Tagliatelle pasta with sausage, rosemary, and porcini mushrooms.

Method

1. Remove the skins from sausages and place meat mixture in a bowl.

2. Heat oil in a large frying pan over low heat and fry sausage meat and the leek for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to crumble the meat.

3. Add the rosemary and mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and continue to cook for 2 minutes.

4. Pour in the wine and continue to cook for a further minute to allow the alcohol to evaporate.

5. Pour in the cream, mix everything together and cook for 1 minute. Set aside.

6. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and tip back into same saucepan.

7. Pour in cream sauce and toss everything together for 30 seconds to allow flavours to combine.

8. Serve immediately.

 

 

  SERVES 4        

Ingredients

400g Italian sausages
..........................................................
6 tablespoons of olive oil
..........................................................
1 leek, washed and finely chopped
..........................................................
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
..........................................................
50g dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes and drained
..........................................................
100 ml dry white wine
..........................................................
150 ml double cream
..........................................................
500g tagliatelle
..........................................................
Salt and pepper to taste 

LUGANIGA AL VINO ROSSO

Luganiga Italian sausage in red wine.

Method.

1. Take sausage and coil it in a spiral. Fix two long wooden skewers through the sausage so that it is held solid and can be turned.

2. Place rosemary sprigs in between the sausage.

3. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry sausage for 5 minutes on high heat on one side.

4. Turn sausage over, lower the heat and cook for another 5 minutes.

5. Add the wine and cook until it evaporates, about 5-6 minutes, ensuring both sides are golden brown.

 

Beautiful served  with roast potatoes.

 

  SERVES 2

Ingredients

500g pack of luganiga sausage
..........................................................
2 tablespoons olive oil
..........................................................
3 tablespoons red wine
..........................................................
3 sprigs of rosemary 

SPAGHETTI ALLE VONGLE

Spaghetti with clams

Method

 

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add garlic and cook for a minute until just beginning to colour.

2. Add the clams, wine, chilli, parsley and salt to taste, cover with lid, and cook clams over high heat to open them for about 3-4 minutes.

3. Cook the spaghetti in a generous amount of boiling salted water

4. Drain spaghetti and add to the clams, mixing gently.

 

 

Serve with a chilled bottle of Falanghina wine. From Campania Region of Italy, perfect with all seafood.

 

 

  SERVES 4

Ingredients

2 Kg fresh clams in their shells.
..........................................................
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
..........................................................
3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped finely
..........................................................
2 dried red chillies, crushed
..........................................................
75ml white wine
..........................................................
bunch fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
..........................................................
500g spaghetti
..........................................................
If fresh clams are hard to find, use 200g of vongole in a jar, available from La Gastronomia
 

GAMBERI O'SOLE MIO

King prawns in tomato and saffron sauce.

Method

1. Prepare prawns by cutting them open down the curved back, being careful not to cut right through them. Open them like a butterfly.

2. Remove the dark intestinal vein.

3. Fry garlic in the olive oil until lightly coloured.

4. Add prawns and tomato puree and fry until prawns turn pink. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Add the wine and reduce for 5 minutes.

6. Add saffron and water mixture and stir for a few more minutes.

7. Remove the prawns and keep warm. Reduce the sauce until nice and thick.

8. Pour sauce over prawns, garnish with parsley.

 

 

 

  SERVES 4

Ingredients

900g raw tiger prawn in shell
..........................................................
4 garlic cloves finely chopped
..........................................................
125ml extra virgin olive oil
..........................................................
4 tablespoons tomato puree
..........................................................
salt and pepper
..........................................................
450 ml dry white wine
..........................................................
pinch saffron threads, soaked in 450ml warm water.
..........................................................
few sprigs of flat leaf parsley, chopped 

PANETTONE BREAD & BUTTER PUDDING

Method

1. To start the custard base, bring the milk and cream just to a boil in a saucepan.

2. Cut vanilla pod in half, scrape out seeds and add to the pan with the zest of orange.

3. Whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale. Add to the milk and cream.

- Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C

4. Dip each slice of panettone into the custard and lay into a buttered baking dish.

5. Pour the remaining custard over the panettone.

6. Sprinkle with icing sugar and bake for about 45 minutes. When cooked it should have a slight crust on the top and be slightly wobbly inside.

 

  SERVES 6/8

Ingredients

1 pint milk
..........................................................
1 pint double cream
..........................................................
1 vanilla pod
..........................................................
4 eggs
..........................................................
6 ounce caster sugar
..........................................................
Panettone, cut into thick slices and buttered
..........................................................
1 orange zested
..........................................................
3 tablespoons of Cognac ( optional )
..........................................................
A little icing sugar 

HALLOUMI WITH CHILLI

Method

1. Mix the chopped chilli and olive oil in a bowl and leave the flavours to deepen for 15 minutes.

2. Fry the halloumi in a non stick frying pan, no oil, for a few minutes on each side till golden.

3. When all halloumi is cooked , transfer onto a serving dish and spoon the chilli all over the cheese, adding a sqeeze of lemon.

