Beef and Cheese Cannelloni

This recipe started because I saw a box of oven ready cannelloni at Migros.  I`d never had it before (and while the box said to fill it with salmon, which I had no interest in), it looked like fun. I hadn`t yet chosen as for who: fun noodles for the kids, or a new dish for us. Well, I didn`t have enough fish sauce to create the bao I wanted to tonight, so made this instead.  I know there are tons of different ways to make it. Mine turned out kind of like lasagna, but without all the layers of noodles. We both thought it was quite good and have leftovers for the next few days for lunch :)

What you need:

Box of oven ready cannelloni
ground beef - I used 350 g
250 g ricotta cheese
basil
1 medium onion
1 tsp minced garlic or 2 cloves chopped
3/4 cup grated Asiago cheese
150 g fresh mozzarella (or grated)
1 large jar pasta sauce (about 2 1/2 cups)
butter for greasing.




First, dice the onion and saute it in a little olive oil. Let cook for a few minutes until the onion is softened.

Add the garlic and stir for about 45 seconds.

Add the beef. Mix until cooked.

Add 1 cup of pasta sauce, stir and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Add about 1 tsp of basil (I used dried).

Remove from heat.

Put in a medium mixing bowl and add the ricotta cheese.  When thoroughly mixed, add 1/4 cup of Asiago cheese.

Butter the bottom of a baking dish and turn the oven to 200 C. No need to add sauce to the bottom of the pan with the butter.

Carefully fill the cannelloni. I`m sure there is a proper way to do it, but I just held them in one hand and spooned the mixture in with the other, using the end of the spoon to push it through to the other end.

Lay them in the baking dish and then cover with the other 1 to 1/2 cups of sauce (depending on how big your dish is).

Slice (or use grated) the mozzarella cheese and lay on top. Add another 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the grated Asiago.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until the top is browned.

Enjoy!

Restaurant Style Chicken and Veg Pasta

I made this because my youngest son loves the little toddler pasta microwave meals, and thought this would be a great alternative to one. I also thought hubby and I might enjoy it. I will say that it was good, but my son was the one who loved it the most, which is good as it made quite a lot. He actually ate it the whole week for lunch, so if you have young children, you may want to consider trying this.

I`m not saying it is just for children though. It almost tasted like a restaurant style pasta you would be served at a family restaurant in the US. I know that doesn`t really explain much if you have never had something like that, but I am not quite sure how to describe it. If making it for adults, I think it would be best to pan fry the chicken instead of boiling it.

You can check out the cookbook here, the mediterrasian way

What you need:
500 g large pasta
500-600 g chicken pieces, bite size
1-2 cups broccoli, also in bite size pieces
1 package of mushrooms, sliced
7 or 8 Tbls sundried tomatoes in oil, roughly chopped
4 whole green onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves minced garlic
500 ml chicken broth
500 ml milk
6 Tbls maisstärke, mixed with 6 Tbls water for thickening
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese (or another you really enjoy) Normally I use freshly grated, but didn`t have any on hand at the time.
salt and pepper to taste


Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta, cook for a minute and then add the chicken (unless you decide to pan fry it). Add the broccoli when you have 5 minutes left on the pasta.

While the pasta cooks, heat a pan and add both the tomatoes and their oil, mushrooms, scallions and garlic. Stir for 2-3 minutes.

Add the liquid and heat until it begins to boil.

Add the cornstarch mixture and keep stirring until thickened, about 2 minutes

Add the cheese, salt and pepper and mix until combined.

Drain the pasta mixture then add the veg mixture and stir gently. Add the chicken if you pan fried it.

There you go. You can chop everything ahead of time and it will not take that long to make. Depending on your likes of the various vegetables, feel free to add more or less.

Grandma's Spaghetti Casserole

This is something my Grandma made when I was little and my Dad wanted my mom to make while growing up.  It's very easy for it to dry out, but I didn't have any problems.  The recipe calls for one can of diced tomatoes but I used two and my mom made sure to tell me to cover the dish with tinfoil while cooking (so I did!).  The only thing missing from this dish was the floral casserole dish that I remember it being cooked in (but I'm sure I can prevail upon my parents to make it while visiting some time in the future).

This is very simple to make. You can make it ahead of time and stick it in the fridge for later (cooks for an hour).  I don't know if it can be frozen or not, but I don't see why not - as long as you leave the potato chips off!

What you need:

500g ground beef
1/2 package of cooked spaghetti
2-3 carrots
1-2 onions, depending on size
1 can of mushrooms (feel free to use fresh)
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 handful of broken potato chips (I'm sure you can find a use for the rest of the bag :-)  )
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the spaghetti according to the directions on the package (or however you normally make it)

While the spaghetti is cooking, put the beef in a pan to brown.

