Spicy Meatball Pasta Bake - Good Food Cheap

Lets try this again !  I typed this post up a week ago , only to have the whole thing disappear on me just as I was finished up . For someone that has a hard time writing , that was a major bummer....  so I took a week , and figured I would try it again . This time Ill be typing it up on Word , and will copy and paste to blogger.   I just love this series , Good Food Cheap !  What could be better ? Besides free! Hahaha that and its a one pan dinner... which is great as there is not as much clean up .   So ... here we go , first recipe post in 7 weeks for me ... where does the time go ??

You will need :

Meatballs :

3 Cloves of Garlic
2 Small Red Onions
1/2 a Large Red Bell Pepper
2 dried chili's
1lb of  ground beef
1 egg and ...
a touch too much bread crumbs ( kinda knocked the jar over .. ooops :)
To Taste : 
My chili powder
Basil
Smoked paprika
Sea salt
Black pepper,
L&P

Note : Normally I would have added mushrooms too .

Pasta Bake :

1 Pint Jar of Tomatoes, juice and all
1lb of cheese tortellini
2/3 cup of beef stock
1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli
90Gm of Mozzarella

Total Cost :    Just under $10 for dinner for four!

  Start by chopping the veggies for the meatballs :)

Add the veggies to the  beef and the spices , Mix well with your hands , and let rest for at least 30 minutes for flavour developing time :)

Roll them into balls, I decided to go with small ones this time . This made about 36 little ones.

I pan fried them in a spoonful of sunflower oil , for about 5 minutes each ( in two batches ) just long enough to get some colour on the outside of them. Preheat your oven right about now to 350F

Meatballs are browned up and, ready for the oven

 Now its oven time, the tomatoes were added juice and all , the pound of cheese tortellini and the beef stock . set the timer for 15 minutes at 350F 

 At the 15 minute mark , give it all a good stir , and set it for 15 more. Add the chopped broccoli & mozzarella at the 30 minutes in mark , and leave it for 10 more minutes.

 Total oven time 40 minutes :)) Mmm smells good!!

 My finished plate :)) Spicy Red Pepper/Onion Meatballs, with garlic tomatoes, cheese tortellini , broccoli and mozzarella . 

Well there you have one of my favourite one pot cooking meals !  Simple, easy and cheap!  Hahaha what could be better ??   Besides having someone make it for you ?  

This is the first Good Food Cheap post where I didnt break all the costs down ?  Does this work for you ? Or would you prefer a more itemized price list like i have done in the past ?

I hope you have enjoyed my Spicy Meatball Pasta Bake :)) Happy Cooking

Creamy Red Pepper and Pumpkin Soup

I have been waiting for pumpkins to burst on the scene in all their glory before posting this recipe which I mentioned in a previous blog. My corner pumpkin seller Metin is now ensconced under his protective umbrella so today I went along to say hello and buy half a kilo.

here he is

 It is so easy here as the pumpkin is cut and peeled for you so not arduous at all to prepare.  He himself has a little saw with which he cuts away the pieces. He has a mobile phone so you can ring him up and place an order which he will personally deliver if you live nearby!  In Turkey interestingly enough, pumpkin is regarded more as a dessert than a savoury. Whereas we would perhaps instinctively think soup or oven-roasted, here it is  kabak tatlısı, a traditional syrupy delight served with scattered coarsely chopped walnuts on top.

But back to the soup: this recipe was given to me by my French cousin, Michele, and is a fine dinner party starter. It is so seasonal because of the vibrant autumnal colours and of course the main ingredient is only available at this time of year.

Ingredients for Creamy Red Pepper and Pumpkin Soup

Serves 4

25g/1 oz butter,

1 large onion

500g/1 lb 2oz pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and chopped into chunks

I red pepper, deseeded and chopped

2 vegetable stock cubes, dissolved in 450 ml/ ¾ pint hot water

200g/ 7 oz cream cheese

450ml/ ¾ pint milk

2 tbsps chopped chives

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

·         Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and fry gently for about 3 mins until softened but not browned.

·         Add the pumpkin, red pepper and vegetable stock. Heat until the mixture is just simmering, then turn the heat to low and cook gently for about 20 mins, partially covered, until the vegetables are soft and tender.

·         Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor and add about half the cream cheese. Blend together till completely smooth.

·         Return mixture to the saucepan and add the milk and half the chives. Stir thoroughly and reheat till piping hot. Taste and adjust seasoning.

·         Ladle the soup into warmed bowls, then top each portion with a dollop of the reserved cream cheese. Sprinkle with the remaining chives and a little extra ground black pepper, then serve.

Tips

1.       The recipe says that the red pepper can be omitted but I think that would be a real shame as it adds a definite sweet flavour to the soup. The smell while cooking is most inviting. I used the larger variety as it is sweeter than the smaller, more pointed local ones.

2.       I put half the cream cheese in the soup as per the recipe but used a swirl of natural yogurt as a finishing touch instead of more cheese. I also used spring onions instead of chives. Chives would be better but we don’t get them regularly.

3.       This soup freezes very well but since the quantity given is so little, I think you would have to double the amounts in order for there to be any to freeze!

4.       Turks love to eat the seeds of the pumpkin especially in front of the TV! They are available everywhere, shelled or not, but according to my husband, all the fun lies in cracking the seed between your teeth and somehow extricating the inner kernel.  It is a skill I do not possess! You can dry your own seeds on a sunny windowsill or, in a dry frying pan, toss them with a little salt. They are supposed to be effective against tapeworms!

Leg of Duck with Plum and Ginger Sauce and Crispy Sweet Potatoes

I have come across two popular reasons why people turn up their noses at buying or eating duck legs. I have heard it said that duck legs are as tough as old boots and that duck legs have virtually no meat on them and are therefore not worth their purchase price. In the first instance, the simple answer is that any meat which is not cooked in the correct fashion has the capacity to become as tough as old boots. In the second, we have to ensure when purchasing duck legs - particularly smaller ones - that we are in fact purchasing both the leg and the thigh.

This delicious duck leg recipe is for two people.

Ingredients

2 organic, free range duck legs and thighs
6 ripe plums
1 red bell pepper
1 glass of red wine
1" ginger stem
2 large sweet potatoes
Frozen peas

Method

The oven should be put on to preheat to 350F/180C/Gas mark 4. The skin side of the duck legs should then be pricked several times with a fork and they should be placed, skin side down, in to a dry, non-stick frying pan and brought up to a medium heat. The duck fat will be released through the holes made by the fork and the skin should brown up nicely in the space of around five minutes.

While the duck legs are browning, the plums should be halved and de-stoned, the red bell pepper should be sliced and the seeds discarded and the ginger should be very finely sliced. These items should be added to a large casserole dish and the wine poured on top. The browned duck legs can then be sat on top, skin side facing uppermost, and the frying-pan with the duck fat in it should be set aside for later use. The dish should be covered and placed in to the oven for two and a half hours.

The sweet potatoes should be peeled, chopped and simmered in boiling water for fifteen to twnety minutes, until soft. They should then be drained well before being returned to the pot and shaken around a little to cause the edges to fluff up. The duck fat in the frying-pan should then be brought up to a high heat and the sweet potatoes stirred around in it for just a couple of minutes to crisp up.

The peas should be cooked according to the instructions on the packet and the meal plated up as shown above.