JENNY'S Cook Book

Spaghetti and meatballs

Ingredients

For the sauce

For the meatballs

Method

1. Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the onion and cook gently without browning for 4–5 minutes, or until softened and translucent. Add the garlic, continue to cook for 2 minutes until aromatic, then add the dried herbs, tomatoes and stock. Bring the sauce to a simmer, reduce the heat and simmer gently while you make the meatballs.
   
2. For the meatballs, mix together the beef, garlic and herbs along with a decent pinch of salt and pepper. Using wet hands roll into 20 balls.
   
3. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, fry the meatballs on all sides until nicely coloured, being careful not to burn them. You may need to do this in batches. Transfer to the saucepan containing the sauce.
   
4. Continue to simmer the sauce for 10 minutes while you cook the spaghetti.
   
5. Bring a large saucepan water to the boil, add a pinch of salt and cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions. Once cooked, drain and tip into the saucepan with the meatball sauce. Mix well and serve hot.
   

What this dose is when you cut the meat balls in half the cheese oozes out

Simple beef stew

Serves: about 6 to 10 

Ingredients

• 900g stewing steak
  
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  
• 4 beef stock cubes, crumbled
  
• 1L water
  
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  

• 3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
  
• 4 carrots, cut into 2.5cm pieces
  
• 4 sticks celery, cut into 2.5cm pieces
  
• 1 large onion, chopped
  
• 2 teaspoons cornflour
  
• 2 teaspoons cold water
  

Method

Prep:20min  ›  Cook:2hr  ›  Ready in:2hr20min 

Add on for this if you like:

Ingredients

For the croutons

Method

  Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan, then gently cook 2 finely chopped onions for 5 mins, until soft but not coloured.

  Add 1kg pumpkin or squash, cut into chunks, to the pan, then carry on cooking for 8-10 mins, stirring occasionally until it starts to soften and turn golden.

  Pour 700ml vegetable or chicken stock into the pan and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 mins until the squash is very soft.

  Pour 150ml double cream into the pan, bring back to the boil, then purée with a hand blender. For an extra-velvety consistency you can pour the soup through a fine sieve. The soup can now be frozen for up to 2 months.

To make the croutons: cut 4 slices wholemeal seeded bread into small squares.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan, then fry the bread until it starts to become crisp.

Add a handful of pumpkin seeds to the pan, then cook for a few mins more until they are toasted. These can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container.

Reheat the soup if needed, taste for seasoning, then serve scattered with croutons and seeds and drizzled with more olive oil, if you want.

Just great for a cold Halloween night

Serves about 14 

Prep:30min  ›  Cook:1hr10min  ›  Ready in:1hr40min

Ingredients

• 500g (1 1/4 lb) pumpkin, cooked and pureed
  
• 1 (410g) tin evaporated milk
  
• 2 eggs, beaten
  
• 175g (6 oz) dark brown soft sugar
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  

• 350g (12 oz) plain flour
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 200g (7 oz) butter
  
• 125ml (4 fl oz) cold water
  

1. Preheat oven to 200 C / Gas mark 6.
   
2. Halve pumpkin and scoop out seeds and stringy portions. Cut pumpkin into chunks. In a saucepan over medium heat, cover the pumpkin with water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until tender. Drain, cool and remove the peel.
   
3. Return pumpkin to the saucepan and mash with a potato masher. Drain well, and measure 500g of the mashed pumpkin; reserve any excess pumpkin for another use.
   
4. Prepare pastry by mixing together the flour and salt. Rub butter into flour, and add 1 tablespoon cold water to mixture at a time. Mix and repeat until pastry is moist enough to hold together.
   
5. With lightly floured hands, shape pastry into a ball. On a lightly floured board, roll pastry out to barely a .25cm thickness. Transfer to a 20 or 23cm pie dish, gently pressing pastry into the bottom. Cut off any excess pastry hanging over the sides of the dish, and pinch pastry securely around the inner edge.
   
6. In a large bowl with mixer speed on medium, beat pumpkin with evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Mix well. Pour into a prepared pie dish. Bake 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean
   

Also great for them cold Halloween Night's 

• Ready in   1 hour  
  
• Cooking time   50 minutes  
  
• Prep time   10 minutes  
  
• Serves    4
  

Ingredients  

• 1   reduced-salt vegetable stock cube
  
• 500g  butternut squash
  
• 300g  sweet potato
  
• 3   red peppers
  
• 1  tbsp  olive oil
  
• 2   onions, finely chopped
  
• 2   garlic cloves, crushed
  
• 1  tbsp  sun-dried tomato puree
  
• 2  tbsp  toasted seed mix
  
• salt
  
• Black Pepper
  

Method