Drunken carrot pasta

A slightly unusual combination of flavours for the secret alcoholics among us for the sauce contains a little bit of brandy ;) I used trofie liguri pasta which added to the funkiness of the dish.

You'll need:

trofie liguri (or other pasta)

100g of bacon cut into small cubes

3-4 medium carrots

2-3 spoons of brandy

4-5 spoons of sour cream

1. While the pasta is boiling, prepare the sauce. Start off by frying the bacon. 

2. Peel and then grate the carrots on a medium grater and add to the bacon once it's nearly ready.

3. Add the brandy and allow the carrots to fry with the bacon for 3-4 minutes before adding the cream.

4. Stir the sauce and watch the cream turn beautifully orange, your pasta sauce is ready!

Bon appétit!

Peppery tuna pasta bake

Comforting yet slightly spicy pasta bake with deliciously melty cheese. I actually didn't use brie, but a local Italian variety of soft moldy cheese, that I forgot the name of. If anyone could tell me what it might have been I would be grateful (I think the name started with "s", but I can't be sure; the search I made for it afterwards did not end up with a success).

You'll need:
1 yellow paprika
1 green paprika
2 green chillis
1 can of tuna in oil 
200g of brie type cheese
100g tomato passata
oregano
pasta (I used farfalle)

1. Boil the pasta al dente.

2. In the meantime cut the paprikas into small squares and fry together with finely chopped chillis and a pinch of salt. Add passata and oregano.

3. Mix the contents of the pan and the pasta.

4. Transfer half of the pasta into an oven dish and top with half of the cheese, then add another layer of pasta, top it up with tuna and the remaining cheese. Sprinkle with some extra oregano.

5. Cover the oven dish and put it in the oven pre-set to around 180 degrees for around 15 minutes.

Bon appétit!

Cheddar pasticcio

A Greek recipe with an Italian name and English cheese, a truly international mix! It's basically two layers of pasta covered in cheesy bechamel sauce with meat in the middle, baked in the oven. It's probably best the day after, reheated, but it's hard to resist it till then.

You'll need: (a portion for around 6 ppl)
500g of mince beef
a packet of penne rigate (the exact proportions depend on the size of the casserole dish ;))
100g of chopped canned tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
a sip of red wine
3 spoons of tomato cocentrate
1 egg
basil
50g of butter
4 spoons of flour
milk
300g of cheddar
nutmeg
pepper cayenne (optional)
oil for frying

cheesy bechamel

1. Chop the garlic and fry swiftly on a hot pan with oil. Be careful not to burn it as it will become bitter. Add basil and mince beef. Add salt and pepper for taste and a little bit of water. 

2. Once the meat turns brown, add some wine and, shortly afterwards, chopped tomatoes. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Then add the tomato concentrate and allow to simmer for a few more minutes.

3. In the meantime prepare the sauce for the pasta. Start by melting butter in a pot. Then add flour and milk, just like with standard bechamel sauce, the only difference being that it's supposed to be slightly more runny. Then add 250g of crumbled or grated cheddar and allow it to melt into a smooth mixture. Add nutmeg and pepper cayenne.

4. Boil the pasta al dente and mix it with the sauce.

5. Allow the meat filling to cool down a little and add the egg.

6. Spread half of the pasta on the den of a casserole dish, put the meat on top of it and then cover with another layer of pasta on top. 

7. Grate the rest of the cheese and sprinkle on top.

8. Put in the oven set to around 200 degrees for 15 minutes, et voila!

 

straight from the oven

Bon appétit!

Fettucine with pumpkin

For those not afraid to try sth different ;) a veggie friendly idea for lunch/dinner.

You'll need:
fettuccine pasta
100g of pumpkin
1 red onion
100ml of cream
some freshly grated parmesan (or other hard cheese)
parsley
nutmeg
salt & pepper
oil or butter for frying

1. Slice the onion and fry it.
2. Peel the pumpkin and cut it into 2-3cm cubes. Add to the frying pan with the onion and allow to cook slowly under cover until soft (so for around 10-15 min). The secret of this recipe rests with slow frying of the pumpkin - this way it will give out all its sweetness.
3. Add cream and half of the parmesan cheese. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper for taste.
4. Chop the parsley and add it at the end, so that it doesn't lose its beautiful green colour.
5. Serve with pasta.
6. Add a sprinkle of parmesan on top, et voila!

