Kesom Pesto

The very first time I saw Pesto, I thought eww that's stuff's so green and nasty.

Even after tasting it, I thought it was pretty mediocre, nothing spectacular

But knowing how healthy it really is, made me want to like it more

So, I came up with my own version, which made me wanna eat more and more of it!

Like I've said time and time again, I love Kesom..Its peppery, really unique and fragrant, gosh, I just love it!

And pasta's not the only way to go. Use it as a dip on crackers, spread it on pizza and even sandwiches.
It's a healthy and easy way to get some greens and nuts.

It may not look sexy..but its tasty alright!

recipe:

for the pesto,

2 cups kesom leaves

1 handful of mint leaves

1/4 cup cashews

1/4 cup pistachios

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

Blitz everything in a food processor

Toss it with some boiled pasta and cherry tomatoes

Meat Bolegnese

I don't know about you, but I think pork is the best meat to make pasta sauce!

Beef can get a little too beefy and chicken's just bland..

This is my take on bolognese, and it's super easy, and you can tell others that you've made it from scratch xP

It's quite rich and heavy, but I believe that's how bolognese should be!

My brother's secret, tossing the pasta with sesame oil and dried basil, may sound strange but it really rocks!

so try it!

recipe:

1 small red onion, diced finely

400g minced pork

a 411g can of diced tomatoes

3/4 cups of canned tomato puree

1/2 cup red wine or burgundy

400g pasta

2 tablespoons of sesame oil

1 tablespoon of dried Basil

Heat a pot and add in 1 tablespoon of olive oil

Add in the onion and cook until its slightly browned

Add in the mince and fry it till its almost cooked and separated

Add in the canned tomatoes, puree and wine

Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally

.Boil the pasta until its al dante

Drain it and toss with sesame oil and dried basil.

Lasagne

Yeapp this is like the 2nd or 3rd lasagne post..that shows how much I love it!

But this time it looks way better

Ollo ollollollollo

Lamb Marinara

Braised in a rich tomato and red wine sauce

The flavours were deep and intense, just the way I like it.

There are no strict measurements to making this.

Celery, carrot, onion, 

lamb shanks,

Canned Whole tomatoes

red wine

water

Thyme

Use a cheap red wine for cooking ($5)

Simmer until the meat is -fall off the bone- tender. (about 3 hours)

and the results are just fantastic

Shoulder Bacon and broccoli fettucini

When you need dinner really quickly,

boil pasta...

so there's no reason for my brothers to eat KFC tonight..

 

step 1: chop garlic, slice bacon, cut broccoli

Boil water. Add salt

Add broccoli. boil until half cooked.

scoop broccoli out with a slotted spoon

set aside.

In the same water, boil the pasta

While pasta is cooking, fry garlic and bacon with oil (i used olive oil) in a pan until golden brown

Add broccoli and toss together.

salt and pepper

 add in some dried mixed herbs and a zest of 1 lemon

Drain pasta and add to pan.

drizzle on more oil

more salt, if needed

I added a few splashes of white wine(omg tasty)

toss and mix well.

Be sure not to use too much pasta for too little bacon, otherwise it'll lack flavour

Lasagne

Ohh the yummy layers of lasagne..

and a refreshing spinach and green apple salad

sarah: Kor, dinner..

tom: oo not bad..looks disgustingly delicious..

...and it certainly was=)

The tomato sauce is really simple and quick. Sweat an onion and a couple of cloves of garlic in a pot. Add in about 500g of minced meat (i used pork). And dont bother using extra lean or anything too healthy. Just get the standard..its for best results=) 

After the meat is just cooked, add in a tablespoon of dried herbs such as basil or oregano. Then, add in a can of whole tomatoes. Using a spatula, break up the tomatoes a little. Let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes and set it aside.

For the cream sauce, melt some butter in a pot. Mix in a heap tablespoon of flour. Next, pour in some milk and mix gently to combine. You should get a smooth creamy mixture that just falls off your spoon. If its too thick to spread, add in more milk. Lastly, mix in a handful of shredded tasty cheese and salt to taste.(i didnt add any salt because the cheese was quite salty)

In a rectangular dish, spoon just a little of the meat sauce on.(just to lightly coat the bottom of the dish)

Place one layer of instant lasagne sheets on top, followed by more meat sauce, and a layer of the cream sauce. I then layered some fresh basil and shredded cheese on top. Continue the layering process until you have 3 layers of lasagne sheets. The last layer should be the meat sauce. End with a generous sprinkle of cheese..Bake it in a 180C oven for about 30 minutes.