The Food Diaries

Tomato and mozzarella pennette

I like creamy tasting pasta, but without the heaviness of cream so I quite like this recipe which marries the tartness of the tomatoes with the creaminess of the mozzarella (and these days it is quite easy to find low-fat versions).

Bring a pot of water to the boil. In the meantime, heat 1 tbs olive oil in a largish pan (large enough to hold the pasta) with 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped. Add 400g of either fresh or canned tomatoes (if using fresh peel and de-seed them first*) and a small handful of basil leaves. Cook until the tomatoes thicken into a sauce. If using fresh tomatoes you can stir in 1 tbs tomato concentrate at this point. While the sauce is cooking cook 250g pennette (or penne) pasta in the boiling water till al dente.

Just before the pasta has finished cooking, finish up with the sauce by seasoning with some salt and pepper and adding 60g chopped fresh mozzarella, stirring till it melts into the sauce. Turn off the heat.

Drain the pasta and transfer to the sauce pan. Toss over low heat till well combined. Sprinkle with some freshly grated Parmesan. Add some more basil leaves and serve immediately.

Serves 2.

You may also be interested in:

CRAB, CHILLI & LIME PASTA >

SAGE, WALNUT AND BREADCRUMB PASTA >

*These days it is quite easy to find peelers which make easy work of soft fruit and vegetables such as this one from Lakeland or this one made especially for tomatoes by Zyliss.

Cooking with sage

Not the most popular herb in the repertoire, nonetheless the sage leaf is a wonderful culinary addition, particularly when the new season grey/silver leaves are at their most tender. Besides the usual meat pairings (sage stuffing for poultry, marinades, etc.) sage is also great in Italian dishes. Here are a few ideas:

Fry some whole, large sage leaves in olive oil till crisp, add a light sprinkling of sea salt. and serve as an aperitif along with a chilled glass of Chardonnay (a good pairing).

As above, but when the sage is crisp, leave in the pan and add some breadcrumbs and chopped walnuts (1/2 cup each) and a little more olive oil. Fry till golden (don’t let it burn!) and then add 250-300g al dente cooked spaghettini (whole-meal if possible) to the pan and coat in the sauce. Don’t bother to drain the pasta too well, and add between 1/2-1 cup of the cooking liquid to the pan (little by little till it gets absorbed and the sauce become quite glossy). Serve with a good sprinkling of parmigiano reggiano, and some salt and pepper.

Finally, there is salvia e burro, a delicious (though nicely calorific option). Melt quite a bit of butter (with a little olive oil added so it won’t burn) in a pan and slowly cook the sage leaves. Add some cooked spaghettini or perhaps some ravioli-filled with spinach and ricotta. Again, serve with a good sprinkling of parmigiano reggiano, and some salt and pepper.

You might also be interested in:

STUFFED PASTA SHELLS WITH WALNUTS >

GNOCCHI WITH PURPLE SPROUTING BROCCOLI >

Stuffed giant pasta shell appetizer

Here’s an easy party idea. Boil up some giant pasta shells (Conchiglioni). Drain while still really quite firm and al dente. Now stuff with whatever you fancy - some fresh pesto, some cooked spinach mixed with ricotta, etc. I stuffed mine with my Ligurian walnut sauce and green tapenade. Place in a baking dish in an oven at 200c and bake till nicely grilled.

Recipe for: Gnocchi with purple sprouting broccoli

I have never been a massive fan of gnocchi - those little Italian dumplings made of potato and flour which can so often be quite thick and leaden. But since discovering the Del Ugo Tricolour baby gnocchis (potato, spinach, tomato) - light as air and melt in the mouth, I am a convert. I keep mine in the freezer, and they can be boiled (without defrosting) in just a few minutes.

My favourite sauce recipe to go along with it is as follow:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, throw in 240g frozen baby gnocchi, then throw in a piece of skinned salmon fillet, 1 minute after that throw in 100g chopped broccoli (I like the purple sprouting variety). When the gnocchi rise to the top, drain and put back into the pot. Now add a few tablespoons of walnut pasta sauce, 1tbs tomato paste, 1tbs creme fraiche, some salt and pepper, a drizzle of olive oil (or walnut oil), and that’s it.

For a vegetarian option, omit the salmon and bulk up on the broccoli, for a meaty option, omit the salmon and sprinkle some fried pancetta on the gnocchi once you have added the sauce.

Creamy Italian Walnut sauce (Tocco di Noci)

So this sauce is more a thick paste than a traditional pasta sauce but I find it a really versatile base to which other ingredients can be added and which could be used in all kinds of dishes. I’ve adapted it quite a bit from Anna del Conte’s recipe in The Painter, the Cook and the Art of Cucina. See the original recipe below and then my notes follow it.

