Category: Pasta

Bolognese sauce with red wine and bone marrow

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It is not as often as I would like, that I have time to stand by the stove and look after a casserole (thank god for the oven and slow-cookers), but one Sunday I found the time and enjoyed a few hours in the kitchen. Although made with mince this bolognese was done properly; starting with a soffritto, adding the best tinned tomatoes and tomato purée and eventually red wine and cooking slowly on low heat. In the meantime I prepared some tagliatelle and baked marrow bones to add bone marrow to the casserole towards the end.

The idea to have bone marrow in a bolognese sauce is entirely Massimo Bottura’s and I’ve been thinking about trying it since I heard him speak at Taste of London in June.

I loved the addition of bone marrow but I love it in all types of dishes. This is still a subtle way of serving it, almost sneaking it in, but the depth and umami it adds make wonders for the stew. But, if you don’t like the sound of bone marrow just omit it, the bolognese sauce is still delicious!

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Bolognese sauce with red wine and bone marrow, serves 3-4

500 g pork mince 

ca 3 tbsp sofritto on equal parts onion, carrot and celery 

400 g Cirio chopped tomatoes

200 ml water

1 tbsp Cirio tomato purée

1/2 garlic clove, presser

200-300 ml red wine

salt, black pepper

optional: rosemary and thyme 

1 marrow bone

Mix equal parts onions, celery and carrot in a food processor. Use 3 tbsp about it and freeze (or keep in the fridge for other stews) the rest.

Fry the mince in a knob of butter in a frying pan. Add a knob of butter to a casserole dish and fry the soffritto on medium heat for a few minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and water, tomato purée and garlic. Leave to reduce a little. Add the fried mince and red wine and leave to simmer for about 1 hour. Season to taste and add the herbs if needed. Preheat the oven to 200C and place the marrow bone on a baking tray and roast in the office until cooked through (i.e. not red/pink in the middle but see-through and a little brown at the edges). Scoop out the marrow and add to the casserole. Season to taste one last time then serve (with tagliatelle and plenty of grated parmesan). 

Creamy mac ‘n cheese and broccoli slaw

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When the weather is biting cold and one has little energy or body warmth when stepping through the front door I’m of the opinion that mac ‘n cheese is the answer. It’s cheesy and comforting (for me that’s the same thing!), warm and filling and utterly delicious. Although there is no such thing as too much cheese it’s nice with something sharp cutting through the creaminess and this is where the broccoli slaw comes in. It’s fresh, zingy and healthy. The perfect counterpart to the heavy mac ‘n cheese!

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Creamy mac ‘n cheese, serves 3-4

250 g de Cecco, I used the Cavatappi shapes

1 tbsp salted butter

1 tbsp plain flour

100 ml semi skimmed or whole milk

150 ml single cream

1 large handful grated matured cheddar

1 tbsp white wine

salt, white pepper

more grated cheddar to go on top

Cook the pasta al dente. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a non-stick saucepan. Add the flour and stir for a few minutes. Add the milk a little at the time while whisking and the sauce thickens. Add the cream little by little while whisking until you have a thick bechamel. Add the cheese and stir while it melts on lower heat. Add the wine and season with salt and pepper.  

Drain the pasta and mix with the cheese sauce. Pour the cheesy pasta into an oven-proof dish, sprinkle with grated cheddar and place in 200C oven for 5-10 minutes until the cheese on top is bubbly and golden. 

Broccoli slaw with lime, serves 3-4

1/2 head broccoli

2-3 carrots

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

1 lime, the juice

salt, black pepper

Slice the broccoli, including the stem and cut into matchsticks. Grate the carrots. Mix mustard and mayo in a bowl. Add the lime juice then add the vegetables. Mix well and season. 

Spaghetti with courgette and smoked salmon

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When work is busy I usually cook pasta for dinner. It’s quick and easy yet satisfying. This version with creamy spaghetti, courgette and cold-smoked salmon feels fresh after a long day at the office. If you cook two portions it allows for a packed lunch for the following day too. Bonus.

