NEW EASY RECIPES TO TRY AT HOME

Whilst it can be very difficult to commit to not getting takeout every day at home when you do not go out regularly, It can be quite therapeutic to stay in and cook your own meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and anything in between. Here are a few meals that you can cook which even people who don't have a nab for cooking themselves.

Lasagna with cheese sauce

This Italian feast for two is a perfect meal for anyone looking to stay in and have a good time with food that speaks volumes in culture from the comfort of their own home

INGREDIENTS

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 brown onion, halved, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 750g of beef mince
• 2 x 400g cans Italian diced tomatoes 
• 125ml (1/2 cup) of dry red wine
• 55g (1/4 cup) of tomato paste
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil, extra, to grease
• 4 fresh lasagne sheets
• 55g (1/2 cup) of coarsely grated Devondale Mozzarella Cheese Block (500g)
• Mixed salad leaves, to serve

CHEESE SAUCE

• 1L (4 cups) of milk
• 1 brown onion, halved, coarsely chopped
• 8 fresh parsley stalks
• 8 whole black peppercorns
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 60g butter
• 50g (1/3 cup) of plain flour
• 70g (1 cup) of finely grated parmesan
• Pinch ground nutmeg
• Salt & ground white pepper
• 
  

• Process

• For the sauce, heat a heavy-based saucepan or casserole over a medium-high heat. Once hot, add a glug of oil and then add the onion, carrot, celery and bay leaf and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic and continue to cook for two minutes.

• Turn the heat up and add the mince to the pan and continue to fry, breaking up any large chunks, until the meat is brown all over. Season with salt and pepper. Once completely browned, add the tomato purée, mixing well. Cook for two minutes and then pour in the red wine and turn up the heat to bubble the wine. Cook for 3-4 minutes, scraping any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.

• Add the tomatoes to the pan, mix well and bring to a simmer then pour in 400ml/14fl oz of the stock. Bring to a rapid simmer, reduce the heat to low and leave to cook gently for an hour, stirring every now and again until thickened and reduced, but still moist. If at any point the mixture looks too dry then add the remaining stock along with a little water, if needed, to top up. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary then set to one side while you make the béchamel sauce.

• Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. In a medium heavy-based saucepan melt the butter, stir in the flour and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the mixture turns a light golden colour that resembles ground almonds. Gradually whisk the milk in batches until smooth. Taste and season as necessary with salt and pepper. Add the nutmeg and then cook over a gentle heat for 4-5 minutes until thickened, stirring now and again.

• Spread one-third of the meat sauce across the bottom of a medium lasagne dish (approx 2-2.5 litres/3½-4½ pints in volume) and top with a quarter of the béchamel, then cover with lasagne sheets, breaking any as necessary to fit so that everything is covered. (It doesn't matter if the sheets overlap a little.) Sprinkle over a quarter of the parmesan.

• Repeat the process to create a further two layers. Finish with a final layer of lasagne sheets and the remaining béchamel, making sure that all the lasagne sheets are completely covered. Sprinkle over the remaining parmesan.

• Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil, put onto a baking tray and place in the preheated oven to bake for 30-40 minutes, or until golden-brown and bubbling. Serve in hearty wedges with a crisp green salad.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Another Italian delicacy that is easy to make and cheap and easy to come across.

• 400g of spaghetti
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 200g of sliced Primo Gourmet Selection Pancetta, cut into 1cm-wide strips
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 eggs, plus 1 extra yolk
• 100ml of thickened cream
• 2/3 cup (50g) of freshly grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

Process

• • STEP 1

• Bring a large, deep pan of salted water to the boil. Plunge the spaghetti into the water, stir well and cook, following pack instructions. Aim for 'al dente': cooked, but retaining some bite in the middle. Take a few strands out of the water with a spaghetti spoon or tongs 1-2 mins before the end of the cooking time and bite into it. Repeat until you think it is properly cooked.

• • STEP 2

• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a frying pan. When hot, tip in the pancetta. Fry over a medium heat until the fat in the meat has melted down into the pan and the meat has turned lightly golden. Be careful not to crisp the pancetta too much; it will be cooked a little bit more later on in the recipe. Remove from the heat and set aside.

• • STEP 3

• Crack two of the eggs into a mixing bowl. Separate the yolk from the third egg: gently crack the side of the shell and, using both hands, slowly open it into two halves over a separate bowl - you want to keep the yolk in one of the halves. Tip the yolk from one shell half to the other and repeat until all the egg white has fallen into the bowl below, taking care not to crack the yolk on any rough shell edges. Tip the yolk in with the other eggs and beat together, along with the double cream, parmesan and some seasoning.

• • STEP 4

• Add the garlic to the pancetta and return the frying pan to hob. Fry over high heat for 1 min or until garlic is cooked and pancetta warmed through. Meanwhile, drain the spaghetti. Tip back into the hot saucepan off the heat. Pour egg mixture over pasta, followed by hot pancetta, garlic, any fat and oils. Toss quickly and thoroughly with spaghetti spoon or tongs. Mix until it has thickened to a smooth, creamy sauce. Serve with extra cheese and freshly ground pepper.

Gooey Chocolate Pudding

The perfect dessert that will be sure to fulfill the lasting appetite of any person.

• 125g of plain flour
• 150g of granulated sugar
• 2 tsp of  baking powder
• 1 tsp of espresso powder
• 6 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 120ml of whole milk
• 85g of butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 220g of brown sugar
• 60g of dark chocolate chips
• 360ml of very hot water 
• And a serving of Ice cream of your choice 

Process

STEP 1

• Grease a 2-litre baking dish and heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Boil the kettle. Put the flours, caster sugar, cocoa, baking powder, xanthan gum and a pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the coffee, eggs, melted butter and milk, then pour onto the dry ingredients and mix together until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chunks and scrape everything into the baking dish.

• • STEP 2

• Mix 300ml boiling water from the kettle with the sugar and cocoa for the sauce, then pour this all over the pudding batter – don’t worry if it looks unmixed at this stage! Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 30 mins until the surface looks firm, risen and crisp. As you scoop spoonfuls into serving bowls, you should find a glossy, rich chocolate sauce underneath the sponge. Eat immediately with vanilla ice cream or single cream.

Now in the search for the perfect recipes I found the recipes from Taste.com.au very useful. They have classic simple recipes to new innovative Christmas recipes. So why not give the site a browse and try something new? These recipes are sure to keep you pre-occupied (and full) throughout your time stuck at home!

-Stephen Martin

SEO: Food, Cooking, Home, Meals, Cheap food, easy cooking, lasagne, spaghetti, chocolate pudding, easy recipes to try at home

References: 

- Australian Good Taste, 2007. Lasagna. [image] Available at: <https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/our-favourite-lasagne/2ac35c7f-3320-48ef-b2cb-ecef75883241> [Accessed 23 November 2020].

- Taste.com.au, 2016. Spaghetti Carbonara. [image] Available at: <https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/best-spaghetti-carbonara/e121ffdc-2285-4798-b515-3860d1942eb1?r=recipes/top10pastarecipes&c=b2fe98e8-507b-4e54-b2e2-6609270db569/Top%2010%20pasta%20recipes> [Accessed 23 November 2020].

-EasyEats, 2020. Gooey Chocolate Pudding. [image] Available at: <https://easyfood.ie/recipe/gooey-chocolate-pudding/> [Accessed 23 November 2020].

-https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/lasagne_22392

-https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/learn-make-spaghetti-carbonara