Archive for the ‘Ham’ Category

Ham, Cheese & Leek Pasta Bake

Friday, January 18th, 2013

Leeks
3 small leeks
1 tsp olive oil
300g small pasta shapes
1/2 pint milk
1 tbsp flour (or rice flour)
1 tbsp butter
pinch nutmeg
1 stock cube (chicken or veg)
2 cups grated cheddar
4 slices ham

Chop off the tough end of the leeks and peel off a couple of layers.  Cut the rest into smallish rings and rinse thoroughly.  Fry in the olive oil until soft then leave to cool.

Boil the pasta in salted water until tender, then drain. Preheat the oven to 180C

Place the milk, nutmeg, crumbled stock cube, flour and butter in a saucepan.  Whisk over a medium heat until it thickens then stir in half of the cheese.  If it doesn’t thicken by the time the mixture comes to boil, add a little more flour.  If it is too thick (more dough than sauce-like) then add a little more milk.

Chop the ham into small squares.  Mix the ham, leeks and pasta into the cheese sauce.  Put the whole lot into an oven proof dish and sprinkle over the rest of the cheese.

Bake for 20 mins or until the cheese is browning slightly on top.

Posted in Butter, Cheese, Ham, Leek, Milk, Nutmeg, Recipe, Rice flour, Stock | Comments Closed

Berlin Brunch

Monday, January 14th, 2013

Fabulous brunches needn’t be all fried things and pastries.. have a go at making your very own breakfast platter and imagine yourself chilling out at a Prenzlauer Berg cafe! 

Berlin Brunch

1 Melon
1 Apple
1 Orange
2 eggs
4 slices ham
4 slices salami
4 slices yellow cheese
butter
mixed rolls, baguette pieces or bagels

Chop up seasonal fruit into attractive slices and arrange on a large platter with the butter.  Arrange the meats and cheeses next to them.  Place the rolls/bread in a basket.

Softly boil the eggs: place in saucepan of cold water and bring to boil, time a further 3 1/2 mins to soft boil, drain immediately and rinse with cold water.

Serve with fresh orange juice and some good coffee.  Don’t forget the papers.

Posted in Apple, Bread, Brunch, Eggs, Ham, Orange, Salami | No Comments »

Cheesy Leek and Ham pasta bake

Monday, January 23rd, 2012

Freshly Cut Leek

This is great for little ones as leek is quite mild and the overall pasta bake is whitish…

2 leeks
1 tsp butter
1/2 pint milk
1 tbs butter
1 tbs flour
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 cup grated cheese
1/2 cup ham cubes or broken pieces of sliced ham (optional – you could use tomato or sundried tomatoes)
500g pasta

Heat the oven to 180c.  Clean and chop the leeks.  Sweat them in the teaspoon of butter in a saucepan with the lid on and don’t allow them to brown. 

Add milk, tablespoon butter, flour, nutmeg and mustard to another saucepan and heat gently, whisking occasionally.  As it begins to heat up, concentrate on the whisking and don’t allow it to catch on the bottom.  Once bubbling gently remove from the heat and stir in half the cheese.  Season to taste.  It should have a thick texture.

Break up the leeks with a spoon -they should now be softish.  Add to the cheese sauce.  Mix in the ham.

Bring a large pan of salted water to boil and cook the pasta according to instructions on the packet.  Drain it before it becomes too soft as it will be cooked further in the oven.  Mix the sauce with the pasta, pour into an oven proof dish and sprinkle over the remaining cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes until piping hot with a brown cheesy top.

This is great for putting in mini ramikins and freezing for quick suppers (don’t do the last step of putting it in the oven as that will happen when you reheat).

Posted in Butter, Cheese, Ham, Leek, Milk, Pasta, Recipe, Vegetarian, Weaning | No Comments »

Ham & Asparagus Pasta

Saturday, June 5th, 2010

Fresh asparagus
1 bunch asparagus
3 slices thickly cut ham
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1 glass white wine (opt)
1 pack spaghetti
grated parmesan and toasted sunflower seeds to serve

Snap the woody ends off the asparagus – it will naturally snap at the ‘right’ place, and discard the woody ends or use in stock.  Chop it into 1cm length pieces.  Place in a pan and just cover with boiling water.  Simmer for 2 mins, then drain the water into a bowl.  Chop the ham slices lengthways and crossways to form little squares.

Bring a pan of salted water to boil for the pasta. Cook spaghetti according to pack instructions.

Add the butter, flour and wine to a pan.  Heat gently and whisk.  Add a cup of the asparagus water as the butter begins to melt and keep whisking.  Once the butter has completely melted, add the rest of the asparagus water and keep whisking until the mixture bubbles gently and thickens.  Mix in asparagus and ham, then season to taste.

 Drain the pasta, then mix with the sauce.  Serve in bowls, topped with grated parmesan, toasted seeds, and a grind or two of black pepper.  Lovely with a mixed salad.

Posted in Asparagus, Ham, Parmesan, Pasta, Recipe, Sunflower seeds | No Comments »