Category Archives: Main Dishes

CHICKEN & TORTELLINI SALAD

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Mum used whatever pieces of paper came to hand to write down recipes. This piece had someone’s address on it, but there was still lots of blank space to add a recipe!!

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CHICKEN & TORTELLINI SALAD

  • 300g tri coloured tortellini
  • 2 teaspoons oil
  • 4 single chicken fillets
  • ½ bunch English spinach shredded
  • 1 large ripe tomato finely chopped
  • Lemon rind to garnish

Dressing:

  • 2 teaspoons French mustard
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 clove garlic crushed
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • ½ cup light olive oil

Add pasta to a large pan of boiling water. Boil uncovered till tender. Drain. Rinse pasta under cold water, drain well. Meanwhile, heat oil in non stick pan, add fillets, cook 5 mins on each side or until cooked. Cut diagonally into 2 cm strips. Make dressing – combine all ingredients in jar, shake well. Combine, pasta, fillets, spinach and tomato in large bowl, add dressing toss well. Garnish with lemon rind.

SPAGHETTI & MEAT SAUCE

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Pasta dishes have come a long way since Mum first cooked this recipe, but that’s not to say that her version wasn’t tasty.

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SPAGHETTI & MEAT SAUCE

  • 500g spaghetti
  • 500g finely minced steak
  • 2 onions finely chopped
  • 2 cloves
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 teaspoon fresh herbs or a good pinch of dried herbs
  • 1 small tin tomato puree
  • ½ cup cold water
  • ½ cup red wine, such as claret
  • Salt & pepper
  • Grated cheese

Melt a little butter in a saucepan and fry the chopped garlic and onion until soft but not brown. Add the minced meat, salt, pepper, herbs, cloves, tomato puree, water and wine. Cover and simmer gently for ¾ hour. In a large quantity of salted water cook the spaghetti till soft, about ¾ hour. Drain and place in serving dish. Mix about a third of the sauce into spaghetti and put the rest of the sauce on top. Top with cheese.

FISH WITH MUSTARD SAUCE

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There are not many fish recipes in Mum’s collection. Dad was a keen fisherman and we had fish probably once a week. Mum simply made a batter and fried the fish – that was the way Dad liked it. I’m not sure this recipe would have been Dad’s favourite, but he would have happily eaten it as he enjoyed all Mum’s cooking, including the ‘experiments’.

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FISH IN MUSTARD SAUCE

  • 500g white fish fillets
  • 2 leeks
  • 300ml sour cream
  • 100ml cream
  • 1 heaped teaspoon French mustard
  • Salt & pepper

Wash leeks and chop into 2½cm pieces, lay in the bottom of a pie dish. Lay fish fillets on top. Mix both creams with mustard and salt and pepper, then pour over fish. Bake 30-40mins at 200°C. Serve with rice or mashed potato.

HOMESTYLE MEATBALLS

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I’m cheating a bit putting this meatball recipe in. Instead of being my mother’s recipe it actually comes from my mother-in-law. Sadly she passed away many years ago. I wasn’t lucky enough to be able to enjoy her great cooking at its best, but my husband remembers many of her dishes including how she learnt to make Fried Rice from the chef at their local Chinese restaurant, her light sponges and jars of preserves. Some of my favourite recipes that I have from her are a Beef Stroganoff, a rich Beef Burgundy and this meatball recipe which is another easy family meal.

Homestyle Meatballs3

HOMESTYLE MEATBALLS

  • 500g minced steak
  • 1 packet French Onion Soup
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 2 sticks celery, sliced
  • 425g can chopped or crushed tomatoes
  • 8 new whole potatoes
  • 1 cup water

Combine minced steak and ½ packet of French Onion soup. Form into 8-10 meatballs. Place in casserole dish** together with the onion, celery, tomatoes and potatoes. Combine the remainder of the soup mix with 1 cup of water and pour over meatballs. Bake in a hot oven 200°C for 1 hour. Serve with buttered peas. Serves 4.

**The original recipe was cooked in an Oven Bag and this is still a good way to cook it. Put all the ingredients in an oven bag and secure with a twist tie. Place oven bag in a baking dish. Pierce top of the bag with a fork -bake as above.

