Eat them to defeat them Carbonara

 

Eat them to defeat them Carbonara

• Handful of tender stem broccoli
• Fusilli pasta 350g (varies on how hungry you are)
• 200g cubed pancetta
• Handful of chopped Chorizo
• 50g grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 egg yolks
• Large handful of sweetcorn
• Large handful of peas
• Black pepper
• Salt

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the trimmed broccoli and simmer for 3 minutes, remove the broccoli and set aside to cool down.  Once cooled, chop into small pieces.  Leave the water in the pan as we will use this to cook the pasta in.

Bring your saucepan of water back to the boil and cook your pasta according to packet instructions, add the peas and sweetcorn (frozen is best).  Whilst the pasta is cooking place a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the pancetta and chorizo, they will release their own oils so no need to add oil to the pan.  Lower the heat and continue to fry until crispy.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain (reserve some of the liquid) and then add the pasta to the frying pan, stir well to ensure the pasta soaks up the oils from the pancetta and chorizo.  Remove the pan from the heat, add about 3/4 cup of the reserved water and the egg yolks and stir to create a creamy sauce.  Stir in the broccoli , season with pepper and then sprinkle over the grated Parmesan and serve!

This is a great recipe to include a variety of veggies in and certainly inline with the schools, the kids are definitely eating them to defeat them with this recipe.  If you want to keep to a vegetarian dish omit the meats and add more veggies to the mix, the more the merrier.

The kids both loved this dish and it got two thumbs up from them both, hope you enjoy as much as they did.

Ricotta and Parmesan stuffed pasta shells

Ricotta and Parmesan stuffed pasta shells

• 250g pasta shells
• 475 grams Ricotta cheese 
• 30g grated Parmesan cheese plus a bit extra for topping the pasta
• 1 egg
• Salt & pepper to season
• 2 tsp finely chopped parsley (keep some in reserve for garnish)
• 2 tsp chopped basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 150g grated mozzarella
• 600g marinara sauce

Method:
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.  Depending on the cooking instructions for your pasta, cook the shells for around half the required time as we want the shells to still be firm when we stuff them otherwise they will end up breaking if too soft!  Drain the shells under cold water and leave to one side.

In a bowl add the ricotta, Parmesan, egg, seasoning, lemon zest and herbs, mix well until you have a nice loose texture.  Place the mix into a piping bag if you have one, if not place into a freezer/sandwich bag and snip off a corner and use that to pipe with.  Pipe some of the cheese mixture into each of the shells and set aside.

Spread the base of your oven dish with some of the marinara sauce and place the filled pasta shells on top.  Cover the shells with the remaining marinara sauce and sprinkle  over the mozzarella cheese and a good few grinds of Parmesan cheese, place in a preheated oven (180 degrees) for around 30 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and golden.  When serving, sprinkle with some of the reserved parsley and enjoy with a crisp fresh salad and some garlic bread.

Despite the pasta and cheese this dish is surprisingly light thanks to the filling in the shells.  The measurements for this recipe can vary depending on the size of the dish you use to cook the pasta in, a good way to check the pasta content is to place dried shells into your dish to see how many it takes to fill!  If you do end up with too many shells don't worry, you can still fill them with the cheese mixture and freeze them to use another day.  This recipe is also great to make ahead of time and simply place into the oven when required.

Lasagne

Lasagne

• 300g fresh lasagne
• 75g finely grated Parmesan
• 50g butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 stick of celery, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 250g pancetta, finely chopped
• 600g mincemeat
• 300ml red wine
• 4 tbsp tomato purée
• 400ml beef stock
• 150ml double cream
• Sea salt and ground black pepper
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning

Bechamel sauce

• 600ml full fat milk
• 60g butter
• 60g plain flour
• Freshly grated black pepper

Method:

First we need to make the ragu (that's the meat sauce).  Heat the oil and butter in a large deep saucepan over a medium heat, add the vegetables and fry until softened.  Add the pancetta and mincemeat and fry until browned off (making sure you break up the mince otherwise you end up with clumps!).  Add the wine and simmer until it is absorbed into the mixture, then add the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, tomato purée and a little of the stock, stir well, cover and cook over a low heat for 1 1/2 hours, stirring in the remaining stock during this process.  Stir in the cream and cook uncovered for around 10 minutes or so until it is reduced, then set aside.

