These cold, wintery nights need good, hearty, wholesome food for those lovely comfort moments. Food is very important to me and the food I eat should look pretty, taste gorgeous and should be good for me too and ofcourse, when eating on a cold day, it's got to be hearty too. Cold salads on a horribily cold day don't appeal to most of us. Eating should be a pleasurable experience, family time that should be enjoyed by all. Never, ever discuss controversial matters on the dinner table and always, always have food that everyone enjoys. Well, this is what my mum always says. Also, never, ever serve too much quantity of any particular dish, always have the people wanting more...that way people enjoy what they have got and look forward to having it again, without being bored...
All right, lets get to the dish I'm going to be writing about today. Well, it's a spicy pasta, beans and vegetable hotpot. I had this at my friend's house last week and absolutely loved it. Ofcourse, I made it promptly for dinner at mine - and it went down well. So, here I am, sharing this with all food lovers....
Spicy Pasta, Beans and Veg Hotpot (Serves 4)
Ingredients
- 50 gms of pasta (I use wholemeal, but use whatever takes your fancy) per person
- 1 can of baked beans
- 1 large onion, finely sliced
- 4 peppers, finely sliced
- 2 large tomatoes, skin removed and diced or 1/2 can of tinned tomatoes
- 2 courgettes, cut in thin rounds
- 1 aubergine, cut in thin rounds
- 2 tbsps of grated cheddar cheese
- 1/2 spoon chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp light soya sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- salt to taste (I use sea salt)
Method
- Add oil to a hot pan
- Add onions and peppers
- Saute for about 3 - 4 minutes
- Add the tomatoes, followed by the tomato ketchup
- Cook on low heat for about 3 - 4 minutes
- Add the baked beans and cook for another 4 - 5 minutes
- Add soya sauce, lemon juice, chilli flakes, salt
- Turn the heat off
- Turn the oven on to 180 degrees Centigrade
- Roast the courgettes and aubergine (by adding olive oil, salt and curry powder to the veg and layer it out on a baking dish in the oven) for about 25 minutes and then keep them aside
- Boil the water in a pan for cooking pasta (as per packet instructions)
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce in the pan
- Turn on the oven to 180 degrees centigrade again
- Now, layer the bottom of a baking dish with pasta and the sauce (cooked earlier on)
- Add a layer of courgettes and aubergine
- Add another layer of pasta and the cooked sauce
- Add another layer of courgettes and aubergine
- Finish with the last layer of past and sauce
- Add the grated cheddar on top
- Bake for about 10 minutes
- Serve with a fresh green salad
This is truely gorgeous and I would recommend this to anyone looking for comfort on a cold winter night......