Spaghetti with courgette and smoked salmon, serves 2

2 portions spaghetti (I prefer de Cecco)

120 g cold-smoked salmon

1/2 courgette, thinly sliced

50 ml white wine

a dash of concentrated fish stock

50 ml cream

chopped chives to serve

Cook the spaghetti al dente. Slice the salmon. Pour the wine into a small saucepan and let the alcohol evaporate and the liquid to reduce a little. Add cream and stock, let reduce a bit further and season. Add the courgette slices and let them soften in the liquid. Drain the pasta and mix with the sauce and salmon. Serve with chives.

Crab linguine with white wine and cream

Published on by Hanna2 Comments

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In my family we have always made a distinction between weekday and weekend food. Every Friday we would have something a bit more luxurious than the weekday meatballs and more often than not it was prawns or other kinds of seafood.

I too, make this distinction of weekday and weekend when it comes to food. At the weekends one have more time to enjoy a lovely breakfast, brunch with friends or a nice dinner and I think that should be celebrated.

A few weeks ago I made this lovely pasta with crab, shallots, white wine and cream, well worthy of a Friday night in, and together with a glass of nice dry white wine and a good film it was a very enjoyable evening and a good start to the weekend.

Crab linguine with white wine and cream, serves 2

2 portions linguine, cooked al dente (according to the instructions on the packet)

1 shallot, finely chopped

50 ml dry white wine

100 ml double cream

1/4 fish stock cube

100 g crab meat (both brown and white)

chopped parsley

Heat up a saucepan and add a knob of butter and the shallots. Fry for a minute or two without browning. Add the wine and let it reduce by almost half. Add the cream and let the sauce thicken. Add the stock cube and season to taste. 

Drain the pasta and add the linguine to the sauce. Carefully heat up the crab meat in a non-stick pan and add to the pasta and sauce. Add the parsley and stir to combine. Serve immediately. 

Pasta with mushrooms and leek

Published on by Hanna2 Comments

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New year’s resolutions. Usually I am against them myself although others seem to do well with a dry or healthy January (well done, guys!). I actually made a small resolution this year and it is totally food related of course; to cook more from my cookbooks.

I have a bit of a, ahem, cookbook addiction and since I don’t want to stop buying new shiny ones I thought I’d better utilise the ones I’ve got. So far I have already cooked a few things from my newly acquired ‘Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Cookery Course‘, among other things this pasta recipe with mushrooms and leek.

It sounds very ordinary and it sort of is, yet very delicious. The sauce is silky without being too rich (especially with a splash of white wine added to cut through the cream) and the fried mushrooms and leek are very tasty. I also like that the pasta in this dish is lasagne sheets although the dish is quite far from a regular or even open lasagne. But it really works and I prefer it to many other pasta shapes.

Pasta with mushrooms and leek, serves 2

Adapted from ‘Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Cooking Course‘.

For once I followed the recipe dutifully, apart from one small addition; a splash of white wine in the cream sauce.

8 chestnut mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped

1 leek, washed, trimmed, quartered and sliced

oil for frying

salt, pepper

250 ml chicken stock

100 ml double cream

1 tbsp white wine

4-6 lasagne sheets

To serve: grated parmesan, optional

Heat up the oil in a frying pan on medium heat and add the sliced mushrooms. Add the garlic after two minutes and the leek after another two. Fry until the mushrooms are golden and the leek has softened. Season.

Add the chicken stock and let it reduce for five minutes. 

In the meantime, cook the lasagne sheets in salted water until al dente, for four minutes. Add the cream to the mushrooms and a splash of wine and let it thicken. Season to taste. Remove from heat and submerge the lasagne sheets in the sauce. Plate prettily and serve with or without grated parmesan.  

Mushroom ravioli with trumpet mushrooms, girolles and sage butter

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It was a while ago I made pasta but last Saturday I had a whole day to potter around the kitchen so out came the pasta maker.

I’m still quite amazed at how easy it is to actually make the pasta. Making ravioli out of said pasta is a little fiddly but not difficult at all. And it is so very delicious!

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The filling with shallots, garlic, mini portobello mushrooms, dried ceps, parsley and ricotta is simply divine and easy to make. Served with fried shallots, trumpet mushrooms and girolles as well as sage butter this is such a satisfying autumn dish. Ideal for dinner parties (you can make it ahead) or a romantic evening at home with a significant other.

