Tasty pasta recipe

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I offered to make dinner the other night, the only problem being that we had mince out. I don’t particularly like cooking with mince, as I find it difficult to get it to taste good, and it often dries out on me when I make things like rissoles (although I think I’ve found a solution to that problem, but I’ll save it for another day). My mother wanted me to make spaghetti bolognese, but I’m a bit wary of that, as I've never quite nailed it. Particularly since we didn’t have any onions on hand! So I took some ingredients we had in the kitchen, tossed them in the pan, and was very pleased with the results.

Before we begin, a quick note on pasta. Above I referred to that classic dish, spaghetti bolognese. I don't actually like pairing a chunky sauce with spaghetti - I prefer something that can hold onto the sauce, like shells or spirals (I could look up the proper Italian names, but I'm lazy!). I save my spaghetti and fettuccine for thinner sauces such as carbonara.

Tasty mince pasta

Serves 4

500g lean minced beef.

1-2 leeks, finely sliced

2 medium carrots, finely diced

1 stick celery, finely diced

1 clove garlic, crushed

30g butter

1 tbsp olive oil

500g can chopped tomatoes

1 tsp castor sugar

150ml red wine

450g pasta (eg spiralli)

Extra virgin olive oil (optional)

Parmesan cheese (optional)

Heat the butter and olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat, until butter begins to sizzle. Add the leeks and garlic and cook gently until leeks are soft. Add carrots and celery and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn heat up to medium-high and add mince. Cook, stirring often, until mince is browned. Add wine and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and sugar and stir to combine ingredients. Turn heat to low and leave to simmer while you cook the pasta.

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Some people like to add olive oil to their water to stop the pasta sticking, but as long as you stir your pasta occasionally while its cooking, and don’t overcook it, you shouldn’t need to do this. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to packet instructions – usually about 6 minutes. Make sure you taste a piece of your pasta before you drain it, to make sure it’s cooked to your liking. I recommend cooking it al dente, which means cooked, but with a little bite, but if you like your pasta cooked more than this, go for it!

Drain the pasta, remove the sauce from the heat, and add pasta to sauce. Stir through and serve. You can top with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some grated or shaved parmesan if you like, but please make sure it’s good parmesan!

The best thing about cooking is that it is a necessary part of our daily lives, but it's easy to turn it into something we love.

I've been cooking for as long as I remember. When I was little I would help my mum with dinner, or help my childcarer make cakes. I still love licking the beaters!

I'm pretty lucky in a lot of ways. Firstly, I don't have any major food aversions. There are certain things I'm not fond of, including coffee and pumpkin, but I'll try anything once. I ate sashimi for the first time when I was six, before it was even trendy.

Secondly, I grew up with a fantastic cook. A lot of what I know about cooking I learnt from watching my mother. She taught me that cooking can be both easy and fun. And watching her get compliments from people who come to eat at our house is another inspiration!

Thirdly, I've grown up in a fairly multicultural society, where all different forms of cooking are embraced. I'm glad that I can buy the ingredients for a Japanese banquet almost as easily as for a good old barbecue. If I decide to go out for dinner, I can choose from Chinese, Japanese, Indian, South African, Korean, Italian, Mexican, modOz and more, all within 20 minutes of home.

Fourthly, cooking is experiencing a real resurgence at the moment, thanks to people like Jamie Oliver. It means there's a spread in the cookbooks, utensils and ingredients that are available, and its considered cool to be a cook.

And last but not least, there's a real push on fresh ingredients. Gone are the days of lamb chops with instant mashed potato and rehydrated peas. Now it's so easy to buy good-quality fresh fruit and vegetables, which makes cooking great food easier than ever.

So welcome to my blog. I'd love to hear your feedback on my recipes, and what you'd like to see more of.