Pasta And Turkey Meatballs In A Tomato And Herb Sauce

Growing up in a working class household, spaghetti and meatballs was a regular family meal for us. A tasty, satisfying meal that would easily feed a family of 6, on a very low budget, I have fond memories of sitting around the table with a big bowl full of this and enjoying every mouthful. This recipe is my slightly healthier, batch cooked, and somewhat nostalgic, take on the old school spaghetti and meatballs I grew up with.

You will need:
350g brown fusilli

For the herb mix:
2 tsp dried basil
1 & 1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 & 1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

For the meatballs:
1 tbsp vegetable (rapeseed) oil
500g turkey mince
1 egg
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 small onion, grated or very finely chopped
3 tbsp dried breadcrumbs (I used panko, but only because I had most of a bag sat in the cupboard)
1 tsp worcestershire sauce

For the sauce:
1 tbsp vegetable (rapeseed) oil
2 small onions, 1 finely and the other fairly chunkily chopped
2 medium/large carrots, 1 finely and the other fairly chunkily chopped
2 celery stalks, 1 finely and the other fairly chunkily chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tin chopped tomatoes
200ml chicken stock

Method:
1. In a small bowl, mix together the basil, oregano, thyme salt and pepper until thoroughly incorporated.
2. Pour the oil into a high sided pan and place over a medium heat to warm.
3. Add the turkey, egg, garlic, onion, breadcrumbs, worcestershire sauce and 2 tsp of the herb mix to a large bowl and mix until fairly well incorporated.
4. Form the mix into 8 evenly sized balls, place the balls into the pan and fry for about 10 minutes, turning regularly to ensure they're browned on all sides Once browned remove from the pan and set aside.
5. If needed, add more oil to the pan and allow to warm over a medium heat.
6. Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften and colour lightly.
7. Add the garlic, carrots and celery and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the veg starts to soften.
8. Add the tomato puree, stir through the veg and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
9. Add the remaining herb mix, stir through, and pour in the tomatoes and stock.
10. Add the browned meatballs into the sauce, bring to the boil, turn the heat to low, put the lid on the pan and allow to gently simmer for approximately 30 minutes, until the meatballs are entirely cooked through.
11. After about 20 minutes, cook the pasta in salted water for 2 minutes less than the stated cooking time, drain, add the pasta to the sauce and stir through.
12. If you're going to be eating this straight away, allow to cook, uncovered, for the remaining 2 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. If this is going to be re-heated later, remove from the heat straight away and stand the pan in a bowl of cold water to cool the sauce as quickly as possible.

Notes:
Cooling the sauce quickly, before the pasta has time to cook through, should mean that when it's re-heated the pasta isn't rubbery and over done.
Dish this up into foil containers, sprinkle over a bit of grated cheese and freeze for individually portioned pasta bake ready meals. 45 minutes, from frozen, in a cold oven set to 150 degrees and you're done, that's just about enough time for a quick soak in the bath.

Comforting Beef And Tomato Stew

I’ve posted recipes in the past for both a hearty beef stew and a simple beef goulash, this rich, tomatoey and comforting beef stew is somewhere in between the two. Flavoured with rich paprika and a variety of winter root vegetables, this recipe is warming, filling and healthy.

You will need:
3 tbsp plain flour
3 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1000g braising steak, cut into good sized chunks
2 tbsp vegetable oil (rapeseed oil)
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato puree
2 medium/large carrots, roughly chopped
1 small swede, roughly chopped
1 large parsnip, roughly chopped
1 can of chopped tomatoes
750ml beef stock
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 rounded tbsp english mustard
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tsp dried oregano
2 large potatoes, roughly chopped
2 large sweet potatoes, roughly chopped
1 small butternut squash, roughly chopped
1 tin butter beans, drained

Method:
1. Mix the flour, paprika, salt and pepper together in a large bowl, add the braising steak and toss until thoroughly coated.
2. Add half the oil to a very large saucepan and warm over a high heat.
3. Add the beef to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the beef is nicely browned.
4. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside in the large bowl.
5. Turn the heat down to medium/low, pour the remaining oil into the pan and add the onions. Cook the onions for 3 - 4 minutes, until they start to soften.
6. Add the finely chopped carrot, celery and tomato puree and cook for a further 3 - 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Return the beef to the pan, add the remaining carrots, swede, parsnip, tomatoes, stock, vinegar, mustard, worcestershire sauce and oregano and stir thoroughly. Allow the stock to come up to the boil, turn the heat down low, cover with the lid and allow the stock to simmer for 20 - 30 minutes.
8. Add the potatoes, sweet potatoes and squash to the pan, re-cover and allow to cook, over a low heat, for a further 30 - 40 minutes.
9. Add the butter beans, turn up the heat to medium and cook uncovered for 5 - 10 minutes, to warm through the beans.
10. Check the seasoning of the stew and add more salt and pepper if required.

Notes:
Serve with warm, buttered toast for just about the most comforting meal there is. I had half a punnet of mushrooms sat in the fridge and threw these in to add a little extra bulk and flavour.

Simple Turkey Chilli

A few weeks ago I posted a Tomato Free Sweet Potato And Turkey Chilli recipe, I’d never really made this style of chilli before, or even one using turkey instead of beef, and it turned out delicious. Inspired by the success of my sweet potato based recipe, and wondering how well turkey would work as a replacement for beef, here is a more traditional tomato based chilli made with turkey mince and a few vegetables add to a bit more depth.

