Pasta Dishes

For all your favourite pasta dishes.

Fettucini Alfredo.

This is a foolproof recipe and rather quick to make, it takes between 10-15 minutes.

Ingredients.
Clove of Garlic
Ginger (to your taste)
Half an onion (or a small one)
100 ml fresh cream
50 ml milk
Mushrooms 250 g (any type, we use Denny mushrooms)
150 g Cooked Ham
Fettucini (amount depends on how much you love pasta)
Butter 100g
Salt and Black Pepper to taste.

Instructions.
1.Start melting the butter in a pan
2.Chop the onion as finely as you can
3.Add the onion, garlic and ginger to the melted butter
4.Fry until luminous
5.Add the sliced mushrooms salt and pepper.
6.Boil the Fettucini in water for about 7 minutes.
7. When mushrooms are soft and have soaked up all the flavours, slice the cooked ham into little ribbons or small pieces.
8.Add the milk and cream to the pan and allow to simmer (we add a thickening agent Mezina to help thicken the sauce).
9. As soon as it is reduced, mix all together and enjoy.

This will serve at least 4 people.

Pasta alla carbonara

Serves 4

Ingredients
150g smoked pancetta (bacon) cubed
4 eggs
4 desertspoons of cream
70 g parmesan cheese (or grana padano as a cheaper alternative)
50 g butter
320-450 g spaghetti (depending on appetite)
salt and black pepper.


Instructions
1) Take the four eggs and separate the egg yolk from the egg whites (the egg whites are not needed for this recipe).
2) Add the cream and parmesan cheese to the egg yolks and mix, adding salt and black pepper according to your taste.
3) Fry the bacon cubes in a large pan without oil on a low flame.
4) Cook the pasta as per packet instructions (Important don't overcook!)
5) When the pasta is cooked, drain the water immediately then proceed to number 6.
6) Remove the fried bacon from the pan, then melt the butter in the same pan
7) Add the spaghetti to the pan of melted butter along with 2/3 tablespoons of water and mix well
8) mix in the bacon to the spaghetti
9) Remove the spaghetti from the flame and add the egg/cheese/cream mixture
10) Place back on the flame and mix well untill the egg mixture increases in density
11) Eat without cutting any of the spaghetti

Buon appetito

Pasta ai quattro formaggi

serves 4 people.

Ingredients
Mozzarella (ready to cook, not fresh)
70 g Fontina cheese)
70 g bel paese (or suitable spreadable cheese)
50 g parmesan cheese
salt
320-450 g penne rigate (depending on appetite)
100 g butter
a cup of cream

Instructions
1) Cube the cheese apart from the parmesan which you need to grate
2) cook the pasta (don't overcook, it needs to be "al dente" on the firm side).
3) Drain the water as soon as the pasta is cooked.
4) Melt the butter in a pan until it starts to foam or bubble.
5) Add the cooked pasta to the butter and start mixing.
6) Add the cheese cubes and the grated parmesan whilst mixing over a low flame
7) Add the cream and keep mixing until the ingredients are well mixed.

Buon appetito

Lasagna al forno

Ingredients
2-3 tbsp olive oil
25 g butter
2 large onions, finely chopped
3 stickscelery
2 carrots, finely diced
3-4 clovesgarlic, finely chopped
1 kg fresh fattyminced beef, such as chuck
2 freshbay leaves
225 ml milk
1/3 tsp freshly gratednutmeg
225 ml white wine, 225
400 g canned chopped tomatoes, roughly chopped
9-10 sheets pre-cooked driedlasagne sheets
90 g parmesan, freshly grated
black pepper

For the béchamel sauce:
600 ml milk
2 freshbay leaves
1 onion, halved
freshly gratednutmeg
60 g butter
60 g plain flour
black pepper

Method
1. Warm the oil and butter in a heavy-based casserole over medium heat. Add the onion and gently fry for about 5 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the celery, carrots and garlic, and cook for another couple of minutes, stirring to coat well.

2. Stir in the beef with a large pinch of salt and several grindings of black pepper. Cook, stirring, until the beef has lost its raw pink look.

3. Add the bay leaves and milk, bring to the boil, then simmer gently for about 10 minutes, until the meat has absorbed the milk. Season with a pinch of nutmeg.

4. Pour in the wine and let it simmer until it has evaporated, then add the tomatoes with their juice and stir thoroughly.

5. Cook, uncovered, at a lazy simmer with just an intermittent bubble breaking through the surface, for 3 hours or more. The fat will have separated, but the sauce will not be dry. Taste and correct the seasoning.

6. About 45 minutes before the meat is ready, make the béchamel sauce. Pour the milk into a saucepan with the bay leaf, onion and a generous pinch of nutmeg. Bring to just below the boiling point, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 15-20 minutes.

7. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Grease a shallow baking dish.

8. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Strain the milk, then gradually stir it into the flour mixture to make a thick smooth sauce. Season to taste.

9. Pour some béchamel into the baking dish - enough to just cover the base. Place a layer of lasagne sheets on top, followed by a layer of meat sauce, another layer of béchamel and a good handful of Parmesan. Continue with two or three more layers until both sauces are used up. Add a final sprinkling of Parmesan.

10. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until bubbling all over and a knife slips easily through the layers of lasagne.

Mozzarella meatballs and spaghetti

Ingredients

For the meatballs
500 g minced beef
50 g freshbreadcrumbs
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly groundblack pepper
handfuls offresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp driedoregano
75 g mozzarella
3 tbsp rapeseed oil

For the sauce
1 smallonion, diced
2 roastedred peppers, (from a jar)
2 tbsp tomato purée
juice of 1oranges
200 ml beef stock
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
50 g stoned greenolives, sliced
spaghetti, to serve


Method
1. For the meatballs

2. Mix the minced beef with the breadcrumbs, garlic, seasoning, parsley and oregano.

3. Mix well with damp hands and make 10-12 balls.

4. Cut the mozzarella into 10-12 chunks.

5. Flatten each meatball and press a piece of mozarella into the centre. Gather the meat around it and pinch to make sure it is sealed.

6. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry for around 10 minutes, turning occasionally.

7. For the sauce Fry the onion in the pan juices until softened.

8. Add the tomato puree, orange juice, stock and vinegar.

9. Bring to the boil, then using a hand blender, puree the sauce a little.

10. Return the meatballs to the pan and simmer for 25 minutes until cooked through.

11. Just before serving add the olives.

12. Serve with spaghetti.