To make the bechamel sauce, heat the milk until it's just about to boil, then set aside.  Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour over a medium heat until you have a smooth golden roux.  Gradually add the hot milk, stirring all the time, until the sauce is smooth and thick, then stir in a few grinds of black pepper then set aside.

Preheat the oven to 170g (fan assisted).  In a large rectangular baking dish add about a third of the ragu, smooth it out until the base is covered, cover with sheets of lasagne, top with a third of the bechamel sauce and then repeat the layers twice more.  Sprinkle over the Parmesan and bake for around 40 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and browned.  Serve hot on its own or with a nice green salad and garlic bread.  This recipe will feed 6 or with careful portioning you could get 8 servings.

I prefer to use fresh pasta but you can use dry sheets, however they can be a bit crunchy if not covered fully!  Whilst it may seem a long time to cook the mince you will be glad you did as you will end up with a thick glossy ragu which is packed with flavour.  

This dish is perfect for any time of year and is an all time classic, once mastered you won't need another ragu recipe!  If you like to batch cook you can portion up some of the ragu and add some tinned chopped tomatoes and you then have a perfect bolognese sauce.

Quick roasted tomato pasta sauce

Quick roasted tomato pasta sauce

• 3lb cherry tomatoes
• 60 ml olive oil (plus few teaspoons extra)
• Small handful of basil leaves
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 large bulbs of garlic, minced
• Salt and ground black pepper
• Large handful of sliced olives
• Large handful of finely ground Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 140 degrees (fan assisted) or 160 normal.  Line two baking trays with tin foil and divide the tomatoes between the tins. 

 Drizzle over a little olive oil and ensure the tomatoes get coated then roast in the oven for around 30-40 minutes.  

The tomatoes by this time will have burst the skins and start to shrivel.  Remove the tomatoes from the oven and set aside.  

In a large heavy bottomed pan heat 60ml of olive oil and then fry the onion and garlic for a few minutes until the onion has sweated out (looks a little see through).  

Add the tomatoes along with any juice collected on the trays (careful tipping these in, it can get messy).  Season with salt and pepper, add the herbs and mix thoroughly.  

Turn the heat down to low, partially cover the pan and leave the tomatoes to simmer away for an hour or so, stirring occasionally.

Once cooked, leave the tomatoes to cool down somewhat then either place the mix into a blender and blend or use a stick blender and blend the tomatoes in the pan (which is easier and saves on some washing up!).  

Leave the sauce to cool completely and then add the olives and Parmesan cheese.  We only put the olives and cheese in at this stage as we want to keep the olives chunky and also we don't want the cheese to melt into hot sauce!

This sauce will be perfect with the pasta of your choice, however I would recommend conchiglie rigate or penne pasta as the sauce is quite thick and will cling to the pasta.  The sauce will keep in the fridge for several days but making this sort of volume, keep some to one side to use now and then freeze the rest in small containers.  

For this recipe I used mainly my home grown cherry tomatoes but also topped them up with some baby plum tomatoes.  The sauce should look quite creamy and thick, if a bit thick for your liking you can always water it down slightly with some vegetable stock.  I hope you enjoy...

The final dish! I used conchiglie rigate pasta and added chorizo and black olives  

Linguine alle Vongole

Linguine alle Vongole

• 350g linguine
• 2 tbsp olive oil plus extra for drizzling
• 1/2 tsp deseeded and finely sliced red chilli
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 500g clams, cleaned and rinsed
• Splash of dry white wine
• 2 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley
• Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
• Chunk of chorizo, sliced 

Method:

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the linguine according to the packet instructions.  Whilst the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large deep frying pan over a medium heat.  Add the chilli and garlic and cook for around 4 minutes, keep an eye on the garlic, you don't want it to burn! Add the chorizo and cook for a few more minutes by which time the chorizo should start to crisp and also release plenty of oil (which will add to the flavour of the dish).  Add the clams, wine and tomatoes to the pan, cover and cook on a high heat for 2-3 minutes until the clams have opened.  Remove the pan from the heat and remove and discard any clams that have not opened (do not crack into the shell to get to the clam, it will make you sick!!!).  Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the clams, turn gently to combine and stir in the chopped parsley and drizzle over a little olive oil it it looks a bit dry.

