Baked Pasta with Ground Beef in Spicy Tomato Sauce

Before I began with the recipe, please note that you will only need to bake this dish very briefly to get the cheese melted to give it a nice golden crust on the top. Most of the cooking will be on the stove. This dish serves about 4-5 adults. You can stretch it [if you're on a budget] by adding in more pasta and as cheese is quite costly, I tend to add more of the bechamel sauce and less of the cheese. I tend to use any store bought pasta sauce [from the Jar type] which I find is quite yummy, cost and time effective too. Of course homemade sauce is always better but who has the time!

Also, please feel free to use or replace any type of vegetables you have available. It's not necessary to get a particular ingredient just because the recipe says so. Be creative and let out that inner chef in you!!



Ingredients

For the Bechamel [white] sauce

2 Cups of Milk [UHT or Powdered Milk mixed with warm water]

100 gms Butter

1.5 cups All Purpose Flour

Salt & Pepper

2 Egg Yolks

1. In a heavy based pot or pan, melt butter on very low fire. As it melts, stir in the flour in 3 batches. Be sure to stir vigorously til all the flour is well blended with the butter and becomes a smooth very thick paste. Note: You may add more flour if you find that the sauce is too watery at this stage.
2. Pour in half of the milk and the 2 egg yolks into the pot and stir untill well blended. Add in the remaining milk till you reach a smooth and thick custard like consistency in your sauce. Note: If your sauce is still too thick, you may add more milk or water to adjust.
3. Seasoned with Salt and Pepper [To taste] and set it aside.

Recipe for Spicy Beef Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

500 gms of Ground Beef

2 Tbs Cooking Oil

2 Tbs Chilli Powder

1 Tbs Cayenne Pepper [If not available, just add more Chilli Powder]

2 Tps Cumin Powder

2 Jars of store bought Tomato Based Pasta Suace [the type with chunky vege is better]

Salt & Pepper to taste

Grated Cheddar or Parmesan Cheese [Reserved for later]

* You can add in more vegetables if you like [Eggplant, Mushrooms, Bell Peppers, Grated Carrots, Tomatoes etc.]

Method

1. Heat the pan on high heat and add in the oil. Once hot, add in ground beef and stir for a minute making sure to break up huge pieces of the beef.
2. Add in Chilli Powder, Cumin, Cayenne Pepper and stir till well combined. If you have any vege to add this will be the time to add in your chopped veges.
3. Pour in the 2 Jars of Pasta Sauce and add 1 cup of water into pan. Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes on medium heat or till your vegies are cooked.
4. Seasoned to taste with Salt and Pepper. Note: Some Sauces can be a little too sour/acidic, add in a tsp or 2 of sugar if you prefer to cut down on the sourness]
5. Set it aside.

For The Pasta

1 Large Packet of Fussilli / Shell Shaped Pasta

Just follow the cooking instructions on the packet itself. Always check on the doneness of the pasta 1 to 2 minutes before the allocated cooked time. You don't want an overcooked pasta!

* Be sure to salt the cooking water heavily with salt. [about 3 tablespoons of salt] This will bring out the natural flavour of the pasta when its cooked.

To Assemble

In a large Casserole dish [oven proof], mixed the cooked pasta with the spicy tomato sauce till well combined. Level the surface and topped with the White Bechamel Sauce. Sprinkle with the grated Cheese and baked in an oven at 180 degrees Celcius. Till the cheese melts and the top is golden brown.

Serve Hot.

Chinese school or Kebangsaan school?

Last week, My 5yr old daughter's kindergarten teacher called to talk about my daughter.
Her concern was that my daughter was too slow when it came to writing in school. (she's talking about her chinese writing and BM and English as well).

My girl will be going to Standard One in 2011 and I've registered her into a Chinese school near my house. Mandarin is not my mother tongue and I basically speak only English at home.

But ever since May last year I've enrolled my girl into a Chinese kindergarten and sent her to a Chinese lady to babysit her after school as I'm at work till 6pm.

My daughter's babysitter is a very very nice lady (my daughter calls her Choong Auntie), who helps my girl in her homework and talks to her in Mandarin throughout the day.

My daughter did not know or understand any Mandarin at all until she started going to Choong Auntie's house and this kindergarten and today she can understand all that the teachers and her babysitter says. Nowadays my child even converses in Mandarin to her fellow Chinese friends. but her conversation is laced with lots of English words.

However, after what the teacher said to me, I was worried, was I making the right decision or am I going to ruin her education life?

After her (the teacher's) comments, (i really don't blame her) I know she's just concern about my child catching up in School because she really is very slow in her writing. And you know what they say about Chinese Schools, they are famous for giving loads of homework and they will cane the kids if they don't do it. She also told me some teachers will ignore the very slow ones especially if they have too many kids to attend too. She said some Chinese schools will focus only on the Chinese subjects and neglect BM and English.

Worse is the school I registered my daughter at has very high expectations of the students and they have about 42 to 45 kids per classroom! I was advised to either send her to tuition full time (meaning from 1pm to 5pm) instead of this current babysitter or if i didn't want my child to suffer better to just put her into the Kebangsaan school as she may not catch up in a Chinese School and will be left to be the last in class all the time. Thus my quandary, Do I listen to the teacher or put her into Kebangsaan school?

I want my daughter to be able to read and write in Mandarin. Moreover I feel being in the Chinese school would give her an added advantage over being in the normal Kebangsaan School.
I know there is nothing wrong with the Kebangsaan School yet I believe the Chinese school education system is better. I know many of you may argue that the Kebangsaan school is just as good if not better yet I prefer if she can go to the Chinese school. Besides my late mom was Chinese but she didn't speak Chinese so I want to make sure my daughter knows something of her heritage.

My daughter's babysitter said there is no need to send her to tuition as what she will get at the tuition will be the same as what she is currently getting now. Besides she said the tuition will cost more (and I have a budget to follow). Choong Auntie told me to leave her as she is and later she will catch up it's just she's still very young now and is playful like all children her age is.

I know a few people who are not Chinese but have successfully sent their kids to Chinese School and they have no regrets.
My sister and my brother- in-law have sent their son to a Chinese school initially they have lots of issues with him yet it looks like it's working out well. My sister gave me some good advise too (By the way, Thanks dear!) She said we have to stick to it and it'll work out. My sister's former neighbour a Malay Family has 5 kids all in Chinese School the parents do not speak a word of Mandarin yet the kids are doing well. Another good friend of mine said someone they know (Indians) sent both their daughters to Chinese school and she heard the two daughters arguing in Mandarin!
One other very good family friend (Indian) who has successfully sent both sons to Chinese school told me this, she had the same issues as me when she 1st made her decision for her kids she said she had more faith in her kids then the teacher had. So her advise is to go for it.

And with all these helpful advise I have decided to trust in my daughter and stick to my decision as well.

That's my story for today.

Happy Easter!

Wishing everyone a Blessed Easter!