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Hanna’s mushrooms ravioli, serves 2-3

double batch of pasta dough

polenta

3 tbsp butter, for frying

3 small shallots, finely chopped

1 large garlic clove, grated

300 g mini portobello mushrooms or other flavourful fresh ‘shrooms 

2 tbsp dried ceps (porcini) covered with hot water and drained 

2 tbsp chopped parsley

salt, black pepper

75 g ricotta

To serve:

1 handful dried trumpet mushrooms and girolles, covered with hot water and drained 

1/2 shallots, finely chopped

50 g salted butter

5 sage

parmesan, finely grated

Melt the butter in a large frying pan on medium heat. Add onions and garlic and fry until translucent for about five minutes (be careful not to brown it). Add the mushrooms (both dried and fresh) and fry until nice and golden and all the juices have evaporated from the pan. Add the parsley and season generously. Leave to cool completely. In a food processor pulse the mixture until it is finely chopped (but not a mush). Mix with the ricotta and adjust the seasoning. Keep in the fridge until needed. 

Make the pasta dough according to the instructions. After it has rested divide it into 3-4 pieces. Flatten each piece out and run it through the pasta maker, twice on the 0 setting and once on every setting up to 5. Sprinkle your work surface with polenta (for the pasta not to stick) and place the pasta sheets on top. Measure with your ravioli stamp how close you can place the dollops of filling on one pasta sheet and place teaspoon sized dollops of the mushroom ricotta mixture on that sheet. Dip two fingers in water and ‘brush’ the surface of the pasta, all around the dollops, with your fingers. The water will act as glue between the pasta sheets. Carefully place another pasta sheet on top of the one with the filling (brush off the polenta first). Start at one end and carefully encase the filling in the pasta, making sure there are no air bubbles and that the pasta sheets stick in between the filling. Use your ravioli stamp to cut out the ravioli. Place on a plate or baking sheet sprinkled with polenta. Cover with clingfilm until needed.

Repeat the process using up all the pasta dough, including the scraps left from cutting out the ravioli.   

To cook; bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the ravioli (if a lot cook in batches) and let it cook for 2-3 minutes (they should rise to the surface). Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer straight to the deep serving plates.

While the pasta is cooking, fry the shallots and mushrooms in some butter. Season. Place the rest of the butter in a small saucepan and let it melt. Add the sage.

Spoon the sage butter on top of the ravioli, scatter the mushrooms around and top with plenty of grated parmesan. Serve immediately. 

 

Tagliatelle with mushrooms, spinach and parmesan

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When I cooked this yesterday my flatmate asked me if I really liked my pasta with mushrooms, and even though I do, I guess she has seen me eat it quite often since I moved in and I don’t like it that much. But it is a great supper to whiz up when you’re lacking energy but need some comforting home cooking. Adding spinach brightens up the dish and adds another earthy flavour that I love. Plus it makes it feel almost healthy. At least I keep telling myself that.

Tagliatelle with mushrooms, spinach and parmesan, serves 2

2 portion tagliatelle 

2 tbsp salted butter

1 garlic clove, grated

150 g mini portabello mushrooms (or other flavourful ‘shrooms) 

2 tbsp dried ceps (porcini mushrooms)

4 tbsp recently boiled water

150 g fresh baby spinach

2 tbsp philadelphia or double cream

greated parmesan 

salt, black pepper

Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet. Slice the portobello mushrooms. Place the dried ceps in a small bowl and add the hot water and leave to soak for a minute or so. Squeeze out the excess liquid using a spoon and the edge of the bowl. Save the liquid. 

Melt the butter in a medium frying pan and add the grated garlic. Fry the mushrooms (both fresh and dried) until golden on medium heat. Add the spinach and let it wilt. Add grated parmesan. Add the mushroom broth and the philadelphia or cream. Mix until a silky but thin sauce. Add salt and pepper. Drain the pasta and add to the pan and let some of the sauce evaporate until it gently coats the pasta without being runny. Serve with more grated parmesan. 

