Mediterranean (Greek, Italian, Spanish)
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- Category: Mediterranean (Greek, Italian, Spanish)
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An old classic and one that everybody loves. Our version of the margarita is authentic and very, very tasty. Sample our Pizza Margarita recipe.
Step 1: You will need
- 1 recipe pizza dough or bought in shop
- 1/2 a recipe of tomato pizza sauce
- 3 tomatoes, sliced
- 2 mozzerella balls, sliced or a packet of grated mozzerella
- 12 basil leaves
- a handful flour for dusting
- some of olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 rolling pin
- 1 circular baking tray
- 1 spoon
Oven Temperature: 225° c - 440° f
Step 2: Preheat the oven
Set the temperature at 225ºC or gas mark 7.
Step 3: Roll out the dough
Sprinkle some flour onto your work surface and place the dough in the middle of the flour. Sprinkle some more flour over the dough and the rolling pin.
Roll the dough evenly, on both sides. Now take the circular baking tray and dust it with flour. Using the heel of your hand push the dough outwards, to create a base.
Step 4: Make a pizza
Spoon some tomato sauce over the rolled dough. Now while alternating, place a slice of mozzarella and a slice of tomato around the edges of the pizza base, working inwards. Scatter with a few whole basil leaves and drizzle over some olive oil.
Step 5: Bake
Place the pizza in the middle of the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Step 6: Serve
Just before serving, drizzle over a little olive oil. You may need to use a spatula to take the pizza off the baking tray. Slice it diagonally into large pieces and serve.
Serves: 2
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
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- Category: Mediterranean (Greek, Italian, Spanish)
- Hits: 26075
A cheesy pasta dish ideal for the kids! Did you know that Macaroni Cheese dates back to the 1800s, but it is still one of the tastiest today.
Step 1: You will need
- 500 g cooked macaroni
- 40 g butter
- 500 ml milk
- 35 g flour
- 100 g grated cheddar and 60g cut into large chunks
- 70 g parmesan grated
- ½ onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- a few thyme sprigs
- pinch cayenne
- pinch nutmeg
- salt and pepper
- 1 baking dish
- 1 wooden spoon
- 2 sauce pans
- 1 whisk
- 1 sieve
- 1 spoon
- 1 bowl
Step 2: Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees centigrade or gas mark 7.
Step 3: Warm the milk
Place a saucepan under a medium heat and add the milk, half an onion, thyme, garlic and allow to warm through and steep for a few minutes.
Step 4: Make the sauce
Place a second saucepan under the same heat and add the butter. And slowly melt it stirring with your wooden spoon to help it along.
When the butter has totally melted add the flour and stir in and then strain the milk into the pan and using your whisk combine it all together. Then season with a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of cayenne, salt then pepper.
And keep whisking until it begins to thicken. When you have a lovely thick texture take it off the heat.
Step 5: Add the cheese
Add the grated cheddar cheese into the sauce and whisk it in until it has melted. Add the parmesan cheese and whisk it in well.
Step 6: Mix the pasta and cheese sauce
Place the cooked pasta into a large bowl and pour over the cheese sauce and using your spoon combine it all together. Add the cubed cheese and stir in.
Step 7: Transfer the pasta
Spoon the pasta and cheese sauce into a baking dish.
Step 8: Bake
Place the baking dish into the centre of the preheated oven and bake for roughly 20 minutes and when brown and bubbly remove from the oven.
Step 9: Serve
And that's how to you make the perfect Macaroni Cheese.
Serves: 2
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
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- Category: Mediterranean (Greek, Italian, Spanish)
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Ideal for pizza toppings or for pasta dishes, this classic tomato sauce is quick and easy to make and simply delicious. Relish our Basic Tomato Pizza Sauce recipe.
Step 1: You will need
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 400 g of tinned plum tomatoes
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp basil, chopped
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 saucepan
- 1 wooden spoon
Oven Temperature: 225° c - 440° f
Step 2: Fry the onions
Place the saucepan on a medium heat, add the olive oil and butter and allow it to melt. Now add the chopped onions and garlic and stir. Let it cook down for 3-4 minutes until the onions are soft and transparent.
