Dinner. Sorted.
George Georgievski excels in fast food you make yourself
No other words instil fear quite like those uttered daily in households around the country: “What's for dinner?” The dinner-time struggle is real, but help is here, with these life-saving recipes from Australia's lunchbox dad, George Georgievski.
There are 60 fast, fresh and easy dinner ideas, in his new book Dinner Express, most of which can be whipped up in 30 minutes or less with ingredients that you'll already have in your pantry and fridge.
Whether it's hearty pies, quick ideas with mince, meals with hidden veges for the kids, simple pasta and rice dishes, or the whole chapter devoted to pimping up a supermarket roast chook, this book will help you create fast dinners the whole family will devour.
PORK, FENNEL & TOMATO PASTA
When you take your first bite of this dish you'll be immediately transported to a traditional restaurant in southern Italy! My big sister, Suzy, makes this dish really well, and she often mixes up the sausages to create different flavours.
Grab the following
■ 2 Tbsp olive oil
■ 1 onion, diced
■ 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
■ 4 pork and fennel sausages
■ 400 g can whole peeled tomatoes
■ 250 ml (1 cup) white wine
■ 1 tsp salt flakes
■ 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
■ 500 g fresh egg pasta, such as tagliatelle
■ 1/2 cup basil leaves
■ grated parmesan, to serve
Let’s rock
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes until soft and translucent. Chop one end off each sausage and simply squeeze the meat into the pan, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Stir through the tomatoes, then add the white wine and take a step back while the alcohol cooks out. You'll know this is done when you can no longer smell the wine! Season with the salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 125 ml (1⁄2 cup) of the cooking water.
Easy so far? We are almost done. Add the reserved pasta cooking water to the sauce and simmer for 15 minutes or until the sauce is reduced and slightly thickened. Add the pasta to the pan and flip it (or maybe don't) and stir through the sauce until the pasta is completely coated. Add the basil leaves at the last minute as we want them to remain as fresh as possible.
Divide among serving bowls, top with a little grated parmesan and serve immediately. —
Did you know?
You can use your favourite sausages to change up the overall flavour, but I personally think that the pork and fennel really make this dish. Back in the day someone must have gone to a lot of effort to invent that flavour profile, so I like to take advantage of it!