retro meatloaf recipe

One day, for old time's sake, I decided to make a meatloaf. I threw a bit of this, and a bit of that, into a bowl, mixed it together with my hands, smooshed it together into a loaf tin and baked. It was a smashing success. It's one of those meals my daughter will often request (along with duck confit - eclectic tastes my gal) and is cheap, simple and delish. Here's how I make it:

500-750g beef mince
1 onion, grated or very finely diced
1 cloves garlic, grated or crushed
250g bacon, diced
1 carrot, grated
1 zucchini, grated
2 slices of bread, grated
1 tablespoon of dried, mixed herbs
a good sploodge of tomato sauce
a dash of worchestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 large egg

Simply add all the ingredients to a large bowl and smoosh them all together with your hands. Seriously! Wussy stirring with a wooden spoon won't combine it in quite the same manner.

Grease a loaf tin lightly with olive oil. Pack the mix into the loaf tin and cook in a 180 degree celcius, preheated oven for around 30 minutes - or until golden brown. The loaf should feel firm when you press down on it - that'll mean it's cooked through.

I like to put a baking tray 1/2 filled with water in the oven to help keen the meat moist. Another variation is that I'll line the loaf tin with bacon in a layer, and then bring the edges of the top so the meatloaf's completely surrounded with bacon. If I do, I leave out the chopped bacon in the meatloaf part - even I'm not that big a bacon fiend.

This recipe works just as well with chicken mince - but I'll also add some chopped pistachio nuts for interest. The amount of mince you use depends on the size of your loaf tin, and the size of your family. In an ideal world you'll make too much meatloaf for one meal and you'll have to have it sliced, on a sandwich, with pickles, the next day.

I serve this family favourite with mashed potatoes and steamed veg - and a nice brown onion gravy too.

simple tuna noodle casserole recipe

Continuing on with my theme of being in love with retro recipes from the Leggo's Italian Cookbook from my youth, I'm giving another old fave a go. This tuna noodle casserole is a cinch to make, and hopefully my tuna-averse husband and daughter will enjoy it. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients
140g tomato paste
1 1/4 cups of water
170g tin of tuna
1/4 cup chopped green capsicum
1/2 cup chopped onion
185g cooked shell pasta
60g grated cheese
1/2 tsp basil (dried)
1/2 tsp oregano (dried)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley (fresh)

Method
Combine water with tomato paste in a bowl. Add in the can of flaked tuna, green capsicum, onion and pasta. Then add grated cheese, basil, oregano, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine.

Place in a casserole dish with a tight fitting lid and bake in a moderate, 180 degree oven for 35 minutes.

All this needs is some hot crusty bread and a green salad.

low-fat potato bake recipe

I love a good potato bake - but I don't think it needs to be swimming in cream to taste good. Here's a simple way to up the yum-factor.

Ingredients:
One and a half potatoes per person. Floury potatoes are good for this as the starch helps the sauce become more creamy.
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp of finely diced fresh rosemary
3 cloves of garlic
Good quality chicken stock (you'll need enough to cover the potatoes)
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup pouring cream
1/4 cup of vintage cheddar, or your fave tasty cheese.

Slice potatoes very thinly and place an overlapping layer in the bottom of a greased baking dish. Add a sparse sprinkling of onion, some rosemary and season with salt and pepper. Repeat until dish is full. You can also include crispy pancetta or bacon if you'd like.

Once you've added all your potatoes, slowly pour in chicken stock until it just reaches the top layer. Now, pour the cream on the top layer. Cover with foil and bake in a 180 degree celcius oven for 30 mins. Test by piercing with a thin knife. If it goes in smoothly then all the potatoes are cooked.

Now, add a layer of cheese and pop it back in the oven, or under the grill, so the top browns and gets all fabulously golden.

Serve to an appreciative audience.

For a vego version you could totally use vegie stock - I just like the added richness chicken stock offers.

my version of Nigella's carbonara

This is so simple, and yet so delish. Ready?

250g bacon, sliced and diced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
loads of parmesan
spaghetti.

Put the spaghetti on to boil. While it's boiling, fry up the bacon in a little olive oil in a fry pan. When it's crispy add the crushed garlic and stir. Now, drain the spaghetti, leaving about 1/4 cup of the cooking water.

Remove pan from heat and add the spaghetti to the pan and toss in the eggs and stir, stir, stir until it becomes all creamy. If it needs thinning, add a small amount of the pasta cooking water and stir again.

