Bucatini Carbonara

Carbonara is the Italian word for ‘charcoal burner’, so some people believe this dish was first made for charcoal workers in the Apennine mountains. The general view now, though, is that it is an authentic urban recipe that hails from Rome. Bucatini is a type of pasta that is thicker than spaghetti shaped like a small tube. I find it works better than spaghetti in a carbonara sauce, but that is entirely preference, fettuccine is brilliant with carbonara as well.

The secret to a top carbonara sauce is the quality of your ingredients. Try to get the best eggs, pancetta (smoked bacon), extra virgin olive oil, and best pecorino cheese you can get your hands on. The rest is just child’s play.

Do us a favour, please do not destroy this delicate dish by adding cream to it. This is an authentic Italian recipe and does not require any cream. I was shell-shocked that the English and American versions of carbonara all contained large glugs of double cream in the sauce. The egg yolk and pecorino cheese will create an incredible sauce for your pasta, the trick is to fold it into your pasta with the stove turned off. This is a dish that has to be eaten straight away, the sauce does not hold so well refrigerated or frozen. But with a recipe this easy to make, you are best off making it fresh all the time!

READY TO COOK?

1. Heat the oil and butter in large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the pancetta for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden and crispy. Set aside.
2. Whisk the eggs and half the cheese in a bowl. Add the parsley and plenty of black pepper. Set aside.
3. Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain well and tip it back into the same pan.
4. Tip the contents of the pancetta pan into the pasta, then pour in the egg mixture. Mix everything together for 30 seconds with a wooden spoon. The heat from the pasta will be sufficient to cook the egg to a creamy coating.
5. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately with the remaining cheese sprinkled on top.

INGREDIENTS

• 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 250g diced pancetta
• 4 eggs

• 6 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino cheese
• 4 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 500g bucatini
• Sea salt and black pepper

Penne with sun-dried tomato pesto and black olives

Who doesn’t love pasta? Italian food has to be one of my all time favourite cuisines in the world. The ethos is to use simple but the best ingredients you can get your hands on. Get good quality pasta rather than the cheapest in your supermarket. Source the best olive oil you can find and you are already half way to making extremely good Italian food. I use sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper instead of the table salt and pepper variety, trust me you really can taste the difference. Fresh herbs is also an essential secret of mine, get your hands on some fresh Italian basil to put this dish into over-drive!

This recipe has to be one of the easiest and most rewarding dishes ever. You can make it all under 15-20 minutes and marvel in delight that you didn’t spend a fortune in a restaurant for something similar. Get those creative juices flowing and start cooking!

To get yourself ready (I have to stress this again), source good ingredients. Get the best penne pasta out there, sun-dried tomatoes, black olives, sun dried tomato pesto, fresh Italian basil, extra virgin olive oil, and Parmesan cheese.

Boil the pasta until al dente (10-12 min), mix in the olives and sun-dried tomatoes, then the pesto. Season well with sea salt and fresh black pepper. Top it off with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves. If you like a bit of heat, add some dried chilli flakes on top. Enjoy this dish with a fresh salad and a crisp glass of white wine. Bellissimo!

 

READY TO COOK?

1. Fill a large pot half way with water, add a tea-spoon of salt and splash of olive oil, then bring to the boil.
2. Put the pasta into the water and set to a medium heat. Cook according to packet instructions until al dente.
3. Drain the pasta and bring it back to the pot.
4. Add a splash of olive oil and stir in the olives and sun-dried tomatoes.
5. Add the pesto paste and stir well. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
6. Pop the pasta mix on a large serving dish.
7. Shave a ton of Parmesan cheese on top and sprinkle basil leaves all over the pasta.
8. Serve with extra parmesan on the side.

INGREDIENTS

• 350g penne pasta (fresh or good quality dried)
• 1 tin of black olives (pitted)
• 1 small jar of sun-dried tomatoes (roughly chopped)
• extra virgin olive oil (the best you can get)
• 1 hand-full of fresh basil leaves
• 1 jar of sun-dried tomato pesto
• 40g Parmesan cheese (and extra on side)
• sea salt and black pepper

Broccoli conchiglie pasta

I love broccoli, something I never imagined I would say when I was a young kid. I could not stand them as a toddler, but I have certainly changed my mind over the years. Broccoli is so unique in flavour and smell. It is high in vitamin C and dietary fibre which contains multiple nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties. Broccoli derived from cultivated leafy crops in the Northern Mediterranean in about the 6th century. Since the Roman Empire, broccoli has been considered a uniquely valuable food among Italians. It is only fitting that a pasta dish lyes behind this tale and is brought into your kitchen.  Conchiglie is a sea shell type pasta and is so delicious with this recipe. Mix fresh basil, anchovies, dried chilli, and freshly shaved parmesan all together, then top it off with some roasted seeds and nuts. You have to try this at home!

READY TO COOK?

1. Fill a large pot half way with water, add a tea-spoon of salt and splash of olive oil, then bring to the boil.
2. Put the pasta into the water and set to a medium heat. Cook according to packet instructions until al dente.
3. Add a splash of olive oil and chicken thighs to a large sauce pan and place over a medium heat, tossing regularly. This will take about 6 minutes until chicken is golden brown.
4. Put the basil, anchovies, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, the zest and juice of 1 lemon (or lime), 4 table spoons of hot water into a processor.
5. Add the garlic, a generous pinch of sea salt and black pepper, dried chilli, parmesan cheese and whiz until smooth.
6. Pour the mixture into a small bowl.
7. Add the florets of broccoli to the pasta and put a lid on the pot. Cook for 4 minutes.
8. Drain the pasta and broccoli in a colander. Reserve a little bit of the water.
9. Tip the bowl of sauce and chicken into the pot. Toss together and season with more sea salt and black pepper. Add a little cooking water if you need to loosen the pasta.
10. Pour onto a platter and finely grate over some Parmesan cheese.
11. Scatter over some mixed seeds (or roasted pine nuts) and some fresh leaves of basil, then serve.

INGREDIENTS

• 350g conchiglie pasta (fresh or good quality dried)
• 1 large broccoli
• 2 large chicken thigh fillets (cut into even sized pieces)
• 2 large clove of garlic (crushed)
• olive oil
• 40g Parmesan cheese (and extra on side)

• 1 tea-spoon of chopped up dried chilli
• sea salt and black pepper
• 1 large bunch of basil (4 handfuls) roughly chopped (keep extra on the side)
• 1 50g tin of anchovies fillets
• 1 lemon (or lime)
• 50g mixed seeds or roasted pinenuts