Showing posts with label bacon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bacon. Show all posts

Wednesday 24 June 2015

Bacon and Tomato Pasta

Serves 3-4 and ready in about twenty minutes

Chop one or two slices of bacon per person (I like smoked) into bite size pieces and put in pan. Start off on a gentle heat to release some of the fat so no oil is needed. Cook for a couple of minutes stirring occasionally.

Finely chop one or two onions and add to the pan with some crushed garlic (I use about half a bulb) and soften for a few minutes, stirring.

Boil the kettle and (assuming using 10 minute dried stuff) start cooking 2-3oz/50-75g pasta per person (I usually use shells).

You don't have to make it spicy - it is nice just garlicky, but I usually add a tsp of paprika and a half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper (quite spicy - use half amounts or just paprika if you want just a little warmth)

Add a tin of tomatoes (if they are whole not chopped, bash them up small with the spoon), a good pinch of dried oregano, and some black pepper. Bring to the boil and leave to simmer, adding a big squirt of tomato puree (about 1-2 tbsps) while the pasta is cooking.

Drain pasta and stir into sauce..


It is tasty without, but really nice with some Parmesan on top when served

It is also nice with some chopped peppers added at the same time as the onions.

Also good with chicken instead of bacon


You might also like:


Loaded Skins


Spaghetti and Meatballs


Stuffed Peppers

Potato and Bacon Soup

Rib Marinade

Barbecue Sauce


Devilled Sauce


For more ideas, follow me on twitter @Tyne_Teas






Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )

Saturday 14 December 2013

Chicken and Bacon Casserole

This is a really simple to prepare dish that tastes like you have worked hard in the kitchen all day


Chicken and Bacon Casserole

Serves four

Gently soften two chopped onions, one or two chopped green peppers and three or four cloves of crushed garlic in a teaspoon of olive oil for a few minutes, then take out of the pan.

Add another teaspoon of olive oil, then lightly fry about a pound of chicken (breast or thigh) chopped into pieces and about six slices of chopped up bacon (I prefer smoked) for a few minutes.

Sprinkle on about an ounce of flour (a big heaped spoon) and one or two teaspoons of paprika, and stir for a couple of minutes.

Then stir in (starting slowly) about a pint of liquid (at least half white wine, the rest water) and put the onions, pepper and garlic back in, with some black pepper. (You can add in a half a chicken stock cube if you like, but the bacon is already quite salty.)

You can either simmer this gently for about three-quarters of an hour, or put it in the oven (200c/GM6) for about the same length of time.

If you are feeling indulgent and have some, you can stir in a splosh of cream before serving, but it still tastes great without.

Serve it with rice, baked potatoes or crusty bread.

Other recipes you might like

Beef in Beer

Chicken Kebabs

Potato and Bacon Soup

Chicken, chorizo and prawn rice

Chilli Beef Stew

Stuffed Peppers



1 ounce is about 25g

a pint is about 450mls

1 teaspoon is about 5mls




For more ideas, follow me on twitter @Tyne_Teas



Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )

Monday 18 November 2013

Loaded skins

Bacon or gammon in a garlic tomato sauce topped with potato wedges and mozzarella.


Serves four (but easy to scale up and down).

Cut four large potatoes (or unsuprisingly more if they are smaller) into wedges (I cut each into eight: cut longways in half, then half and half again. Put in an oven tin, drizzle over a couple of teaspoons of oil then rub all the potato slices together to coat. Spread them in one layer and put them in the oven (about 200c/GM6) for about 45 mins.

I usually leave them for about half an hour, then check them and begin making the next bit. If they aren't yet cooked through (stab a thick one to make sure it's soft) and starting to go a bit crispy yet (depends on how thick the slices are and how packed the tin is), you might need to leave them in a bit longer, or turn the oven up a bit.

(If you are using leftover cooked gammon or bacon, make the sauce and then add it)

Cook the bacon or gammon chopped into small bite-size pieces for a couple of minutes in a pan. (You probably won't need to use any oil, as the meat will release some fat if you start cooking it gently.) You can use sliced bacon, chopped up bacon or gammon steak, lardons et cetera. I usually find cutting a bacon or gammon joint up is the best value and freeze the rest for another meal. How much is up to you, a pound of meat (450-500g) is more than enough for four, and less wouldn't seem mean in this dish. Especially if I am using chunky pieces from a joint, I sometimes take the meat out of the pan and spread over the oven dish I will be baking it in and pop it in the oven while I make the sauce to give them a roasted taste and texture.

Chop a couple of onions (I usually chop one fine to thicken the sauce and one a bit chunkier) and soften them in the pan for a couple of minutes with some crushed garlic (up to you how garlic-y you like it, I usually use about half a bulb).

Then add a tin of tomatoes, some black pepper, a big pinch of oregano and a squirt of tomato purée (2-3 tsps). Bring it to the boil and let it simmer for a few minutes so it is thick and not runny.

Mix the sauce and meat and spread evenly over an oven dish. Put the lightly crispy wedges over to cover and then thin pieces of mozzarella here and there over the potatoes.

Put back into the oven for about ten minutes for the mozzarella to melt and bubble.

You might also like:

Potato and Bacon Soup - this is an idea for any unused meat

Other meals with mozzarella

Beef in Beer

Chicken and Bacon Casserole

Chilli Beef Stew


Stuffed Peppers


For more ideas, follow me on twitter @Tyne_Teas




Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )

Friday 8 November 2013

Bacon and Potato Soup

Quick, simple, cheap and tasty

This will serve four but it scales up and down easily according to how hungry you are, how many it has to feed and what you have to hand.

Bacon – how much is up to you, I would suggest at least a slice or a couple of rashers per person. Smoked bacon recommended. Chopping up part of a raw bacon/gammon joint into small pieces can be more economical and tasty than sliced bacon. Lardons work well. Pieces of leftover roast gammon or bacon is fine too, but doesn’t flavour it quite so well. Wiltshire cured bacon doesn’t seem to work particularly well though.

New potatoes – again, depends how filling a soup you want, about 1-2 per person. The more you add, unsurprisingly the chunkier or thicker the soup. You can use up cold ones, which is quicker to make but the flavour is much better if they go in raw, as they soak up the soup flavour.

Onion finely chopped – at least 1 medium or large, or a couple of small

Milk – about a pint.

Parsley – dried or fresh

Black pepper

Chop the bacon into bite size pieces and put in pan. Start off on a gentle heat to release some of the fat so no oil is needed. Cook for a couple of minutes stirring occasionally.

Add the onion and continue to cook until the onion is soft (about 2-3 minutes).

Add milk and chopped potatoes, and parsley and black pepper to taste. Heat and then simmer gently until potatoes are soft (about 10 minutes if raw used, depending on size of pieces) stirring occasionally. (If you like your soup thicker, bash the potatoes up a bit when stirring.)

(If using leftover gammon, start by softening onions in a little oil, then add it with the potatoes)


A handful of frozen sweetcorn can be added when it’s simmering if you want to include some veg.


Loaded skins


Mushroom Soup

Tomato Soup

Mushroom Rice

For more ideas, follow me on twitter @Tyne_Teas




Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )