Penne Arrabiata - quick, tasty & oh so easy - How To Make

How to make Penne Arrabiata.
This is one of the easiest Pasta sauces to make and serves two people.

Ingredients:-
250gm Penne Pasta
400gm Tin Tomatoes
2 cloves Garlic peeled
1 Chili seeds removed and finely chopped
Salt & Pepper
Parsley finely chopped to garnish
Parmesan Cheese grated
Olive Oil



Method:-
Drain the tomatoes using a sieve and bowl, and break up to remove most of the juice.

In a large heavy based frying pan, add 6 tablespoons of Olive Oil. Add the Garlic until they colour. This flavours the oil. Remove the garlic when coloured and try not to burn it as it becomes bitter when burnt. Add chopped Chili and the drained tomatoes and a pinch of salt and fry off until the sauce reduces. Use the back of a wooden spoon to break the tomatoes up while frying in the pan. Arrabiata is a fairly dry pasta sauce.

In a large saucepan, boil water and season with Salt. Add 250gms Penne Pasta and cook for 8 minutes until soft but has a bite. This is Al dente. Take pasta and drain but leave a small teacup of the pasta water and add this and the pasta to the Arrabiata and toss in the pan. Add a handful of Parmesan Cheese and stir in and garnish with chopped Parsley to garnish.

This is a simple and easy dish. It really doesn't need any additional herbs but please feel free to try it with Basil, Thyme or Oregano should you wish to add them to the sauce.

Greek Moussaka Recipe - How To Make A Light and Tasty Moussaka

How to make a light and tasty Moussaka

Ingredients
2 medium Aubergines
450g minced lamb
2 white onions (peeled & roughly chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (peeled & chopped)
275g tin chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1 teaspoon sugar (optional to sweeten tomatoes)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground all spice
olive oil
2-3 medium potatoes (optional  sliced and roasted in oil until softened and golden)

For my topping:-
1/2 pint of  Greek yogurt
2  egg,yolks
black pepper
1 handful grated parmesan cheese
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

For a traditional béchamel sauce topping:-
875ml milk (whisk milk into the flour/butter roux a little at a time until thick and creamy)
100g butter
100g flour
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 egg yolks
100g grated Kefalotyri Greek cheese

Directions
1.Preheat the oven to 200°Centegrade .
2.Heat the oil in a frying pan, fry the eggplant in batches for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden and softened. Remove and set aside. Alternatively slice and toss the Aubergine and the potatoes, if using, in olive oil and roast in an oven until softened and golden in colour.
3.Heat a little oil in a separate saucepan and fry the onion and garlic 5-10 minutes, on a low heat until softened.
4.Add the minced lamb and cook, stirring continuously, until browned. Now stir in the tomato paste, tomatoes and herbs. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on. Add a splash of water if the meat starts to dry out.
5.Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook for a further 5 minutes.
6.Mix the yogurt, egg yolks and cheese together with some pepper and a touch of nutmeg.
7.Layer an 8 inch by 8 inch by 3 inch deep casserole/Pyrex dish with the fried aubergines (and potatoes if using) and top with a layer of the meat sauce then repeat until all ingredients are used up.
8.Spread the yogurt mixture over the top. Or the Béchamel Sauce mix if making this topping.
9.Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and  little more nutmeg if desired.
10.Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden.