Spaghetti carbonara

https://fb.watch/piBwGxSgC7/?

Love the classic way of cooking this – no cream. Just eggs and cheese. Lots of good videos online on this.

Cheesy cauliflower pasta

From Bon Appetit

 

Serves 2

On a sheet pan, drizzle a head of chopped cauliflower and six skin-on garlic cloves with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and red chili flakes. Roast at 425°, tossing occasionally, until the cauliflower is caramelized and crisp, about 30 minutes. Once cool, peel the roasted garlic cloves

In a large bowl, combine a cup of grated Parmesan, three tablespoons of butter, a pinch of salt, two tablespoons of toasted pine nuts, and a quarter-cup of toasted breadcrumbs. (Pro tip: Toast stale bread until lightly golden, then use a food processor to pulse into crumbs. Store in a large resuable plastic bag in the freezer and never not have breadcrumbs again.)

Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook a pound of short pasta (like cavatelli). Drain the pasta, reserving about a cup of the cooking liquid (I usually end up using around quarter-cup). Toss the hot pasta with the cauliflower, garlic cloves, Parmesan butter mixture, and enough pasta water to mix it all together. Garnish with a handful of torn parsley leaves.

Sausage and kale bake

From Delicious Magazine

Ingredients

200g curly kale
400g potato gnocchi
1 small onion
Olive oil for frying
3 good-quality British free-range pork sausages
200g passata
Large handful fresh basil leaves
100g fontina cheese or mozzarella

 

Heat the oven to 200°C/ fan180°C/gas 6. Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil. Shred the kale (if necessary), then drop into the water with the gnocchi and cook for 30 seconds. Drain and rinse both under cold water.

Finely chop the onion. Heat a little oil in a large frying pan, then crumble in the meat from the sausages (discard the skins). Add the chopped onion and fry for 7 minutes or until just soft. Add the passata and basil leaves and simmer for 3 minutes.

 

Toss the kale and gnocchi through the sausage mixture, then transfer to a 1.5 litre ovenproof dish.

 

Tear over the cheese and season with salt and pepper, then bake for 15 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

Linguine with sardines, chilli and capers

From Delia How to Cook

Ingredients

8 oz (225 g) dried linguine
1 x 120 g tin of sardines in olive oil, well drained and the fish flaked into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon sardine oil, reserved from the tin for frying
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon salted capers, rinsed and patted dry
1 clove garlic, chopped
7 oz (200 g) tinned Italian chopped tomatoes, well drained, or 4 medium, ripe tomatoes, skinned and diced
a few fresh basil leaves, roughly torn, to garnish
salt and freshly milled black pepper
Equipment

Method

First of all you need to cook the pasta.

Always use a large cooking pot and make sure you have at least 4 pints (2.25 litres) of water for every 8 oz (225 g) of pasta and 1 level tablespoon of salt.

Bring the water up to a good fierce boil before the pasta goes in and cook it for 8-12 minutes without a lid, until al dente.

Meanwhile, heat the tablespoon of sardine oil in a small frying pan, fry the garlic and chilli for about 4 minutes, until softened, then add the tomatoes, sardines and capers and gently heat them through, stirring occasionally.

Taste and season with salt and freshly milled black pepper.

When the pasta is ready, drain it into a colander, then quickly return it to the saucepan.

Add the sauce, toss it around thoroughly for 30 seconds or so, then serve in hot pasta bowls with the torn basil sprinkled over.

Pasta with broccoli and capers

From Let’s Cook Italian and Pasta

Ingredients

Serves 4
400g / 14oz conchiglie (shells)
450g / 1lb broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
5 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 tbsp capers in brine, rinsed and drained
½ tsp dried chili flakes (optional)
75g / 3oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve
25g / 1oz pecorino cheese, grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley, to garnish
Healthy Easy Cancer-Fighting Recipe – Pasta Shells with Broccoli & Capers
Method :

Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta shells, return to the boil and cook for 2 minutes. Add the broccoli to the pan. Return to the boil and continue cooking for 8-10 minutes, or until the conchiglie is ‘al dente’.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened, stirring frequently. Stir in the capers and chili flakes, if using, and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Drain the pasta and broccoli and add to the frying pan. Toss the ingredients to mix thoroughly. Sprinkle over the cheeses, then stir until the cheeses have just melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then tip into a warmed serving dish. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately with extra Parmesan cheese.

Spinach and artichoke mac and cheese

From Food Network
Serves 4

Ingredients
8 ounces whole-wheat elbow pasta
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium shallots, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup skim milk
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 cup lightly packed shredded part-skim mozzarella
2/3 cup lightly packed shredded low-fat Swiss cheese
1/4 cup lightly packed grated Parmesan
One 6-ounce bag baby spinach (about 6 heaping cups)
One 9-ounce box frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and roughly chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Position an oven rack at the center of the oven, and preheat the broiler.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Reserve 3/4 cup of the pasta water; strain the pasta.

Wipe out the pot. Add the butter, and melt over medium heat. Add the shallots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the flour, and whisk constantly until it begins to toast, about 2 minutes. (The flour will form a thick paste, but that’s okay; just keep it moving in the pot.) Whisk in the milk and the reserved pasta water, and whisk constantly until the mixture is thick like gravy, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in the sour cream, 2/3 cup of the mozzarella, the Swiss cheese and 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan. Once the cheeses have melted, add the spinach, and cook until just wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in the artichoke hearts, pasta, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Transfer to a broiler-safe 2-quart baking dish.

Stir together the remaining 1/3 cup mozzarella and 3 tablespoons Parmesan in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the pasta. Broil until golden and bubbly, about 2 minutes.

