like crazy!

Mostly this is about portion control for me, I eat the right things just too much of them, and I still remember the childhood rule of eating everything on your plate. So I'm trying to cook less for each meal and hoping that it works!

Sunday
Lunch: Dumpling Noodle Soup
Dinner: Out at my sisters

Monday
Lunch: Sour Cream Potato Salad, Mini Quiche, Cocktail Sausages, Tomatoes, Mustard and Ketchup
Dinner: Breaded Plaice and Veg

Tuesday
Lunch: Coriander Chickpea and Potato with Boiled Egg, Salad
Dinner: Pakora in Pitta Bread with Yoghurt Dip

Wednesday
Lunch: Out for lunch with a friend
Dinner: Mushroom Risotto

Thursday
Lunch: Courgette and Cheddar Pasty, Salad
Dinner: Spinach and Ricotta Tortelloni with Sundried Tomatoes and Goats Cheese Sauce

Friday
Lunch: Hot Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad
Dinner: Caribbean Chicken with Spring Onion Sauce (Good Food) with Rice and Peas

Saturday
Lunch: Roast Chicken Chinese Style with Sweet Potato (Leiths)
Dinner: Pitta Bread and Hummus

Meatballs with Eggs on Top

I love the hairy bikers, there is just something about two huge guys from Yorkshire and Newcastle cooking that is really appealing, and they always seem to cook in the most fabulous places. I have never tried eggs cooked this way before, but it really worked, and on Sunday when I went to the North African restaurant with my friend she had something similar but with merguez sausages. This was really easy to make and a pleasure to eat. I will definitely have to try more dishes from their cookbooks.

Meatballs with Eggs on Top (adapted from The Hairy Bikers Ride Again)

(Serves 4)

20 meatballs

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp tomato puree

400g tin of chopped tomatoes, drained of excess juice

2 tsp honey

200g frozen peas

4 free range eggs

chopped fresh parsley to garnish

In a tagine or casserole dish, heat up the olive oil and cook the onion slowly over a low heat until translucent.

Add the meatballs and brown lightly over medium-high heat. Stir the tomato puree into the tomatoes and add to the tagine along with the honey. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the peas, then break the eggs on top of the stew, turn the heat right down and cook with the lid on for about 10 mins. Garnish with the parsley and serve.