Step 3: Add rest of ingredients
To the saucepan, add the tomatoes, oregano, basil and tomato puree. Season with a little salt and pepper and stir well. Bring the sauce to a boil and turn the heat down to a simmer. Allow it to cook for 20 minutes.
Step 4: Cool and use
For pizzas, allow the sauce to cool before using. If you're making it to accompany a pasta dish then it can be eaten straight away. This sauce can be stored in a container for a week in the fridge.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
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- Category: Mediterranean (Greek, Italian, Spanish)
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Basic Italian Tomato Sauce Recipe. Everyone should know how to make a basic pasta sauce and this one is ideal.
- 7 tbsp olive oil
- ½ red onion
- 2 medium garlic cloves
- 800 g canned chopped tomatoes
- 100 ml vegetable stock or water
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 knife
- 1 chopping board
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 large frying pan
Serves: 4
Step 2: Onion
Put 7 tablespoons of olive oil into a pan over a low heat. While it is heating, slice the ends off the red onion, and peel the outer skins.
Add the onion to the pan. Fry for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure that the pieces cook evenly. Cooking the onions for this long gives the sauce its sweetness. When cooked the onions should be translucent and golden.
Step 3: Garlic
Peel the 2 garlic cloves and add them whole to the pan. Cook for about a minute, taking care not to burn the garlic. Add 2 generous pinches of freshly ground black pepper and 3 generous pinches of salt
Step 4: Tomatoes
Pour in 800 grams of chopped tomatoes and stir. Use the spoon to break tomatoes down a little. You will also find that they naturally break down as they cook. Turn the heat up until the sauce begins to simmer. Then leave the sauce to cook for roughly 20 minutes. If it starts to burn add some water or vegetable stock.
Step 5: Liquid
Add the remaining 100 millilitres of water or vegetable stock to the pan and gently stir for about 2 minutes. The sauce should be thick and not watery so allow it to reduce down. This will concentrate the flavours. Now leave the sauce to reduce for 10 minutes. If you feel it has reduced too far and is likely to burn add a little more water. Don't be afraid to taste a little and add more salt or pepper if you think it needs it.
Step 6: Serve
This sauce goes well with any type of pasta.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
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- Category: Mediterranean (Greek, Italian, Spanish)
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Forget wasting your money on takeaway pizza, this recipe is the key to the homemade variety which smells better, tastes better and is much more satisfying to eat.
Step 1: You will need
- 180 g plain white flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried yeast
- ½ tsp caster sugar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 120 ml warm water
- polenta for dusting
- 2 bowls
- 1 spoon
- some cling film
- 1 rolling pin
- 1 measuring jug
- 1 sieve
- 1 circular baking tray
Preparation Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Step 2: Sieve the flour
Place the sieve over a bowl, add the flour and gently shake it through.
Step 3: Make the dough
In the medium bowl, combine the salt, yeast and caster sugar. Make a hole in the centre, add the olive oil and warm water and mix in well. Give it a quick, final mix by hand to create a rough paste.
Step 4: Knead the dough
Remove the dough from the bowl and place onto the chopping board. Knead the dough for roughly 3-4 minutes, using the heel of your hand. Keep kneading until it has formed a smooth ball.
Step 5: Leave dough to rise
Transfer the dough into a large clean bowl, cover with some cling film, and leave it to rise for approximately two hours or until it has doubled in size.
Step 6: Roll the dough
Uncover the bowl and sprinkle the dough with flour. Remove it from the bowl and place onto a flat surface. Sprinkle some more flour over the dough and roll it into a circle. Dust with flour again, turn it over and roll the other side.
Flour the base of the circular baking tray. Place the dough over the tray and push it outwards into a rustic circle.
If you aren't going to bake it straight away, it needs to be wrapped in cling film and kept in the fridge, for a maximum of 24 hours.
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- Category: Mediterranean (Greek, Italian, Spanish)
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A tasty, cheesy, soya meat vegetarian version of the classic meat lasagna. Ideal as a hearty, filling main course. Savour our American Vegetarian Lasagna recipe.