Dice the carrots and onion and add in to the meat.  Cook until the beef is mostly done and then add the mushrooms and cans of tomato.  (about 20 minutes total)

Drain the pasta and then add in the cooked meat mixture.  Mix well and then put in a casserole dish.  Add the crumbled chips on top and cover with aluminium foil.  Put in the oven for 1 hour at 160 C (325 F)

Enjoy!

Creamy tomato cheese ravioli

mmm....This one was good!  I found a recipe for Tuscan Ravioli online but pretty much didn't have any ingredients that it asked for and ended up having to definitely improvise to get what I needed.  Although the basics are there, so here is the original 

What you need:

1-2 packs of cheese Ravioli (depending on the amount per bag and the number of people). This ravioli is from Kaufland in Konstanz.
1 box of Thomy Cream Sauce
1 small jar of Tapenade (a bag of sun dried tomatoes)
2 diced tomatoes
Parmigiano cheese for grating over the top
2 Tbsp of white wine (I just used some of the wine we drank with it - it was fantastic! (Alsace Grand Cru Hengst Pinot Gris from Carrefour in Mullhouse)
1/2 a bunch of basil (chopped)


Boil some water and cook the ravioli as directed.

Pour the sauces in a saucepan and mix to combine.  Add the diced tomatoes and wine. Let cook until heated through and then add the chopped basil.

Drain the ravioli and put on a plate (or bowl).  Add some of the sauce and top with grated cheese (and a basil sprig if you'd like).

Serve with garlic bread (currently -.39 euros in Kaufland).  Enjoy with a nice glass of chilled white wine.

Alper Magronen

hmmm...I made this one a while back but don't seem to have posted it.  Now that it's getting cold though I think it would be great to try again.  I thought the recipe I used tasted good, but it ended up tasting more like Scalloped Potatoes and Ham to me rather than the one I had when we went to Elm last year.

So here goes - keeping in mind that I will be changing it up a bit next time I make it :-)

What you need:

1/2 kg of potatoes, peeled and cubed
5 onions, thinly sliced (into rings, not diced)
250g macaroni
300g bacon or mushrooms (I only used bacon but I think some mushrooms would be good.  Also perhaps bigger chunks would be better)
150g mountain cheese  - I used the Bunderkaese but the original recipe suggests blending 2 cheeses.
1.5 dl of cream
 A pad of butter (enough to saute your onions in as the bacon will add more grease)
4-5 dl vegetable bouillon
nutmeg and pepper to taste

Peel and dice the potatoes. Cut the onions into rings.

Melt the butter and saute the onions, adding the bacon after 2 minutes.  Add the potatoes and continue to saute for 5-6 minutes.  Add the macaroni noodles.

Pour some bouillon into the pan - about 1/2.  When the liquid is absorbed add a little more (think risotto).  Simmer for 10 minutes total (the potatoes and pasta should then be cooked).

Mix in the cream and shredded cheeses, reserving some cheese to sprinkle on top if desired.  Season with the nutmeg and pepper.

Enjoy!

Beef...it's what's for dinner

Mmmm...beef. It's not something we eat a lot of here as it's on the expensive side.  I don't like seafood though, so unfortunately my poor husband is stuck with mostly chicken until summer when grill season hits and he has sausages to add some variety to his meals. 

Tonight I made Beef Stroganoff. It's something I learned from my mom and I think it's great. It's best in the fall when it's cooler, but when you want beef it's one of the least expensive options. 

What you need: (serves 4)

400-500g beef (fleisch)

1 container of sour cream (sauer-halbrahm)

2 Tbls flour

1 Tbls tomato paste

1/2 c cold water

1 cube of beef bouillon

1/8 tsp pepper

6 oz of tagliatelle (fettuccine) 

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms 

1/2 c chopped onion (or onion flakes)

1 clove minced garlic

1 Tbls parsley (optional, to sprinkle on the top)

|I buy the thin sliced beef anyway, but if you splurge on the thicker cut you may need to partially freeze it to be able to slice it thinly. 

Combine sour cream, flour and tomato paste. Stir in the water, bouillon (I chop the cube up to make it easier to mix) and pepper. Set this aside. If you have time earlier in the day, you can keep it in the fridge until needed. 

Cook the tagliatelle and drain well. 

Put a little olive oil in a skillet and add the thinly sliced (bite sized) beef. Stir fry for about 2-3 minutes. (my stove isn't great so this takes longer for me). When the beef is done, remove it and keep it warm on a plate.

(This time I kept the beef in the pan as I added everything else)

Add the mushrooms, onions, and garlic - cook until onion is tender. 

Add the sour cream mixture and cook until bubbly and slightly thickened. Return the meat to the pan and cook until all is heated through. 

Serve over the tagliatelle (fettuccine) and sprinkle with parsley.