BAKED SPINACH AND RICOTTA ROTOLO

  Prep time 20 mins  Cook time 30 mins Total time 50 mins

Ingredients
8 fresh lasagne sheets (15cm/6" x 11cm/4.5")
½ cup Mozarella cheese, shredded
Freshly grated parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)

Filling
250g/8oz frozen spinach (pre chopped)
500g/1lb ricotta cheese
1 egg
⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ fresh nutmeg, grated (or ⅛ tsp nutmeg powder)
½ tsp salt
Black pepper

Tomato Sauce
700g/24oz passata (pureed tomatoes) (Note 4)
1 brown onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Handful basil leaves (optional)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
Black pepper




Instructions
1.Preheat oven to 180C/350F.

Tomato Sauce
1.Heat oil in a 22cm/9" ovenproof pan over medium high heat.
2.Add garlic and sauté for 10 seconds then add onion.
3.Cook onion until translucent and starting to turn golden, then add the remaining Tomato Sauce ingredients.
4.Simmer for 2 minutes to bring the flavours together, then remove from heat.
5.Scoop out 1 cup of the Tomato Sauce which will be used to drizzle over the dish at the end.

Filling
1.Defrost the spinach in the microwave on high for 2 minutes.
2.Squeeze the excess water out of the spinach using your hands, then place in a large bowl.
3.Add remaining Filling ingredients and mix well to combine. I find it easiest (fastest) to do this with my hands.

Assembling
1.As per the photo, lay out the lasagne sheet with the shorter end in front of you. The reason is that you want to roll these up so they are fatter than cannelloni.
2.Place ⅓ cup (packed) of filling onto the lasagne sheet. Dab some water on the end furthest away from you (to seal the roll), then roll up starting from the end closest to you. Finish with the seal down.
3.Continue with remaining lasagne sheets.
4.Cut rolls into 3 (so each piece is 3.5cm/1.5" wide).
5.Place the rolls into the tomato sauce with the filling facing up.
6.Drizzle the reserved Tomato Sauce over the rotolo, then bake for 20 minutes.
7.Remove from oven and scatter the mozzarella over. Return to oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and golden.
8.Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.




Notes

1. Don't worry if your lasagne sheets are not exactly the same size, so long as they are the right size for rolling up (or cut to size) you can use any size you want.
2. Passata is pureed tomato, thinner than tomato paste and smoother than crushed tomatoes. You can substitute with crushed tomatoes but you will need to add about ⅓ cup of water when simmering the sauce otherwise it will dry out too much when baking.
3. You can substitute the frozen with fresh spinach if you want. You will need 200g/7oz of fresh spinach. Add it raw to the filling mixture, but before doing so you will need to squeeze it (a handful at at time) to get the excess liquid out, otherwise your filling will be watery.
4. Tomato passata is just pureed canned tomatoes. Nowadays it is readily available in supermarkets, usually alongside pasta sauces. It costs just a tiny bit more, sometimes the same, as canned tomatoes. If you can't find it, puree canned tomatoes or use crushed canned tomatoes.
5. To make ahead, this is best frozen before baking. Assemble the dish but do not put the cheese on (because if you bake it the whole time with the cheese, the cheese will burn), freeze in an airtight container, then defrost completely before baking (follow the recipe instructions). You will probably need to add 5 minutes to the baking time.

If you freeze it after baking it: defrost completely then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of water (most of it over the pasta sauce) per 6 pieces of rotolo before reheating. If you reheat it in the microwave, stick it under the grill/broiler for a few minutes (after reheating it) to make the top crunchy again, and I also recommend adding some fresh cheese, just to freshen the dish up. To reheat it in the oven, reheat at 180C/300F covered until just warmed through. Then remove the cover, scatter over some fresh cheese then return to oven until the top is crunchy, the cheese melted and the rotolo is heated through.