PORCUPINE MEATBALLS

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This recipe appeared several times in Mum’s collection, a couple of times in newspaper columns and in a little cookbook called ‘Simple Minced Steak Recipes’ that her bowls club put out as a fundraiser. I’ve cooked it lots of times as the family always liked it. If you add Cauliflower Cheese and a throw a jacket potato in the oven you’ve got an easy meal.

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PORCUPINE MEATBALLS

  • 500g minced steak
  • ½ cup uncooked rice
  • 1 small onion (grated or finely chopped)
  • 415g can tomato soup
  • ¼ cup water
  • Pepper

Mix meat, rice, onion and seasonings. Shape into small balls and place in casserole dish. Mix tomato soup and water and pour over meatballs. Cook in a moderate oven 180°C for 1 hour. Do not overcook.

STEAK PARMA

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I think this recipe must have been a forerunner of the now traditional pub style Parmas. It tastes surprisingly good and works well with chicken too. You can use pre crumbed meat to make it easier, but freshly crumbed is probably nicer.

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STEAK PARMA

  • Veal or steak pieces (thinly sliced)
  • Plain flour, Egg, Breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese *See note below
  • Tomato soup
  • Mozzarella cheese – sliced
  • Oil

Coat the meat pieces in egg and the breadcrumb mix, then fry lightly in oil. Place in an ovenproof dish, top with the tomato soup and sliced Mozzarella cheese. Cook in a moderate 180°C for ½ hour.

*How to coat meat in breadcrumbs: Season plain flour with salt & pepper. Beat the egg with a little milk in a shallow bowl. Mix the breadcrumbs with parmesan cheese. Coat the meat lightly with plain flour, then dip the floured meat into the egg mixture. Roll the meat in the breadcrumb mix.

RICE MEXICANA

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I doubt that this is even close to being a genuine Mexican recipe, but it does show the influence that “foreign” food started to have on Mum’s recipe collection. It was another Sunday night tea – easy to make, filling and tasty. I love that it was written on a brown paper bag!!

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RICE MEXICANA

  • ¾ cup rice (uncooked)
  • 1 tablespoon dripping
  • 1 dessertspoon lemon juice
  • 1 rounded teaspoon curry powder
  • ½ cup tomato puree
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups stock or water
  • 1 small onion
  • 250g minced steak

Wash rice and fry in dripping with chopped onion till a light brown then add salt, curry powder, lemon juice, tomato puree, minced steak and water or stock. Stir till boiling then simmer for ½ hour or until rice is cooked. Lift lid of saucepan 5 mins before serving to dry out rice. Serve with grilled cheese on top.

NANA’S CHEESE MEATBALLS

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Mum’s been bringing these Cheese Meatballs to our house for all sorts of events for years. They are especially loved by my daughter, who on Mother’s Day this year made this batch for us. They were great, just like her Nana’s.

Cheese Meatballs1

CHEESE MEATBALLS

Ingredients:

  • 500g beef mince
  • 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg
  • Pepper and salt
  • Cubed tasty cheese
  • Oil

Sauce:

  • 1 x 400g can tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
  • ¼ cup water
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • Salt and pepper to taste

To make the meatballs: Place the mince, breadcrumbs, egg, pepper and salt into a bowl and mix to combine. Press ¼ cup of the mixture into a patty. Place a cube of cheese into the middle of each patty and fold over the mince to enclose. Heat a little oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and cook the meatballs for 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Place the meatballs in a baking dish. Pour sauce over and bake at 180ºC for 30 minutes.

To make the sauce: Blend tomatoes, add other ingredients.

Serves 4 – but can easily be doubled or tripled if you have a big crowd to feed.

CHICKEN IN ORANGE

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This is one of Mum’s easy and tasty chicken recipes.

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 CHICKEN IN ORANGE

  • 1 chicken
  • 2 tablespoons plain flour ]
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder ] Put in a bag and coat jointed chicken
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar ]
  • Salt & Pepper ]

Put in a casserole and cover with the juice of 2 oranges. Cook in a 170º oven for 1 hour covered. Then take off lid and put 1 rasher of bacon on top. Cook a further ½ hour.