Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Pasta n Sauce - from scratch

My boys love Pasta with a creamy sauce...here is one I made from scratch the other night using up some eggs that were in the fridge.......

First I boiled some pasta spirals...I just buy the cheap brand...while the pasta was boiling, I also needed to boil the eggs...as I would later add the boiled egg to the pasta dish....Now me being me, couldn't see any point in getting another pot out...so I just put the eggs in the same saucepan as the pasta....don't worry; the eggs weren't floating...they're just sitting on the pasta...lol



Here is another simple mix I do...which saves a heap of time in the kitchen....In the whizzer, add 1 jar of chopped garlic, 1 or 2 bunches of spring onions...a handful of basil..this time I also added some parsley and cilatro...also some sorrel and spinach..all picked out of the garden....Remember, anything you add is a time saver....then blitz it all down with Olive Oil....

Place in clean jars and store in the fridge...Olive Oil sets when it is refridgerated, so this will thicken once chilled....but even a teaspoon in a cup of boiling water with a pinch of salt....lovely on a cold winter day....like having your very own cup-a-soups.....

this lot will last me about 2 weeks...I use it in many dishes
even as a spread on salad sandwiches instead of margarine.
Now back to that pasta dish....strain the pasta...keeping aside a bit of the liquor....
Peel the eggs and roughly chop them...although I put them through an egg slicer twice..rotate the sliced egg and repeat....for a diced effect....
Add a huge spoonful of the herb n garlic mix I made above....

Add some grated cheese that I store in the freezer...(so it doesn't go mouldy)

Now pour a cup of the cooking liquor that was kept back...into a jug and add a large spoonful of white sauce mix...and stir until combined.
Add this to your pasta, egg and herb mix....and stir well...cook for another 10 minutes to cook through...If it thickens too much...add some more of the cooking liqour.....and stir well.
Sorry no measurements..as it will depend on how many you are feeding...I used this to serve as a side dish and had enough for two nights.


do you make a similar recipe? I'd love to hear about it....
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9 comments:

  1. Cat J BJune 29, 2011 at 1:25 PM

    Yum! I love your idea of the Green olive oil sauce, a great time saver. Mmm, looks tasty.

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  2. Kids and Canning JarsJune 29, 2011 at 3:59 PM

    Very nice. I love the little tips that save me time and money.Melissa

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  3. nellymaryJune 29, 2011 at 7:50 PM

    Cat: It's very tasty, and if you have your favourite herbs, you can add them....every time I make it, it is slightly different...the beauty is, you use what you have on hand.

    Kids and Canning: Hi Melissa, Tios are always handy, especially if they save you time and money.

    Thanks ladies.

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  4. SherrieJune 30, 2011 at 6:45 PM

    Hi Nellymary... Congratulations you are the lucky winner of my first birthday blog giveaway. Please email me your mailing address and I will send you the tote bag & shoe bag asap... sherriec@westnet.com.au
    Thankyou for following my blog, I really appreciate all my followers :):)
    Sherrie from Simpleliving :)

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  5. SherrieJuly 1, 2011 at 1:10 PM

    WOW that green pesto type mix looks fabulous, I'm going to make some, how long will it last in the fridge in a glass jar. I used to make a garlic butter and spread it on my toast or sandwiches. I will need to find some where I can buy local garlic, I don't like buying the imported garlic.
    Also about the fruit cakes, I make small fruit cakes in my muffin trays and the small salmon/tuna tins they are both great for giving for christmas gifts, wrap them in cellophane, I used to use the glad oven bags that I would cut them in half & tie with red or green ribbons they looked gorgeous.
    Sherrie from Simpleliving :)

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  6. nellymaryJuly 1, 2011 at 10:13 PM

    Thank-you so much Sherrie for the give-away...Congratulations again for your first year of blogging...You sure have a great blog too.....

    The herb & garlic mix keeps well in the fridge, as it is Olive Oil...it thickens and sets..I'm not really sure how long it would last in the fridge though, as I go through it rather quickly...especially in cold weather....When I can source local garlic I will use it too...
    I love your idea for the fruit cakes...I'm sure they would be a hit here...Unfortunately I don't use canned fish to get the cans...but I will be looking closer at the cans I have....What a brilliant idea....I do all this when I make my steamed fruit and nut loaves, which you will need to keep an eye out for on here later.
    Thanks again Sherrie...looking forward to my lovely gifts in the mail.

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  7. MarilynJuly 3, 2011 at 7:46 PM

    When we were kids.. people used to throw eggs in the electric jug and boil them... but my mum was aghast as she said it caused throat problems.. warts in the throat etc. I have never been game to boil eggs in water with anything else. Marilyn

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  8. AnonymousDecember 18, 2011 at 8:22 PM

    Hi where or how would I get the bulk cheese white sauce mix from? Many thanks. Trish

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  9. nellymaryDecember 19, 2011 at 9:55 AM

    Hi Trish, You can make the bulk sauce mix, like in the 5th photo....I always keep the recipe on the jar so I don't have to go looking for it, if I run out....
    Bulk Cheese or White Sauce Mix
    4 cups of powdered milk
    1 1/2 cups of cornflour
    To use it, Mix equal parts of water and the mix....Stir or whisk until smooth....Add to dish to thicken, stir constantly while thickening your dish.....
    For cheese sauce, add grated cheese of your choice before cooking.
    this mix is very handy to use on a variety of meals...I also like using it to thicken cooked mushrooms.

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