House full of blokes

I tried a product sample at the supermarket of a Spanish spicy bean soup.  I liked it so I bought a pouch to feed 2-4 people for lunch. The senior bloke at my house polished it off all by himself and I felt a little ripped off.  I looked at a couple of recipes on line and thought about the flavour profile and decided I could do it better myself.  This is the result.  I've made this soup about 4 times now and the family love it.  The recipe can be tinkered with a bit by omitting the chorizo or by including red capsicum with the other vegetables (expensive here in the winter). This is a rich, spicy, delicious soup. The beans and vegies make it a hearty meal. I love it with the addition of chorizo - but it's great as a vegetarian meal too. Ingredients 2 sticks celery chopped into small dice Medium red onion finely chopped 2 carrots chopped into small dice   200 grams chorizo chopped into small pieces (optional) 1-2 cloves garlic crushed ...

This was lummox number 2's choice to make for his second Thursday night dinner slot. This meal went down very well with his brothers and is sure to become a regular mid-week meal.  Ingredients 1 kg minced beef 1 onion finely chopped Olive oil to sauté the onion 2 cloves garlic  1 tsp chili flakes (adjust to you own taste) 1 tsp ground cumin  400 gram can chopped tomatoes Medium can black beans (we used beans in chili - if the beans are in brine rinse them before adding) Pack of large flour tortillas - enough for 2 each for the people you want to feed.  1 jar tomato salsa (or make your own) 250 grams grated tasty cheddar (or other sharp, strong flavoured cheese) Sour cream, jalapeño, shredded lettuce and chopped tomato to serve.  Method Place the garlic, cumin and chili flakes with a little salt in a mortar and pestle and crush to a paste (or crush the garlic and mix with the spices) Heat a large pan over a low-medium heat Add olive oil, onions and spice mix and ...

A quick, easy, budget friendly and satisfying family meal.  Ingredients 50 grams butter 1 onion finely chopped 3 or 4 large mushrooms finely chopped 3 rashers bacon diced 1/4 cup plain flour 2 cups milk 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs 1 packet pasta (penne or spirals work well) 1 cup grated cheese (edam or mozzarella) 1/2 cup grated Parmesan  Mix the two cheeses together Method Pre heat the oven to 200C Put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta.  Cook pasta once water is at a rolling boil - drain about 2 minutes before the packet instructions say as the pasta will cook further in the oven. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and mix back through drained pasta with a good slug of olive oil  and some freshly ground pepper. Put aside until sauce is ready.  For the sauce  Place a large pan over a medium heat add butter, onion, mushroom and bacon and cook until onions are well softened. About 5 mi...