This is yet another quick and easy recipe and perfect for any time of the year.  If you can't get hold of fresh clams, don't be afraid to buy frozen, they are just as good and will have been cleaned and prepped already so saves you some of the hassle.  If buying fresh clams, soak them in salted iced water for 30 minutes before rinsing and cooking.  Before you cook the clams, discard any broken ones or clams that remain open when gently tapped, you do not want to eat these, trust me!  This can be served alongside a nice fresh garden salad and garlic bread, trust me, this is a winner...

Super Tuna Pasta Salad, Feta & Crispy Cayenne Crumbs

Super Tuna Pasta Salad, Feta and Crispy Cayenne Crumbs

• 1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 lemons
• 250g dried pasta shells
• 350g broccoli
• 1 slice wholemeal bread
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 cucumber
• 1/2 bunch of fresh chives or dill
• 4 tbsp natural yoghurt
• 2 X 120g tins of tuna in spring water 
• 50g feta cheese

Method:

Place the chopped onion into a large bowl with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then squeeze over all the lemon juice and put aside.

Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions.  Chop the broccoli florets off the stalk.  Cut the woody end off the stalk, halve the stalk lengthways, then chick it in with the pasta to cook through.  Chop the florets I to small bite-sized chunks, adding them to the water for the last minute only, just to take the rawness away.

Meanwhile, whiz the bread and cayenne into crumbs in a food processor, then toast in a dry non-stick frying pan on a medium heat until golden and crispy, tossing regularly.  Peel the cucumber, halve lengthways and scrape out the watery core, then finely slice.  Finely chop the herbs.  Mix the yoghurt into the lemony onion, then add the cucumber and herbs.  Drain the pasta and broccoli, finely chop the broccoli stalk, and add it all to the bowl of dressing.  Drain and flake in the tuna, toss together well, then taste and season to perfection.  Divide between 4 bowls and serve sprinkled with crumbled feta and the hot crispy crumbs.

Recipe courtesy of Jamie Oliver - Super Food, Family Classics

Despite the pasta, this is a light zingy salad that is crying out to be eaten al fresco, perfect for a summer evening with a nice chilled glass of white wine and of course a few friends to share it with.

Bloody Mac

Bloody Mac

• 1 x portion starter sauce (see The Don Macaroni)
• 250g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tbsp Tabasco sauce
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 400g macaroni
• 230g mature cheddar, grated
• 90g Monteray Jack, grated
• 30g Parmesan, grated
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 sticks celery, cut in half and slice lengthways, to serve

Method:
First make the topping.  Pop the tomatoes into a small bowl along with the Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce and olive oil and mix gently so all the tomatoes are lightly coated.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the pack instructions, until al dente.  Tip into a colander and leave to drain completely.

In a heavy bottomed pan, make the starter sauce, then reduce the heat to low.

Add all the cheese and stir until melted.

Add the drained pasta to the cheese sauce and mix thoroughly.

Divide the Mac n cheese into 4 serving bowls.  Spoon the tomatoes evenly over each one along with a little of the dressing from the bowl.  Stand a couple of celery pieces in the Mac and season with freshly ground pepper and a dash more Tabasco, to taste.

Recipe courtesy of Anna Mae's Mac N Cheese

For those who know me, I am a huge lover of Mac N Cheese, receiving a copy of Anna Mae's cook book for Christmas tipped me over the edge.  I am in Mac N Cheese heaven, I seriously recommend this cook book if you are a fellow lover of the cheesy goodness!  The sauce in the dressing really sets this off, every mouthful had a kick to it, pure bliss!  Excuse me whilst I calm myself down!!!

Orzo Pasta, with Oregano, Feta, Tomato sauce and Chorizo

Orzo Pasta with Oregano, Feta, Tomato and Chorizo

• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 ½ tbsp tomato puree
• 4 fresh oregano sprigs
• Small bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes
• 150g black olives, pitted
• 300g orzo
• 150g feta
• 150g chorizo, sliced
• Lemon wedges to serve

Method:
Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the chorizo and after a few minutes once the oils have started to release and the onion and garlic and continue to fry for around 10 minutes until soft.

Add the tomato paste and herbs and for 1 minute, stirring.

Add the plum tomatoes and olives and cook for a further 15-20 minutes until the sauce has thickened, crush the tomatoes in the pan with a wooden spoon until broken up.

Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the orzo for around 8 minutes until nearly cooked.  Rinse the orzo under warm water and drain well.  Add the orzo to the tomato sauce, season lightly and stir through.  Crumble over the feta and serve with extra herbs and lemon wedges.

This was a surprisingly light dish, I think next time I might pep it up a bit with some chillies, as you will know by now, I do like a bit of a kick to my dishes!  This serves 4 generously, however it would be a great recipe to double up on when you have people round for a bbq as would go great with a variety of meats and also roasted vegetables.  

Recipe adapted from Delicious Magazine

Creamy pasta with prosciutto and basil

Creamy pasta with prosciutto and basil

• 400g pappardelle
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
• 125ml single cream
• 40g finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
• 12 slices (180g) prosciutto
• 200g ricotta
• 2 cups basil leaves, plus extra to serve
• Sea salt & cracked black pepper
• 4 soft boiled eggs

Method:-

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 7-8 minutes or until al dente.  Drain, reserving 250ml of the cooking liquid and set aside.  Heat the oil in the saucepan over a medium heat, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.  Add the cream and the reserved water and cook for 1 minute.  Return the pasta to the pan with the parmesan, prosciutto, ricotta and basil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to combine.  Divide the pasta between 4 plates, top with a soft boiled egg, extra basil leaves and grated parmesan.

To soft boil the eggs, bring a medium pan of water to the boil and cook for 6 minutes, once done drain under cold running water to stop the cooking process.  Take care when peeling the eggs as they will be very soft!

For this recipe I made my own fresh pasta which really made the dish.  This is a quick and easy light dinner ideal for those summer evenings.

Recipe courtesy of Donna Hay

Strolling Rigatoni with Cherry Tomatoes and Goat’s Cheese

Strolling Rigatoni with Cherry Tomatoes, and Goat’s Cheese

• 1 cup halved Cherry Tomatoes 
• 1 sliced Yellow Pepper
• 250g Rigatoni Pasta 
• 1/2 cup Onion, diced
• 1 Garlic Clove, diced 
• 1/2 bunch Basil, chopped 
• 1 tbsp Black Olives, chopped 
• 1/2 roll Goat‘s Cheese 
•  Pine Nuts 2 tbsp 4 tbsp
• Sliced Chorizo (optional)

Method

Heat your oven to 200 degrees and cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Cut the top and bottom off the pepper and then cut into strips. Toss in 1 tbsp of olive oil, ¼ tsp salt and a pinch of pepper. Lay out on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 15-20 mins until starting to brown at the edges.

Boil a pot of water with ½ tsp of salt for your pasta. Finely dice the onion and garlic. Roughly chop the basil.

Cook the pasta for 10 mins or until ‘al dente’.

 Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a pan over a medium heat. Once warm, add the onions and sliced chorizo and cook gently for 5 mins. Add the garlic and a few good grinds of black pepper and cook for another minute.

 Cut the olives in half length ways and add to the pan along with 2 tbsp of pasta water. Tip: Adding pasta water is a classic Italian trick and adds some salt and starchiness to give you a bit of a sauce.

 When the pasta is cooked, it’s time to combine everything. Add the roasted tomatoes and peppers to the pan with half the crumbled goat’s cheese and all but 1 tbsp of the chopped basil. Add the pasta and toss everything together.

Serve the pasta with the remaining goat’s cheese crumbled on top, the remaining basil, the pine nuts and a drizzle of olive oil

Recipe courtesy of Hello Fresh

Spaghetti with tuna stuffed peppers

Spaghetti with tuna stuffed peppers

• 1 tin of tuna in olive oil
• Half a red onion finely diced
• 4 Tablespoons of mayonnaise 
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• Jar of peppadew  peppers
• 2 Tablespoons of juice from the peppers
• Spaghetti (vary portion depending on amount of guests)
• Small jar of pasta sauce of choice 
• Few grinds of black pepper

Method :-

Drain the tuna and break up into small pieces into a bowl, mix with the olive oil, lemon juice, mayonnaise, pepper juice and diced red onion.  

