Cheat’s Home-Made Pappardelle With Quick Tomato Sauce

Home-made pasta sauce is so easy, and you can sling it together in around the time it takes to open a jar and heat it up.

Method:

  • Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and add a good few lugs of olive oil. When the oil’s hot, add the garlic and chilli and fry until lightly coloured. Drop in most of the basil – stand back as it will crackle and spit in the oil – and then, after a few seconds, add the tomatoes.
  • Bring to the boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. You’ll end up with a chunky sauce – if you like it smoother, pass the sauce through a coarse sieve. T
  • aste the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
  • Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.
  • On a lightly floured work surface, cut the lasagne sheets into strips with a knife or a pastry wheel. When the water is at a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook for a few minutes until just al dente.
  • Drain the pasta strips in a colander, reserving a little of the cooking water.
  • Stir the pasta into the warm sauce. If it’s a bit thick, add a few spoonfuls of the cooking water to loosen it up.
  • Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese and the reserved basil leaves and serve immediately.
Easy
Pasta
30 Mins

Flour Tortilla Wraps

Method:

  • Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt in large bowl.
  • Rub in butter to resemble texture of polenta.
  • Add water slowly, mixing with your hands to make a soft dough. You may not need all the water.
  • Knead a few minutes on floured surface until smooth and elastic. Lubricate top with oil, put back in bowl and let rest, covered for 10 minutes.
  • Divide into small balls the size of golf balls and proceed to roll out into size and thickness you prefer.
  • Cook in dry heavy frying pan until top is slightly bubbly then turning on opposite side for a minute or two.
  • Keep stacked and warm inside a clean tea towel. I found the easiest way to achieve this is to roll them out twice; once to about saucer-size, then leave while rolling out the rest, then the second time you can get them really thin.
Easy
Breads & Scones
30 Mins

Chicken Tostadas

Method:

  • Preheat broiler.
  • Cut half of onion into 3/4-inch wedges, then chop remainder. Toss onion wedges, tomatoes, garlic, and whole chiles with 2 tablespoons oil in a 4-sided sheet pan, spreading in 1 layer.
  • Broil about 4 inches from heat until softened and charred, 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, toss together lettuce, radishes, chopped onion, and half of cilantro.
  • Purée tomato mixture in a blender along with one or both roasted serranos (to taste) and 1 teaspoon salt until smooth(use caution when blending hot foods).
  • Transfer purée to a bowl and stir in chicken, remaining cilantro, and salt to taste.
  • Heat remaining 1/2 cup oil in a heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
  • Fry tortillas, 1 at a time, turning once or twice and pressing with tongs to immerse, until golden brown, 45 to 60 seconds per tortilla.
  • Drain briefly on paper towels, then transfer to plates.
  • Spread tortillas thickly with heated refried beans, then top with chicken mixture.
  • Slice avocado over tostadas and dollop with cream.
  • Mound lettuce mixture on top and sprinkle with cheese.
  • Serve with: Margaritas!!
Easy
Chicken
30 Mins

Chinese Broccoli With Oyster Sauce

Method:

  • Crush the garlic and clean the Chinese Broccoli. Be careful to make sure the vegetable is very clean — bugs also think it’s a yummy vegetable!
  • Add the oil to the pan. When the pan is hot, throw in the garlic. When the garlic starts to turn light brown, add the Chinese Broccoli.
  • Stir for a few seconds until it starts to cook. It should cook fast, maybe 1-2 minutes tops.
  • Chinese Broccoli is done when the leaves are dark green and wilted, and the stem is medium green.
  • Then add the oyster sauce and remove from heat.
Easy
Veggie
Ready in 10

Pad Phet Gai (Fried Spicy Chicken)

Method:

  • Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. It’s tastier to cut the bone in too, and not use boneless cuts.
  • Smash the chilies, coriander roots, garlic, pepper and salt in a stone mortar & pestle until a paste.
  • Fry the paste in the oil on medium-high heat until you sneeze a lot, about 3-4 minutes.
  • Add the water to the mortar, and swirl around to clean it, and set aside.
  • Add the chicken along with the water from the mortar. The water will allow the flavours to soak into the chicken better. Cook until the chicken is cooked-through, and keep stirring.
  • You may need to keep adding more water if it dries out.
  • When the chicken is done, add the palm sugar and stir until mixed well.
  • Remove from heat and serve with rice.
  • Note: This dish uses orange chilies. If you cannot find orange chilies, you can try substituting with Mexican Serrano chilies. F
  • ree-range chicken is best due to the lower fat content and stronger muscle. The flavor is better too.
  • P-Mala buys a whole chicken, and cuts the meat into bite-sized pieces with the bone in tact. You could probably get away with a pre-cut chicken, with bone. Just cut it with a cleaver into 1-2" (4cm) wide pieces. The bone adds a lot of flavor when you cook.
  • When it comes time to eat, just eat around the bones and leave them on your plate.
  • If you don't feel comfortable cooking with the bones, boneless cuts work fine.
Easy
Chicken
30 Mins

