Decorate the Plate

I am really...really...really into food at the moment and cooking is going to be a big thing for me during 2011. I did think about setting up another blog 'Make that Meal' but running two blogs would be too time consuming. So I have decided to include a 'Decorate the Plate' element to my original blog.

This dish is my version of Spaghetti Milanese (the original recipe came from the Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook - back in the day...)


Recipe Serves 3/4

Tagliatelle (I work on the 2 pieces per person basis)
Olive oil
Tinned tomatoes 14oz (chopped or whole)
Fresh nutmeg 1 teaspoon
Bay leaf
Basil (pinch of dried or use fresh if available)
Worcestershire sauce - 2 tablespoons
Ham (you can use tinned or ham trim)
Pepper
Onion (half)
Peppers red/yellow (half of each)
Peas (frozen are fine)
Parmesan (grate whilst sauce is cooking)


Place olive oil in a warm pan, add chopped onion and peppers cook for five minutes then add the tinned tomatoes (add a little water to the tin to extract all of the juice), grated nutmeg, basil, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaf. Break down the tomatoes, if whole, with a wooden spoon. Cook sauce for 20 minutes then add the chopped ham and warm through for a further 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the tagliatelle, according to instructions, in salted water. When cooked add two tablespoons of this water to the Milanese sauce for extra flavour.

Place tagliatelle in a warmed serving dish pour over the sauce and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese. You can add garlic bread and a salad of your choosing but to keep the cost down, I serve it as it is.

Enjoy this cheap and simple dish during the week after a busy day working/shopping/cleaning. x