How to Make it

200g/7oz shelled walnuts
25g/1oz unflavoured breadcrumbs
1 garlic clove, minced
30g/1oz finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 pinch minced fresh marjoram
175ml/6fl oz prescinseua (Ligurian curd cheese) or 150g/5fl oz fresh ricotta diluted with 2 tbsp tepid water
60ml/2.5fl oz extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to taste
sea salt (optional)

Place the walnuts, breadcrumbs, garlic and salt in a mortar and pound with a pestle to form a paste. Alternatively, place these ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until they form a paste. Transfer to a bowl if you are not using a pestle and mortar. Add the Parmesan and marjoram, then the prescinseua or diluted ricotta. Finally, add the olive oil to the mixture, a little at a time, stirring to combine the ingredients. Serve on hot pasta.

Lydia’s notes:

I prefer 2 garlic cloves, I like using either 0% Quark cheese or English Soft Curd cheese in the absence of Ligurian cheese (!), and I only added 2tbs olive oil and none of the parmesan to the paste itself, preferring to drizzle/sprinkle it on the pasta itself once it’s cooked. I also found that adding the soft cheese in the food processor worked fine. Saves a little work.

How I served it: (per person) 2tbs of the paste, 100g cooked pasta, along with some chopped sundried tomatoes, black olives and parsley, as well as some chili flakes. Seasoned with salt, pepper, olive oil and parmesan.

Wheat-free pasta with a cavolo nero pesto

This is inspired by a River Cafe recipe for cavolo nero pesto (a Tuscan kale/black cabbage which can usually be found at this time of year in farmer’s markets).

- 1 head of cavolo nero (de-stemmed - hold one end of each leaf firmly before stripping off and discarding the stem)

- 3 garlic cloves, peeled

- Large handful of pinenuts (or ground almonds which I prefer for its lighter flavour)

- Olive oil to taste

- 200g corn pasta fusilli

- 1 cup frozen peas

- mixed chopped fresh herbs (parsley/mint/chives)

- Crushed chili (optional)

- Parmesan for sprinkling

How to put it together

Place the cabbage and garlic in a pot of boiling water. Drain once cooked (about 4 min). Place the cabbage and garlic in a food processor with the nuts and process. Drizzle in olive oil till it reaches a glossy consistency.

Boil a pot of water, and cook your pasta (adding the frozen peas about 3 minutes before draining). Add large spoonfuls of the pesto. Drizzle with additional olive oil if desired. Sprinkle with the herbs and chili and parmesan. Season to taste.

Serves 2.

Crab, chilli and lime pasta recipe

So I’m not a fan of Gordon Ramsay’s. I don’t like his attitude towards the people who work for him (am not convinced yelling at people is the way to get the best out of them), I don’t like the way he spreads his name across so-called gastro pubs, which are over-priced and underwhelming. And it looks like he is struggling to hold onto his Michelin stars (Claridges, with its £150 set menu has just lost its only remaining star in the 2010 Michelin Guide).

Having said that, I fell in love with the recipe the minute I chanced upon it when channel surfing one day and it has since become one of my staple recipes.

Store cupboard essentials:

- canned crab meat (you can find it in the same aisle as the canned tuna fish),

- frozen, chopped chilli (Waitrose does these amazing bagged versions of chilli, ginger, garlic, and even lime leaf which you can find in their frozen section - life is too short to chop)

- fresh limes (or a bottle in the fridge will do)

- pasta

- frozen peas

Chef’s note: I use spaghettini instead of angel hair pasta (and in the photo above I used corn/wheat free pasta), I don’t bother deglazing with wine but add more lime, and I try to raise the veggie content by adding frozen peas to the cooking water 3 minutes before draining the pasta.

Serves 4 as a starter

Ingredients

200g angel hair pasta
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 red chilli
4 spring onions
Approx 75ml dry white wine
1 lime
250g white crab meat
Handful of flat leaf parsley
Salt
Black pepper
Olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. When it comes to a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook according to pack instructions until al dente (approximately 3-4 minutes).

2. Heat another large pan with the olive oil. Chop the spring onions, thinly slice the chilli (deseed if you prefer) and crush the garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minutes and season with salt and pepper.

3. Add the wine to the pan and cook out for a minute to reduce. Add the crab meat, stir together and allow to heat through.

4. Drain the pasta and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the pasta to the crab mixture, chop the parsley and toss the ingredients to combine.

5. Divide between warm plates and serve immediately with a generous squeeze of lime juice, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.