Cookbook Challenge: Penne with Sausage Ragu

Oh Jamie, have you ever steered me wrong? I don't think I've found a recipe yet that I didn't immediately love. For example, your roast chicken is so simple and delicious that it's become a firm favorite for lazy Sunday dinners. Despite this fervent appreciation of your work, I have to admit that I have rarely opened this book since its purchase - even though I watched most of the television episodes that this book is based on. Baffling, I know. 

Jamie's 30 Minute Meals: A Revolutionary Approach to Cooking Good Food Fast

By Jamie Oliver

Michael Joseph Publishing, 2010. 

This recipe (originally named Pregnant Jools's Pasta after his wife) has all the hallmarks of an excellent Jamie Oliver option - simple ingredients, quick prep and cook time, and a very satisfying result with minimal effort. This particular book tends to offer up entire meals (i.e. side dishes and desserts alongside a main course) but we only made the pasta dish in an effort to keep things on the lighter side. Or as light as they can be where pasta is involved! I followed the recipe and used penne but this could easily be made with whatever small pasta you had on hand like farfalle, rigatoni or fusilli. Jamie's recipe includes 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds but I've left them out since I didn't have them on hand. I also completely forgot to add the chilies so I sprinkled in some dried red chili flakes and was very pleased with the result (thank goodness!). 

The taste of the final dish will obviously revolve around the type of sausage you choose. Any favorites will work nicely although it is important to keep in mind that the addition of the balsamic vinegar will have a big impact on the final taste. Therefore, I chose a simple pork and herb sausage this time although I think pork and leek or even caramelized onion sausages would also be tasty. I'm a huge fan of balsamic vinegar (seriously, ask my friends. I'd probably drink it if it were socially acceptable...) so I loved the way it really comes through in the final dish. However, if you are less keen on it, I'd go ahead and add only half the suggested amount. I think this recipe is a great option for a midweek meal as the sausages basically do all the work as far as bringing in the seasonings. A big part of Jamie's 30 Minute Meals is the use of a food processor. However, since I wasn't rushing, I thought I'd skip that part and it still only takes a few minutes to get everything prepped. I removed my sausages from their casings and definitely recommend it so that they can break up nicely in the pan. 

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 15 min

Serves: 6

Ingredients: 

Olive oil
4 spring onions, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 stick of celery, finely chopped
1-2 fresh red chillies, finely chopped (or 1-2 tsp dried chili flakes)
6 good quality sausages, casings removed
1 tsp dried oregano
500g dried penne
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 can of chopped tomatoes (400g)
Salt and Pepper
A handful of fresh basil
Grated parmesan

Method: 

Put a large pot of water on to boil while you chop the other ingredients so that it's ready for the penne.

In a large pan over a medium heat, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add the spring onions, carrot and celery. Sauté until the vegetables have started to soften. Add in the sausages and use a wooden spoon to break them up as they cook. When the sausages have browned and are nicely broken up into smaller pieces (they should resemble the beef mince in a traditional bolognese), add the oregano and garlic and continue to sauté until the garlic is fragrant.

When the water has boiled, add a liberal amount of salt and the penne. Meanwhile, add the balsamic vinegar and chopped tomatoes to the sausage mix and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions and then drain and return to the pot. Make sure to reserve about a cup of the cooking liquid so that you can loosen the sauce if needed.

Add the sausage ragu to the pasta pot and stir to incorporate everything. Add some of the cooking water if needed. Serve with chopped basil and grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Cookbook Challenge: Mustard and Parsley Crusted Salmon

I was very excited to try today's Cookbook Challenge recipe because it comes from one of my favorite television chefs. I actually have two of Lorraine Pascale's books but, until today, I had focused primarily on her party foods. Since those have always been a hit in the past, I had high hopes for this salmon recipe. 

Home Cooking Made Easy

By Lorraine Pascale

Harper Collins, 2011

As I mentioned in my coconut prawn curry post, I have been trying to increase my familiarity with seafood dishes so this recipe seemed like a relatively simple way to continue that trend. While I haven't been the biggest salmon fan in the past, I think the cooked version is starting to grow on me. This recipe certainly helped to improve my opinion since it was so easy and tasty! 

