Creamy Tomato Pasta

We were introduced to this dish years ago by a friend.  It is so easy to make, so delicious to eat, so simple to alter according to what you have in your pantry - it is a regular in our house.

500g pasta

1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup cheese
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp of curry powder or mustard powder
1 tsp salt
300mls of cream (I often do half milk/half cream)

Optional: fresh ground pepper, finely chopped deli meat, finely chopped onion

1. Bring some water to the boil and drop the pasta in.  Cook until just done.  Drain off all the water.
2. Put the butter and the cheese into the hot pasta and stir until both have melted through evenly.  Cover with a lid.
3. If you choose to use deli meat and or onion I lightly fry these in butter or fat.
4. In a small pot put the tomato paste, sugar, curry or mustard, salt, and cream/milk.  Stir until combined and heat on a medium heat until warmed through.
5. Add the meat and onion to the creamy tomato sauce.
6. Tip the sauce over the cheesy pasta and stir.  
7. Serve on its own or as a side dish.

~Lorna

"BLT on T" - Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato on Toast

  "BLT on T".  The first time I had this was when I was 11 years old at my friends house.  Her dad is American and they ate this often.  

My version is bacon, lettuce, tomato on toast with the addition of a fried egg, avocado and cheese.  The secret is frying the egg on a medium heat in animal fat and topping with ranch dressing and cracked pepper.  

~Lorna

Persian Couscous Salad

Good for summer dinners - not too hot or heavy, perfect as an accompaniment to your favourite meat and a salad

2 cups of couscous
4 tsp of chicken stock
1 tsp sugar (or other natural sweetener like erythritol/stevia extract)
Grated rind of 1 lemon
4 cups of boiling water
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup pine-nuts
1 cup of dried fruit (currants, cranberries, diced prunes)
4 Tbsp butter
1 cup chopped apricots
Chopped parsley, corriander

1. Mix couscous, stock powder, sugar, and grated lemon rind in a bowl.
2. Add 4 cups of boiling water.  Cover and leave to stand for 3 minutes.
3. Melt the butter in a pan and heat the dried fruit and nuts over a medium heat until the nuts brown lightly and the fruit swells a little.  
4. Fluff up the couscous with a fork and add the nuts and fruit and some chopped herbs.  Stir to mix, and serve with meat and a green salad.

Tips for cooking couscous here

*Couscous is a type of pasta!  If you are interested this link to Wikipedia is really interesting.  

Vegetable Soup

Known as "floaty" soup in our family as we so often have thick blended soups.  This is a welcome change sometimes! 

4 litres of meat stock

3 carrots

1 parsnip

2 potato

2 kumara

3 onions

1 cup frozen corn

2 sticks of celery

salt, pepper, herbs, spices to flavour

1. Bring the stock to the boil.

2. While the stock is getting to the boil, cut the vegetables into small bites sized chunks in the order given and add them to the pot as you go. 

3. Turn down to a simmer until veggies are soft.

4. Add flavourings.

We serve this soup with warm from the oven home made buns, cheese slices and chutney.

{{Photos to come}}

~Lorna

Orange Vegetable Soup

Another favourite lunch soup for our family is our orange vegetable soup.

The bone broth gives flavour, and the small amount of fat in the broth helps to make you feel full.  The split red lentils are high in protein which also give you that "satisfied" feeling at the end of the meal. 

This recipe feeds 4 adults and 4 children.

4 litres of meat stock

1/4 of a large pumpkin or half a small  pumpkin

4 carrots

2 kumara

2 onions

1 cup of split red lentils

salt, pepper, herbs, spices to flavour

1. Put first 6 ingredients in a pot.  Bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer until veggies are soft.

2. Blend the soup.

3. Add flavourings.

4. Optional – if the soup is thinner than you require, thicken with cornflour

    (add cold water to 2Tbsp of cornflour to make a paste, then add to the soup stirring well)

Serve with grated cheese (parmesan is nice), sour cream, croutons, home made bread dippers, parsely



~Lorna

Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin soup is a winter lunch staple for our family, served with home made bread dipping sticks.  

The bone broth gives flavour, and the small amount of fat in the broth helps to make you feel full.  The split red lentils are high in protein which also give you that "satisfied" feeling at the end of the meal.  

4 litres of bone broth or stock

1/2 a large pumpkin or one small pumpkin

2 onions

1 cup of split red lentils

salt, pepper, herbs, spices to flavour

1. Put first 4 ingredients in a pot.  Bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer until pumpkin is soft.

2. Blend the soup.

3. Add flavourings.

4. Optional – if the soup is thinner than you require, thicken with cornflour

    (add cold water to 4Tbsp of cornflour to make a paste, then add to the soup stirring well)

Serve with grated cheese (parmesan is nice), sour cream, croutons, home made bread dippers, parsely

This recipe feeds 4 adults and 4 children.

{{Photos to come}}

~Lorna