On my June Kitchen Table: Super Speedy Eats!

A collection of the foodie products that I have been sent for review, or simply want to share with you this month. It turns they all fit into the category of quick and easy meals, enjoy!

Terra Nostra is, at first glance, a typical restaurant in the centre of St Ginesio, however they also make and sell high quality pasta and I was able try their Truffle Tagliatelle  and dried tomatoes Papparedelle.  Both were excellent quality pasta, the kind that easily retains a bit of bite and the flavourings in the pasta also adds to the dish.  Each pack also contains a sachet of flavoured oil, which has an authentic taste of the herbs or truffle oil as appropriate to the pasta type.

I made a simple seasonal dish of tomatoes slowly roasted in a pan with a little olive oil and garlic, then I added some sliced olives and at the last minute threw in some feta cheese cubes, this was mixed through the cooked Papparedelle al pomodori with the basil oil and made a really delicious and simple supper.
You can buy the Terra Nostra pasta through the e-shop  the prices are in euros and I have no information about purchasing in the UK.  8/10 

I'm not averse to a ready-meal, I always have a pizza in my freezer.  However, I'm not inclined to buy pasta dishes as ready meals as they are so easy to prepare.  I was intrigued by the blurb from Charlie Bigham's " the posh ready meal brand especially for twosomes. It's perfect for when you and your other half want to spend some quality time together, without having to sacrifice the taste!"  We don't have a Sainsbury's or Waitrose near where we live and Ocado don't deliver to our area,  but I managed to find a Sainsbury's on one of my frequent work trips. 

I was supposed to try out the new range of 'world' meals but there weren't any of those available in this store, so I took the chance to get the Moussaka and the Meatballs al Forno.  Each ready meal feeds two (although I did get the Moussaka to stretch to feed three) and costs £7.00. That's relatively expensive, but they are the best ready meals I have tasted, you could easily have thought they were homemade.  Himself was very impressed and enjoyed both dishes.

Another bonus is that the packaging is environmentally friendly using paper and wood rather than plastic, all of the packaging can be recycled.  Bighams recommend that you bake the dishes in the oven, but on one of the nights I was short of time and microwaved the dish for 6 minutes before finishing it off in the oven to crisp up the top.  9/10

Labels: #review, Charlie Bigham's, coconut, feta, fruit ices, lemon curd, Meatballs al Forno, Moussaka, olives, papparedelle, Smooze, strawberries, tagliatelle, tomatoes, yogurt

posted by Janice @ 21:08 4 Comments

Make it Moussaka!

olive oil for brushing


Switch on your grill to full heat.  Slice the aubergines  lengthways and lay out on a baking tray, brush with olive oil.

Put the tray of aubergines under the grill and gril until golden brown and soft, turn and brush with more oil.  Do this until all of your aubergine slices are cooked.

Fry the bacon in a little oil in a large pan, when it is cooked, add the sliced mushrooms and saute gently until soft.  Add the left over chilli mixture and shepherd's pie.  Add a tin of tomatoes and heat through, mixing the ingredients together.

Place a layer of the mixture in the base of a large baking dish, then add a layer of aubergines, another layer of the meat and tomato mixture and then put the remaining aubergines on top.

Mix together the soured cream and egg together and season, spread over the aubergines.

Bake at 180C for 40 minutes until golden brown and bubbling around the edges.  Serve with crusty bread and a salad.

Labels: Aubergine, chilli, Moussaka, mushroom, soured cream, Tinned Tomatoes

posted by Janice @ 20:10 10 Comments

Moussaka

I made Moussaka the week before last, I was making a 'three portion' dish for my friend to serve to her sister and BIL and the rest I froze for our own consumption. As I was at the hairdressers today, and knew I wouldn't be back till after 4pm, I left this out to defrost. The recipe I used comes from the Good Housekeeping 50h Anniversary Edition, The Cooks Classic Companion.

60ml (4tbsp) sunflower oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
450g(1lb) minced lamb or beef
400g (14oz) can chopped tomatoes
1.25ml (1/4 tsp) ground cinnamon
5ml (1tsp) dried oregano
salt & pepper
900g (2lb) small or medium aubergines (eggplant) sliced
50g (2oz) butter
50g (2oz) plain white flour
600ml (1 pint) milk
25g (1oz) Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
1 egg yolk
30 ml (2tbsp) fresh breadcrumbs



1. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan, add the onion and fry gently for about 10 minutes until soft.
Stir in the meat and cook until evenly browned stirring from time to time to break up the meat.
Add the tomatoes, cinnamon, oregano and seasoning. Bring to the boil, cover and cook for about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile brush the aubergines with oil and grill until softened and golden brown on both sides. Drain on kitchen paper
3. Melt the butter In a pan stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to the boil, stirring and cook, stirring for 3 - 4 minutes, until thickened and smooth. Allow to cool slightly, then beat in half of the cheese and the egg yolk: season. (NO PICTURE)

4. Arrange half of the aubergines over the base of a 2.8 litre (5 pint) shallow ovenproof dish. Spread the meat mixture on top and cover with the remaining aubergines. Spoon the suce over the top and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and reamining cheese.
Bake in the oven at 180C (350F) Mark 4 for about 45 minutes until golden. Serve accompanied by a crisp salad.

Labels: Aubergine, Eggplant, entree, lamb, main, Moussaka

posted by Janice @ 19:46 2 Comments