Dayrecipe Food Community

This is a delicious pasta dish which highlights the fresh bell pepper, courgette & carrot used. I have a huge pot of basil in my kitchen & make sure that I give this dish a very generous serving! In case you’re not familiar with it, conchigliette is tiny shell pasta

Serves 4-5

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups ground chicken
• 2 cups wholewheat conchigliette pasta, uncooked
• 500 ml water
• 400 g canned tomatoes, liquidized with own juice
• 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated (sharp)
• 1 large brown onion, finely diced
• 1 small red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 medium courgette, grated
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 3-5 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon schwartz Season-All
• 1 teaspoon schwartz italian seasoning
• 2-3 teaspoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Gently fry the onion & the chicken in a medium sized pan over a medium heat. After 10 minutes, add the rest of the chopped / grated veggies & the seasoning, fry for a further 15 minutes.
2. After 15 minutes, add the liquidized tomato , miced garlic & the water. Cover & simmer gently for 45 minutes.
3. Whilst the sauce is cooking, cook the pasta in plenty of lightly salted boiling water until soft.
4. When you have a thick sauce, remove from the heat & stir in the cheese & the basil. Mix well then stir in the pasta. Cover & allow to sit for 5-10 minutes, this way the pasta is the right temperature for the family to eat & the pasta will have taken on the flavours of the sauce.
5. Serve any kids first, then adjust the seasoning for adults if required.

TIPS:

1. Ground turkey or ground beef work equally as well in this dish.
2. Replace the conchigliette with your favourite pasta variety.

This easy-to-make lasagne evolved from a pasta dish that one of us
enjoyed on a trip to Portofino, Italy, some 30 years ago. Our version is even quicker, using won ton skins, which cook in a flash.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 45 min

Makes 2 (main course) or 4 (appetizer) servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 1garlic clove, minced
• 1tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 3/4cups canned crushed tomatoes with purée (14 oz)
• 4tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
• 1tablespoon fresh orange juice, or to taste
• 3/4cup whole-milk ricotta
• 1/4cup freshly grated parmesan
• 2teaspoons finely chopped fresh oregano
• 12won ton skinsgarnish: fresh basil

DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cook garlic in butter in a large heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, 1 minute. Add tomatoes with purée and half of basil and simmer sauce over moderate heat, uncovered, stirring, 20 minutes. Stir in orange juice and salt and pepper to taste.

While sauce is cooking, stir together ricotta, parmesan, remaining basil, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Separate won ton skins and add toa saucepan of salted boiling water, then immediately transfer with a slotted spoon to a shallow dish filled with cold water.

Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce evenly in bottom ofa buttered 13- by 9- by 2-inch glass baking dish. Arrange 4 won ton skins, drained briefly on a kitchen towel,in1 layer on top of sauce. Divide half of ricotta mixture evenly among squares in pan and top with 4 more squares, drained briefly. Spoon remaining ricotta mixture evenly on top of squares in pan and top with remaining 4 squares, drained.

Spoon several tablespoons sauce over each stack and bake, uncovered, in middle of oven until bubbling and heated through, about 10 minutes.

Salsa di Pomodoro d’Emilia

Emilia would add a sprig of basil or rosemary or a glass of red wine along
with the tomatoes, according to her mood. The sauce always turned out a bit
differently, yet it was always delicious.

Makes about 2 cups.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 stalk celery
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound ripe tomatoes or one 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
• salt and freshly ground pepper a piacere (to taste)

DIRECTIONS Peel and finely chop the onion, carrot, and garlic. Finely chop the celery.
Sauté the vegetables in the olive oil in a medium saucepan over low heat,
stirring, until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, if using fresh tomatoes, peel and seed them, then roughly chop.

Stir the fresh or canned tomatoes into the vegetables. For extra zing, add
some red pepper flakes. Simmer gently for 2 hours, stirring occasionally,
until the sauce is thick and flavorful. Season with salt and pepper.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 2large fennel bulbs, preferably with fronds (sometimes called anise; about 2 lb total), fronds reserved and stalks discarded
• 1large onion, halved lengthwise, one half cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices and the other half chopped
• 1/2teaspoon anchovy paste
• 2 1/2teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1cup fat-free chicken broth
• 1/4to 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
• 1(14-oz) can whole tomatoes in juice
• 4(5-oz) skinless sea bass fillets (3/4 inch thick), bones removed

DIRECTIONS Chop enough fennel fronds, if using, to measure 2 tablespoons. Quarter fennel bulbs lengthwise, then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Cook fennel bulbs, sliced onion, and anchovy paste in 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a 12-inch heavy nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until coated, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper, then add broth and braise, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Remove lid and boil, stirring occasionally, until liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Transfer fennel mixture to a 1 1/2-quart shallow gratin or other shallow 9-inch ceramic or glass baking dish.

Preheat oven to 450°F.

While fennel mixture is braising, cook chopped onion, red pepper flakes, and salt to taste in remaining teaspoon oil in an 8-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice and simmer, breaking up tomatoes with a spoon and stirring occasionally, until very thick, 15 to 20 minutes.

Arrange fish fillets on top of fennel mixture and season with salt. Spoon tomato sauce over fish. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper or wax paper, then cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake in middle of oven until fish is just cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with fennel fronds.

Truite à la Tomate

This trout recipe could be page 1 of [fishmonger Neige] Perez’s Workbook for
Cooking Fish 101. There are no fish bones to fillet, no tomatoes to peel, and
no saucepans to clean. Cooked together in a single roasting pan, the capers,
olives, onions, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, white wine, and trout fillets
conspire to create a wonderful, unmistakably Mediterranean ensemble sure to
entice even Marseillais who were scaling and gutting fish — or so they
say — before they could walk.

Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 trout fillets, about 6 ounces each
• salt
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 2 tablespoons green olives, pitted
• 8 to 10 pearl onions, chopped
• 1 pound ripe plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Place the trout fillets on an oiled baking dish and season with salt.

3. Combine the capers, green olives, pearl onions, tomatoes, chopped parsley,
and chopped garlic and spoon the mixture over the trout fillets.

4. Pour the white wine over the fillets and vegetables, drizzle with olive
oil, season with salt and pepper, and bake until the fillets are just cooked
through, about 20 minutes.