CRAB AND ARTICHOKE CREPE

I don't know how this would taste but I'm willing to try it since I love crepes and I love crabn

Ingredients


2
eggs

3/4 cup
milk

1/2 cup
all-purpose flour

4 tsp
melted butter

1/4 tsp
salt

2 tbsp
chopped chives

3 tbsp
butter

2
garlic clove

1/4 cup
all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups
milk

1/2 tsp
salt

1/2 tsp
Tabasco sauce

2 227-g pkgs
imitation crab

8
halves of artichokes, chopped

2 tsp
lemon zest

2 tsp
lemon juice

1/4 cup
chopped fresh dill

Instructions

1 Whirl crepe ingredients in a blender until smooth. For filling, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic. Stir for 30 sec. Whisk in flour until it bubbles. Gradually add milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Whisk in salt and Tabasco. Whisking constantly, bring to a boil over high heat. Then reduce heat to medium-low. Stir often until mixture thickens, 2 min. Remove from heat. Stir in crab, artichokes, peel, juice and dill.
2 Spray a medium non-stick frying pan with oil and set over medium heat. When pan is hot, pour 2 tbsp (30 mL) batter in pan. Lift pan from burner and tilt to form a very thin pancake. Return to burner and cook until top is set, about 1 min, then turn over. Cook until golden, 1 min. Remove to a plate. Repeat with remaining batter. Roll up about 1/3 cup (75 mL) filling in each crepe.






Thin crepes overflowing with creamy seafood are perfectly decadent.

Make ahead

Prepare and fill crepes. Arrange in an oiled 9×13-in. (3-L) casserole dish. Cover with foil. Refrigerate overnight. Bake directly from fridge, covered, in preheated 300F (140C) oven until hot, 40 min.

One Pot Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole

Prep: 15 Mins Cook: 25 Mins  Total: 40 Mins

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
13oz/400g chicken breast, sliced horizontally into thin steaks (about ⅓"/1cm thick) (Note 1)
1 small onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red bell pepper (capsicum), diced
24oz/680g tomato passata or crushed canned tomatoes* (Note 2)
3 cups chicken broth or water
1½ cups frozen corn
½ tsp cayenne pepper* (spice - adjust to taste)
1 tbsp dried oregano*
2 tsp cumin*
1 ½ tsp coriander*
2 tsp onion powder*
1 tbsp brown sugar*
Salt and pepper
1½ cups white rice (short, medium or long grain) (Note 4)
1 - 1½ cups grated cheese

To Serve
Chopped cilantro/coriander (optional

Instructions
1.Heat olive oil over medium high heat in large skillet.
2.Add chicken and cook each side for 2 minutes or until cooked, then remove onto a plate.
3.Add extra oil if the skillet is looking dry. Add onion and garlic, cook for 1½ minutes until starting to soften.
4.Add bell peppers and cook for a further 2 minutes.
5.Add remaining ingredients except rice and cheese. Bring to simmer, then add rice.
6.Stir, cover with a lid and turn down heat to medium low. Cover and cook until rice is cooked but not mushy and most of the liquid is absorbed - about 15 to 18 minutes. (Note 3). Do not stir while it cooks.
7.Meanwhile, shred or roughly chop chicken.
8.When rice is cooked, quickly stir chicken through, sprinkle with cheese then broil until golden and bubbly.
9.Serve, garnished with fresh cilantro/coriander if desired.




Notes

1. Slice the chicken into thin steaks just so they cook faster on the stove. You could bash them thinner using a meat mallet or rolling pin if you prefer (place the chicken between cling wrap). Or if you had a bad day. It's very therapeutic.

2. Tomato passata is just pureed tinned tomatoes. Nowadays it is readily available in supermarkets, usually alongside pasta sauces. It costs just a tiny bit more, sometimes the same, as canned tomatoes. If you can't find it, puree canned tomatoes or use crushed canned tomatoes.

3. Add extra water if required because many variables can affect the amount of water required to cook rice. When you finish cooking, you want a bit of liquid left in the rice so it is a bit saucy. Also remember that the rice will continue to absorb liquid even when you take it off the stove.

4. This recipe is suited to short, medium or long grain (aka "normal") white rice. It is not suited to brown rice, risotto, calasparra (paella) rice or wild rice. I am pretty sure it will work with Jasmin and Basmati because they water to liquid ratio is the same and the cook time is similar. But I can't say with 100% certainty because I haven't tried it.