 

 

  SERVES 4

Ingredients

2 medium red chillies, chopped and de-seeded
..........................................................
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
..........................................................
250 g packet of Halloumi, sliced about 1/2 cm each
..........................................................
fresh lemon 

CHICKEN LIVER PATE

 

Method

 

1. Pop pack of butter in a pan on low heat with the sage and melt slowly.

2. Meanwhile heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan on high, when hot add onions, garlic and thyme. Fast fry for 5 minutes until soft and starting to colour.

3. Add a splash more oil , chicken livers and a pinch of salt and pepper.

4. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until livers are cooked.

5. Add brandy to the pan and cook off.

6. Tip everything in a food processor and blitz until smooth.

7. Empty contents in individual ramakins or one large terrine, depending how you wish to serve the pate.

8. Pour over butter and sage to seal the pate. Pop in fridge to set.

 

  SERVES 4

Ingredients

250g pack of unsalted butter
..........................................................
olive oil
..........................................................
2 red onions, finely chopped
..........................................................
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
..........................................................
small bunch fresh thyme leaves
..........................................................
1Kg fresh chicken livers
..........................................................
125ml brandy
..........................................................
small bunch sage leaves
.......................................................... 

AUBERGINE PARMIGIANA

 

Method

 

1. Season the aubergine slices with salt and pepper and dust with flour.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan. Cook aubergines in batches for 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Cook the remaining batches in the same way, adding more oil to the pan as needed.

3. Put tomato passata in a pan, tear in the basil leaves and simmer for 20 minutes. Season.

4. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.Spoon some of the tomato sauce over base of an ovenproof dish and make a layer of aubergines slices on top. Sprinkle with a little parmesan, top with slices of mozzarella and tear over some basil leaves.

5.Continue making layers in this way, ending with a layer of tomato sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan and bake for 30 minutes.

For a smokey taste substitute the mozzarella for Scamorza, Italian smoked mozzarella.

 

 

  SERVES 6 AS STARTER OR 4 AS MAIN COURSE

Ingredients

4 aubergines, sliced lengthways
..........................................................
plain flour for dusting
..........................................................
5-6 tbsp olive oil
..........................................................
700g bottle tomato passata
..........................................................
bunch basil
..........................................................
100g grated parmesan
..........................................................
250g mozzarella, sliced
..........................................................
salt & pepper
..........................................................



 

PAPPARDELLE PASTA WITH CHICKEN & GORGONZOLA

 

Method

 

1. Heat oil in a saucepan and fry the chicken for 6 minutes until golden.

2. Add gorgonzola to the pan. Cook for another 3 minutes until melted.

3. Pour in the cream and wine and continue to cook for a furthur 2 minutes, stirring.

4. Season with salt and pepper and put aside.

5. Cook the pasta in a large pan. Drain and tip back into the pan.

6. Pour in the creamy sauce over the pasta and stir.

 

  SERVES 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
..........................................................
400g chicken breast, skin off, cut into thin strips
..........................................................
250g gorgonzola cheese, cut into chunks
..........................................................
150ml double cream
..........................................................
50ml dry white wine
..........................................................
500g pappardelle
..........................................................
salt and pepper
.......................................................... 

PENNE ALLA PRIMAVERA 

 

Method

 

1. Heat oil in a large frying pan and fry onions, peppers, courgettes and chilli ( optional ) for 10 minutes.

2. Add basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

3. Meanwhile cook pasta in a large pan. Drain and tip back into same pan.

4. Pour in the sauce and toss everything together.

5. Serve with a generous topping of grated parmesan.

 

  SERVES 4

Ingredients

8 tablespoons olive oil
..........................................................
2 red onions, peeled & finely chopped
..........................................................
2 red peppers and 1 yellow pepper, halved, deseeded and chopped into small cubes
..........................................................
1 courgette chopped into small cubes
..........................................................
1/2 teaspoon of chilli flakes ( optional )
..........................................................
500g penne
..........................................................
salt & pepper
.......................................................... 

ORECCHIETTE WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND BROCCOLI

 

Method

 

1. Heat oil in a large frying panover a medium heat. Add garlic and sausage and cook for 3 minutes.

2. Add broccoli, chilli and pine nuts, continue cooking for another  5 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

3. Meanwhile cook pasta in a large pan. Drain and tip back in same pan.

4. Add the broccoli mixture to the pasta and mix well.

5.Serve with plenty of grated parmesan

 

 

  SERVES 4

Ingredients

8 tablespoons of olive oil
..........................................................
300g sprouting broccoli, cut into 2cm pieces
..........................................................
400g Italian sausages
..........................................................
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
..........................................................
6 tablespoons pine nuts
..........................................................
1 medium red chilli, finely sliced
..........................................................
500g orecchiette pasta
.......................................................... 

BRUSCHETTA

Method

 

Toast bread. Rub garlic on each slice of bread. Place on plates adding generous amount of olive oil. Top each slice with fresh tomatoes cut into chunks, salt , dry oregano, fresh basil and olive oil drizzle. Enjoy !

 

 

Ingredients

4 SLICES OF CRUSTY BREAD
......................................................
2-3 GARLIC CLOVES
......................................................
FRESH TOMATOES
......................................................
EXTRA VIRGIN OILVE OIL
......................................................
SALT
......................................................
BASIL
......................................................
OREGANO
......................................................