Drain the peppers and stuff with the tuna mixture.  Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta for 10-12 minutes.  Whilst the pasta is cooking heat through your pasta sauce, a chilli/tomato sauce is good.  Once the pasta is cooked, drain and plate up, placing the stuffed peppers amongst the pasta and drizzle with the pasta sauce.

This is a quick and easy yet tasty dinner. Enjoy....

Puttanesca Pasta Salad With Chorizo

Puttanesca Pasta Salad With Chorizo

• 400g Fusilli pasta
• 30 0z Chopped cherry tomatoes
• 1 Garlic clove minced
• I Large handful of rocket
• 1 Large handful of torn basil leaves
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 Tbsp Taste #5 Umami Bomb
• Glug of extra virgin olive oil
• Salt & Pepper
• Sliced chorizo

Chop the tomatoes into quarters, place into a bowl with the garlic, rocket, basil, lemon zest, Umami bomb and olive oil, mix thoroughly.  Bring to the boil a large pan of salted water, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.  Whilst the pasta is cooking, fry off your chorizo in a small frying pan until nice and crisp.  Once the pasta is cooked, empty the bowl of tomatoes and the fried chorizo into the pan of pasta, mix through and serve.

Recipe courtesy of Laura Santtini.  The range of Umami products can be found in most major supermarkets.

Courgette linguine with peas, pesto & chorizo

Courgette linguine with peas, pesto & chorizo

• 1 Courgette (cut into ribbons)
• 2 Tbsp pecorino cheese
• 2 Tbsp pesto
• 250g of fettuccine pasta
• Red chilli
• 2 Cloves of garlic
• 1/3 cup of fresh peas
• 1/3 cup of sliced chorizo

Boil a large pot of water with a pinch of salt for the pasta.  Finely chop the garlic and the chilli.  Top and tail the courgette, slice it lengthways into thin strips.  Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan, add the chorizo and cook for a few minutes until it starts to colour, add the chill and garlic and cook for several more minutes on a low heat.  Add the pasta to the boiling water and place the courgette ribbons into the frying pan, turning the heat up.  After 3 minutes add the peas to the pasta and cook for a further 2 minutes until the pasta is al dente.  Drain the pasta and peas reserving 1/2 a cup of the pasta water.  Add a couple of tbsps of the reserved pasta water to the frying pan along with the pesto and stir through, adding seasoning to taste.  Add the drained pasta and peas to the pan and toss everything together until evenly coated, serve and sprinkle the pecorino cheese on top.

Recipe adapted from Hello Fresh  

Spaghettini with fennel & lamb ragu

Spaghettini with fennel & lamb ragu

• 220g spaghettini (or regular spaghetti)
• 200g Lamb mince
• 1 cup fennel thinly sliced
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsps black olives (chopped)
• Parmesan cheese (as much or as little as you like)

Peel and finely dice the garlic (or put it through a garlic crusher), finely chop the black olives, pick the leaves from the rosemary and chop them very finely.  If your fennel has wispy fronds at the top of the bulb remove and keep to one side.  Chop the root from the base of the fennel and then slice widthways very finely (if you have a mandolin use that).  

Heat 1 tbsp of olive in a pan on a medium heat and add the garlic and rosemary.  Cook until the garlic just starts to change colour then add the fennel with a pinch of salt.  Cook for around 6 minutes until the fennel is soft, don’t brown the fennel.  

Add the lamb to the pan and break it up with a wooden spoon.  Add a pinch of salt and season with black pepper and the chopped olives.  Brown the mince (continue to break it up, you don’t want clumps) then add the tomatoes, swish the can out with cold water and add a fifth of the water into the pan.  If you have it, add a good glug of Worcestershire sauce and a few more grinds of pepper.  Turn the heat down and bubble away gently to thicken the sauce.

Whilst the sauce is bubbling away, bring a large pan of water to the boil, add a pinch or two of salt and when boiling rapidly add the pasta and cook as per the packet instructions.  Once the pasta is cooked drain and pour into the pan of sauce and toss it all together then serve.  Grate some Parmesan over the dish and if you had the wispy fronds from the fennel, finely chop them and sprinkle them on top.

Recipe courtesy of Hello Fresh – see here for more information or to join – Hello Fresh  use code DBG5LB at checkout for a £20 saving!

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