This recipe essentially has two parts: making the topping and then cooking the fish. Both of these stages take only a few minutes though so this could easily be used as a weeknight dinner. I hit a slight snag since I forgot to take the butter out of the fridge in advance so struggled a bit to incorporate it into the other ingredients. However, properly softened butter would probably have meant an even quicker prep time. 

The only strange part was that the recipe did not seem to include a baking temperature. I set my oven to 200 degrees celsius since that's my most commonly used temperature and everything turned out fine so I've included it in the recipe below. 

I have to admit, I was pretty pleased with the final result! In the past when I've tried to cook salmon, I definitely overdid it and ended up with fairly unappetizing results. However, I think ten minutes was the prefect length of time in the oven for my little fillets. The brown sugar was fairly subtle but definitely added a nice element of sweetness to balance out the Dijon mustard. When serving, I used the zested limes as added garnish and thought the lime juice also added a nice dash of flavor. Although I used salmon, you could also use trout or whatever type of fish you prefer. 

I served the salmon with a simple tomato salad and some broccoli and onion that I had sautéed in sesame oil. As a result, the final dish felt like a very healthy and light summer dinner! Finally, this recipe was originally for four people so I have cut the quantities in half below since I only had two salmon fillets. 

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Serves: 2

Ingredient: 

50g dried breadcrumbs
1 tbsp soft light brown sugar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
knob of butter
Zest of 2 limes
1 bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 Salmon fillets
Salt and Pepper

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 200C.

In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, light brown sugar, Dijon mustard, butter, lime zest and parsley. The mixture should form a paste.

Spread evenly onto the tops of the salmon fillets and then place them onto a baking tray. Bake for 10 minutes or until your fish is cooked to your liking. Enjoy! 

Quick lunch: Zucchini Fritters

Hello lovely readers! 

The Cookbook Challenge has been a lot of fun so far and has had the intended effect of reinvigorating my interest in cooking and blogging. As a result, I'll be trying to include a few non-Cookbook Challenge recipes here on the blog as I come across tasty treats. Today's post is one of these delicious discoveries... zucchini fritters! 

As I'm currently working from home, I've been trying to take advantage of this fact to make more interesting lunches than I'd be able to if I was in an office environment. These little fritters were so easy to put together and surprisingly satisfying. I only had one sad little zucchini knocking around in the bottom of the fridge so I think in the future I might use two in order to up the actual veggie factor. However, this recipe was really forgiving so even if you don't have an excess of zucchini to use up, you'll still be in for a nice lunch. 

I had mine with some leftover Indian spiced veggies so I added a bit of mango chutney to continue the inadvertent Indian theme. However, I think these would be amazing topped with a poached egg. You could even add hollandaise if you're feeling fancy! Seriously, these little fritters are so versatile that they could be paired with just about anything... leftover chili, cottage cheese and tomatoes, or even topped with ham and cheese as an open-faced mini sandwich. This recipe also seems to be pretty forgiving so you could even try swapping out the parmesan for cheddar or mozzarella and even adding in green onion or other tasty additions. The possibilities are endless and so I hope you enjoy them as much as I have! 

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 5 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1-2 zucchini, grated

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup grated Parmesan 

1 egg

2 cloves garlic, minced 

Salt and Pepper to taste

Olive oil 

Method:

Place the grated zucchini in a colander over a bowl. Mix in the salt and leave to drain for ten minutes. 

When the zucchini is ready, move to a large bowl and mix in the flour, Parmesan, garlic and egg. Stir thoroughly to create a batter. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In a large pan, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over a medium heat. Drop spoonfuls of batter carefully into the oil. Allow to brown on one side before flipping to brown the other. When ready, remove from the pan to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the excess oil. Continue this process until you have used up all of the batter. Enjoy! 

