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.)
It’s last chance saloon if you want to cook this dish before both the tomatoes and weather turn rubbish. The marinade is added after you cook the lamb.
Wine Suggestion: We think barbecued lamb goes really nicely with Cabernet Franc, so a good excuse to open a bottle of our favourite wine: Chateau du Hureau’s Saumur-Champigny “Tuffe”.
Barbecue Lamb with Tomato & Capers – serves 6
1.5kg butterflied leg of lamb
FOR THE MARINADE:
3 tomatoes, diced
2 large shallots, finely chopped
1 tbsp capers, rinsed
a small bunch of parsley, chopped
a small bunch of mint, chopped
a small bunch of basil, chopped
1 lemon, juiced
2 tbsp olive oil
Mix the ingredients for the marinade together, keeping a small handful of herbs aside to garnish at the end.
Get your barbecue going and wait until the flames have died down. Move the coals to the sides and put a drip-tray in the middle, then BBQ the lamb for 20 minutes on each side.
When the lamb is cooked to your liking, set it on a platter and spoon over the marinade. Cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for 20 minutes. Slice and serve with the marinade and the rest of the herbs.
(Original recipe by Adam Bush & Janine Ratcliffe, Olive Magazine, August 2017.)
There is nothing difficult about this dish but despite the ease of cooking this tastes sophisticated and has bags of flavour. Inspiration from Mezcla by Ixta Belfrage, a book jam-packed with delicious things! Serve with some grilled sourdough.
Wine Suggestion: A good Sangiovese is our suggestion and we particularly enjoyed the Morisfarms Mandriolo from the Maremma on the Tuscan coast. With crushed raspberry flavours layered over a smooth dark berry core and aromas of violets this cut through any richness and gave it all a lift, adding an extra dimension to the meal. Just what we wanted with this complex and sophisticated meal.
Poached fish and charred tomatoes – serves 4
4 x 100g white fish fillets e.g. cod or hake, skin and bones removed
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp fine salt
FOR THE AÏOLI:
3 egg yolks
¼ tsp fine salt
½ a small clove of garlic, crushed
¼ tsp sweet paprika
pinch of saffron
50g light olive oil
FOR THE BROTH:
250g cherry tomatoes
1 Scotch bonnet chilli, whole
½ tsp fine salt
5 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, very finely chopped
½ tsp paprika
1 tbsp tomato purée
5g fresh coriander
5g fresh basil
350g water
15g unsalted butter
1 jalapeño or green chilli, thinly sliced
70g pitted green olives, roughly chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve
grilled sourdough, to serve
Place the fish in a dish with the lime juice and fine salt. Mix to coat, then aside while you prep everything else.
Make the aïoli by putting the egg yolks, salt, garlic, paprika, some black pepper and saffron into a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Add half the oil and whisk hard for 30 seconds or until the mixture starts to thicken. Add the rest of the oil and whisk hard again for about a minute, then stir in the vinegar. You should end up with loose mayonnasie consistency.
Heat a large sauté pan over a high heat until smoking hot. Add the tomatoes and Scotch bonnet and cook for about 6 minutes, give the pan a shake now and then to get a bit of char on the tomatoes.
Remove from the heat and add the salt, oil, garlic, paprika, tomato purée, half the coriander and half the basil. Mix well then return to the heat and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Add the water and butter and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, squeezing most of the tomatoes into the broth.
Lay the fish fillets into the broth, then cover with a lid and cook for a few minutes, or until just cooked through. Remove from the heat and leave covered for 2 minutes.
Throw away the Scotch bonnet and top the dish with the green chilli, olives and remaining herbs. Serve with the aïoli spooned on top and with lime wedges and grilled bread on the side.
(Original recipe from Mezcla by Ixta Belfrage, Ebury Press, 2022.)
A dish for when you arrive home tired from work and realise you have almost nothing in the cupboard to eat … except pasta, a lurking packet of pancetta and a block of parmesan (a staple in our most fridges).
Wine Suggestion: A simple, dry Rosé caught our fancy, to reflect the long day and store-cupboard cooking. A reliable and refreshing wine-rack staple is the Domaine Gayda Flying Solo Rosé. Made from Grenache and Cinsault in the Languedoc by Tim Ford, an old friend, this is refreshing and has a classic textural character that allows it to be drunk with food like tonight, as well as sipped and enjoyed in the sunshine on its own.
