Delicious Spaghetti and Meatballs.

On June 30, 2021May 13, 2021 By WanjoroIn RecipesLeave a comment

Moist, flavorful beef meatballs simmered in a thick sauce of tomatoes and other vegetables will have your children eating their plates clean and you get to fill them in with hidden vegetables they may not otherwise agree to eat.

Win. Win.

Let’s get started.

Our ingredients for the meatballs are:- 500 g beef mince (not lean), one grated onion, 1 egg, 4 minced garlic cloves, salt and black pepper, 1/ cup of breadcrumbs, 1 tsp mixed herbs (basil, oregano,thyme and parsley) and 1 tbsp of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Preheat your oven at 200 ° C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Mix all the above ingredients together and scoop a tablespoon rolling into balls. I made 20 balls.

Place on the baking tray and bake for 20 minutes after drizzling with some olive oil. Turn / flip them after ten minutes.

Note: A lot of people fry the meatballs to lock in the juices and get a nice char or crispness to the meatballs’ exterior. Baking them as I did gave the same result without the frying up. The balls crisp up well on the outside but are juicy and tender on the inside. Well cooked, full of flavour and oh so tasty. The fat in the mince and the cheese inside work well to ensure they remain moist inside.

As the balls bake, you can get started on the sauce. You will need:-

One onion chopped
4 minced garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 celery stalk
Four tomatoes, sliced
Grated mixed vegetables- I used one carrot, one eggplant and one courgette.
1 teaspoon of dried mixed herbs.
One can tomato sauce
A pinch of sugar.
A teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce.
One cup hot water
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese to serve.

Method.

Heat your pan and add the olive oil as well as the minced garlic.

Let it cook in the oil and release it’s lovely aroma, before adding the onion and celery.

Mix well and cook till onion is softened, then add the herbs.

Let cook a while then add the sliced tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Let them cook on low till mushy, before adding the grated mixed vegetables.

Let them also cook a bit. Add the Worcestershire sauce, the canned tomato sauce and a pinch of sugar. Mix well as it cooks and thickens. Add the hot water, lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Sauce will be smelling so good. Check seasoning and thickness before adding the baked meatballs. Still on low, let them simmer for another 20 or so minutes on low.

Once the sauce is ready. Serve with your spaghetti and some grated Parmesan on top.

Dig in and enjoy this tasty, filling and colorful dish.

This is comfort food as its best. Definitely worth a try.

Love,

Wanjoro.

Instant Pot Goat Curry.

On June 24, 2021June 21, 2021 By WanjoroIn RecipesLeave a comment

We love our goat meat in this family. We eat more goat than beef, chicken and fish. And it is good for you; lower in calories and sodium than beef, has vitamin B, calcium and is a great source of protein, among other benefits.

I decided to make this in my instant pot as I realised I do not use it much and I was also curious to find out how the meat would turn out.

Let’s get started.

You will need, I kg goat meat, (I used boneless as it is what I had, but bone in meat is better). Ginger garlic paste, onion, sliced tomato, and a teaspoon of mixed spice that I have already shared in my curried goat recipe here.

Marinate your meat in a tbsp of the ginger garlic paste, a small pinch of grated turmeric and the spice blend. You can let it marinate overnight or for a few hours.

Set instant pot on and on sauté mode. Add a tbsp of coconut oil once hot then add the onions.

I had some leftover green pepper, so I tossed it in too. Let the onions cook till soft then add the tomatoes. Let cook and mix well.

You can also add some salt and pepper at this point.

Add your marinated meat and mix well into the onion, tomato mixture. Let is sauté a bit.

Add a half cup of water and switch off sauté mode.

Select meat mode, cover the instant pot properly with the vent facing the right direction and it will cook for 30 minutes.

I let it release pressure naturally for about ten minutes, then did a quick pressure release.

The meat is tender, the broth is full of flavour and tasty too.

Remember to garnish with chopped coriander and a squeeze of lemon before serving.