Cookbook Challenge: Coconut Prawn Curry

This week in the Cookbook Challenge, it's time to get serious about curry. Living in Britain means Indian food makes a fairly frequent appearance on the dinner table since its a national favorite. However, I have to admit that this is often a result of either ordering in or popping out to our local Indian restaurant rather than something homemade. So this week, I set out to rectify this situation! 

Rick Stein's India

by Rick Stein

BBC Books, Ebury Publishing, 2013.

This cookbook is the result of a culinary adventure Rick Stein went on around the entire country of India. The journey was captured in a multi-episode documentary where each episode focused on a different region of the country. I was hooked when the first episode opened in Chennai, which obviously has a very special place in my heart. After watching the program, I hemmed and hawed for a few months before finally cracking and buying the cookbook. 

Due to the fact that we lived in India when I was younger, my mom actually makes a pretty mean curry. Therefore, when I've wanted to host a curry night or just make something tasty for myself, I would turn to her recipe rather than outsourcing to a cookbook or the internet. Since mom's curry is usually focused on chicken, I thought it would be good idea to push my comfort zone a bit by trying out a seafood curry. 

Now, for most people, a dish focused on prawns (or shrimp in America!) wouldn't be exactly pushing the bounds of adventurous eating. However, I am something of a seafood novice in the kitchen. In fact, you may have noticed that seafood is conspicuously absent from this blog... But it's not my fault!  My dad isn't a fan of fish so we didn't eat much of it at home while I was growing up. As a result, I'm slowly trying to get into the habit of having it more often. While I'm keen to try seafood dishes while I'm out at restaurants, I haven't really tried making many at home. So, this recipe will hopefully be the start of something new! 

I have to say, this curry certainly didn't disappoint! I was amazed at how easily it came together. The coconut milk means its a bit on the sweeter side so I think next time I'll probably add a bit more chili to balance that out better. Another change I think I'll make is to add more prawns since they were so tasty! Additionally, I used pre-chopped ginger since it was the only option in my local shop. It was such a great time saver that I'll definitely be repeating this next time! The first time round, I served the curry on its own over simple rice and my taste tester Eurydice gave it her blessing. However, the second time I added some simply sautéed veggies that were also spiced with Indian flavors and felt it was a more complete meal. So, I'm adding the simple recipe for the veggies to this post as well just in case you'd like to recreate the dish below. The only time consuming element of this dish was deveining the prawns so if you can get them already cleaned then you'll be even faster than I was!

Prep Time: 10 - 15 min

Cook Time: 20 - 30 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 

2 medium onions, roughly chopped
2 medium onions, finely sliced
2 tablespoons ghee
1 piece of cinnamon
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
250g large peeled raw prawns
1 can of coconut milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
150ml water

Olive oil
1 head of broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1 zucchini, chopped into bite size pieces
1 large onion, sliced
A handful of green beans, sliced in half
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp chili powder

Method:

In a mini food processor, blend the two roughly chopped onions until they form a rough paste. Add a splash of water as needed to make the mix combine and then set aside. Next, heat the ghee in a large pot over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick and fry for a minute or until fragrant.

Into the pot, add the sliced onions and fry until golden brown. Next add in the garam masala and allow to continue frying for thirty seconds to a minute until it is fragrant.

Add in the onion paste, garlic ginger, turmeric and chili powder and continue to fry until the onion mixture is golden. Stir frequently to avoid burning and add a splash of water if the mixture seems to be sticking to the bottom of the pan.

When the mixture is golden, add in the washed and cleaned prawns and mix through. After a few minutes, add the coconut milk, salt, sugar and water. Bring the curry to a simmer and allow to cook for five minutes or until the liquid has reduced by half and the prawns are cooked through.

To make the Indian spiced veggies, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the broccoli and sauté for a few minutes until it starts to brown. Next add in the zucchini, green beans and onion and continue cooking until softened. When the veggies are ready, add in the garlic and all of the spices. Continue to sauté until the garlic is soft and fragrant, mixing frequently to ensure the spices are well distributed.

Serve along side some simple basmati rice and enjoy! 

