SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE

I find it hard to believe that I've been writing this blog for over six months and I still haven't shared my recipe for spaghetti bolognese (or "spag bol", as us Brits call it). This was my favourite meal as a child growing up in the 1980s, probably because it was one of the most exotic meals on the menu. Back in those days, spaghetti bolognese night was the only time we ever ate pasta (unless you count canned spaghetti in tomato sauce), which I find rather incredible considering how much of the stuff my own children consume!

This recipe is probably as far from a classic Italian spaghetti bolognese (or ragu) as you can get but it's the only version I can contemplate making because it's the dish of my childhood. It's not my mother's recipe, but it tastes similar (from what I can remember) even though I've made some tweaks to make it more acceptable to my own children. They are not keen on "bits" so I've learnt to grate the carrots rather than dice them, and to use passata in place of canned tomatoes for a smoother sauce - and cleaner plates!

The recipe I've given below serves four adults, but the sauce is ideal for batch cooking so the ingredients can easily be doubled, or even tripled if you have a large enough saucepan. I also use the sauce as a base for lasagne (recipe to follow another time), which is a fabulous dish to serve when you have a crowd to feed.

Spaghetti Bolognese

Serves 4

2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 small carrots, peeled and coarsely grated (100g prepared weight)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
500g lean steak mince (5% fat)
1 reduced-salt beef stock cube
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp dried mixed herbs (I like to use Italian seasoning)
400g passata
350g dried spaghetti
grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Heat the oil over a low-medium heat, then add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the carrots and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for a further minute.

Increase the heat and add the mince and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned all over. Crumble over the stock cube and stir until thoroughly combined.

Add the tomato purée, Worcestershire sauce, herbs and passata. Season to taste with pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low-medium and simmer for at least 25 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and reduced.

Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, then add the spaghetti and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until tender but firm to the bite. Drain and transfer to dishes along with the bolognese sauce. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Tips

• There's no reason why you couldn't add extra vegetables to the sauce - mushrooms work especially well, but finely diced red peppers or celery, or grated courgette would also make fantastic additions.
• The bolognese sauce freezes successfully and is very useful to have to hand when you need a quick dinner. Freeze in single portions in freezerproof containers or freezer bags. Remember to label and date them - unless you enjoy playing freezer roulette!
• When I'm cooking meals that the children will eat, I only season with pepper as I figure that some of the ingredients I use (for example, the stock cube, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan) are salty already.

CARROT CAKE OVERNIGHT OATS

I definitely find that eating a nutritious, filling breakfast sets the tone for my whole day's eating. However, with two little girls to get fed, dressed, kitted up and out the door by 8.30am, mornings in our house can be hectic and if I'm running short on time I often find myself skipping breakfast.

That's why I'm loving overnight oats right now. When I get up in the morning, all I have to do is grab the bowl from the fridge, take a spoon out the drawer and dig right in! Sure, they take a bit of pre-preparation but I can honestly say that I put can them together in five minutes flat (usually while I'm cooking our evening meal) and one batch will last me two breakfasts.

Overnight oats need never become boring because it's so easy to change up the ingredients for new and exciting flavour combinations. Carrot might seem like an odd ingredient to use but, trust me, it totally works!

Carrot cake is my absolute favourite cake so these carrot-cake-inspired overnight oats were always going to be a winner for me. They marry together all the delicious flavours of the a traditional carrot cake - the sweet carrot, warming spices, juicy sultanas and hint of zesty orange - and the walnuts add a welcome crunch against the soft oats.

Carrot cake for breakfast? Yes, please!

Carrot Cake Overnight Oats

Serves 2

80g rolled oats
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground mixed spice
40g sultanas
25g walnut pieces
1 carrot, peeled and finely grated (about 80g prepared weight)
finely grated rind of 1 orange
400ml semi-skimmed milk or unsweetened almond milk
1 tbsp maple syrup

Put the oats and spices in a large bowl and mix until the spices are evenly distributed. Add the sultanas, walnuts, grated carrot and orange rind and stir well.

