An easy pasta dish from Persiana Everyday by Sabrina Ghayour. Ready in 10 minutes and perfect for midweek.
Wine Suggestion: A crisp and fresh Sartarelli Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico which lifts the dish and adds an extra roundness and depth. Easy white peach flavours but with that classic green almond twist at the end that bring both wine and food together.
Penne with spicy tomato & mascarpone sauce – serves 2
200g penne pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
4 big garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tbsp tomato purée
150g mascarpone cheese
1 tsp pul biber chilli flakes
2 handfuls of Greek basil – we used some regular basil
Cook the pasta in plenty of salty water according to the timings on the pack.
Meanwhile, warm a frying pan over a medium heat, and add the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook gently until soft and translucent.
Add the tomato purée, mascarpone and most of the chilli flakes, then stir until you have a smooth sauce.
When the pasta is cooked, scoop it out with a slotted spoon and straight into the frying pan with the sauce. Season well with plenty of salt and black pepper. You might need to add a bit more pasta water to loosen to a creamy sauce.
Serve in warm bowls with a sprinkle of pul biber and the basil leaves.
(Original recipe from Persiana Everyday by Sabrina Ghayour, Aster*, 2022.)
We’re having problems with our website at the moment which is why we haven’t been posting. We’ve a temporary fix in place and will hopefully get back to normal very soon. Not least because all the things we’ve been cooking will be out of season by the time we get around to posting them!
Make the base for this earlier in the day and bake when guests arive. We served with champ, buttered brussels sprouts and roasted carrots. You make quite a bit of roux and only use a bit, but its a very handy thing to have in the fridge at this time of year to thicken gravies and sauces.
Wine Suggestion: Pork and mushrooms often make us think of Nebbiolo, especially when there’s a rich sauce to cut through too. From a very traditional, but expressive winemaker Pira Luigi’s Serralunga Barolo is a classical expression of this famous region. They make some amazing Cru’s as well which always need time to evolve, but this cuvée we find is always more open in youth. Full-bodied and aromatic with tar and roses, the earthiness and truffle on the palate hold the balance between the full tannins and fresh acidity. It finishes long and regal as hoped.
Pork and mushroom pie – serves 4
FOR THE ROUX:
100g butter
100g plain flour
FOR THE PIE FILLING:
25g butter
2 onions, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
700g shoulder or leg pork, cut into 2cm cubes
250ml chicken stock
1 tbsp olive oil
300g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
250ml cream
1 tbsp chopped parsley
FOR THE TOPPING:
300g puff pastry, rolled to 5mm
1 egg, beaten
Make the roux first by melting the butter over a medium heat, then add the flour. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, then pour into a small bowl. Keep in the fridge once cooled.
Preheat the oven to 160C, Gas 3.
Melt the butter for the pie filling in a medium casserole. Add the onions and season, then cover and sweat on a low heat for 5 minutes. Turn up the heat, then add the spices and the pork. Toss for a few minutes to colour the pork, then add the stock. Cover and cook in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until tender.
While the pork is cooking, heat the oil in a large frying pan, then add the mushrooms and fry until lightly coloured. Add the mushrooms to the pork after 30 minutes.
When the pork is cooked, remove the pork and mushrooms from the dish with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the cream to the pot and boil with the lid off for a few minutes. Slowly whisk in about 2 tbsp of the roux to thicken the sauce, adding in small pieces while the mixture is boiling. Add the chopped parsley, then return the pork and mushrooms to the pan. Season and transfer to a large pie dish.
Heat the oven to 230C, Gas 8.
Cover the dish with the pastry and make a hole in the centre to let out steam. You can decorate the top if you like with the excess pastry. Have fun doing this if you like we did.
Brush with the beaten egg, then cook in the oven for 10 minutes. Turn the heat town to 190C/Gas 5 and cook for a further 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve immediately with lots of veg.
(Original recipe from Rachel’s Food for Living by Rachel Allen, Collins, 2007.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 