Spicy Beef and Tomato Tagliatelle

This minced beef recipe is similar to a Bolognese dish, but with a spicy kick and more emphasis is on the meat rather than the tomato sauce. Nonetheless it has great Italian flavours and is lovely with olives and tagliatelle sprinkled with chili oil.

Ingredients

500g minced beef
4 to 6 cloves of garlic
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 medium red chili
1 large onion
1 400g tin of plum tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Method

1. I almost always like to brown the mince first and with a pack this size I will usually do this in two batches and then place to one side.
2. Using the same pan add a little vegetable oil and on a high heat cook the chopped onion, garlic and chili for five minutes. Stir regularly.
3. Return the beef to the pan and mix in the dried vegetables and the tomato puree.
4. Cook for five minutes, again stirring often as the dish will stick due to being quite dry.
5. Now add the tin of plum tomatoes and break up the plums. I find this gives thicker consistency than pre-chopped tomatoes. 
6. Cook for a further five minutes, adding a sprinkle of salt and a good amount of freshly cracked black pepper.

Cook the Tagliatelle according to instructions and place on a plate with a drizzle of chili oil. Now spoon on the minced beef mixture and serve with a side of stuffed olives.

Check out other minced beef recipes - I do cook a lot of these, which I guess is rather lazy.

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Tandoori minced beef recipe: A great jacket potato topping

This recipe is, in some respects, a variation of a traditional chili con carne and I feel it is fantastic to serve this on top of steaming jacket potatoes with a healthy dollop of sour cream to counter the fiery spice of this minced beef mix. This recipe used a tandoori spice mix, to find out what is included in tandoori spices follow the link.

Ingredients:

500g of minced beef
1 medium onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 green birdseye chili
150ml water
1 tbsp of tandoori spice mix (pictured below)
2 tsp of freshly ground coriander seeds
2 tbsp of tomato ketchup
salt and freshly cracked black pepper
100g of chopped babycorn (or your vegetable of choice)


Method

1. Start by browning the minced beef, probably in two batches, in a saucepan and then leave to one side.
2. In the same pan and using the oil from the beef fry the chopped onion, garlic and chili for ten minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Return the minced beef to the pan and add the spices and ground coriander seeds, stir well before adding the tomato ketchup. 
4. The pan should now be quite dry so add the water and stir well. Add the chopped babycorn (or your alternative vegetable) and leave to simmer for 10 minutes on a low heat.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve on buttered jacket potatoes and a dollop of sour cream.

If you like your food spicy add a tsp of chili powder along with the tandoori spice mix .

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Quick and easy beef lasagna

This lasagna is simple, but very tasty. It can be put together in under 30 minutes and could easily feed a family of four.

Ingredients:

800g of minced beef

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

2 medium tomatoes

1tbs of tomato puree

50ml of red wine

75ml of milk

a few drops of worcester sauce

a handful of chopped basil, rosemary and oregano

1 tsp of cinnamon powder

freshly cracked pepper

salt

250g of ricotta

4 sheets of uncooked lasagna

Olive oil

Cheese sauce

50g of butter

plain flour

300ml of milk

150g of grated cheddar

2tsp of paprika

Method

For the mince, fry the chopped onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Separately fry the mince in batches until browned. Once complete add to the onions and under a low heat add the two chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, herbs, cinnamon, worcester sauce, pepper and salt (optional). Stir regularly for 10 minutes before adding the wine and milk. Stir thoroughly and cook for give more minutes. Leave to cool while preparing the cheese sauce.

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan taking care not to burn the butter. Take it off the heat and stir in the flour until it becomes a thick paste. Add the milk and return to a medium heat. Stirring regularly until the sauce starts to thicken. Take off the heat again and add the grated cheese and paprika. 

Using a 6 inch squared ovenproof bowl place half of the beef mix on the bottom, followed by half of the ricotta placed roughly on top of the mince. Place two sheets of lasagna on top - overlapping if necessary. Now repeat the step with the remaining beef, ricotta and lasagna sheets. Finally pour over the thick cheese sauce and once cool grate some additional cheddar on top.

This can be prepared in advance of cooking in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees for thirty minutes - longer if coming from the fridge or freezer.

Serve with green vegetables and enjoy.

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