Gnudi with easy tomato sauce

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I have been thinking about cooking gnudi for a while now. Gnudi is Italian for ‘naked’ and intends that these dumplings are made from only the filling in a ravioli and therefore is a naked pasta.

They’re made from ricotta and parmesan and a little flour to firm up. According to my pasta bible, The Geometry of Pasta, can these guys also be called malfetti depending on which Italian region you’re in. (This recipe is actually not from the book just mentioned but from Bon Appetit magazine via the Swedish food blog Smaskens.)

I wanted to serve my gnudi with a light and fresh tomato sauce and opted for one quickly made from fresh tomatoes. I used dried herbs as I was out of fresh ones, but this sauce would be even more delicious with a generous handful of chopped fresh basil.

Gnudi is similar in texture to gnocchi, but feels lighter and less doughy. Boiled I prefer gnudi to gnocchi, but not much beats crusty golden gnocchi gently fried in butter.

Gnudi, serves 2-3 as a main course, 4-6 as a starter

Adapted from Annika’s recipe which in turn is adapted from Bon Appetit’s recipe.

250 gram ricotta
100 ml finely grated matured parmesan
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1 tsp sea salt
some freshly grated black pepper
60 gram 00-flour

Mix the ingredients to a paste. Dust a baking sheet with flour. Shape gnudi using two spoons. Dip one spoon in flour and use it to gently push the shaped gnudi onto the floured baking sheet. Dust the shaped gnudi with some flour.

Bring water to the boil in a large saucepan and add some salt. Use a spoon to transfer the gnudi to the pan, one at the time. Let them cook for 5-6 minutes; continue cooking even after they have risen to the surface. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water and serve immediately. 

Easy tomato sauce, enough for one batch of gnudi

4 fresh tomatoes

1 large garlic clove, grated or pressed

1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1.5 tsp dried Italian herbs or a handful chopped fresh basil

salt, black pepper

Chop the tomatoes and place in a small saucepan. Add the garlic and stir while cooking on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add vinegar and spices and season to taste. Cook for another 5 minutes and adjust the seasoning. 

Plate the gnudi, spoon over tomato sauce and sprinkle with grated parmesan. 

Weekday wonders: pasta with pesto and fried broccoli

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As much as I like finickety recipes sometime nothing but simple food will do. Simple without being boring that is. It’s a fine line, but I definitely think that this simple concoction of pasta, fresh pesto (may it be store-bought) and fried purple sprouting broccoli with lemon zest is simple, fresh and far from boring.

Penne with pesto and fried purple sprouting, serves 2

2 portions penne

50 ml fresh pesto

200 g purple sprouting broccoli

1/2 lemon, zest only

grated parmesan

olive oil

Cook the pasta according to the packet. Cut the broccoli into chunky pieces. Fry on medium heat in olive oil. Once browned add lemon zest and season. Drain the pasta and mix with the pesto and some olive oil. Divide between bowls, top with broccoli and grated parmesan. 

Crispy gnocchi with lardons, rocket and pecorino

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Since I moved to London five years ago I have developed my food skills a lot. I am a better cook and I think even more about food than I did before, which I actually thought was impossible.

And because I am older and also have adopted the British ways a little, I do what I can not to waste food.

I don’t rely on use-by-dates, I use my nose and eyes instead. I utilise the freezer a lot, and plan my meals according to what I have in my fridge that needs to be used up. In fact, I find it so satisfying to use up things I have at hand to create a nice meal, that I sometimes prefer that to trying new exciting recipes. It is hands on problem solving, and very gratifying.

This dish is all about using up leftovers but it is also a very tasty way of doing so.

Crispy gnocchi with lardons, rocket and pecorino, serves 1-2

1/2 batch left over gnocchi

100-125 g lardons, finely chopped

a decent knob of butter

salt, pepper

1-2 handfuls rocket

grated pecorino for serving

Fry the lardons crispy on medium heat in a frying pan. Transfer to a plate and add the butter to the fat in the pan. Fry the gnocchi crispy on both sides and add the lardons back to the pan. Add the rocket and let it wilt. Season well. Plate and serve with grated pecorino.