Beef tomato pasta

This weekend was a great one. On Saturday both my niece and my nephew came over for a visit after I prepared dozens of pancakes, some with chocolate, some with strawberry jam, plumb jam and even raspberry jam. All of them I got from a friend who makes fruit jams and they’re one of the most delicious I’ve ever tried since they really have pieces of fruit in them, and pancakes with fruit jam spread are the best. He sells the jams at a local market so I can always grab a jar, every time we finish one at home.

After eating a few pancakes we went to a big park near my house called Maksimir, for me the most beautiful park in Zagreb. There you can visit the ZOO, go to one of the parks with swings and slides if with kids, take a walk by one of five lakes located in the park and breathe some fresh air. After dropping off the kids I had the chance to show all of that to a friend of mine who came from China, that was her first time there and she loved it. We finished the day by watching the sunset eating a cake in a cafe located in the park. If you ever visit Zagreb, this is one of the places you must visit!

After having a great time at the park, I was full of inspiration and I cook best when inspired. I came home to check if I had everything for a dish I really love, and fortunately there it was. I pulled out a pan and a pot and the rest is history.

You can find the recipe below and I hope you’ll enjoy!

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Preparation: 15 min

Cook time: 25 min

Servings: 2-4

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Ingredients

• 400 g beef
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 parsnip, sliced
• fresh parsley
• 1 celery
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 1/2 small onion
• 300 g pasta penne
• 30 g butter
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• fresh basil to season
• 150 g Parmesan cheese, grated
• salt & pepper to taste

How to

1. Place beef in a large pot with water, add sliced carrot, parsnip, parsley, celery, onion, tomato paste and salt & pepper to taste. Bring water to a boil and cook until the beef is soft. Remove beef from pot, the remaining broth you can use to make soup. Slice the cooked beef.
2. In a second pot cook penne pasta until al dente. Heat butter in a pan and add cooked penne pasta. Let it simmer until crispy. Add sliced beef and tomatoes, cook for a few more minutes. Finish the dish by topping it with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese!