This recipe comes out of one of my pasta cookbooks. I already make a meat lasagne and a chicken lasagne, so a seafood one has to be on the list as well. Obviously buying good quality white fish, scallops and prawns would make an excellent dish, but you could also go for the cheaper option and buy a generous amount of marinara mix. It mightn’t be quite as good, but it would certainly be a bit more affordable.
Meatballs and pasta are a great combination and this is one of those recipes you can prepare beforehand. With a cooking time of only around 40 minutes you can put in the oven when the family or friends are almost ready to eat.
Back when I was a kid roast chicken was the highlight of our Christmas lunch. Unlike now we rarely had chicken, as they didn’t come prepared and packaged ready to cook and eat – Mum had to do that. The idea of turkey for Christmas lunch came along a deal later and I think the first one I cooked was probably in the late 70s and like this one had a forcemeat stuffing.
You might have to go to a specialty pasta store to get these large shells, I don’t think they’re readily available at my local supermarket, but it would probably be worth the trouble. Smaller noodles would work, but the large ones look terrific and set the dish above the average pasta bake.
I had coconut prawns at a restaurant recently and it reminded me just how good they are. That sent me looking to see if I had a recipe in my collection and unsurprisingly I found this 1990s version, which even comes with a tangy mango sauce. So now I have no excuse not to make them myself.
I love scallops, but cooking them can be a bit tricky. If you’re pan frying them you need to cook them just before eating and you need to make sure they’re not overcooked. Not everyone will like this recipe as between the marinade and the bacon the scallop flavour is altered, but it does make cooking them easier and appealing to serve with drinks.
This is a recipe that a friend used when she was catering for her husband’s 40th birthday dinner a many years ago. She cooked two 1kg pieces of beef and multiplied the marinade and sauce ingredients to match. It could be prepared in advance and was delicious. At the time she wasn’t worried whether it was gluten free or not, but with us being more conscious of dietary issues these day, it would work really well for everyone now.
Although this recipe suggests beef cheeks or chuck steak, I think beef cheeks would be my first choice. Either way you’ll end up with a rich and delicious dish.
It’s years since I made or even ate Beef Olives. Mum used to make them and I can remember having to untie them as you ate them. When I made them I used toothpicks, which made them easier to eat. Finding this recipe has reminded me that it’s time I made them again.
This is a great lamb dish for a party as it uses 2 1.5kg boned legs of lamb and makes a fairly large casserole. Of course if you halve the recipe, it’s a fine for a family meal or a smaller number of guests. It recommends asking your butcher to bone out two legs of lamb for you to use, which is shows it’s age. Now it’s all done for you at the supermarket without you having to ask – much easier!!
