The Food Diaries

Cheesy macaroni with butternut squash

Put a pot of water to boil. In the meantime cut a small butternut squash in half lengthwise, deseed and cut into large pieces (don’t bother peeling it). Coarsely grate using a food processor. Set aside.

Make a béchamel by melting 15ml butter in a hot pan, stir in 15ml flour and stir till it starts to bubble. Slowly stir in 250ml warm milk (so as not to produce lumps) and then let reduce down till it has thickened. Stir in 15ml tomato paste and then stir in 50g grated cheese (parmesan or cheddar if you prefer). Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, once the water has come to a boil stir in 200g macaroni pasta along with 400ml grated squash (you can freeze whatever is left over). Cook till pasta is al dente (around 8 minutes). Drain and toss into the béchamel sauce, stirring to coat the pasta well. Serve in pasta bowls along with extra grated parmesan for garnish.

Serves 2.

Pasta Puttanesca

In a medium-sized pan, place four anchovy fillets, finely chopped along with a good glugg of olive oil. Set on a medium-low heat and let the anchovies melt into the oil. Meanwhile, put a large pot of water to a boil.

After a few minutes, add 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped, and a pinch of chili flakes. Stir for around 30 seconds and then add a 400g can of cherry tomatoes, 2tbs chopped capers and 3tbs chopped black olives and let the tomato sauce bubble away slowly.

Cook 200g long pasta (spaghetti or linguine) according to packet instructions. When done, drain and add to the tomato sauce. Stir till well combined. Season with sea salt and pepper. Serve, along with a sprinkling of grated parmesan.

Serves 2.

Roasted cauliflower pasta

Cut a large cauliflower into little florets and spread onto a baking tray. Sprinkle a little olive oil overtop and roast in a hot oven (200c) till nicely charred.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large pan sprinkle on 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts, 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped, a sprinkling of dried thyme, and some dried chilli flakes, sea salt and freshly ground pepper (all to taste). Fry on a medium heat, stirring often, till nicely golden. Mix in the roasted cauliflower. Turn off the heat and set aside in the pan.

Add 400g short pasta to the boiling water and cook till al dente. Ladle out a cup of the pasta water and set aside. Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the breadcrumbs and cauliflower. Stir in a little of the cooking water to moisten.

Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan.

Serves 4.

Trofie pasta with pesto and aubergine

Finely cube a small aubergine and place in a hot pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Fry till crisp and golden. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and add 180g trofie pasta (or other small pasta shape). Cook according to packet instructions.

Drain the pasta, setting aside a cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the aubergine, add a few heaping tablespoons of good quality fresh pesto, stir in enough of the cooking water to create a thick sauce. Add a good sprinkling of grated parmesan, season with sea salt and pepper and stir.

Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a scattering of little basil leaves.

Serves 2.

Pugliese pasta with chard, tomatoes and mozzarella

I used the little cavatelli pasta shape in this recipe, but other short pasta shapes will do nicely.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. In the meantime, slice up the leaves of a few stalks of swiss chard (finely chop the stalks). Add a good glug of olive oil to a pan and drop in the leaves and stir fry. Add 3 finely chopped garlic cloves and continue frying till the leaves have wilted nicely.

Meanwhile, drop 300g cavatelli pasta into the boiling water and cook according to package instructions (around 8 minutes). Meanwhile, deseed and chop 3 ripe tomatoes and tear apart a buffalo mozzarella ball into chunks. Set aside.

To assemble, drain the cooked past of most (but not all) of its pasta water and add the swiss chard, tomatoes and mozzarella. Add 2 tbs fresh pesto (optional) and stir till well-combined.

Serve with a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan.

Serve 2-3.

Sicilian pasta with aubergines & tomatoes

This is a nice autumnal vegetarian pasta option - using up the very last of the season’s tomatoes (if you are lucky enough to find some).

Cut up 400g aubergines into a fine dice and place on a non-stick baking pan. Place in a hot oven (200c) till they turn a light golden colour (around 15 minutes).

Meanwhile, fry a finely chopped onion in a little olive oil, till lightly golden. Add 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped, followed by 400g ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped. Stir around, and add 1tbs tomato paste, a pinch of sugar, a pinch of sea salt, and some ground pepper. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft. You may need to moisten with a little water.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook 400g spaghetti according to packet instructions (around 10-12 minutes).

Once the aubergines are cooked, add to the tomato sauce, along with a few torn basil leaves, and 60g fresh ricotta cheese (optional). Stir, and add a couple ladles of the pasta water to loosen the sauce. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. Stir till well combined and serve in pasta bowls, passing around some grated parmesan cheese.

Serves 4.

Spaghetti with fresh tomatoes and prawns

Take advantage of the last of the summer tomatoes with this super fresh pasta sauce.