Bon appétit!

*Recipe taken from kwestiasmaku.com, modified.

Fetuccine con zucchini e pomodirini

 
In Italy a starter is usually followed by primo piatto (first dish) which might be pasta (secondo piatto is usually a meat dish). Today I propose fettuccine (a type of long, flat pasta) with zucchini and pomodorini (cherry tomatoes). A simple recipe ideal for people in a hurry.

For this recipe you'll need:

fettuccine
1 medium zucchini
100g of  cherry tomatoes
3 or 4 spoons of basil pesto
around 5 cashew nuts, crushed or finely chopped
some freshly grated pecorino or parmigiano cheese
olive oil


1. Start by cutting the cherry tomatoes into halves or quarters. Put them on the den of a baking dish, sprinkle with a bit of olive oil and put in the hot oven set for 180 degrees for around 10-15 minutes.

2. In the meantime boil some water for the fettuccine and cut the zucchini into thin slices along the length of the zucchini and fry them on a hot pan until they become soft.

3. Once your fettuccine is al dente, transfer it to the frying pan with the zucchini, add pesto and cashew nuts and stir. I know that some ready-made basil pestos already contain nuts, but I added some cashew nuts separately on purpose to add to the structure of the dish.
4. Transfer the mix from the pan into the baking dish on top of the tomatoes and allow another 5-10 minutes in the oven.
5. Transfer into a plate, sprinkle with cheese, et voila!

 

Bon appétit!

Asparagus and prawns linguine

With the season for asparagus slowly coming to an end, it's the last chance to enjoy this delicate vegetable. It's important for asparagus to be very fresh to be tasty. To check if it is, just rub two stems against each other, they should make a squeaky sound. The real secret of this recipe though is tasty extra virgin olive oil and the freshly hot 'marinade' it makes part of.

For this recipe you'll need:
4 green asparagus shoots, cut into bite-size bits
100g king prawns
50g mozarella, sliced
50g freshly grated pecorino cheese (or other hard cheese, eg. grana padano or parmesan)
1 lime
5 spoons of olive oil
crushed dried chili
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
a handful of linguine (or spaghetti)

1. Boil the linguine in salted water. In the meantime prepare the 'marinade'. Zest the lime. Mix the olive oil, juice from half the lime, lime zest, garlic and crushed chili. Add a pinch of salt.
2. 3 minutes before the pasta is ready add the asparagus into the boiling water.
3. Warm up the 'marinade' on a pan. Once it's hot, add the pasta together with the asparagus and prawns. Fry for 2-3 minutes while stirring so that the flavours mix. Add half the pecorino cheese towards the end of the frying.
4. Transfer the contents of the pan onto a plate. Add mozarella slices on top. Sprinkle everything with pecorino, et voila!

Bon appétit!

PS. Did you know that asparagus belongs to the lily family?

Andy's green "carbonara"

This is my uncle's recipe for what he calls carbonara. While it is obviously not an Italian carbonara, it's still delicious.

 

You'll need:

Pasta (tagliatelle works very well)

small chicken breast 

4 slices of bacon

mushrooms 

green olives (add black olives too if you have some, they will contrast nicely with the green colour of the dish)

1 1/2 spoons of basil pesto

250 ml of sour cream

hard cheese (parmesan or grana padano) 

tarragon

While the pasta is boiling, cut the chicken into cubes and fry it with tarragon adding also some salt & pepper for taste. Cut the bacon into small slices and add to the chicken. Peel and slice the mushrooms and also add to the pan and fry for two more minutes. Remove from the hob and add the olives, cream, basil pesto and stir. Add hot pasta and put back on the hob for another 30 seconds. It's best when left for 10 minutes before serving (and possibly reheating) as it ensures that the sauce sticks well to the pasta. Add freshly grated cheese on top, et voila!

Bon appétit!

Haddock pasta bake

Next episode in the fish saga. Using smoked yellow haddock again. Definitely not for those on a diet ;) wonderfully spicy.