Finally add parmesan and lots of cracked pepper, and serve.

Seriously.

That's it.

Spanish chicken recipe

I've been cooking variations of this for yonks. So simple, yet delish.

8 chicken pieces, with skin on. Ask your butcher to chop up a chicken for you - easier than doing it yourself really

2 chorizo sausages

1 spanish onion

3 Kipfler or similar waxy potatoes

1 red, yellow, or orange capsicum

six cloves of garlic

1 tsp or more smoked paprika 

1 lemon, cut into wedges

salt and pepper

Italian, flat leaf parsley to serve

Place chicken, skin-side up in the bottom of a lightly-oiled baking dish. Cut chorizo into bite-sized chunks and pop in between the chicken . Cut the capsicum into 1 inch chunks, cut onion into quarters, and quarter the peeled potatoes. Arrange all ingredients artfully around each other and sprinkle with smoked paprika. Dust with a good, generous pinch of salt (Maldon or Murray Pink Salt are my faves) and grind over plenty of black pepper. 

Cover with foil and bake in 180 degree fan-forced oven for 15 minutes, then remove foil and bake further 10 - 15 minutes until potatoes are nicely browned and the chicken's cooked through. Sprinkle with a good handful of roughly chopped parsley and serve with a nice green salad. 

This serves three to four people quite nicely thank you.

slow cooked chilli con carne recipe

Okay, this has just been popped on to cook, so I thought I'd best write the recipe while it's fresh.

Ingredients.
2 small-med onions (I used one purple and one brown), finely diced
1 red capsicum, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
a couple of cloves of garlic, finely diced
500g mince
1 tin tomatoes
1 tin kidney beans, drained
a slug of red wine
a slug of tomato sauce (or tomato paste - I was all out today)
2 bayleaves
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder

Method
First of all heat up your heavy based frypan. Then add a slug of olive oil and let it heat up. Turn the heat down and add the vegies and stir. Let soften for about 15 mins. Add spices and cook for one minute. Remove from pan and add mince, break up and let it brown.

Add the wine (1/4 cup-ish) and let alcohol cook off (2 mins). Add tinned tomatoes. Fill tin with water and add that to pan. Stir well and add tomato sauce and bay leaves. Bring to boil, add a lid and turn onto a low-heat to simmer.

Cook for around three hours. Add a tin of drained kidney beans 30 minutes before you're ready to serve. Stir well and adjust the seasoning to taste. Before eating, stir in two squares of dark chocolate and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add sweet chilli sauce if it needs more of a kick.

Serve with rice, corn on the cob, guacamole and some burritos. A dollop of sour cream or natural yoghurt's yummy too.

I've cooked this in my Le Creuset french oven, but it's just as good in a slowcooker. Just brown the meat and vegies and then tip it all into the slow cooker. You might need to use less water, probably only half the tin as it won't evaporate in the slow cooker like it does in a normal pot. Don't forget to cut a piece of baking paper the size of your slow cooker, wet it and place it on top of your chilli before adding your lid. I swear by this for non-dry meat.

Enjoy (especially you Melissa and PTT x)

caramelised pork recipe

Ingredients:
One pork fillet, large enough to feed your family
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 tablespoon of lime juice
A few drops of fish sauce, to taste
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 dessertspoon of sweet chilli sauce
Udon noodles or rice
Asian greens

Mix all ingredients together and then marinate the pork fillet at room temperature for up to an hour (or until it comes to room temperature). Rub the marinade all over the pork to get it all sticky and well-covered.

Heat frypan until it sizzles. Pop in pork, turn the heat down to medium and cook on all sides until it's golden and cooked medium rare (or to your taste if you prefer pork cooked through). You might need to add a splash of water and cover the pan to get the pork to cook through. Don't worry, it just makes for extra sticky sauce!

Take the pork out and rest for up to 10 mins. Cook up some udon noodles and wilt some asian greens in the frypan you cooked the pork. Add a little water to deglaze the pan and the remainder of the marinade with some extra garlic and soy if needed.

Slice the pork into 2cm thick slices and serve on top of noodles and greens. Pour sauce over.

You can top with some crushed roasted peanuts and a few slices of chilli if you're feeling impressive and don't have littlies.

Use this recipe as a base and add more or less of your fave and less-fave flavours.

Enjoy.