Blog from Mum
MACARONI MILANO
Dad's been so busy typing away that I thought I'd give you the first recipe that I cooked for dinner at about aged 10 or 11. That gives you some indication of it's simplicity, and the fact that I still cook it now should reassure you of it's tastiness.
Macaroni Milano is a two pan dinner, can be served as a pasta bake or straight from the pan, (or eaten directly from the pan as I did in some of the worst nurses accommodation I had to stay in). It can feed 1 or 10 depending on the size of your pans, but this recipe serves 4. I am pretty sure that the name was made up by Nana and I am pretty sure no one in Milan has ever eaten it!
So first you boil a big pan of salted water ready for your macaroni (the cheapest of all pastas). Use about a teacup full of macaroni per person as it really bulks up, or measure out a portion of other pastas by filling a bowl half full like we do at home.
While waiting for the water to boil start the sauce by chopping or grating half an onion (or whole if they're small) and gently frying with a tablespoon of oil in another pan (or wok). Then add a heaped dessert spoonful of plain flour and cook that in amongst the onion and oil for 1 or 2 minutes as if it was a roux.
Now add a tin of chopped tomatoes but be careful of it spitting. Stir busily for a few minutes getting all the roux off the sides and bottom into the tomato. This stage may look lumpy and scary at first but it always comes good! You may need to add some water at this stage to loosen it a bit. Once all incorporated, simmer very gently, stirring occasionally while you add a stock cube or mixed herbs (optional) and put the macaroni in the now boiling water.
While the pasta cooks grate half a 'grater full' of cheese and add to the sauce, stirring gently and adding some seasoning and +/- other ingredients (salt, pepper/ chilli flakes/olives/ tuna/spinach leaves/ etc). Don't cook the sauce much from now just let it wait.
When your pasta is cooked mix the two together preferably in the sauce-making pan to ease the washing up, or mix together in a dish for the oven. Eat with tasty veg straight away or bake for 15 mins (180 ish) and then serve. This gives you a chance to put some veg on or to clear up a bit. If you are baking, you could reserve a bit of cheese and put it on top.
As with all pasta bakes you can get it all into the dish, but then cool it and put it in the fridge for later. Just heat it up at 180 for approx 25 mins. Now here's an important hint - the sauce cooking pan has now had a cheesy sauce in it. If you put cold water in it, it will solidify! Make sure you put HOT soapy water in it if soaking or washing up.
Writing this makes me feel it's not as simple as I first thought but really - it is! Enjoy!
Dad's been so busy typing away that I thought I'd give you the first recipe that I cooked for dinner at about aged 10 or 11. That gives you some indication of it's simplicity, and the fact that I still cook it now should reassure you of it's tastiness.
Macaroni Milano is a two pan dinner, can be served as a pasta bake or straight from the pan, (or eaten directly from the pan as I did in some of the worst nurses accommodation I had to stay in). It can feed 1 or 10 depending on the size of your pans, but this recipe serves 4. I am pretty sure that the name was made up by Nana and I am pretty sure no one in Milan has ever eaten it!
So first you boil a big pan of salted water ready for your macaroni (the cheapest of all pastas). Use about a teacup full of macaroni per person as it really bulks up, or measure out a portion of other pastas by filling a bowl half full like we do at home.
While waiting for the water to boil start the sauce by chopping or grating half an onion (or whole if they're small) and gently frying with a tablespoon of oil in another pan (or wok). Then add a heaped dessert spoonful of plain flour and cook that in amongst the onion and oil for 1 or 2 minutes as if it was a roux.
Now add a tin of chopped tomatoes but be careful of it spitting. Stir busily for a few minutes getting all the roux off the sides and bottom into the tomato. This stage may look lumpy and scary at first but it always comes good! You may need to add some water at this stage to loosen it a bit. Once all incorporated, simmer very gently, stirring occasionally while you add a stock cube or mixed herbs (optional) and put the macaroni in the now boiling water.
While the pasta cooks grate half a 'grater full' of cheese and add to the sauce, stirring gently and adding some seasoning and +/- other ingredients (salt, pepper/ chilli flakes/olives/ tuna/spinach leaves/ etc). Don't cook the sauce much from now just let it wait.
When your pasta is cooked mix the two together preferably in the sauce-making pan to ease the washing up, or mix together in a dish for the oven. Eat with tasty veg straight away or bake for 15 mins (180 ish) and then serve. This gives you a chance to put some veg on or to clear up a bit. If you are baking, you could reserve a bit of cheese and put it on top.
As with all pasta bakes you can get it all into the dish, but then cool it and put it in the fridge for later. Just heat it up at 180 for approx 25 mins. Now here's an important hint - the sauce cooking pan has now had a cheesy sauce in it. If you put cold water in it, it will solidify! Make sure you put HOT soapy water in it if soaking or washing up.
Writing this makes me feel it's not as simple as I first thought but really - it is! Enjoy!
Comments
Post a Comment