Cookbook Challenge: Mixed Bean and Aubergine Tagine

For the first recipe of my cookbook challenge, I started with one of my stranger books: The Detox Health-Plan Cookbook. This particular book has been with me almost as long as I've been in Britain and yet... I've only made a handful of the recipes contained therein. It's a shame because this book also contains a lot of information about healthy eating, nutrition and holistic healing through food. Really interesting and a successful bargain bin find! 

The Detox Health-Plan Cookbook

Edited by Maggie Pannell

Hermes House, Anness Publication Ltd. 2006

The very first cookbook challenge post seems like the ideal place to confess that I have a particular weakness for cookbooks with fabulous photos. I wish every recipe would come with a photo! My reasons for choosing this particular recipe to kick off the challenge were based on practicality: I was desperate to clear out some cupboard space! I try to keep the kitchen cabinets fairly well stocked with canned tomatoes, different types of beans and other staples so, as a result, I'm often in need of a recipe that will let me use up some of those acquired bits and bobs! Since I didn't have a tagine dish handy, I used a large oven safe pot. However, I think you could also sauté everything in a large frying pan and then transfer to a covered baking dish if needed. 

Although this recipe calls for dried beans, I swapped those out for canned versions and they were perfectly delicious. That's what I call cupboard success! I stuck with the recipe's suggestion of using fresh tomatoes but I think using a canned version in colder months would be perfectly acceptable as well. Finally, the original recipe uses the bay leaves and the celery as part of the soaking process for the dried beans. Since I was using canned versions, I decided to add everything into the main dish instead and I think they really added a nice depth of flavor. 

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 60 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Olive oil
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 bay leaves
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
2 medium aubergines, chopped into bit size pieces
1 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1-2 red chilies, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp paprika
2-3 large tomatoes, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups vegetable stock
1 tbsp fresh mint
1 tbsp fresh parsley
1 tbsp fresh coriander/cilantro
black pepper to taste

2/3 cup greek yogurt
2 spring onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 160C / 325F.

Heat three tablespoons of olive oil in a large, oven safe casserole pot over medium heat. Add the chopped aubergine and sauté for five minutes or until evenly browned. Remove from the pot and set aside.

Next, add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and add the onion and celery. Stirring frequently, sauté until softened. Add the garlic and chopped chilies. After five minutes, add the tomato puree and paprika and cook for a minute or two. When the puree has been mixed through, add the chopped tomatoes, aubergine, chickpeas, red kidney beans and vegetable stock. At this point, add black pepper to taste.

Cover the pan and transfer to the oven. After an hour, give the tagine a stir and check that the aubergine is cooked through. If the tagine still has a lot of liquid, allow to continue cooking in twenty minute intervals until it has the consistency of a stew.

To serve, mix the yogurt, mint and spring onions and add to each dish alongside a sprig of cilantro/coriander. We enjoyed this recipe on its own but it could also be nice over couscous for a more substantial meal. Enjoy! 

Special Announcement: Caitie's Capers Cookbook Challenge!

Hello lovely readers!

After a tumultuous couple of months, I am finally getting back into the swing of things here on the blog. I admit, I had been neglecting my poor little blog for far too long as things elsewhere in my life were a little hectic. However, I'm back now with two announcements! 

Celebratory flowers and the Prosecco cork from my viva reception

First announcement: I passed my PhD viva! Although I have some corrections to make to the thesis before I submit the final copy to the registrar, I am very relieved to be on the road to completion. The viva is the last real hurdle candidates face and as a result, is a very daunting event that looms over you the whole time you're researching and writing. Afterwards, I couldn't quite believe that I had successfully defended my work and completed this terrifying step! Although the first emotion that rushed over me was relief at not having to ever go through that again, the second was complete and utter gratitude to everyone who had helped me along the way (family, friends, colleagues). I have to admit, I was quite emotional after I got home and had some time to process day! Completing this milestone now brings me to my second announcement... 

My little cooking section of the living room 

                                

  The Caitie's Capers Cookbook Challenge! 

