Ma Dashper's Recipes
Welcome to the recipe vault!
Here you will find a series of tried and tested recipes that have tickled my tastebuds, and those of my friends and family, over the years...

This is a great general Italian sauce that can be use with meatballs, plain with pasta or as a base for lasagne.
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil;
- 2 onions, finely chopped;
- 2 large carrots, finely chopped;
- 4 celery stalks,finely chopped;
- 2 dried red chillies (optional)
- 2 large tomatoes chopped finely;
- 1 carton of pasata;
- 3 x 390g carton of chopped tomatoes;
- 2 small handfuls of brown lentils;
- Large handful each of basil, thyme, marjoram and parsley, finely chopped;
- Seasoning.
Here’s what you do:
Step 1 - Put the oil over a low to medium heat in alarge pot.
Step 2 - When the oil is hot add the onions and cook until softened, but not brown.
Step 3 - Add the carrot, celery and tomatoes and sweat down for about 10 minutes.
Step 4 - Add the chillies (if using), pasata, chopped tomatoes, lentils, herbs and seasoning.
Step 5 - Simmer the sauce for at least 2 hours, longer if possible. Keep an eye on the sauce and add a little water from time to time while stirring.
That gives you the basic recipe, but here are some extra tips should you need them:
Option 1 - If you want to spice this up a bit, you can add some more paprika.
Option 2 - If you prefer a less chunky soup, you can liquidize half or all of the soup to reach your desired texture. I like to do this anyway as you then taste all of the flavours with every mouthful.
Kitchen implements required:
- Chopping board
- Sharp knife
- Large pot