Category Archives: Pork

Pork, Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni

30 Saturday Sep 2017

Posted by in Dinner, Pasta, Pork, ricotta, Uncategorized

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If you have read my previous posts, you’ll probably have a sense that I am pretty comfortable with easy and quick.   This is one of those recipes too.  I bought pre-prepared lasagne sheets and used a can of Italian chopped tomatoes for the ‘pasta sauce’.  This doesn’t take much time to put together, is tasty and allows you to spend more time watching a movie, sharing a glass of wine, or going for a walk (yes, that’s right, the last option is the one we all do).

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Serves 6.   Turn on oven to around 180C.

  • 500g Pork mince
  • 150g Ricotta Cheese
  • 100 g baby Spinach roughly chopped
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbsp mixed herbs
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • Lasagne Sheets (one packet)
  • 400g can tinned Italian diced tomatoes
  • 2 teaspoons pesto
  • 2 teaspoons tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella
  • Combine pork, ricotta, spinach, eggs, mixed herbs and pepper in a large bowl. Mix until well combined.
  • Take lasagna sheets and cut into 2 or 3 sections depending on the size of your lasagna sheet.
  • Spoon the pork mixture onto the centre of each sheet of lasagna, then roll the sheet to enclose the filling. Brush each edge with milk to seal the join.
  • Mix canned tomatoes, pesto and tomato paste in a small bowl (to save dishes perhaps the one you already mixed the pork in – I would)
  • Put a tablespoon or so of the tomato mixture into the bottom of the dish you are going to bake the cannelloni in.
  • Place each roll, seal side down in a baking dish in a single layer.
  • Pour the tomato mixture over the cannelloni and sprinkle the top with the grated cheese.
  • Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is bubbling.
  • Serve warm with salad or vegetables.   We had fresh lettuce from the garden (first of the season – and it is Very Good), with some sliced red pepper, finely chopped chives and shredded fresh basil leaves, finished with a bit of raspberry vinegar and olive oil.
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Ready for the oven

Comfort Food – Lasagna

29 Sunday May 2016

Posted by in Pasta, Pork, Uncategorized

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Yesterday was a rainy old day and a bit cold as well.   It was still before lunch time but I just knew that I wanted lasagne,  in fact I think I knew the previous night when I bought some pork mince from the supermarket.  Not like me to crave meat,  but for some reason that’s what happened.   Instead of a recipe I am just going to put up some pictures of the process.  Most of us know how to make lasagna,  and there are plenty of recipes online,  I’m sure you will find something that gets the tastebuds going.

First,  cut up some onions and sweat in a pan.

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Add some chopped garlic, celery and parsley.

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Mmmm,  it will be smelling good………

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Add in a can of chopped tomatoes with juices and also a few tablespoons for tomato paste

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Cook this down until thick and the vegetables have gone very soft.   Season with salt and pepper to taste.      In another pan brown off some pork mince,  when it has changed colour slosh in some wine (mine was a Viognier that happened to be open), heat up and then add in some chopped veges.   Ours were some more chopped onion,  carrot and courgette.  Cook for around 10 minutes until meat is cooked through.

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Add most of the tomato sauce in with the meat.  Keep back around 1/2  a cup.

Choose your dish, put a little olive oil on the bottom the pan and then cover bottom with some of the tomato sauce.   Cover this with a layer of lasagne.  I cheated and used bought pasta,  usually make my own which I think is way better, but sometimes short-cuts are just fine!

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After adding the lasagne sheets,  I then used a bit of the tomato paste, and then covered it with some meat (around a third).

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Then place some baby spinach on top of the meat.    Layer again with lasagna sheets and repeat a couple of times.   My lasagne was 3 layers.

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i used the last of the tomato sauce on top layer of the lasgne sheets and then put a bit of parsley and some grated parmesan.   What I have omitted to tell you before now is that I also made a bechamel sauce (with grated mozzarella and parmesan).   This will now be used to cover the dish.

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And then some more parmesan.   Oh boy,  I was looking forward to seeing this baby cooked and ready to eat!

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And here it is straight out of the oven…..ready to go onto the table with a green salad.

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And the creamy, gooey inside view………  Enough for leftovers!

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Asian Pork Meatballs with Ginger Garlic Sauce

17 Sunday Apr 2016

Posted by in Dinner, Pork, Rice

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Yay,  a change from chicken!   It’s Autumn and some nights just a wee bit cool for a salad.  So I thought something a bit warming would be perfect, though not too heavy as it’s not Winter yet!  I had some pork mince and undertook a little google search and found the following recipe on souffle bombay .   Her photos are SO GOOD,  and it definitely ticked all the boxes.  I doubled the sauce ingredients just because I always want more sauce.    Mr MWCED liked it too,  so likely that it will be cooked again.

Asian Pork Meatballs with Spicy Ginger Garlic Sauce

Ingredients

  • Meatballs
  • 700g pork
  • 2 TBS finely chopped onion
  • 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp ginger finely chopped (I used purchased minced ginger)
  • ½ TBS sesame oil
  • salt & pepper
  • Ginger Garlic Sauce
  • 3 TBS sesame oil
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 TBS minced ginger
  • 1½ TBS rice wine vinegar
  • 2 TBS honey
  • 1-2 TBS Chili with Garlic Sauce
  • ½ tsp cornflour
  • Coriander to garnish

Instructions

  1. For Meatballs:
  2. Combine all ingredients together and form balls.
  3. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  4. Use a small amount of olive oil (2-3 TBS or so) to fry the meatballs until nicely browned. Note: I used purchased pork mince and was Very Annoyed about how much water came out of them.   They were broiling rather than browning. Hmmmph.   Note to self, either buy better quality mince or make my own.
  5. Place meatballs on a baking sheet and bake another 10 minutes until cooked through.
  6. For Spicy Ginger-Garlic Sauce
  7. In a pan combine sesame oil, garlic and ginger and saute for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add in vinegar, honey and chili with garlic sauce and bring to a boil. Add in cornflour and whisk until combined and thickened. Taste & adjust. I am a sauce fiend and made double the amount of the sauce. Doubled all ingredients, except the sesame oil, used 5 TBS of sesame oil.   Definitely better amount of sauce when doubled – imho.
  8. Place meatballs in pan, coat with sauce, garnish with coriander leaves and serve. Oh Damn, no coriander in our garden tonight, so had to sub parsley. Coriander would definitey have been MUCH better.
  9. I boiled some beans and added them to the top of the meatballs when serving, and we also had saffron basmati.

IMG_2597 Just a pinch or so of saffron mixed into some warm water and then tipped into the bowl of the rice cooker.  Add a little butter, rice and water and be happy.IMG_2594