You'll need:
smoked haddock
sour cream
mature cheddar
penne
pepper cayenne
ground coriander
fresh coriander leafs
black pepper

Boil the pasta. Grate some cheddar, cut the haddock into small bits. When the pasta is ready, transfer half of it into a casserole, sprinkle with pepper cayenne, ground coriander and black pepper. Be careful, pepper cayenne is very spicy, so don't add too much. Add the haddock bits on top. Add some grated cheddar and half of the coriander.

Pour a few spoonfulls of sour cream over it. Add the second half of the pasta. Add some more spices as required and a few more spoonfulls of sour cream. Add grated cheddar on top and sprinkle with the rest of the coriander. Put in the oven for 15 minutes, et voila!

Bon appétit!

Lemon mascarpone pasta with smoked haddock

This is my take three on fish that follows my visit to Billingsgate fish market. It's a rather unusual combination of flavours, but to my mind it worked pretty well.

The third fish I bought last Saturday was smoked yellow haddock. I always wanted to try it because it has this amazing intensive yellow colour:

It was this colour that inspired me to make this dish.

You'll need:
smoked yellow haddock (I used maybe 1/4 of the fillet from the picture above)
100g mascarpone
1 lemon (one half might be enough if it's juicy, but then it all depends on how sour you the sauce to be)
fresh coriander leafs (could be replaced by parsley)
spaghetti

While your spaghetti is boiling, prepare the sauce. It's quick, so best start doing it when your pasta is nearly ready. Squeeze the lemon and add the juice to the mascarpone - both to be warmed up on a pan so that they are joined together to form a smooth sauce. Cut the haddock into small bits and chop the coriander/parsley.

Mix the pasta with the lemon mascarpone sauce and add the haddock on top. Sprinkle everything with coriander, et voila!

 Bon appétit!

A little something for garlic lovers

I got this recipe for carbonara  from a friend, who claims to have received it from an actual Italian. I hope he doesn't mind that I'm sharing it.

Most people think of carbonara as pasta with bacon in creamy sauce. This one is different. And in my humble opinion way better. Since it's very rich in garlic, I recommend it on days when you plan to be antisocial. While it's not the most romantic food in the world, its surely very tasty. A health warning though: you need to be well organised to succeed with this one. Timing is the key.

You'll need: (a portion for 1 person)
pasta (I used fusilli)
one egg
1/2 onion
2 or 3 garlic cloves
two bacon slices
finely grated hard cheese

1. Cut the bacon into small pieces, chop onion and garlic very finely.
2. Boil your pasta in salted water.
3. While pasta is boiling, fry the bacon. When it's no longer raw, add the onion. When it's almost done add garlic. Garlic needs to be added towards the end, because it goes bitter if fried for too long. Feel that smell? It's absolutely marvelous.
4. Put the egg in a glass. Mix yolk and egg white with a fork, so that the resulting mixture has a homogeneous consistency. Start adding the cheese while stirring continuously, so that no lumps form up. Keep adding the cheese until you can add no more (i.e. it's almost solid). I'm not giving any precise measurements because it really depends on the size of an egg. A rule of thumb is that the mixture will just about double in volume.
5. The point when the pasta is ready is critical. You need to be quick to succeed. Transfer the pasta into a strainer, and then put it back into the still warm pot. Add the contents of the glass and stir vigourously. The idea is that thanks to high temperature the egg will no longer be raw within seconds and it will nicely stick to the pasta together with cheese. Add the contents of the pan and stir again.

Bon appétit!

Everyone wants to be Italian

Many moons ago one of my friends organised a pasta night. She made sicilian tomato and tuna pasta. This is my take on it. I made only some small variations.

You'll need:
spaghetti (d'uh)
chopped tomates from a can/carton
1 tuna can
fresh basil
3 garlic
tarragon
lemon pepper
olive oil
salt (for pasta)
Freshly grated hard cheese (parmesan or regiano)

The sauce can be made while boiling pasta. Add all of the ingredients into a pan (except for grated cheese of course). The only thing that needs chopping is basil. No need to chop garlic. Put whole cloves in. They will give out the taste, and will have to be removed before serving. It;s part of the magic of this recipe. I cut mine into halves, that's why there seem to be so many in the picture. Simmer on low gas. No need to add salt.

When the pasta is ready, sprinkle it with olive oil and add the sauce. Stir everything and transfer into a plate. Sprinkle with grated cheese, add a few leaves of basil on top for extra effect, et voila!

Bon appétit!