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Cosy Pasta Bake


This is a family recipe and a meal I have loved since I was little. It's very versatile, meaning you can swap out ingredients you don't like for ones you will enjoy more. This pasta bake can be cosy soul food for a cold day or a dish for the summertime garden meal. It's refreshing yet filling, and while it's not the quickest or simplest to make, once it's done you can put it in the freezer for a quick meal on days when you only have time to heat something up, or you can enjoy it fresh. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do.


These measurements are not exact as when this is made it is often estimated.


Serves 4

Ingredients

3 fillets smoked fish (haddock or cod)

1 packet coldwater prawns

500ml milk + enough to cover the fish when poaching

50g butter

2tbsp plain flour

250g cheddar cheese

½ tsp Dijon mustard

500g pasta (fusilli works best)

Veg - we often use a few handfuls of spinach or some leeks

A couple of bay leaves

Black pepper

Pinch of salt


Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200℃.

  2. Put the fish into a baking dish and add milk until covered. Add in a couple of bay leaves and a few grinds of black pepper.

  3. Cook for 15 minutes or until the fish is fully cooked. You can tell if it's cooked if it flakes easily when pulled apart gently with a fork.

  4. To make the cheese sauce, first take the fish out of the baking dish and pour the milk into a measuring jug. Then make this up to 500ml by adding additional milk. Melt the butter in a saucepan and over a low heat add the flour. Whisk for 1 minute for the flour to cook, and then gradually add the milk. Whisk in between to avoid lumps.

  5. Cook the sauce over low heat, gently whisking continually until it comes to a boil. Then turn the heat down to simmer, mix in the Dijon mustard and leave to simmer for 3 minutes. Whisk now and then, and at the same time, flake the fish.

  6. Meanwhile, grate the cheese and reserve a handful to go on top of the finished bake. Add the rest to the sauce, whisking in until melted and the sauce is smooth.

  7. Bring a large pan of water to a boil and add a large pinch of salt. Cook the pasta until al dente - using the instructions on the packet - then drain and put back into the saucepan. Cook your veg meanwhile.

  8. Put the fish, veg and white sauce all into the pan with the drained pasta. Mix until combined, and then spoon it into a baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

  9. If freezing, do so now.

  10. Bake from fresh for 30 minutes, or from defrosted for 45 minutes.

  11. Eat piping hot and enjoy!



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jeremybacon11
09 oct 2023

I agree Maddy - very tasty. Only a fork needed, so saves on washing up too!

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Comments (7)

Guest
May 12, 2024

Looking forward to the next one Mads! Sensible decision to give yourself time to focus on your mocks, but don't forget to schedule in some downtime too..!😎Dad..XXXX

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Guest
Apr 04, 2024

These were delish Mads. Might be worth a try with just dark chocolate? Then you get the health benefits too....!😀XXXX

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jeremybacon11
Mar 03, 2024

Mmmm...scrummy Mads!! XXXX

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jeremybacon11
Nov 20, 2023

Insghtful and well thought out as always Mads..XXXX

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Guest
Nov 12, 2023

Read this with great interest, Maddy. Well done. Failure and success may be quite subjective, don't forget, and sometimes we are our own harshest critics. Learning to recognise our own limits takes a lifetime as well!

Do you think it might help to pray for guidance, when faced with choices or difficult decisions? I guess this depends on your views on God - does he/she exist? Can he/she be trusted? Is he/she remotely interested in me (you) and our life journey? What if I (you) don't agree with the guidance? How do I (you) recognise the guidance in the first place?

Above all, avoid becoming as disenchanted as Macbeth. I love the play, some wonderful speeches. Watched a very old Orson Welles production last night, and the "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow ..." speech is one of my favourite!

Carry on blogging.

Lots of love,

Kate x


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jeremybacon11
Sep 04, 2023

Good blog Mads - well researched as usual!🙂 Check out BBC News for other info on this subject - inlcuding their own gender pay gap...

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islabacon12
Feb 17, 2023

Imagine you're innocent and get the death penalty.

?!

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