Category: Mum makes best

Mum makes best, Recipe, Soup

Leek and Potato Soup

The classic soup, always popular.

Ingredients

1 medium onion
2 leeks
3-5 potatoes depending on size
750ml chicken stock (or veg)
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tbsp cream (optional)
25g butter
1tbsp olive oil

Equipment

A large sauce pan
A hand blender

Method

  1. Chop onion quite small (but not really fine) & soften slowly without colouring in 1 tbsp oil & generous slice butter. Add more butter if needed.
  2. Wash leeks, slice and rinse again (use white and green parts)
  3. Once onions are translucent add the leek, stir and cover pan. Stir occasionally.
  4. Peel potatoes and cut into small dice
  5. Add potatoes to pan once leeks have softened, and stir
  6. Make stock
  7. Add stock to pan and some white pepper
  8. Bring to boil then simmer for 10 minutes
  9. Remove a couple of spoonfuls of the leek and potato
  10. Blend the soup then return the leek and potato you reserved
  11. Check seasoning
  12. Add spoonful or two of cream, if liked

Photos

 

Mum makes best, Recipe

Maria’s roasted tomato sauce

This recipe makes a big batch of roasted tomato sauce and you’ll need to buy a box of vine tomatoes. You will also need containers to portion it into and a freezer to keep them in. You could make less of it from scratch when you need it, but that misses the point. Its about convnience; having it in the freezer means you make tasty pasts dishes in the time it takes the pasta to cook. The sauce can then be used as base for all sorts of pasta dishes. See for example Daddy Pasta Surprise.

Use vine tomatoes to get the best flavour. This is best made when they are in season: big, ripe and cheap.

Equipment

  • Roasting Tin(s)
  • Food processor or blender

Ingredients

  • Garlic cloves, sliced. You will need 1 slice for each tomato
  • Olive Oil
  • A box of vine tomatoes (the one in the picture has two layers, so about 48 tomatoes)

Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Wash the tomatoes and dry.
  3. Cut the tomatoes in half and arrange them cut side up in a roasting tin, in a single layer.
  4. Peel the garlic cloves and cut into slices.
  5. Insert one slice of garlic into the flesh of each tomato.
  6. Drizzle the the tomatoes wth olive oil and grind over black pepper.
  7. Put the tomatoes into the oven and roast for 30 minutes.
  8. Remove the tomatoes and trasfer contents of the roating tin into the food processor.
  9. Blend the tomatoes until smooth. Leave to cool.
  10. Divide into containers and freeze.

Method with Pictures

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Wash the tomatoes and dry.
  3. Cut the tomatoes in half and arrange them cut side up in a roasting tin, in a single layer.
  4. Peel the garlic cloves and cut into slices.
  5. Insert one slice of garlic into the flesh of each tomato.

        

  6. Drizzle the the tomatoes wth olive oil and grind over black pepper.

  7. Put the tomatoes into the oven and roast for 30 minutes.

     

  8. Remove the tomatoes and trasfer contents of the roating tin into the food processor.
  9. Blend the tomatoes until smooth. Leave to cool.
  10. Divide into containers and freeze.
Mum makes best, Recipe

Salami Pasta

Invented by Maria, an all time family favourite. Better known as “SP”.

Ingredients

1 medium onion

Cubed pancetta

1 green chilli (optional)

1 clove of garlic

150g of salami such as Napoli or Milano

2 tins of peeled plum tomatoes

Handful of whole black olives, more or less according to taste

Parsley, finely chopped

Conchiglle (shells) Pasta

Mozarella cheese

Equipment

A heavy bottom pan for making the sauce

A pan for cooking pasta

An oven proof dish for baking the SP in

An oven at 220°C

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1. Finely dice the onion, finely chop the chilli.

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2. Heat olive oil in the pan and when hot add the onion, chilli, pancttea and crush the garlic into the pan.

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3. Cook until the onions are well caramelised and reduced in size.

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4. Chop the tomatoes very finely and add to the pan and mix well, bringing to the boil

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5. Quarter the salami and add to the pan with the black olives, stir well and bring back to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer. If you have time simmer for 20 minutes on a very low heat.

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6 Meanwhile cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet, then drain well.

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7. Finely chop the parsley and stir into the sauce, then slice the mozerella as thinly as possible

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8. Mix the pasta and the sauce together well and place in the over-proof dish

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9. Top with the mozerella so it completely covers the pasta.

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10. Back in the oven until the mozallera is golden, crispy and bubbling.

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11. Serve immediately