Garlic and Pepper Chicken

Method:

  • Rinse and cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
  • Smash the garlic lightly with the side of a knife.
  • Remove the skin if not using thin-skinned Thai garlic.
  • Heat the oil in a pan until very hot.
  • Add the garlic and keep stirring so it doesn’t burn.
  • When (very) lightly browned, add the chicken (or meat, or whatever you’re using!)
  • Cook until done (not raw).
  • If it gets dry and sticky, add some water to the pan about 1-2 tablespoons at a time.
  • Add the palm sugar, fish sauce and pepper.
  • You may need to add a bit more water here so that it mixes well.
  • Mix well and serve on rice (for a one-dish meal), or in a plate (to share with friends).
  • Garnish with cilantro.
Easy
Chicken
30 Mins

Pad Kee Mao

Method:

  • Separate the noodles by peeling them apart one at a time. Set aside.
  • Prepare your ingredients: Slice the baby corns into 1/2 lengthwise.
  • Crush the garlic and chilies, and set aside.
  • Pick off the leaves & flowers of the basil, and set aside.
  • Chop the large chili into rings.
  • If you’re using tofu, pre-fry it in hot oil until browned. Set aside.
  • Add the oil to a pan, and heat on high until it’s dancing around.
  • Then add the garlic, chilies and green peppercorns. Keep stirring so it doesn’t burn. When the garlic turns light brown, add the veggies & meat/seafood if adding.
  • Keep stirring and cook until finished, about a minute. You may need to add a few tablespoons of water to help things not stick.
  • Add the tofu (if adding), then the noodles. You may need to add a bit more water if the pan gets too dry. Don’t add a lot, or the noodles will get mushy.
  • After frying for a minute or two, add the soy sauces, sugar and oyster sauce.
  • Stir well to mix.
  • Add the basil & vinegar. Stir to mix. When the basil is wilted it’s done.
Easy
Chicken
30 Mins

Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Buttercream

Method:

Make cake layers:

  • Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Butter 2 (9- by 2-inch) round cake pans and line bottom of each with a round of wax paper.
  • Butter paper and dust pans with flour, knocking out excess.
  • Whisk together hot water and cocoa powder in a bowl until smooth, then whisk in milk and vanilla.
  • Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in another bowl.
  • Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
  • Reduce speed to low and add flour and cocoa mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture (batter may look curdled)
  • Divide batter between cake pans, smoothing tops.
  • Bake until a wooden pick or skewer comes out clean and edges of cake begin to pull away from sides of pans, 25 to 35 minutes total.
  • Cool layers in pans on racks 10 minutes, then invert onto racks, removing wax paper, and cool completely.
  • Assemble cake: Put 1 cake layer, rounded side up, on a cake stand or platter and, using offset spatula, spread top with about 1 cup buttercream. Top with remaining cake layer, rounded side down, and frost side and top of cake with 2 cups buttercream.
  • Decorate cake: For each colour (you can make up to 5), transfer 3 tablespoons buttercream to a separate small bowl and tint with food coloring.
  • Snip off 1 corner of each plastic bag to create a 1/4-inch opening, then spoon each color of buttercream into a bag, pressing out excess air.
  • Twist each bag firmly just above buttercream, then decoratively pipe colored buttercream onto cake.
  • Chill cake until buttercream is set, about 30 minutes.
  • Just before serving, arrange 6 to 8 mini cupcakes on top of cake in 1 layer, then stack remaining mini cupcakes on top.
Easy
Breads & Scones
60 Mins

Mediterranean Chilli Chicken

Method:

  • Preheat oven to 170 degrees.
  • Chop up chicken and coat in the flour, finely chop onion and crush garlic fry these together in the olive oil & butter for five mins.
  • Add chopped green pepper and sliced mushrooms fry for another 2 mins.
  • Add chopped tomatoes & chilli paste and cook for 2-3 mins.
  • Add wine, chicken stock & parsley and season to taste.
  • Transfer to shallow oven dish and cook for 20 mins, then remove from oven and stir in cream return to oven for 15 mins.
  • Serve with Basmati rice.
Easy
Chicken
60 Mins

Spinach with Chorizo

Method:

  • Fry off cubes of chorizo, keeping the red oil.
  • Add some butter and then add your spinach.
  • Cook until wilted perfectly.
  • Alternative to plain chorizo! YUM!
Easy
Pork & Bacon
Ready in 10

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