Bring a bot of water to a boil and drop in 100g spaghetti, referring to package instructions for cooking time.

Meanwhile, chop up 2 garlic cloves and 1 spring onion and warm in a pan with a glug of olive oil. Add 1 medium-sized tomato (yellow if possible) seeded and finely chopped and a glug of white wine. Add 125g cooked prawns and stir till the wine reduces down. Season with sea salt and pepper and add a small handful of finely chopped parsley.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the pasta sauce. Stir till well incorporate and serve up straight away.

Serves 1.

Linguine with courgette (zucchini) blossoms

This is a lovely and bright summer dish which really brings out the delicate flavours of the blossoms.

Warm 2 tbs olive oil in a large pan. Now add 1 carrot and 1 red onion, finely chopped. Stir over a medium heat till the onion becomes translucent. Now add 12 courgette flowers sliced lengthwise, and 1 courgette, finely chopped (unless of course you are lucky enough to have the baby courgettes still attached to the courgette flowers, in which case you use those). Stir around, and now add 350ml good quality chicken or vegetable broth, a pinch of saffron threads, and a handful parsley, finely chopped. Reduce down till there is a film of liquid remaining.

In the meantime, bring a pot of water to a boil and add 350g linguine pasta. When nearly done, scoop out 100ml pasta water into a small bowl and whisk in 1 egg yolk. Add both the drained pasta and the yolky water to the vegetables and mix well in the pan before serving. I like to garnish this pasta with 150ml toasted breadcrumbs and a dusting of parmesan.

Serves 3-4.

For a vegan version: omit the yolk altogether and instead stir in a little soya cream at the end.

Extra lemony pasta sauce

In a mortar and pestle or food processor pound together 2 garlic cloves, a large bunch of basil, and a little coarse sea salt. Blend in 5 tbs olive oil and the zest and juice of two lemons.

Stir some/all of the sauce into 200g pasta (Trofie is a favourite as it develops a creamy texture which matches really nicely with the lemon) which has been boiled to al dente. Now add a generous sprinkling of parmesan, a final grating of lemon (or lime) rind, and a garnish of small basil leaves.

For a seafood pasta add some cooked mussels and/or squid and a healthy portion (1 cup) of finely chopped parsley instead of the basil after stirring in the sauce. You can also stir in some parmesan if you like, but Italians would have a heart attack if they found out! In Italy it is the rule that one never mixes cheese and seafood in pastas and risottos.

Pasta bake with spicy Italian meatballs

Cook 500g tubular pasta (rigatoni, etc) in a large pot of boiling water for 2 minutes less than according to the package instructions. Drain and pour into a large and deep baking dish. Pour over a 700g jar of passata (pureed tomatoes). Rinse out the jar with 100ml water, and pour over the pasta. Stir around.

Evenly distribute over-top: 2 chopped, fresh red chillies, 125g shredded fresh mozzarella (one large ball), 250g grilled and peeled red peppers from a jar, 1/3 cup of chopped sundried peppers (or tomatoes), sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Now stir gently till combined.

Slit open 400g spicy Italian sausages (or I used the same amount of high-quality sausage meat combined with 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp chilli flakes and a sprinkling of dried thyme and sea salt). Form into 18 small balls and distribute evenly over the pasta, pushing them down slightly into the pasta. Finally, take 150g fresh ricotta cheese and dot around the pasta in small pieces, much like the sausage.

Drizzle with a little olive oil and bake in the oven at 200c for around 30 minutes (or until the pasta edges are nice and crisp).

Garnish with some Greek basil (i.e. the small-leafed variety) and serve with a crisp green salad and some garlic bread.

Note: You can assemble this pasta dish a few hours ahead of time and pop in the oven just before serving.

Serves 6.

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Pugliese pasta with purple sprouting broccoli and chili

This recipe comes from the fab regional Italian recipe book The Painter, the Cook and the Art of the Cucina.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. In the meantime finely chop 2 garlic cloves and 1 red chili pepper. Take a bunch of purple sprouting broccoli, strip the leaves, slice them and then set these aside. Place the broccoli on a cutting board and slice finely through the florets. If the stems are relatively young then you can also include these.

Add 200g cavatelli pasta (or orechiette pasta) to the boiling water and cook till al dente (see packet cooking instructions for guidelines). Halfway through add the chopped broccoli florets.

In the meantime, in a large frying pan add 2 tbs olive oil and then the garlic and chili and stir for about 30 seconds. Now add the broccoli leaves and stir around on a medium-high heat till the leaves start to wilt. Turn down the heat to low, add 1/2 cup of the cooking water to the pan and then add 2 anchovy fillets (don’t worry - the end result won’t taste fishy at all!). Stir around till the anchovies dissolve.