Jamie Oliver’s Spaghetti con Gamberetti e Rucola (Spaghetti with Prawns & Rocket)

From Jamie’s Italy
Serves 4

Ingredients
455g dried spaghetti
sea salt & freshly ground black peper
extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled & finely chopped
1-2 dried red chillies, crumbled
400g peeled raw prawns
1 small wineglass of white wine
2 heaped tablespoons of sun dried tomato puree or 6 sun dried tomatoes blitzed in a blender
zest & juice of 1 lemon
2 handfuls of rocket, roughly chopped

Method
Cook your spaghetti in a large pan of salted boiling water according to packet instructions. Meanwhile, heat 3 good glugs of olive oil in a large frying pan & toss in the garlic & chilli. As the garlic begins to colour, add the prawns & sauté them for a minute. Add the white wine & tomato puree & simmer for a couple of minutes. When the pasta is ready, drain & reserve a little of the cooking water. Toss the spaghetti with the sauce, squeeze in the lemon juice, add half the chopped rocket, adding a little of the reserved water if the sauce needs loosening a bit. Correct the seasoning & serve sprinkled with lemon zest & remaining rocket.

I am a believer in using leftover pasta and not buy a new pack of spaghetti just for a dish; that’s why I am using fuscili for this. One of my favourite dishes at Jamie’s Italian although the standards appear to have deteriorated over the years. I don’t think my cooking matches the restaurant’s at its best; probably halfway between the standards now and then.

Italian salmon and broccoli bake

From bbcgoodfood.com
Serves 4
Ingredients

250g penne
300g broccoli, cut into large florets
25g butter
25g plain flour
600ml milk
100g mascarpone
8 sundried tomatoes (preserved in olive oil), drained and thickly sliced
2 tbsp small capers (optional) rinsed to remove excess salt or vinegar
8 anchovy fillets, halved (optional)
10 large fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
4 fresh skinless salmon fillets
50g mature cheddar, finely grated

Preheat the oven to 190C/gas 5/fan 170C and get out an ovenproof dish (measuring 20 by 30cm, and about 5cm deep). Meanwhile, put a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta. When it is boiling rapidly, tip in the pasta with a generous sprinkling of salt. Give it a stir, return to the boil and cook for 6 minutes. Add the broccoli, then return the water to the boil and cook for 4 minutes more, until the broccoli is on the firm side of just tender. Drain well.

While the pasta is cooking, put the butter, flour and milk in a large pan and heat, whisking or stirring continuously, until it thickens to make a smooth sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in the mascarpone, sun-dried tomatoes, capers (if using), anchovies (if using) and basil, then add the pasta and broccoli and season well.

Halve the salmon fillets widthways (you will see that there is an obvious divide on each fillet) then place the pieces in a single layer on the base of the ovenproof dish. Spoon the broccoli mixture on top, then scatter with the grated cheddar. (You can chill this for up to 4 hours if you want to get ahead.)

Bake for 30 minutes until the mixture is just starting to bubble round the edges and the mixture is pale golden – don’t let it go too dark or the fish will overcook.

Seafood tagliatelle Spanish style

Goodfood 101 Mediterranean dishes
Serves 4
Ingredients

large pinch saffron
3 tbsp olive oil
3 boneless and skinless chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves
2 red peppers, seeded and sliced
175g fresh or frozen peas
175g fresh or frozen broad beans
150ml white wine
650g fresh mussels
425ml chicken stock
400g tagliatelle
450g large peeled raw prawns
284ml carton double cream
large handful chopped fresh parsley
lemon wedges, to serve

Put the saffron in a small bowl and pour over 2 tbsp boiling water. Set aside to infuse. Heat the oil in a large, wide pan, add the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes.

Tip in the onion and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add bay leaves and peppers and cook 4-5 minutes more. Stir in peas and broad beans and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and put aside.

Pour wine into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer. Tip in mussels, cover and cook for 3-5 minutes until mussels open. Discard any that remain closed. Drain over a bowl to catch the liquid. Allow to settle for 5 minutes.

Pour the mussel liquid into the pan with the chicken and veg. Add saffron and chicken stock then cool and chill everything until ready to serve. You can prepare this up to 3 hours ahead.

To serve, cook the tagliatelle as pack instructions. Reheat chicken and simmer for 2 minutes. Add prawns, cook for 1 minute, add cream and cook for 2-3 minutes more. Add mussels, parsley and seasoning. Toss to heat through. Drain tagliatelle and add to the sauce. Serve with lemon wedges and fresh crusty bread.

Ragu

Ingredients
From Newlyweds’ Cookbook
Serves 4

16 oz long or short egg pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 small celery, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 slices pancetta/bacon, finely chopped
1 lb. ground beef, sirloin or round
2 tablespoons white wine
1.5 cups milk
1.5 tablespoons tomato paste
0.5 nutmeg
1-2 cups vegetable broth/water
TO SERVE
0.5 cup parmesean cheese
3 tablespoons parsley
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Heat the oil and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery, onion and pancetta and cook until the onion is translucent. Increase the heat, add the meat, and saute until browned. Add the wine and let it bubble until it has evaporated.

Lower the heat, add enough milk to cover the meat, then add the tomato paste and nutmeg. Simmer rapidly until the milk has reduced by at least half. Lower the heat, top up with enough warm broth or water to cover the meat, stir, cover with a lid, and simmer gently for at least 1 hour. Stir from time to time. Add salt and pepper to taste, then set aside to rest overnight to develop the flavors.

When ready to serve, reheat the sauce and add to the freshly cooked pasta. Stir in parmesean, parsley and the 2 tablespoons butter and serve with extra parmesean sprinkled over the top.