I had been contemplating trying to take on some sort of challenge here on the blog for absolutely ages. Ever since my lovely friend Mica introduced the Ameri-cakes & Pies project on her blog, I have been inspired to try and find something similar to do here on Caitie's Capers. My first instinct was to try and follow her lead by making the most popular dish from every American state. However, while attempting to research what these dishes would be, I discovered that many of the online lists are based on fairground foods or other similarly unhealthy dishes. Although county fair funnel cake most certainly has a very treasured place in my memories, I didn't think several posts detailing the slight variations found in the different state versions would be in keeping with the spirit of this blog. So, it was back to the drawing board. 

Cookbooks waiting to be explored!                        

While sitting in my living room absentmindedly googling different state dishes, I realized I had a wealth of resources right under my nose! I have been slowly collecting cookbooks over the years and yet, I find myself rarely turning to them as it's easier to whip up old standby favorites when life is a bit hectic. However, now that the primary source of stress and anxiety (my thesis) has been tamed, I thought it was high time for a change. And so I present to you the challenge I have decided on: every week, I will make a new recipe from either one of my lovely cookbooks or magazines. Each post will include the publication details and any changes I've made to the recipe along the way.

I'm hoping that this challenge will be a great excuse to really investigate what these resources have to offer while also inspiring me to try new and different dishes. I've set the pace of this challenge as a post a week in order to not create a new source of stress and cause burnout but there may be times when I sneak in an extra post along the way. Here's hoping we find some tasty new favorites along the way!

                                             

Mom's Meatloaf

Onions, celery, mushrooms and garlic

Hello lovely readers! I'm really excited to share this recipe with you all since it's one of my absolute favorites. Meatloaf is one of those dishes that is really easy to prepare, totally customizable, and always a crowd pleaser. The recipe below is one that my Mom sent me years ago with a few of my own additions. I also have a confession to share: Nick and I were so hungry when this came out of the oven that we tucked in straight away and I neglected to take a photo to share with you all. Additionally, I realized when I sat down to write this blog post that I had also forgotten to take a picture of the assembled meatloaf before it went into the oven. Oops. But, I think we'll be ok... 

Carrots

I was very relieved that Nick enjoyed this since I think it makes a great winter dinner served with mashed potatoes, gravy and veggies. Really warming and filling, but still a decently healthy meal. And, as mentioned, you could completely customize this recipe with whatever you had on hand - for example, it might be nice to swap half of the beef mince for sausage meat (with the casings removed). Be warned however, the ketchup will get very dark and look almost burned when it comes out of the oven (due to the sugars in it). You could cover the meatloaf with a bit of foil for the first half of the cooking process but I never bother. Also, ketchup is just the easy shortcut where the coating is concerned. If you're feeling fancy, you could make your own mix of tomato puree, brown sugar, cider vinegar and mustard... delicious! 

Onion mix with the bread pieces 

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 90 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 

2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 large onions, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped 

5-6 large button mushrooms, sliced
3 slices of bread (white or wholemeal)
2 pounds (900g) lean beef mince
2 medium carrots, grated
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 large egg
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp ketchup, plus more for coating the meatloaf
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Worchester sauce

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 350F / 175 C.

In a large pan over medium heat, sauté the onion and celery in the olive oil until translucent. Add the mushrooms and garlic and continue to sauté until the garlic is fragrant and the mushrooms have softened.

While the onion mixture is cooking, tear up the bread slices into very small pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. When the onion mix is ready, add it to the bread pieces and stir to combine. Next, add the carrots, beef mince, salt, pepper, egg, tomato puree, ketchup, balsamic vinegar and Worchester sauce.

Using your hands, mix the ingredients all together until they are completely combined and evenly distributed. Shape into a 4 x 8 loaf and place onto a baking tray. To make clean up easier, line the tray with aluminum foil or parchment paper.

Finally, coat the meatloaf in ketchup - approximately 3 tbsp. Spread the ketchup evenly over the meatloaf and then place into the oven. Bake for one hour and a half or until the meatloaf is cooked through. Enjoy!