Tortellini Bolognese and a Cheats Mille Feuille

Ingredients

• Veal and pork mince
• Canned tomatoes
• Onion
• Garlic
• Tortellini (store bought)
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Cream
• Marscapone
• Vanilla paste
• Icing sugar
  
• Croissants (again store bought, part cooked)
  

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 C
2. Stick big ass pot of salted water on to boil.
   
3. Slice croissants into three and place on an oven tray and bake until crispy.
   
4. Chop onion, mince garlic, defrost store bought tortellini and raspberries.
   
5. Saute onion and garlic until onion is translucent
6. Chuck in mince and stir until brown
7. Add tomatoes and chop up big bits
8. Stir in a little tomato paste
9. Simmer until thick
10. Season to taste.
    
11. Tip tortellini in water and stir, stick lid on until it comes back to the boil.
    
12. Whip cream to soft peaks, stir in vanilla paste, icing sugar and marscapone.
13. Smear crispy croissant slice with cream, sprinkle with raspberrys repeat with other slices.
14. Sprinkle the lot with icing sugar and serve thusly

Time to cook: 30 minutes
Cost per serve: $15
Inspiration: Ripped more or less directly from a fresh tv episode.

Quick spaghetti bolognese

Ingredients:

• Minced pork
  
• Minced beef
• Canned tomatoes (I prefer whole and smoosh 'em myself)
• Garlic
• Onion
• Olive oil
  
• Salt
• Oregano (dried)
• Spaghetti
• Herb bread to accompany.
  

Method:

1. Chop onion finely (I've had good results grating it too, just more tears) and fry it and the garlic in some olive oil.
2. Chuck in the mince and brown it.
3. Smoosh up the tomatoes and chuck them in.
4. Sprinkle in some oregano
5. Head oven to 220 degrees C
   
6. Simmer until thick
7. Cook spaghetti as per packet, whilst heating herb bread.

Time to cook: 35 minutes
Cost per serve: $5
Inspiration: Very little

Gnocchi, with Bolognese and Meatballs

Gnocchi with Bolognese, Meatballs and a baby vegetable salad.












Nice and quick to prepare (especially when you cheat and buy the gnocchi), which apparently meant I could spend more time on the photography (note I managed to capture steam for the second time in about 50 posts). I couldn't get any pork mince tonight, so it was just veal and the bolognese suffered for it. The gnocchi was cooked to perfection and the crunchy salad made me feel virtuous as I enjoyed it so much. Managed to get the 3 year old to try all items on his plate, he wouldn't eat the rocket, but he really liked the cucumber.


Ingredients:

• Veal mince
• Tomatoes, canned
• Tomato paste
• Onion
• Garlic
• Salt
  
• Basil
• Spicy sausage, cases removed
• Gnocchi
• Baby veg salad.

Baby veg salad

• Cherry tomatoes
• Golden cherry tomatoes
• Baby cucumbers
• Baby rocket
• Baby spinach leaves
• Balsamic vinegar
• Olive oil
• Salt

Time to prepare: About 45 minutes
Cost of ingredients: $25
Number of serves: 6
Recipe inspiration: Supermarket isle browsing.

Spaghetti Bolognese(ish)

Spaghetti Bolognese(ish)













Tonight was a bit of a poop, I had visions of salmon fillets crusted with crushed wasabi peas, but my wife still has a pregnancy induced aversion to salmon, so that dish idea died a quick death. Backup plan? Spag bol, but I'm sure my version has about as much to do with the authentic recipe as a McDonalds "sandwich" has with a real hamburger. Still it was eaten and enjoyed by all, but I still have _no_ idea about portion size for pastas.


Bolognese(ish) sauce.

• Pork mince
• Veal mince
• Onion
• Garlic
• Tinned diced tomatoes
• Tomato paste
• Basil
• Salt
• Pepper

Pasta.

• 00 Flour
• Eggs
• Salt

Time to prepare: 40 minutes (needed more simmering I think)
Cost of ingredients: $15
Number of serves: 4 of pasta, 8 of sauce. (sigh)