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Meat Sauce
Home made bolognese sauce is dead easy to make and most people seem to really like it. The basis for it is minced beef, available in packs from the supermarket. You can buy it either fresh or frozen. If you buy it fresh, you need to cook it within 24 hours as it very quickly goes off. You will know it's off as it will smell bad, so you will have to chuck it. Never risk eating meat that smells bad. Having said that, fresh mince really isn't a problem if you put it straight into the fridge after buying and cook it as soon as possible.
People tend to buy mince and then add it to a bottled sauce. That's OK if you really can't be bothered to cook, but bottled sauces are quite expensive especially if you are cooking for lots of people, and they tend to have that manufactured taste. Also, mince can be cooked very quickly but this is not necessarily the best way to do it if you want a rich, really tasty sauce.
This recipe is cheap, easy and delicious. You need to start it a few hours ahead of when you want to eat, but once you have done the preparation it will just cook by itself quite happily so you can do other things.
This is the sort of amount you need for 4 people. If you want it for yourself, just freeze the rest or halve the ingredients and eat it for 2 meals. It really isn't worth the trouble of cooking a tiny portion and anyway, that's what freezers are for. You can very easily turn this into a Chilli Con Carne by adding red kidney beans and some chilli powder.
This is what you need:
500 g minced beef
2 onions
Several cloves garlic according to taste
1 tin chopped tomatoes
Tomato paste
Salt and pepper
Dried/fresh basil if liked
1 - 2 beef stock cubes
This is what you do:
If you haven't got a pan that goes in the oven as well as the hob, you can do it all on the hob but it's more likely to stick and burn so keep the temperature as low as possible and stir it regularly.
You don't need to cook this sauce for 3 hours, but it does improve the taste and texture.
People tend to buy mince and then add it to a bottled sauce. That's OK if you really can't be bothered to cook, but bottled sauces are quite expensive especially if you are cooking for lots of people, and they tend to have that manufactured taste. Also, mince can be cooked very quickly but this is not necessarily the best way to do it if you want a rich, really tasty sauce.
This recipe is cheap, easy and delicious. You need to start it a few hours ahead of when you want to eat, but once you have done the preparation it will just cook by itself quite happily so you can do other things.
This is the sort of amount you need for 4 people. If you want it for yourself, just freeze the rest or halve the ingredients and eat it for 2 meals. It really isn't worth the trouble of cooking a tiny portion and anyway, that's what freezers are for. You can very easily turn this into a Chilli Con Carne by adding red kidney beans and some chilli powder.
This is what you need:
500 g minced beef
2 onions
Several cloves garlic according to taste
1 tin chopped tomatoes
Tomato paste
Salt and pepper
Dried/fresh basil if liked
1 - 2 beef stock cubes
This is what you do:
- Put the mince into a heavy based pan which you can use in the oven as well as the hob and begin to brown over a moderate heat. You won't need extra oil. Just keep the heat low enough not to burn the pan and the meat will cook in its own juices.
- Add the chopped onion. Keep stirring and "chopping" at the meat with a long handled spoon or wooden spoon to break it all up.
- Add the crushed garlic. Stir and "chop" until the meat is no longer pink and the onions are transparent.
- Add the tomatoes, half fill the tin with water and add that too. If you are making chilli con carne add a tin of red kidney beans and some chilli powder ( half a teaspoon) or 1 or 2 fresh chillies (the small thin ones tend to be the hottest. Always scrape out the seeds and throw them away before chopping the chillies very finely).
Add a really good squeeze of tomato paste Add the stock cube and seasonings. - Put the covered pan into a warm oven around 130C for 3 hours. You will need to check it every hour or so, give it a stir and make sure it isn't burning. If the sauce is sticking to the pan, add a little water and turn down the heat.
If you haven't got a pan that goes in the oven as well as the hob, you can do it all on the hob but it's more likely to stick and burn so keep the temperature as low as possible and stir it regularly.
You don't need to cook this sauce for 3 hours, but it does improve the taste and texture.