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Giovanni Rana Review

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I’ve been lucky this month, I’ve had some really lovely foodie products sent to me to taste and review. One of these products is Giovanni Rana filled pasta.

For those of you haven’t yet heard of the brand here is some background info for you:

For over 50 years, Giovanni Rana has been recognised as a symbol of good taste and quality products, creating fresh pasta for people to enjoy at home since 1962.

Giovanni’s own culinary journey began as a young boy whilst working in his family’s bakery, taking care of the production and the distribution of bread. With the gradual movement of women into the workplace in the late 50s, however, Giovanni recognised that women increasingly had little time to make fresh pasta at home. Sensing an opportunity, the then baker began crafting hand-made pasta in his own kitchen, using the very best ingredients to create a diverse variety of flavours. With his skill, technique and “obsession” for quality, he perfectly replicated homemade Italian pasta.

His products quickly became “Italy’s Most Loved” and today Giovanni Rana is a trusted source of delicious, classic Italian dishes, which can be easily prepared in the comfort of the home kitchen. His passion for authentic Italian taste, careful attention to selecting the best ingredients, unique preparation and years of experience has set the standard for pasta.
www.rana.it/uk

I knew these were being sent out to me a while ago and while I waited we saw some on offer in our local supermarket so we bought two different flavours to try( Chicken & Rosemary Ravioli & Selected Italian Cheeses Ravioli) they were truly delicious. I was pretty excited to receive some more and we received two new flavours: Cured Ham & Cheese Tortelloni & Gorgonzola & Crunchy Mellow Walnut Ravioli I think my favourite is the cured ham and cheese but we have really enjoyed trying all four flavours. Perfect for a light lunch or as part of a main meal. We ate them lightly tossed in butter or olive oil but you could also try with an accompanying sauce.

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There are lots of good offers currently on in various supermarkets and I really think if you love pasta you will love this.

* I was sent this product for free in exchange for a review.

Lazy leftover pasta

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Sometimes it gets to that point in the week when I should really have done my weekly shop but for one reason or another I haven’t got around to it so I scrabble around in the fridge and cupboards to pull together a meal – usually pasta.

My leftover pasta dishes are very adaptable, I make a different version most weeks but this weeks was super tasty so thought I would share it with you:

Lazy Leftover Pasta

You will need:

2 sausages ( cooked and chopped or roughly chopped and cooked from raw)
1/4 of a large courgette cubed
4 shallots diced
3 overripe tomatoes chopped roughly
1-2 garlic cloves diced
1/2 teaspoon of dried chilli flakes or half a fresh red chilli diced
Crushed black peppercorns
Fresh herbs ( I used basil as needed to use it up but any you have or dried would be fine)
150ml of single cream ( to make a healthier version swap with tin of chopped tomatoes)
Olive oil
Leftover cheese (whatever you have – I had cheddar)
300g pasta ( anything you have – I used twists)

* You could add in peppers/vegetables but I only used what as in my fridge or you could use chorizo instead of sausage – I had run out and needed to use up my sausage.

Put your pasta on to cook according to packet instructions.
Fry your chopped sausages with a little olive oil over a medium heat along with your onions and garlic, when browned add your courgette,tomatoes and herbs as well as chilli flakes and pepper. Slowly cook over a medium heat until meat is cooked and everything else has softened. Reduce the heat and add your cream. Within a few seconds your cream will turn a light pinky colour. Drain your pasta and add to your pan stirring well.

Serve immediately topped with a little grated cheese and I also threw on some (slightly limp)rocket and a little more pepper. Yum.

It was delicious, slightly naughty and indulgent due to the cream and with a kick from the chilli flakes.

This served two very hungry adults ( one pregnant) and with leftovers for my OH to take to work. If you were making for children you may want to leave out the chilli flakes or reduce slightly depending on their taste buds.

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Link up your recipe of the week

Hide the veggies pasta sauce

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My daughter will eat pretty much anything. I know I’m lucky and many of my friends and family really struggle with what their toddlers will or won’t eat. I am also sensible enough to realise this may not last forever and next month she may be as picky as picky can be.

Today I was making up a pasta sauce for my OH to take to work and decided to make up a batch for Izzy at the same time. Now as I said at this moment I don’t have any problems with getting her to eat veg but this is a sure fire way of knowing that she gets everything she needs.

So here we have a super easy but tasty tomato sauce which can be whipped up in 5 minutes and frozen if necessary.

You will need:

A carton of passata (500g)
A large handful of baby spinach leaves
2 handfuls of frozen broccoli ( steamed or boiled)
1 sweet potato ( diced
50g of cheese (grated)
1 knob of butter
1 tbsp of chopped parsley

Boil/steam your broccoli and sweet potato and set aside.
Sauté your spinach in butter until soft, add your passata, broccoli, sweet potato, cheese and parsley. Warm through and use a hand blender to thoroughly blend all ingredients.

