Pork Spaghetti Bolognese

A twist on the classic beef bolognese!

Serves 4

- 500g lean pork mince

- 1 large red onion, chopped

- 2 cloves garlic, crushed

- 4 rashers of smoked bacon, chopped

- 400g spaghetti

- 400g tin chopped tomatoes

- mixed dried herbs

- salt & pepper

- balsamic vinegar

- cheddar or parmesan cheese, to garnish

1. In a large saucepan, brown the pork mince in olive oil. Then add the onion, garlic and bacon. Stir and cook for 5-10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in salted, boiling water for about 10 minutes, or according to packet instructions.

3. Add the chopped tomatoes, herbs, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar to the mince mixture and mix together thoroughly, bringing to the boil then simmering for a further 10 minutes.

4. When the spaghetti is cooked, drain, and dish up.

5. Top with the mince and sprinkle with some grated cheese!

Enjoy :)

Bolognese bake

 (I only took one photo when out of the oven - apologies!)

Super easy, delicious food that everyone will love. A twist on a good old spag bol - take an exciting, different pasta like conchiglioni (large pasta shells) and bake with mozzarella and fresh basil!

Serves 4

- 450g lean beef mince

- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed

- 2 red onions, chopped

- 200g mushrooms, sliced

- jar of good pasta sauce (I used Sacla with whole tomatoes in - see pic below)

- glug of balsamic vinegar

- seasoning

- 350g conchiglioni (or pasta of your choice)

- 1 ball of mozzarella, sliced

- handful of fresh basil

- handful of cheddar cheese, grated

1. For the bolognese part, brown the mince in a large pan then add the garlic and onions and cook for a few minutes before adding the mushrooms.

2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted water according to packet instructions.

3. When the mince mixture is cooked through, add the sauce, balsamic vinegar and seasoning. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 5-10 minutes.

4. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.

5. When the pasta is cooked, drain and mix with the bolognese mixture.

6. Pour everything into a baking dish and top with the slices of mozzarella and torn basil leaves. Don't forget to grate some cheddar on top too.

7. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown on top.

Enjoy :)

Shepherd's pie

This is a really good shepherd's pie recipe - it has the usual comfort food textures and richness, as well as being packed with tons of flavour from the fresh rosemary. A potato pie like this is a brilliant way to get some veggies in as well without it being daunting (I know that it's always not great to have a pile of veg on the side of your plate, it can be the last thing you want to eat). As a student, when I'm at uni and have less time and space, I tend to buy the Collman's or Schwartz (or Tesco or Sainsbury's equivalents) dried packet mixes where you just add water (as well as the mince, veg, potato etc) - these are also great too for flavour; I will be doing a post soon on a sausage casserole I made using one of these, as well as a post more focussed on meals to cook as a student - a sort of week dinner plan. A typical recipe will make about 3 or 4 good-sized portions so it's great to freeze portions and have them in a few days or weeks, or even months! Having said that about the packet mixes, you cannot beat a hearty home-made shepherd's pie so if you've got the time, I would highly recommend this for a family treat.

Serves 4-6 (I halved this)

- oil, for frying

- 2 medium red onions, chopped

- 3-4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into small cubes

- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, finely chopped

- 700-750g lamb mince (you can use beef if you prefer - technically this would make it a cottage pie)

- 2 large squidges of tomato puree

- 3-4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

- 200ml of lamb or beef stock

- splash of red wine (optional)

- salt & pepper

- 1 bay leaf

- 250g frozen peas

- 1kg mashing potatoes, cut into chunks

- knob of butter

- splash of milk

- large handful of grated cheddar and breadcrumbs, for sprinkling

1. Heat the oil and add the onions, cooking until soft. Add the balsamic and cook until evaporated. Add the carrots and rosemary and stir together. Add the mince, breaking up with a wooden spoon and cook until browned.

2. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees/gas mark 4.

3. Add the tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce, stock, salt & pepper, and the bay leaf, and simmer. Add the peas.

4. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in a large an of salted water for around 20 minutes, or until soft.

5. Drain them, and return to the an, adding the butter and milk, mashing until smooth.Season according to taste.

6. Tip the meat mixture into a large casserole dish and dollop on the mash, spreading it and forking to make a pattern. Sprinkle on the cheese and the breadcrumbs for a crunchy texture - perfect with the smooth mash.

7. Cook the pie for 20-30 minutes , or until golden on top and hot all the way through.

Enjoy :)

Oven-baked rigatoni with salami

Yay, I've finally followed a Jamie Oliver recipe! I always tab loads of recipes off his site that I want to cook, but for some reason I never get round to cooking them. This was a delicious pasta bake - something different from the usual thanks to the crisp, salty salami. It had strong Italian flavour from the tomato and balsamic, and lots of different texture from the melted mozzarella, crisp salami, soft pasta etc. What I liked about this dish was that the pasta wasn't coated in sauce, it was more like rigatoni with a topping, kind of like a pizza. Having said that, it wasn't dry or bland or anything, although some people do prefer a pasta bake to have more sauce. If you do prefer it this way then I suggest adding more tinned tomatoes, balsamic and crème fraiche than the recipe suggests. If you're worried about this meal being too unhealthy then cook less pasta to have a smaller portion, and use reduced fat crème fraiche and mozzarella (I did this - both in Sainsbury's be good to yourself range). I served this with garlic bread for a delicious Saturday night feast!

Serves 4
- drizzle of olive oil
- pack of sliced salami (I used milano)
- 1 red onion, chopped
- sprinkle of garlic
- 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 3 tbsp crème fraiche
- fresh basil leaves, chopped (I didn't have any fresh basil so bought chopped tomatoes with basil in)
- salt & pepper
- 300-400g rigatoni
- ball of buffalo mozzarella, sliced


1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees/gas mark 5. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry half the salami until crisp. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly until the onion is soft.
2. Add the balsamic, chopped tomatoes crème fraiche and basil. Mix together, season to taste and simmer for a few minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni according to the packet instructions (around 12-14 mins) and drain once cooked. Tip into a baking dish and pour over the sauce.
4. Lay the mozzarella over the top with the rest of the salami. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden.

Enjoy :)

Marinated lamb with tomatoes and mozzarella

I had no idea what to do with these lamb steaks for dinner - after lots of thought I decided to just improvise and make a simple marinade and then roast in the oven with mozzarella on top. It was lovely; I served it with the bacon and rosemary potato rosti (check this post!) and savoy cabbage - it was a deliciously satisfying meal! The lamb was full of flavour and it was very simple to do.

Ingredients:
- Lamb steaks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp very lazy garlic in white wine vinegar (or just garlic granules)
- handful of fresh or dried rosemary (I used dried)
- salt & pepper
- cherry tomatoes
- mozzarella, sliced

1. Pour the olive oil and balsamic into a dish, and spoon in the garlic.
2. Rub the lamb steaks in until they are covered with the oil and vinegar.
3. Sprinkle lots of rosemary and turn the steaks over until they are covered with the herbs.
4. Seasoned and cut up cherry tomatoes, placing them around the steaks. Cover with cling film and chill in the fridge until cooking.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees/gas mark 5 and bake in the oven covered with foil (not cling film!) for about 15-30 minutes depending on how rare you like your meat. Halfway through this cooking time, place the mozzarella slices on the lamb so it has time to melt.

Enjoy :)

Italian chicken bake

I bought the 'Eat In' magazine yesterday which I love, but don't usually buy because it's £2.50 and quite thin! Having said that, it gives me so many brilliant ideas for meals or baking, and offers really good tips on things like matching different herbs to different ingredient. The recipes are also really easy to follow and the photography is great. So I spent most of my train journey home yesterday with my head in this magazine; I even started to annotate some of the recipes!? Haha. I made this last night, and I only changed two things from the original recipe: not using pepperoni on top (my mum doesn't like pepperoni), and adding my favourite ingredients for Italian cooking, which if you read my other posts, is of course, balsamic vinegar! I served this dish with a bit of pasta, but I can imagine it working just as well with rice or even potatoes. Or just a larger portion of the bake with some cheesy garlic bread mm. 

Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 1/2 onion chopped (I used 1 small onion)
- drizzle of olive oil
- 2 chicken breasts, sliced/chopped
- sprinkling of garlic granules
- sprinkling of dried oregano
- 400g can of chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (optional)
- 60g ball of mozzarella, sliced
- 25g sliced pepperoni (I didn't use this)
- salt and pepper


1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees/gas mark 6. Fry the onion in the oil, until translucent.
2. Add the diced chicken to the pan and brown for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and oregano and fry for another couple of minutes. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and balsamic vinegar and bubble for 5 minutes.
3. Pour into an ovenproof dish. Top with the sliced mozzarella and pepperoni, if using, and bake for 25 minutes or until bubbling. Season and serve with a carb of your choice!

Enjoy :)

Honey and balsamic salad

Ah my two favourite ingredients! I'm like Winnie the Pooh, I pretty much eat honey out the jar... so I love making my own salad dressings because I can make them nice and sweet with honey and balsamic. I know many people that are sceptic of salads because 'who wants to eat leaves!?', but you can make them taste great while still being healthy. Although they do not make the most nutritiously balanced dinner, they are perfect for lunches or as a side dish, or even a snack. I made this salad last summer on a warm(ish) day and it went down a treat. I will not put exact quantities because you can just put as much of each ingredient in as you like - the same goes with the dressing - the best way to get it right is to keep testing it and to add more of what you think it needs for the flavour and consistency that you want.

Ingredients in the salad:
- Lettuce, torn (I used some picked from the garden but you can use romaine or little gem etc.)
- Mixed leaves (spinach, watercress etc.)
- Cherry tomatoes, sliced
- Red onion, sliced
- Cooked chicken breast, sliced
(You can add anything else you like, such as pepper, cucumber, mushroom etc. but don't forget that certain flavours may not go with this sweet dressing, but feel free to experiment)

Ingredients for the dressing:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp runny honey
- 1 tsp mustard (preferably wholegrain)
(These are just rough measurements, as said before, you can use more or less of whatever seems to work with the flavour and consistency you prefer)

Simply put the salad ingredients you want in a large bowl, and toss with the dressing until coated.
Enjoy :)

Spaghetti bolognese

Who doesn't like a good old spag bol!?

Serves 2

Ingredients:

- 250g lean beef mince

- 1 tbsp olive oil (for frying)

- 1 red onion

- 150g mushrooms (optional)

- Tomato and herb pasta sauce

- 2 tsp beef gravy granules

- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

- 180g spaghetti or other pasta

- Handful of grated parmesan cheese to garnish (or mozzarella, or cheddar)

(You can use tinned tomatoes instead of a ready-made pasta sauce and season to taste - herbs, garlic, salt & pepper - adding extra gravy granules, balsamic, or even some beef stock (follow instructions for water measurement), and allow it to reduce and thicken)

The way I make it is simply browning mince, adding onion and usually mushroom but I didn't have any yesterday ah! Then I add a tomato and herb sauce (or tinned tomatoes and add my own herbs and stock depending on what I have in the cupboard). Yesterday I just used a tomato sauce from Sainsbury's which had herbs, onion and garlic in it too.

It was quite runny so I added some beef gravy granules which added to the meaty flavour and thickened it a bit, this was delicious!

But, my absolute favourite ingredient to add (my kind of 'secret ingredient' for pretty much everything haha..) is balsamic vinegar! It tastes divine with the rich tomato sauce and sweetens it mmm, it was delicious I think everyone should add a splash to their bolognese sauce

I served with spaghetti (a mix of plain and wholewheat) and sprinkled with grated cheddar cheese as I didn't have Parmesan.