We decided to move to Andorra while we were living in Ireland.
So, naturally, we immediately started Spanish language lessons.
Our teacher was a young woman from Valencia (pronounced ba-LEN-thia) who had followed her Irish boyfriend home from a holiday.
The thing that amazed her most about Ireland was that there were no fruit bowls on counters in Irish kitchens.
Seemed perfectly normal to me. I didn't grow up with a fruit bowl on the counter either.
In Spain a kitchen is not complete without an overflowing fruit bowl for family and guests to enjoy.
Now I have 2 or 3, depending on the season.
In winter, I fill the big, hand-painted bowl from Spain with oranges, Clementine's, bananas and avocados. The kiwi fruit go in a separate basket - they cause the citrus to rot.
In summer I fill 3 or more bowls with peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, grapes and tomatoes.
I fill them at least once a week. Because they are there, on the counter, in full view, the fruit gets eaten.
Next to them, in a big basket, I keep walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds in the shell.
They're great to snack on when you're just looking for a bit of crunch.... And the fact that you have to crack the nut first, then pick out the meat before you eat it is a great deterrent to eating too many.
Our snack foods are fruits and nuts.
We don't bother with the other kind....
Lots of people put spinach or courgette or aubergine (eggplant) in their lasagne....
I had to be different.
To make certain the vegetables were done I sautéed them first... Then I decided I might as well make the Béchamel right in the skillet with the vegetables. Always with an eye to the easy.....
Ingredients
2 | carrots, peeled and chopped |
½ | small head broccoli, cut into pieces |
1 | onion, chopped |
6 | ounces mushrooms, trimmed and chopped |
1 | tablespoon butter |
2 | tablespoons olive oil |
2 | tablespoons flour |
1 ¼ | cups milk |
2 | cloves garlic, minced |
12 | ounces ground beef |
2 | cups (15oz) whole tomatoes, chopped, juices reserved |
1 | cup tomato sauce |
1 | tablespoon tomato paste |
1 | teaspoon dried oregano |
1 | teaspoon dried basil |
8 | ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced thinly |
¼ | cup shredded cheese |
½ | cup shredded Parmesan |
15 | sheets 'no-cook' lasagna noodles |
Preparation
Step 1 | |
Step 2 | Add flour and stir well for 1 minute. |
Step 3 | |
Step 4 | |
Step 5 | Add beef and brown well, breaking it up. |
Step 6 | |
Step 7 | |
Step 8 | 1/3 of the meat / tomato sauce; 3 - 4 noodles to fit |
Step 9 | 1/2 of the vegetable / Béchamel sauce; 1/2 of the mozzarella; 3 - 4 noodles to fit |
Step 10 | 1/3 of the meat / tomato sauce; 3 - 4 noodles to fit |
Step 11 | 1/2 of the vegetable / Béchamel sauce; 1/2 of the mozzarella; 3 - 4 noodles to fit |
Step 12 | 1/3 of the meat / tomato sauce; 1/4 cup shredded cheese |
Step 13 | Cover and bake 425F (215C) for 25 minutes, or until noodles are done. |
Step 14 | |
Step 15 |
Many times we want a meal that is easy to prepare and doesnt have to create a lot of work after cleaning up the kitchen. Thus skillet meals help to get us out of the kitchen when we have
things to do, like spend time with our families.
One-Dish Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less
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