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This made enough to feed my hungry man and toddler with another leftover for another meal. Next time I’ll definitely make double and freeze a batch.

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Loving your leftovers

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Every time I make Spaghetti Bolognese I make too much sauce, sometimes it’s unintentional but mostly not as I do plan to freeze it etc etc. The only problem is that my plan goes awry most of the time and I end up wasting more than I use as I forget it dwindling away in the freezer or worse I forget to freeze it at all. I have now started to use up my leftover sauce a day or two after I make it but rather than have another Spag Bol I make a tasty bolognese bake. I got the idea for this from Izzys grandfather who makes something similar but I’ve created my own somewhere along the line.

I’m sure you all have a favourite Bolognese recipe but here is mine which I have made with some additions or substitutions for years now:

Beckys Bolognese

Minced beef- of a decent quality is best as you can taste the difference
1 onion – diced
Passata
Tomato purée
3 or 4 garlic cloves minced or diced
Fresh chopped tomatoes ( I like cherry tomatoes on the vine )
Aunt Bessie’s finely chopped frozen veg
Olive oil
Fresh herbs ( think oregano, basil, rosemary, sage, thyme ) chopped. Dried is fine but fresh makes it special.
Seasoning ( seasalt and freshly ground black pepper)

Sauté your onions in the olive oil before adding your mince until browned then I literally add everything and cook for as long as I want.. The longer the better. I use the frozen mixed veg purely out of laziness but it really is great as it includes carrots, celery, onion and leeks which are all things I like in my sauce anyway. I haven’t included quantities as I never measure when making this which is probably why I always make too much!

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If I have them I also like to throw in some sliced red and green peppers.

Serve with spaghetti.

**Special tip – to give your dish something extra whiz up some breadcrumbs mixed with herbs in a food processor and lightly toast in a pan with some olive oil and crushed garlic. When you have dished out sprinkle some breadcrumbs and parmesan over your dish. So good.**

And so onto my bolognese bake:

A day or two after I make my bolognese I use the leftover sauce to make a special pasta bake.

You will need:

A bag of pasta ( I tend to use penne for this)
50g plain flour
50g Butter
1 pint of Milk
175g Cheese
1/2-1tsp Mustard
Leftover Bolognese sauce
Seasoning

Cook your pasta as per packet instructions whilst slowly reheating your bolognese in a large ovenproof pan or cazuela, during this time make up a basic white sauce. To do this create a roux with your plain flour and butter then add your milk and whisk until smooth, let your sauce boil stirring continuously and then add 100g of grated cheese, seasoning and mustard. When cooked, drain your pasta and stir into your bolognese sauce. Top with your cheese sauce and sprinkle with grated cheese and season.

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Place in a hot oven for 20-25 minutes until golden and bubbling.

This tastes better than the original spaghetti bolognese. The flavours in the sauce have really come together and the cheese sauce on top is divine. It’s a cheats lasagne I guess and definitely good for those on a budget as you should have everything in your cupboard or fridge already.

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I serve this with a simple salad.

I love to hear your comments and I love it even more when you have tried a recipe out for yourself 🙂

* This post is part of the #FaveFamilyRecipes Competition with BritMums and Tilda Rice. Every pack sold will provide a meal to an expectant mum in Bangladesh.

Tagliatelle Aglio Olio

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This Tagliatelle Aglio Olio can easily be made for less than £5.00 and allows for 2 hungry adults and a little leftover for a next day lunch.

You will need:

1 large sauce pan and 1 smaller frying pan or cazuela.
250-300g of tagliatelle.
2 cloves of crushed garlic or I use 2 frozen cubes of minced garlic.
4 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil
Spoonful of dried chilli flakes or a good dollop of chilli paste
seasoning
Basil to garnish

Cook pasta according to packet instructions.
When there are 5 minutes remaining, put the olive oil and chillis into a small pan and cook over a low heat for a couple of minutes giving you s lovely chilli flavoured oil.
Add salt&pepper then the garlic and continue to cook for roughly 4-5 minutes. Be very careful not to burn the garlic as this will ruin the flavour.

When the pasta is cooked to your preference ( I prefer al dente) you should drain then stir in the sauce topped with your chopped basil garnish.

* this is meant to be a very simple dish with very cheap ingredients however if you want to adapt it to include meat, bacon lardons work very well and if you are veggie baby leaf spinach is great also.

Serve with home made garlic bread ( see below)

Home made garlic bread ( the easiest possible way) :
Chop a french stick into thin rounds then toast lightly before spreading on some lurpak garlic butter and cooking in oven for 5 mins. If you are counting calories you can rub with a clove of garlic and spread some extra light flora or a little olive oil on instead.

This is probably the tastiest EASY meal I have made in a long time.