We had ours with a simple pea pilaf, fried plantain and a tomato cucumber salad.

The pea pilau was onion fried till golden with some garlic and a tbps of tomato paste. Then added pilau masala, salt, green peas and rice to make a delicious spiced rice dish.

Colourful, filling, tasty and easy to make. What’s not to love about this plate?

Do you have an ipot? What are some of the recipes you make in it?

Cassava Flour Plantain Pancakes.

On June 18, 2021April 6, 2021 By WanjoroIn Memories, RecipesLeave a comment

Where are my fellow pancake lovers at?

This one is for you. This recipe has a twist though, and will work well for those of you who want to enjoy delicious home made pancakes, without having to use wheat flour. I had some really ripe plantains too and couldn’t let them go to waste, resulting in some wickedly yummy pancakes.

Cassava flour works really well in this gluten free recipe with ripe plantains to make a great breakfast, brunch or snack that is tasty, filling, colourful and not hard on your gut.

Let’s get started.

*Over ripe plantains are best for this recipe, as they have sweetened and mash easily too.*

For this recipe we will need:-

4 really ripe plantains. I had the small ones, for large you can use 2.
1 1/2 cups cassava flour.
1/2 cup besan / chickpea flour. Also packaged as gram flour (the one we use for bhajias).
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt.
1/3 cup dark brown sugar.
2 yellow yolk eggs.
2 cups natural yoghurt, or buttermilk, or maziwa mala.
1 tsp vanilla.
1 tsp ground cinnamon.
1/3 cup coconut oil.
1 tbsp custard powder.

Note: This recipe makes 15 pancakes, (about 7 inches wide).

Method.

Mash you plantains or puree them, add the sugar, yoghurt, eggs and vanilla. Mix well.
Sift the dry ingredients (the flours, cinnamon, baking powder etc into the wet, add the oil and mix well.
Let rest for 20 minutes.

You will have a thickish batter that look, smells and tastes really good.

Another great thing about this pancakes is you do not have to add more oil, as we already did in the batter, just use a nice non-stick pan to make them and on medium heat.

Heat your non stick pan, and ladle your batter.

*These pancakes need more TLC than usual, do not be in a rush. Ladle the batter and spread it a bit like a dosa.*

*Flip when the bubbles begin to form and the cooked side will look like this.*

*Once the bottom is cooked you can flip it again for a few seconds to ensure it cooks well on the inside. Remove once golden brown.*

*The besan flour gives a lovely yellowish tinge to the pancakes as well as added flavour and helps bind the cassava flour too.*

Your pancakes are now ready to serve as you wish. Stacked or rolled, with butter, syrup or fruit compote, it is up to you.

They are healthy, tasty, filling, colourful, use what you have on hand and easy to make which as you know are my checkmarks for an awesome home made meal.

Try them and let me know how yours turned out.

Love,

Wanjoro.

Simple Pineapple and Mint Salad.

On June 11, 2021March 24, 2021 By WanjoroIn RecipesLeave a comment

Pineapple and mint always go well together. In juice, in a smoothie and now in this refreshing salad that is another great side dish to add to your recipe collection.

They are both rich in nutrients, aid digestion, boost immunity as they are both rich in anti oxidants that help fight inflammation, great for your skin and breath and make a very colourful plate.

All you will need for this simple and tasty salad are:-

Half a ripe pineapple.
Coloured capsicum, cut into thin strips. (I used red and yellow).
2 tablespoon’s roughly chopped mint.
1 lemon, juice it and grate the zest too.
2 tbsp honey.

Method.

Cut the pineapple into strips and add to a bowl. I obviously used Ugandan pineapples as they are the sweetest in the world.
Cut the capsicum too and add to the bowl.
In a small bowl, add the lemon juice and honey and mix well. You can also add any pineapple juices to that.
Add the chopped mint and pour over the pineapple and capsicum strips.
Add the lemon zest last before giving it a final mix.
You can chill a bit before serving, to give the flavours time to blend in well together.