Divide the mixture between two bowls (or jars/leak-proof containers if you intend to transport the overnight oats). Pour half the milk into each bowl - it should just cover the ingredients. Top each with 1/2 tablespoon of maple syrup and stir gently, then cover with clingfilm or a lid and chill in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, simply give the mixture a good stir and dig in.

Tips

• I prefer to use finely grated carrot in this recipe because it softens nicely overnight; coarsely grated carrot retains more of its crunch.
• I've used cow's milk but you can, of course, use non-dairy milk. I've tried this recipe using unsweetened almond milk and it was equally delicious.

CHICKEN & VEGETABLE CHOW MEIN

Takeaways are a great treat, especially at the end of a long week when you just want to flop in front of the telly with something tasty to eat and a nice glass of wine. However, they can be a very expensive option, not to mention hugely calorific as it's always tempting to order far more food than you actually need (eyes-bigger-than-belly syndrome). And I've lost count of the amount of time I've sat around impatiently waiting for a takeaway whilst knowing full well that I could have made it myself in less time.

This recipe is my take on chicken chow mein and, whilst it's is probably far from authentic, it's one of my favourite Chinese-style meals. It's essentially a stir-fry (although with the small quantity of oil I use, the vegetables end up being steamed rather than fried) with added seasonings to give it a real flavour kick. This is a great fall-back option when the cupboards are bare because it relies on mostly storecupboard ingredients, plus a few fresh vegetables that can be varied depending on whatever odds and ends you have in the fridge. It's also a good way to use up leftover roast chicken - simply add it with the beansprouts and spring onions.

My kids are still not mad keen on mixed-up foods so this isn't something I make for them at the moment but I hope to in the future. I sometimes find that giving them a deconstructed version of a dish (in this case, plain noodles, chicken and raw vegetable strips with soy sauce on the side for dipping) can help introduce them to new meals so I will probably try doing that.
  

Chicken & Vegetable Chow Mein

Serves 2 generously

125g dried medium egg noodles
1 tbsp groundnut oil
5-cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
350g skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 red pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and cut into julienne slices
4 spring onions, shredded lengthwise
2 handfuls of fresh beansprouts
½-1 tsp crushed chilli flakes (optional)
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp toasted sesame oil

Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil. Add the noodles and bring back to the boil, then cook for 3-4 minutes, or according to the packet instructions. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat the groundnut oil a in a large saucepan or wok over a high heat. Add the ginger, garlic and red chilli and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add the chicken and continue to cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes, or until the chicken is sealed all over.

Stir in the peppers and carrot and cook, stirring frequently, for a further 3 minutes. Add the spring onions and beansprouts and continue cooking for 1 minute, or until the vegetables are softened and the chicken is cooked through.

Add the drained noodles along with the chilli flakes (if using) and soy sauce and, using tongs, toss well to combine. Finally, drizzle over the sesame oil, toss briefly and transfer to serving dishes.

Tips

• It's best to have all the ingredients chopped and ready before you start cooking (getting all your ducks in a row, so to speak). There's a fair amount of  preparation to do with this recipe, but this is more than compensated by the super-quick cooking time.
• If the noodles are cooked before you're ready to add them to the chicken and vegetables, drain them and toss in half the sesame oil to prevent them from sticking together in one big clump.
• This recipe is really adaptable - the chicken can be replaced with pork fillet, rump steak, prawns or Quorn pieces - and it's a good way to use up whatever bits of vegetables you have lurking in the fridge too. Just make sure that everything is chopped thinly so it cooks evenly and add any vegetables that require a longer cooking time to the pan first. If you have any salad leaves that need using up, throw in a handful along with the noodles and stir to wilt.
• Crushed chilli flakes are pretty fiery so if you are cooking this for kids it's probably best to leave them out at the cooking stage - you can always sprinkle some over the adults' portions at the end.