House food

Soup is such an easy meal to prepare and if you live in a country with winter months then this is perfect to add to your recipe collection. Try these as a meal and can me served with some nice wholemeal bread rolls.
Red Peas Soup
Ingredients
1 pint or 570 ml red peas/kidney beans
1 onion
2 stalks scallions
1 sprig thyme
1 bell pepper
Optional Ingredients
1 lb or 450 g yellow yam
8 oz or 225 g sweet potato
1 lb or 450 g coco (coco is a root vegetable but you can use potato instead)
For the dumplings
5 oz or 150 g or flour
½ tsp salt
Enough water to bind
Preparation

• Boil red peas (kidney beans) in about 8 pints or 4½ litres of water.
• When peas are almost cooked add seasoning and ground provision.
• Remove bell pepper after about 10 minutes.
• Add salt to taste, if necessary.

For the dumplings

• Place flour and salt in a medium bowl.
• Work mixture with hands while adding enough water to bind, making a stiff dough.
• Roll into 1 inch long slim pieces, drop into boiling stew peas.
• Boil until they float or add them during last 20 minutes of the cooking process.

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Broad Bean Soup
Ingredients
1 pint or 570 ml broad beans
1 lb or 450g yam
8 oz or 225 g pumpkin
1 turnip
1 sprig thyme
1 stalk scallion
1 peg breadfruit
1 chocho
Black pepper and salt to taste
Preparation

• Wash and dice vegetables.
• Put beans to boil in 4 pints or 2¼ litres of water for 30 minutes, then add vegetables.
• When beans are tender peel add yam and breadfruit.
• Add seasoning and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.

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Gungo Peas (Pigeon Peas) Soup
Ingredients
½ pint or 10 floz pint green/dry gungo peas (pigeon peas)
½ pint or 10 floz corn kernels
1½ pints or 900 ml water
1 onion
1 stalk scallion (spring onions)
1 pint or 570 ml coconut milk
For the dumplings
5 oz or 150 g flour
½ tsp salt
Enough water to bind
Preparation

• Put peas in water and allow to boil.
• When pot is boiling strongly put in corn kernels and cook until peas are tender.
• Make and add dumplings (see below), then coconut milk and allow to simmer for a further 15 minutes.

For the dumplings

• Place flour and salt in a medium bowl.
• Work mixture with hands while adding enough water to bind, making a stiff dough.
• Roll into 1 inch long slim pieces.

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Pasta Primavera is a combination of any type of pasta, spaghetti, tubetti, bow ties, penne (the list goes on and on), and vegetables. This recipe may be adapted to suit your tastes and you may alter it according to the produce in season. Variety is what makes this dish so popular.
Check your refrigerator and see what vegetables you have on hand: carrots, red peppers, green peppers, mushrooms, green onions, and even leftover cooked vegetables. Choose the vegetables that you think would go well together and create your own version of this classic dish.
Some recipes use chicken or vegetable stock for the sauce, while others use tomato paste. I've even made a simple version of this dish with lemon juice, lemon zest, a little butter, and some pasta water. For this recipe, I used a new product -- sun-dried tomato paste -- something I bought accidentally.
Because I was in a hurry, I just grabbed the box and didn't read the label. When I got home I realized I hadn't bought "ordinary" tomato paste, I bought sun-dried tomato paste. Would it taste good with the pasta? The only way to find out was to test it.
My inventory of vegetables included a yellow onion, Roma tomatoes, mushrooms, and zucchini. I was good to go. Though I've tried to serve whole wheat pasta, my husband doesn't like it, so I serve pasta that has been fortified with vitamins and fiber. Everyone in the family enjoyed Pasta Primavera with a Hint of Sun Dried Tomatoes.
Ingredients
8 ounces of spaghetti
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, peeled and cut into crescents
1 zucchini, cut into small pieces
8-ounce box of sliced mushrooms
3 large Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon Italian herbs or Herbs de Provence
1/3 cup sun-dried tomato paste
3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Freshly shaved Parmesan cheese
Method
Cook spaghetti according to package directions. While spaghetti is cooking prepare vegetable sauce. Pour olive oil into a large skillet. Add onions and saute until soft. Add zucchini and mushrooms and cook until almost done. Reserve one cup of pasta water before you drain and do not rinse the spaghetti. Add tomatoes, garlic, herbs, tomato paste, pasta water, parsley, butter, salt and pepper to vegetables. Transfer cooked, drained spaghetti to skillet and toss gently with vegetables. Serve immediately with Parmesan cheese and garlic toast. Makes 6-8 servings.
Copyright 2013 by Harriet Hodgson

http://www.harriethodgson.com
Before she became a health and wellness writer, Harriet Hodgson was a food writer for a local magazine. She has been a freelancer for 35+ years and is the author of 32 published books. Her latest releases are "Help! I'm Raising My Grandkids" and "Happy Again! Your New and Meaningful Life After Loss." Visit her website and learn more about this busy author and grandmother.