You will need:
1 tbsp chilli powder
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 small onions, chopped
1000g turkey mince
2 tbsp tomato puree
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 bell peppers, roughly chopped
2 sweet potatoes, roughly chopped
8 baby sweet corns, cut into thirds
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
250ml chicken stock
1 tin red kidney beans, drained
200g spring greens, roughly chopped

Method:
1. In a small bowl combine the chilli powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt and black pepper.
2. Pour the oil into a saucepan over a medium-high heat, add the onions, turkey and half of the spice mix to the pan then cook for about 5 minutes, until the onions start to soften and the turkey is browned.
3. Add the tomato puree, garlic and remaining spice mix, stir through and allow to cook for a further 2 or 3 minutes.
4. Add in the peppers, sweet potato, baby corn, tomatoes and stock, allow the chilli to come up to the boil, turn the heat to medium-low, put the lid on the pan and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes, until the sweet potato is nearly cooked through.
5. If the chilli is too watery at this point continue to simmer with the lid off until the sauce thickens.
6. Add in the kidney beans and spring greens, stir through and continue to cook until the beans are warm and the greens wilt.

Notes:
As with any other chilli this is great served with boiled rice, over a jacket potato, over chunky oven chips or with a side of tortilla chips smothered in melted cheese.

Jerk Seasoned Turkey With Sweet Potatoes, Greens And Kidney Beans

If you look back through the recipes I’ve posted over the last few years you’ll see that I’m a fan of caribbean food, I particularly love the flavours associated with jerk seasonings. This is my attempt at carrying over those flavours into my current experiments with batch cooking and turkey mince.

You will need:
1000g turkey mince
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
3 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp allspice
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp hot chilli powder
0.5 tsp salt
0.5 tsp black pepper
0.5 tsp nutmeg
0.5 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp vegetable oil (rapeseed oil)
2 peppers, roughly chopped
3 medium sweet potatoes, cut into roughly 1.5cm chunks
1 tin of red kidney beans in water (do not drain)
200g chopped spring greens

Method:
1. In a large bowl mix together the turkey mince, onions, garlic, ginger and spices then set aside to marinade.
2. Warm the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat.
3. Add the turkey mix and cook for 5 - 10 minutes, until the turkey is cooked through and the onions start to soften.
4. Add the peppers, sweet potatoes and tin of beans, including the water, cover with the saucepan lid and cook for 10 - 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
5. Add the greens and cook for 1 - 2 minutes, until wilted.

Notes:
As with previous recipes, this is meant to be an all in one meal, however, if you wanted to bulk it out simply serve this over plain boiled rice.

Caribbean Style Curried Turkey Mince And Sweet Potato Stew

This is a simple, hearty one pot stew recipe I’ve put together using flavours more commonly found in caribbean style curries. This is a genuine winter warmer that actually benefits from spending a couple of days in the fridge before eating.

You will need:
2 tbsp hot caribbean curry powder
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp ground allspice
0.5 tsp ground black pepper
2 medium onions, chopped
500g turkey mince
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 green peppers, sliced
2 medium sweet potatoes, roughly chopped into half inch cubes (I left the skin on for additional flavour)
2 chillies, finely chopped (alternatively use 1 scotch bonnet)
1 tin of black beans (red kidney beans will do)
500ml chicken stock
Salt to taste

Method:
1. In a large bowl mix together the turkey, onions and spices, then set aside to marinade.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, over a medium high heat, add the turkey mix and fry until browned.
3. Turn down the heat to medium low, add in the garlic, green pepper and sweet potato, then cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Add in the chillies, beans and stock, bring to the boil and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the sweet potato starts to break down and the sauce reaches the desired consistency.
5. Check the seasoning and add salt if necessary.

Notes:
This is another all in one meal that doesn’t really need any accompaniments, but if you wanted to bulk it out add in 4 good sized flour dumplings once the stock is boiling.

Additional:
I’ve been eating this for a few days now and If I’m being honest, although the flavour is good and it’s a pretty satisfying meal, this wasn’t my most successful of recipes. If I was to cook this again I would probably swap out the turkey mince for either diced turkey or chicken, increase the quantity of herbs and spices, maybe add in a little mace and nutmeg, add a tablespoon of flour at the first step, to help the stew thicken, and add some extra veg to bulk it out and provide extra flavour, probably some fairly chunky celery and carrot added with the sweet potato.

One Pot Turkey Dinner With Sweet Potatoes, Kale And Goats Cheese

This is another recipe that I can’t really claim as my own, I based this on a recipe I found in a newspaper for using up leftover roast turkey and vegetables from Christmas. I’ve modified this to use turkey mince and kale, and a few other ingredients I’ve had lying around for a while, over the roast turkey and brussel sprouts of the original recipe.

You will need:
1 tbsp vegetable oil (rapeseed oil)
2 small onions, chopped
1000g turkey mince
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp dried sage
3 medium sweet potatoes, cut into roughly 1.5cm chunks
50ml water
200g chopped curly kale
100g goat cheese, crumbled

Method:
1. Warm the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat.
2. Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes, until the onions soften.
3. Add the turkey, garlic and sage then cook for a further 5 - 10 minutes, until the turkey is cooked through.
4. Add the sweet potatoes and the water, cover with the saucepan lid and cook for 10 - 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
5. Add the kale and cook for about 5 minutes, until wilted.
6. Add the cheese and stir through.

Notes:
This is basically an all in one meal and shouldn’t really require anything else as an accompaniment, however, if you wanted to bulk it out even more you could double the amount of water, sprinkle in a stock cube and serve this over plain boiled rice.