Spaghetti Bolognese... My Style...

I just love pasta and fortunately for me, my family are not fussy eaters. Whatever I serve them, they would eat with great relish.

The sauce recipe was originally from LEGGO's. I 've been using this recipe whenever I cooked tomato base pasta sauce for years. I remembered the day I received a recipe book from LEGGO'S after writing to the company. I still keep the letter from the product division secretary dated 23 April 1996. It's been 15 awesome years of trying all sorts of the favourites in the book.

However, for this recipe, I added my preferred ingredients which are the vegetables: carrot, fresh button mushroom and green capsicum. You can use beef, lamb, chicken or other types of meat. I used minced chicken for my girl does't like beef, and I orgot to buy lamb . This recipe serves four people. I don't have parmesan cheese in stock; so, you cannot see the sprinkle of cheese in the pic. Once you are familiar with the recipe, you can play with the ingredients. But remember not to put too much oregano for you'll have a sharp strong taste i.e. bitter sauce.

Spaghetti Bolognese

500g  spaghetti cooked according to packet directions

Grated parmesan cheese

Sauce:

1 tablespoon olive oil

500 g minced beef (I used minced chicken)

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons chopped parsley (I used fresh English parsely)

250g LEGGO’S tomato paste

1½ cup water (you can add more if you want a lighter sauce)

1 teaspoon powdered beef stock (I used 1 chicken stock cube)

I added:

1 large carrot, diced

1 large green capsicum, diced

Fresh button mushrooms, chopped or sliced

Method:

1. Heat oil, add minced chicken, onion and garlic and cook until browned.
2. Add remaining sauce ingredients to pan, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the vegetables and simmer for another 10 minutes.
4. Spoon sauce over cooked spaghetti.
5. Serve sprinkled with grated parmesan cheese.

Source: LEGGO’S Weekday Favourites recipe book.

Baked Macaroni

This is my girl's favourite. She could finish half of the dish everytime I made this. For a petit girl, it's amazing that she could eat that much. I wonder where the fat has gone to? The recipe was taken from the Nestle advertisement in SAJI magazine years ago. Can't remember the date... Why worry. I'll share the recipe with all of you.

Ingredients:

250 gm macaroni

300 gm minced meat

1 can Nestle evaporated milk

1 cup water

3 eggs

200 gm coarsely grated cheese (it can be either cheddar or mozarella - but I used both of them)

Oil

Salt

Sugar

Sautéed ingredients:

2 yellow onions (diced)

2 tablespoons meat curry powder (I used Adabi)

1. Boil the macaroni till al dente. Strain.
2. Heat oil, saute onion till the aroma fumes.
3. Add the curry powder and saute till you can smell the curry whiff.
4. Add minced meat, sautee till cook .
5. Pour milk, and add salt and sugar. Mix well.
6. Add macaroni, water and stir until it boils.
7. Remove the macaroni into a greased baking dish.
8. Beat the eggs and pour on top of the macaroni, then sprinkle the cheese.
9. Bake at180˚C for 45 minutes.