Catering for a crowd

Spaghetti Bolognaise:
When catering for a crowd and having no idea what time the troops will arrive (teens and race teams seem to be unpredictable like that) it helps to have a meal that isn't fiddly and can stand on the stove until needed. I'm terrible at following recipes when it comes to these things but I'll share how this one looked (it was polished off in one sitting so I think they approved :) )



4 onions, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, crushed / chopped
1.5kg Lean beef mince
1kg tomatoes (I had a massive jar of canned tomatoes from the garden but any canned tomatoes will do)
3 pots of tomato paste (this isn't a science!)
1kg carrots, grated
5ml each Thyme, Rosemary, parsley, basil, origanum (I used some of these fresh from the garden - increasing quantity for fresh herbs accordingly...)
10ml sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste
15ml Worcester Sauce
20ml olive oil

Heat oil in a BIG pot and gently fry onions and garlic. Once softened add mince and stir until browned through. Add all the other ingredients - turn down to low once heated through and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Adjust seasoning and serve over spaghetti - the kids love grated cheddar on top but I prefer some parmegano or pecorino for a bit more adult flavour.

I cooked up a kilo of spaghetti for this quantity - I did it in one go but should really have divided it in two batches even though I have pots that are big enough...

This fed 10 adults and 2 sixteen year olds with one single solitary portion making its' way into a tupperware for my lunch today (I had to hide it or I probably would have had to think of another lunch to make...!)

Foodie Girl's Night-in

It's been ages since the girls have gotten together without the lads - it's funny how we go through stages! Needless to say we drank far too much (really good, I mean amazing) wine and I did a little experimental recipe which was divine (if I may say so myself!)

For starters I made a very simple salad - it's actually my absolute favorite recipe at the moment...
- Cos lettuce
- Iceberg lettuce
- Toasted pine nuts
- Parmegano Shavings
- Greek Dressing
I make up individual bowls for each person (I way prefer this presentation to a bowl on the table) - mixing the leaves and dressing then sprinkling pine nuts and then finally parmegano shavings - VOILA! you have a wow salad in minutes!

Mains:

I have to admit I went big here (blush!) Homemade pasta and a fresh Coriander, basil and chili pesto. The pasta is something I've developed a bit of a reputation for - fresh pasta is just so good it makes me wish I was Italian! I've shared the recipe previously here. I underestimated just how much the airconditioner dried out the air and by the time I tried to put the sheets through the cutter they were far to dry and sort of started to crumble - not quite the angel's hair I'd planned :( I improvised a little and cut the sheets with a knife and it turned into a bit of tagliateli

Coriander, Basil and Chili Pesto
- big bag of fresh coriander from woolies
- 30g basil leaves
- pine nuts
- Chili to taste (I used one)
- Olive oil

Blitz the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Add olive oil a bit at a time to get the right consistency. The key with any pesto is to allow it to stand for an hour or two to develop flavour before  using it.

We've just bought an espresso machine (the kind that actually requires you to read the whole manual!) so for desert we had cappuccino's, dark chocolate and maybe a very special bottle of Rupert and Rothschild red vino :)

 

Creative Pasta

So, after the longest of creative droughts I am finally writing about something yummy AND meaningful once again :-)

The pictures were taken on my new toy: a Nikon D90 which has made me ecstatically happy and takes the most amazing pictures. Unfortunately the pics were taken my an over-zealous fourteen year old who is only starting to learn about composition and the like (you understand when you see them)

Fresh pasta is something that happens often in our house. I've got it to such a fine art that I can make, roll and boil it in under 45 minutes! I haven't had a wedding so I can put a KitchenAid KSM150PSWH Artisan Series 5-Quart Mixer, White on the registry list so the dough still has to be mixed and kneaded by hand (the fourteen year old is really good at this part so we share the duty when he's feeling cooperative) I bought the pasta roller when I did a pasta making course a few years back but it's only started being used regularly since we got the chickens ;-)


The recipe is very simple: 


100g flour per egg - use 1 egg per person (I always make extra as there are ALWAYS unexpected guests and if it doesn't get finished on the day it makes for the best lunch or freezer meal) Mix the two together and knead into a dough. If it's too hard, add another egg or water and if it's too sticky then add a little more flour. I divide the dough into manageable balls to knead and roll out or else it's a real challenge...

This time around I decided on Raviolli with butternut and Ricotta and another with spinach and feta.