There is nothing better than putting a bunch of ingredients in one dish and walking away from it to let it cook. That is way I love Crockpot meals and casseroles because they don't need a lot of cooking to make them. I would like to share another quick casserole recipe using tuna. I love tuna casserole and this is another popular highly requested recipe people ask me about.
My daughter isn't a big fan of food with more than one ingredient. The more stuff that's in it the more disgusted she is with the recipe. She likes her meals very simple. She will not eat this recipe.
I've found a lot of people don't like tuna. If not, you can always substitute with chicken instead. I absolutely hate using cream of mushroom soup in my tuna casseroles and anyone who prepares it that way I more than likely won't eat it. I don't care how good it is. Here is my favorite tuna casserole recipe I would like to share.
Ingredients
2 cans tuna
1 package egg noodles
1 cup miracle whip
½ cup sour cream
2 to 3 stalks celery
1 small onion
2 tbsp thyme
1 package shredded mozzarella
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook the egg noodles according to package directions. Turn your oven on so it is hot when it's time to put in casserole. Drain the noodles. Chop up the onion and celery. In a skillet use about 2 tbsp olive oil and sauté the onion and celery until tender. Grab a 2 quart casserole dish and put noodles in and add the cooked vegetables. Open the cans of tuna and drain out the liquid. I use tuna in water. Add the tuna to the casserole mixture. Add in the cup of miracle whip and ½ cup sour cream. Add the 2 tbsp thyme and add the salt and pepper to taste. Stir the mixture around making sure everything is together well. Add the package of mozzarella cheese mixing it in with a spoon. Put casserole into hot 350 degree oven and bake until bubbly about 30-40 minutes. Take out of oven. I like to serve this dish with warm buttered rolls and a green vegetable like peas, green beans, or steamed asparagus. I like hot tuna casseroles but some people don't. I have eaten this same recipe the following day cold and it's just as good. I suggest trying it both ways. Enjoy!

Serves 4-6
You will need a pasta machine for this recipe, available at kitchenware shops.
Potato and Pancetta Ravioli Ingredients:
800G starchy potatoes (such as Sebago), peeled, chopped
200g pancetta, finely chopped
2 rosemary springs, leaves chopped
2 and 1/2 cups (400g) 00 flour
4 eggs, lightly beaten
120g unsalted butter
1 bunch sage leaves picked
Methods of Cooking:
To make Potato and pancetta ravioli, place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold, salted water. Bring to the boil over high heat, then simmer 30 minutes or until tender. Drain well, then mash. Meanwhile, cook pancetta in a small frypan over medium-high heat, stirring, for 6-8 minutes until crisp and golden, adding rosemary for the final 2 minutes. Stir pancetta mixture into the potato, along with the parmesan and nutmeg. Season then set aside to cool.
For the pasta dough, mound flour on a clean work surface and make a well in the centre. Pour egg into well and, using a fork, draw in the flour until the mixture is thick. Work in remaining flour using your hands, then knead dough for 5 minutes or until firm (add extra flour if dough is sticky). Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Divide dough into 4 portions and keep covered with a tea towel so it doesn't dry out as you make the ravioli. Using a rolling pin, flatten 1 portion to 3mm thick and about 12cm wide- nearly the width of your pasta machine. Set your pasta machine at its widest setting (1), then feed the dough through, narrowing the setting on your machine 1 notch at a time until you reach setting 6. Cut the pasta sheet in half lengthways. Place heaped tablespoon potato mixture, spaced 3 cm apart, on one half, then cover with remaining half, pressing gently but firmly with your fingers to seal and remove any air. Cut out ravioli with a knife or pasta wheel, then set aside. Repeat with remaining 3 pasta dough portions and filling.
In batches, cook the ravioli in a saucepan of boiling, salted water for 4 minutes or until al dente. Remove with a slotted spoon. Meanwhile, melt butter in frypan over medium heat. When starting to foam, add sage and cook for 1-2 minutes until crisp and butter brown.
Serve ravioli immediately with sage butter and extra Parmesan. By then, the potato and pancetta ravioli is ready.