* These ingredients are the "Enchilada Sauce" in this recipe. You can substitute all these ingredients with 24oz/680g of store bought Enchilada Sauce if you prefer.

Lime Marinated Grilled Chicken

Prep: 5 Mins Cook: 10 Mins

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade
2 chicken breasts (2 breast halves, ~1.2lb/600g in total)
Zest of 1 lime (zest before juicing)
4 tbsp lime juice (1 - 2 limes)
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro/coriander (optional)
2 tsp fish sauce (Note 1)

To Cook
2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions
1.Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally to create 4 steaks. Optional: Place a piece of parchment paper over the chicken and using a rolling pin or meat mallet to pound to ⅓" / 7mm thickness.
2.Place Chicken and Marinade in a ziplock bag, massage to distribute marinade evenly. Place on a plate or bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.

To Cook
1.Remove chicken, discard Marinade. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat (or even better, do this on the BBQ). Place chicken in the skillet and cook the first side for 1½ - 2 minutes, or until caramelised and golden brown. Turn and cook the other side for 1 minute or until golden.
2.Transfer chicken to a serving plate, cover loosely with foil and rest for 3 minutes.
3.Garnish with extra cilantro and serve.




Notes

1. Fish sauce adds depth of flavour to this otherwise simple marinade, but does NOT make it taste fishy! This can be substituted for soy sauce but it won't be quite the same because soy sauce doesn't have as many layers of flavour.

2. Optional extra flavourings: chilli would be fantastic in this. Finely chopped fresh chilli or chilli paste added to the marinade.

3. Recipe is pictured with a simple Charred Corn and Bell Pepper/Capsicum Rice salad. Just cook corn (I used frozen) and chopped bell peppers in a stinking hot skillet until charred, and toss through cooked rice. Squeeze over lime, drizzle with olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. To prepare ahead, place the chicken and marinade in a ziplock bag in the freezer straight away, then defrost in the fridge overnight, during which time the chicken will marinate.





Nutrition per serving, assuming 4 servings. This takes into account that most of the marinade is discarded.

Spinach & Ricotta Pasta Bake

Prep: 15 Mins Cook: 40 Mins

Ingredients
10 oz / 300g penne pasta (or other pasta of choice)

Ricotta Mixture
1 lb / 500 g ricotta (preferably full fat, low fat is a bit dry)
¾ cup milk (any - I used low fat)
⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, crushed
⅛ tsp nutmeg powder, preferably freshly grated (optional)
¾ tsp salt
1 large bunch English spinach, leaves only, roughly chopped (3 tightly packed cups) (Note 1)
1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese

Pasta Sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves
24 oz / 700g tomato passata (1 standard bottle) (Note 2)
2 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp dried Italian Mixed Herbs (Note 3)
½ tsp dried chili flakes, to taste (optional)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Black pepper

To Serve
Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions
1.Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
2.Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta until al dente (firm to touch, just cooked through). Drain and set aside.
3.Mix together the ricotta, milk, parmesan, garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a very large bowl.
4.Stir through the spinach and Mozzarella cheese. Add the pasta and stir to combine. Transfer to a heatproof baking dish.
5.Pasta Sauce: Pour out about ¼ cup of the passata onto the pasta (to make room to add flavourings). Then add the remaining Pasta Sauce ingredients into the bottle, screw the lid on and give it a shake.
6.Pour the Pasta Sauce over the pasta bake in the baking dish then top with cheese.
7.Cover and bake for 15 minutes, then remove the cover and bake for a further 15 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.
8.Serve while hot and fresh!




Notes

1. You could substitute with frozen spinach. Just defrost then squeeze tightly to remove excess water before stirring through the ricotta mixture. I usually use about 12 oz / 350g frozen spinach (just over 1 packet).

2. Mixed Italian Herbs is a dried herb mix you can get from the supermarket which costs the same as other herbs. You can substitute with a mix of other dried herbs - basil, parsley, oregano and thyme go particularly well.