Step 1: You will need…
- 340g Soya meat substitute, pre-soaked
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 400g canned chopped tomatoes
- 12 lasagne sheets
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 egg, beaten
- 250g ricotta cheese
- 20g grated parmesan cheese
- 10g grated parmesan cheese for garnishing
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 220g grated mozzarella
- salt and pepper
- 1 saucepan
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 bowl
- 1 baking dish
- 1 ladle
Step 2: Preheat the oven
Set the oven to 190ºC (375ºF/ gas mark 5).
Step 3: Fry onion and garlic
Place the frying pan on a medium heat, allow to warm through and add the onions and garlic. Leave to sweat down for roughly 5 minutes.
Step 4: Make the sauce
Briefly stir the onions, before adding the basil, oregano, chopped tomatoes, puree, and Soya meat, and stir well. Cover with the pan lid. Turn down the heat to a simmer. Leave to cook for 20 minutes and remove after this time.
Step 5: Make ricotta mix
Add the eggs into a large bowl. Follow with the ricotta, 20 grams of parmesan cheese, parsley and season with salt and pepper. Mix well into a smooth cream.
Step 6: Make the lasagne
Take a few lasagne sheets and break them roughly into pieces to fit your dish and add a layer into the dish. Spoon over a thin layer of ricotta cheese mix. Evenly sprinkle over a layer of the mozzarella. Finally, ladle over a layer of the tomato and Soya meat substitute. Repeat the same process until you have used all the ingredients, finishing with a final sprinkle of parmesan.
Step 7: Bake
Place the lasagne into the centre of the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove after this time.
Step 8: Serve
Allow the dish to rest for ten minutes before serving. Serve hot with garlic bread.
Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Cooking Time: 55 minutes
Oven Temperature: 190°c - 370°f
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- Category: Mediterranean (Greek, Italian, Spanish)
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Home-made lasagna accompanied nicely by a garden fresh salad. Originating from Italy, this pasta dish has become famous all over the world. Experience our Lasagne recipe.
Step 1: You will need
- 200g pre-cooked lasagne sheets
- 70g grated parmesan
- Bolognese sauce
- 380 ml milk
- 45g butter
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- salt and pepper
- 1 baking dish
- 2 saucepans
- 2 spoons
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 whisk
- 1 tea towel
- 1 tray
- 1 bowl
Step 2: Prepare the lasagne
Preheat the oven to 200ºC, that's 400ºF or gas mark 6. Put the sheets of pasta into a large bowl and cover them with warm water. Make sure they're all submerged. Leave them to soak for 5 to 10 minutes.
Step 3: Warm the milk
To begin making the béchamel sauce, pour the milk into a small saucepan and let it heat until warm, not boiling.
Step 4: Make the béchamel sauce
Place the other saucepan over a medium heat and add the butter. When it has melted, add the flour and mix well until smooth. Just before it starts to turn brown, slowly add the milk. Using the whisk, stir continuously until the sauce begins to thicken.
When thick, season with salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Then give it one further whisk and remove from the heat.
Step 5: Dry the lasagne
Remove the lasagne sheets one by one from the water and place them onto a tea towel. Then turn them over to pat them dry on both sides. You may need to do this in batches to finish drying all of the lasagne.
Step 6: Make the lasagne
Start by layering lasagne sheets on the bottom of the baking dish. Next, cover with half of the Bolognese. Then spoon over some béchamel sauce, and finally, sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Now repeat the process: the lasagne, followed by the rest of the Bolognese, then the béchamel sauce and finally the parmesan cheese giving it a generous topping.
Step 7: Cook the lasagne
Place the baking dish in the centre of the oven. Cook for about 20 minutes.
Step 8: Serve
When the parmesan has turned golden brown, remove the lasagne from the oven and allow it to sit for at least 15 minutes before serving. Lasagne is delicious served alone or it can be accompanied by a freshly made green salad.
Serves: 4 to 6
Preparation Time: 40 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes