Articles Tagged with “Pasta”
06/04/2008: Tagliatelle with Fennel and Asparagus
It is nearly asparagus season in the UK (although you can buy imported asparagus all year round). Here’s a recipe I made up tonight…
Ingredients
- 250 g saffron tagliatelle, or plain tagliatelle
- 10 asparagus spears
- ¼ fennel bulb, finely sliced
- 2 tbsp fennel pesto
- lemon-infused olive oil, or plain olive oil
- zest of 1 lemon, or 2 lemons if using plain olive oil
- 1 tsp saffron, if using plain tagliatelle
- 30 g butter
- salt
Method
Boil the asparagus and tagliatelle in separate saucepans of salted water. The asparagus will take about 5 minutes. The tagliatelle may take from 3 minutes to 10 minutes, so consult the packaging. You want to time things so that the tagliatelle finishes cooking about 5–6 minutes after the asparagus.
When the asparagus is nearly cooked, heat the butter and a generous glug of olive oil in a griddle pan. Drain the asparagus and add it with the fennel to the griddle pan.
When the pasta is cooked,…
29/01/2008: Chicken & Chorizo Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 skinless chicken breast fillets
- 100g Spanish chorizo sausage, chopped
- 150g dried penne or similar dried pasta
- 1 red pepper
- 1 yellow pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- small handful parsley, chopped
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Method
Chop each pepper into 4–6 sections, discarding the stalks and seeds. Grill the chopped pepper, skin side up until the skin is charred and blackened. Place the grilled peppers in a plastic bag, seal and set aside to cool.
Prepare the pasta according to the directions on the packet.
Meanwhile, finely chop the chicken. Fry in olive oil until brown and then add the chorizo and garlic.
When the peppers have cooled enough to be handled, remove from the bag. Peel off the charred skins and discard. Chop the flesh of the peppers and add it to the chicken and chorizo. Also, add the paprika and stir well.
Once cooked, drain the pasta. Add the parsley and pasta to the chicken and chorizo mixture and stir together. Heat through and serve.
31/08/2003: Spaghetti Bolognese
Yes, I know Spag Bol isn’t actually Italian, but it is Italian-style. The sauce doesn’t just have to be served with spaghetti - any other pasta will do, as would chips, baguettes, garlic bread or jacket potato.
Ingredients
- 450g tin of chopped tomatos
- 500g of lean minced beef, frozen
- 4 rashers of pancetta or smoked bacon
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 to 4 mushrooms, chopped
- 2 to 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 glass of red wine
- 1 1/2 teaspoon of dried chopped basil
- 1 teaspoon of dried chopped oregano
- a little beef gravy powder or cornflour
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil
- 150g dried spaghetti
- 2 to 3 tablespoons of mushroom ketchup (optional)
- 10 black olives, sliced (optional)
Method
Grill the pancetta or bacon until it starts to crisp. Then leave to cool. Once cool, chop as finely as possible.
Fry the onions and garlic in the olive oil until they start to become transparent. Then add the minced beef. Cook the beef, stirring occasionally, until it has browned. Now…
31/08/2003: Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Traditionally, Carbonara sauce includes raw egg, but that of course carries with it a risk of salmonela infection. My recipe instead uses white sauce as a substitute…