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Although these tips will not guarantee a perfect pasta sauce, they are some easy guidelines that will help add freshness, improve the texture, and turn a good pasta sauce into a great one.
1. Use Fresh
Great pasta sauce starts with great ingredients, and as you would expect, the fresher the better is generally a good rule to go by. That said, pasta is really useful for using up left-overs and spare ingredients. In these situations, there are a couple of fresh ingredients that will make the biggest difference to your pasta sauce.
The first is fresh celery. This has a much cleaner taste than when it begins to become tired, and that will go through the dish.
The second is the addition of fresh herbs right at the end of cooking the sauce. Oregano and Thyme are easy to grow and keep outside whilst a well cared for Basil plant can last from early spring to late autumn kept on a kitchen window. Adding a tablespoon of any - or even all three of these - at the end of the cooking will perk up any dish and bring it alive on your tongue.
2. Chop it fine
Great pasta sauce usually has great textures. One of the best ways of achieving this is to take a little bit of extra time to chop your vegetables as finely as possible - unless of course you are intentionally keeping them as larger chunks. Chopping vegetables finely like this enhances texture as the vegetables disintegrate into the pasta sauce, melting in your mouth to provide an almost velvety texture.
Another benefit is that the smaller pieces result in a greater surface area, meaning that the vegetables release more natural sugars as they caramelise.
3. Order it right
Many pasta sauces start out with a sofritto - a mixture of celery, onions and carrots - and of course have the addition of garlic. However, rather than adding all of these ingredients to your heated olive oil at the same time, adding them in a particular order helps us achieve a better result.
Begin by adding the onions, cooking these until they caramelise and turn golden brown. Next, add the garlic. The onions and garlic underpin the flavour of the dish, adding an underlying sweet and bitter flavour. Adding the garlic after the onion should help ensure it doesn't burn.
Finally, add the carrot and celery and cook until they soften. If these are added at the same time as the garlic and onion, their flavour will be slightly lost instead of penetrating through the rest of the dish.
4. Fry it hot
In the early stages of cooking a pasta sauce, people often cook it on a too low heat. It is crucial to cook your vegetables on a high heat early as this will get your vegetables to caramelise. The natural sweetness that comes from this provides the perfect compliment to the natural acidity of the tomatoes and getting this stage wrong can result in an unbalanced, acidic sauce.
5. Add pan-water
Getting the consistency of a pasta sauce right is really important. It should be slightly sticky so that it clings to the pasta but not too much so that it is cloying.
One of the best ways to achieve the texture you want is to allow your pasta sauce to cook beyond the consistency at which you would like to serve it, then add some starchy water from the pasta pan to loosen the sauce to the consistency at which you would like to serve it.
An additional benefit is that the starchy water binds the sauce together and improves the consistency. It is important to consider whether you have salted the water and make sure you season the sauce appropriately as a result.

For other ideas and great pasta sauce recipes, visit http://real-pasta.com.

Customers may be unaware of the actual processing that takes place in the systems of a pasta food contract manufacturer, but they do wish to know about the health checks that are done. The health-conscious society of today needs to know how the ravioli or arancini that they are purchasing is made, whether it is dry or in filled form. Substandard products are tolerated by no one, and pasta-loving nations cannot do without their cheesy lasagna or fresh Sicilian macaroni.
A food contract manufacturer helps share in the burden processing of food producers and allows them to concentrate on their marketing and selling. For small pasta businesses, this means they can focus on improving the efficiency of processing operation, reduce the duration in getting products to the market, and set up a cost-effective system - all so that consumers can enjoy their ravioli just the way they want it.
How Pasta Manufacturing Has Become Better
The addition of a food contract manufacturer for a pasta company is like having a partner in one's business. The food contract manufacturer takes up the manufacturing processes from the parent company and utilizes the methods and recipes of the pasta company to produce arancini, spaghetti, and a variety of frozen, dry and fresh pastas.
For instance, the food contract manufacturer will recreate the pastas (such as blanched pasta) like the original company and use their manufacturing and packaging resources to support the company in delivering delicious pasta products to consumers. With the help of the food contract manufacturer, the company can quickly complete processing deadlines and the "copacker" assists in getting similar products to the market in different kinds of packages to cater to various consumer segments.
How does a large-scale pasta company utilize food contract manufacturer resources and assistance? The company hires the food contract manufacturer to undertake work in pilot projects and new products that it wants to test before launching. The copacker factory can produce pastas that the large organization distributes in promotional programme packages or sales. The food contract manufacturer bears the burden of these extra processes and the main company can focus solely on its large scale pasta manufacturing that runs in the market.
This setup is ideal for pasta food processing companies who have a number of various products that all require unique conditions, ingredients and packaging - such as arancini, trofie, gnocchi, spaghetti, lasagna, ravioli and so on.
It would be costly for any pasta manufacturing company to have separate equipment and functioning for each type of pasta product. An outsourced contractor will have more flexible equipment that is designed for use for a multitude of pastas that they package and provide to the main company.
Main Pasta Products And Variety
The way that a pasta producer manages its ever-changing base of pasta products according to consumer tastes has been explained above. Pasta techniques such as blanched pasta are successfully transferred to contract manufacturers and they develop expertise in carrying out the functioning of the main company.
As an example, ravioli can be stuffed with a large number of meats and vegetables; some of the more popular fillings are listed:
1. Beef,
2. Chicken and asparagus,
3. Mushroom,
4. Pea and dill,
5. Pumpkin and almond,
6. Pumpkin, almond and poppy seed,
7. Ricotta and spinach,
8. Sweet potato and sun dried tomato.
Managing all these varieties becomes easier with food contract manufacturer partnering. The egg pasta is made into square packets or round pillows and then filled up. Sauce and condiment options are also provided as recommendations which consumers can choose according to their wishes.
Other pastas like the popular arancini - a rice ball that is covered in breadcrumbs and baked or fried - can also contain many fillings of different kinds. The popularity of this classic Italian pasta dish makes it a high demand consumer request.

For further information, contact http://www.belmarfoods.com.au