mamma mia! (Rice & Pasta Dishes)

Member Name: memelalou

Product:	Rice & Pasta Dishes
Date:	09/11/08 (94 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: to suit almost everyone

Disadvantages: pasta is very filling!

I thought I'd spoil you today and give you my top three pasta dishes, one for all the family, one for a special occasion and one for the kids.


Spinach and ricotta lasagne

You will need
900g of fresh spinach
900g ricotta
1-2 packs dried lasagne sheets
250-300g of passata {sieved tomatoes available in jars}
Black pepper
Ground nutmeg
Grated cheddar cheese

Large lasagne oven proof dish

Steam the spinach until it begins to wilt.
Empty the ricotta into large bowl and combine with the wilted spinach.
Add a small pinch of nutmeg and a large pinch of black pepper into the ricotta mixture and mix well, so the seasoning is distributed throughout the ricotta and spinach.
With the passata thinly cover the base of the lasagne dish.
Cover the passata with the dried lasagne sheets.
Add a layer of the spinach and ricotta mixture on top of the lasagne sheets.
Repeat this method, finishing with a layer of the passata.
Top the passata with a little black pepper, a tiny pinch of nutmeg and some of the grated cheese {as much or little as you like - I use a small handful}.

Bake in the oven at 200oc on a middle shelf for 30-40 minutes, or until a knife can go through the whole of the lasagne and is piping hot all the way through and the cheese on top is lightly brown.



Crab and chilli tagliatelle
Serves two
I make this just for me and my husband for special occasions - if you want to be even more extravagant use prepared lobster instead.

400g fresh tagliatelle pasta
200g prepared mixed crab meat {both white and dark meat}
¼ - a ½ of a small red chilli {depending how spice you like it!}
½ a lemon
Extra virgin olive oil
1 fat clove of garlic
Fresh coriander

Boil a large pan of salted water and a little olive oil.
Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil into a pan.
Put the tagliatelle into the pan of water and cook for around five minutes or to your liking.
Deseed and finely chop the chilli and crush the garlic.
Lightly fry in the oil, with a teaspoon of the chopped coriander so it infuses with the garlic and chilli, before adding the crab meat.
Cook the crab till it's warmed through and mixed with the chilli and garlic oil.
Add the juice of the lemon onto the crab.
Drain the pasta and mix with the crab and chilli.
Serve with a little of chopped coriander.



Mummy's cheesy meat balls

250g lean mince beef
Mozzarella cut 12 small cubes
½ small finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic
250g passata
½ teaspoon of sugar
1 table spoon chopped flat leafed parsley
Salt
Black pepper
¼ teaspoon seeded extra finely chopped chilli {only if you like spicy food}
500g dried spaghetti
Oil
Flour

In a bowl add the minced beef.
Add salt and black pepper to taste and the chopped parsley.
Combine the mince with the seasoning and herbs.
Divide the mince into twelve portions.
Form the meat balls by coating each portion of mince around the mozerella and shape into balls, packing the meat tightly around the cheese so when it melts it does not leak.
Coat each meatball with a tiny amount of flour to stop it sticking.
In a frying pan heat some oil and brown the outside of the meatballs.
Remove the meatballs from the pan.
In the same pan, {add more oil if you need it} lightly fry the onion.
When the onion is lightly brown, add the clove of crushed garlic and the chilli.
Fry for another minute.
Add the passata to the frying pan.
Stir to combine with the onion, garlic and chilli.
Add the sugar and salt and pepper to taste.
Add the meat balls back into the pan with the passata and simmer for 10 minutes
Boil some lightly salted water and add the spaghetti cook for around 14 minutes or to your packets instructions.
Divide the spaghetti between the plates and top with the meatballs and sauce.

Serve!

Summary: yum