3. Tomato passata is just pureed canned tomatoes, also called "tomato sauce" in the US. Nowadays it is readily available in supermarkets, usually alongside pasta sauces. It costs just a tiny bit more, sometimes the same, as canned tomatoes. If you can't find it, puree canned tomatoes or use crushed canned tomatoes (28oz/800g).

4. To freeze, I freeze it once cooked. Cover it with foil straight out of the oven (to seal in moisture), allow to cool, seal with cling wrap then freeze. To reheat, let it thaw (baking from frozen will dry it out because it takes so long!), then reheat at 180C/350F for 15 to 20 minutes until the inside is lovely and warm. I like to add an extra sprinkling of cheese to freshen it up!

Beef Steak Marinade

Prep: 5 Mins Cook: 5 Mins

Ingredients
2 large steaks (I used 2 x 400g/14oz t bone steaks) (Note 1)

Marinade
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp minced garlic (1 large garlic clove)
½ tsp onion powder (or sub with garlic powder)
1 tbsp soy sauce (Note 2)
1 tbsp oil (I use olive oil, but any oil is fine)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Black pepper

Instructions
1.Mix together mustard, garlic and onion powder. Then mix in remaining ingredients.
2.Place beef in a ziplock bag with Marinade and marinade overnight (12 - 24 hours).
3.Remove from the fridge 1 hour before cooking to bring to room temperature. Shake off excess marinade.
4.Heat skillet (or BBQ) on high heat until is really hot - you should see wisps of smoke. Add oil - it will heat almost instantly. Add steaks and cook the first side for 2 minutes, then turn and cook the other side for 1½ minutes (for very medium rare). (Note 3)
5.Remove from skillet onto a WARM plate, cover loosely with foil and set aside for 5 minutes.
6.Serve with baked potatoes and corn! I couldn't resist herb butter - see recipe in notes.




Notes

1. Choosing steak: Use this for any good value grilling cut of steak, not prime cuts. Typically, most steak cuts purchased in supermarkets are what I would consider good value steaks. Basically, the more you pay, the better the steak!

And remember, it's not just the steak cut that determine quality. There are different grades for the same cut of steak. Rib Eye at my butcher costs almost twice as much as it does at the supermarket. I would never marinade the one from the butcher!

Make sure you use a GRILLING steak. Any cut of steak suitable for grilling is great for this.

2. Soy sauce - use an all purpose, normal soy sauce. I use Kikkoman. Do not use light soy sauce (too salty), tamari or dark soy sauce (too much flavour)

3. The cook time for steaks differs drastically depending on size, thickness, and denseness of the beef. I used 400g/14oz t-bone steaks that were about 2.5cm / 1" thick. For medium rare (edging on rare which is how I like it), it was 2 minutes on each side in a stinking hot skillet.

It's better to under than over cook steaks. You can pop the steak back in the skillet if it's a bit rare for your taste, but you can't undo and overcooked steak!

4. Herb butter: 100g / 1 stick unsalted softened butter, ¾ tsp salt, ¼ cup finely chopped fresh herbs (I use any combo of parsley, thyme, oregano, dill chives. Use rosemary sparingly, basil can go brown so I don't use it, sage and tarragon are a bit distinct for my taste). Mix together, place on baking paper to form a log. Roll up then twist ends tightly repeatedly until it forms a neat log. Refrigerate until firm, cut to serve.

5. Nutrition per serving for a 400g/14oz T-bone steak (~300g/10oz exc bone), excluding herb butter.

Garlic Penne Alfredo With Sun-dried Tomatoes

Ingredients

16 ounces penne pasta

1 pound asparagus (trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces)

2 tablespoons Bertolli® Classico Olive Oil

1/3 cups onions (chopped)

1/4 cups sun-dried tomatoes (drained and chopped, halves packed in oil)

1/4 cups dry white wine (or chicken broth)

1 jar Bertolli Garlic Alfredo Sauce

Directions


1
Cook pasta according to package directions, adding asparagus during last 2 minutes of cooking; drain and set aside.

2
Heat olive oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook onion, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes or until tender. Stir in tomatoes and wine. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in Sauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes or until heated through. Toss Sauce with hot penne and asparagus. Garnish, if desired, with toasted pine nuts and cracked black pepper.