Strain the pasta, reserving another 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the vegetables and toss for a couple minutes, adding a little more water to moisten, if necessary.

Drizzle with a little more olive oil, some sea salt and freshly ground pepper, and serve with some grated parmsean.

Serves 2.

Seashell pasta with a Sicilian pesto - from Jamie’s 30-minute meals

Not surprisingly, various attempts at recreating Jamie’s 30 meals in his latest TV series has proven next to impossible. I stuck to just one of his dishes (instead of four) and did manage a decent meal in just 15 minutes. See recipe below (which I’ve adapted somewhat).

First, bring a pot of water to the boil. In the meantime, using a food processor, pulse together 100g almonds (blanched or not), 2 peeled cloves of garlic, and 1-2 whole red chillies (stems removed). Now add and pulse 1 large bunch basil (reserve a few leaves to be used for the garnish), 4 anchovy fillets, and 200g canned chopped tomatoes (in the summertime you can substitute with 300g cherry tomatoes), and a glug of olive oil. Season with a little sea salt.

Cook the seashell pasta (100g per person up to 500g) till al dente. Drain, reserving a cupful of the cooking water. Return to the pot, add some of the pesto to taste (or all if preparing for 4-5 people). Stir in a little of the cooking water to ensure the pasta isn’t too dry. Add the grated rind of 1 lemon and some grated parmesan.

Serve in individual pasta bowls with a garnish of small basil leaves, a drizzle of olive oil, and (in the summer) some halved cherry tomatoes.

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Lessons in Italian Food Courses: Antipasti & Pasti

I love making meals consisting of just appetizers and pasta/risotto dishes as there is so much variety and flavours to choose from. In Italy they would be followed by some meat or fish served with vegetables - but that is pure folly (unless you’ve just run a marathon).

Here’s a nice healthy alternative to the usual pastas or white rice dishes - pearl barley risotto.

In a pot set over medium-high heat fry 1 chopped onion with a little olive oil. Once softened add 1 chopped garlic clove and stir around. Add 1 cup pearl barley and coat with the onion mixture. Add 1/2 cup white wine or vermouth and reduce down. Add a large handful of chopped mushrooms stems (wild or portobello). Now start adding a ladleful of vegetable or mushroom stock. Wait till this has been reduced before adding some more. Continue till around 2 1/2 cups of stock has been absorbed and the pearl barley is done. Cover and let rest. Meanwhile, quickly fry the remaining mushroom tops (sliced) in a little olive oil till golden. Add two chopped garlic cloves and 1/3 cup white wine or vermouth, cover and cook for a further 2 minutes. Season with sea salt and pepper and sprinkle with some chopped parsley.

Serve up the risotto in two pasta bowls, add the mushroom garnish and some slivers of fresh parmesan.

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Crunchy fettucine with wild mushrooms

This recipe is a somewhat simplified version of one by Ottolenghi in his new recipe book Plenty.

Put a pot of water to a boil. In the meantime heat up a little olive oil in a large pan and stir fry 250g wild mushrooms (or button mushrooms), sliced, till they start to take on colour. Add 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped and stir. Now add 100ml vermouth (or white wine) and 3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked, and reduce the liquid to a third. Stir in between 50-150ml thick double cream (depending on how creamy you like your pasta). Season with sea salt and pepper. Keep warm.

In a small pan toast 20g panko (Japanese) breadcrumbs till golden. Take off the heat and add the zest of 1 lemon, grated and 3 tbs chopped parsley.

Cook 250g fettucine or pappardelle till al dente. Drain, keeping some of the cooking liquid and stir into the mushroom sauce. If the sauce seems dry (especially if you have not used the full quantity of cream) then add in some of the cooking liquid.

Transfer to two pasta bowls and sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture and some grated parmesan and a little olive oil (if you like).

Serves 2.

Optional: for a vegan version substitute soya cream for the regular cream and omit the parmesan.

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Spaghetti with courgette flowers

Bring a pot of water to a boil. In the meantime, take a dozen courgette flowers (rinsed) and fry in a little olive oil till golden. Sprinkle with some sea salt and set aside on a plate. Boil 250g spaghetti pasta (or spaghettini) till al dente. In the meantime, place 2 tbs olive oil in a large frying pan and add 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts, 1 chopped garlic clove, and some chopped herbs (parsley, thyme, oregano, etc.). Slowly stir fry till golden. Season with sea salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta (reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid) and add to the pan with the breadcrumb mixture. Stir the “sauce” evenly through out the pasta, adding the cooking liquid a little at a time to moisten (you may not need all the liquid).

Serve up in two pasta plates with some of the reserved courgette flowers on top, with a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkling of grated parmesan (optional).

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