Life-saving creamy pancetta and Parmesan pasta – serves 2
77g pack of pancetta cubes (that is one half of the two pack they come in)
2tbsp olive oil
600ml chicken stock
200g fusilli pasta
75ml double cream
30g Parmesan, finely grated
a handful of basil leaves, shredded
Heat the olive oil in a deep frying pan, then add the pancetta and cook until crisp.
Add the stock and pasta, bring to a simmer, then cook until tender (start testing a little before the suggested timings on the pasta pack).
Stir in the cream and Parmean and simmer for a couple of minutes, then season really well with plenty of black peper.
Stir in the basil and serve.
(Original recipe by Janinie Ratcliffe in Olive Magazine, June 2019.)
We love a tomato salad and reckon we’ll be making this one all summer. Great for a barbecue.
Baked feta and tomato salad – serves 4
1 block of feta
100ml olive oil, plus 1 tsp
a drizzle of runny honey
½ tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed
1 tsp fresh oregano leaves, or a good pinch of dried oregano
½ tsp pul biber
600g mixed tomatoes
2 tbsp kalamata olives, pitted
2 tsp red wine vinegar
a handful of basil
Heat the oven to 220C/200C/Gas 7.
Rub the feta with a tsp of olive oil. Place on a sheet of foil, then drizzle over the honey and sprinkle with the coriander seeds, oreganoa and pul biber. Wrap the foil around the feta to make a sealed parcel then bake for 10 minutes.
Unwrap the foil and roast for another 5-10 minutes or until caraemelised.
Meanwhile, slice the tomatoes and put them into a large bowl. Sprinkle over a good pinch of sea salt and lots of black pepper. Stir in the olives and red wine vinegar and set aside.
Spoon the tomatoes onto a serving platter and drizzle with olive oil (use a nice one). Sprinkle over the basil leaves and set the baked feta on top.
(Original recipe by Rosie Birkett in Olive Magazine, June 2023).
You too can make a pasta cake like this on a Monday, trust us. Who knew it would be so easy to get cooked rigatoni to sit upright in a cake tin? The results are fun and although it will fall apart when you start serving, you can get your insta photo beforehand.
Wine Suggestion: Something fun, red and Italian like Umani Ronchi’s Rosso Conero Serrano. A blend of smooth Montepulciano and vibrant Sangiovese, this wine is fun and easy, but tied together with energy and vitality.
Torta di rigatoni – serves 4
butter, to grease the tin
4 tbsp breadcrumbs
325g rigatoni pasta
handful of basil leaves, finely chopped
250g mozzarella, cubed (buy a block of mozzarella, not buffalo)
50g grated Parmesan
FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and bashed
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
a handful of basil leaves
Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
Line the base and sides of a loose-bottomed, 20cm round cake tin with baking parchment, then butter and coat in the breadcrumbs.
Get the sauce going first. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat, then add the garlic clove and cook for about a minute. Add the chopped tomatoes, most of the basil leaves and season well with salt. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in lots of boiling salty water until al dente. Drain well, then mix with the chopped basil, half the mozzarella, some black pepper, half the tomato sauce (throw away the garlic) and half of the Parmesan. Leave to cool until the pasta is cool enough to handle.
Place the rigatoni upright in the cake tin. Pour over the remaining tomato sauce, then scatter over the rest of the mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake for 25 minutes, until golden. Leave to rest for 5 minutes before attempting to release from the tin, then scatter over a few basil leaves to serve.
(Original recipe by Gennaro Contaldo IN BBC Good Food Magazine, April 2020.)
You need to take your time over this one but it’s an excellent thing to do on a rainy day.
Wine Suggestion: A bright, youthful, vibrant red Italian red came to mind immediately for this. We didn’t have anything to hand from the Sorrento/Naples area so crossed over to the Marches for Umani Ronchi’s Rosso Conero Serrano. A delightful blend of Montepulciano and Sangiovese it stepped in admirably with an elegant red-fruited core and fine tannins.
Cannelloni all sorrentina – serves 4
First you need to make a batch of fresh egg pasta. If you have never done this before a youtube video will be helpful.
400g 00 flour
4 eggs
Make a mountain of flour on a large wooden board. Make a crater in the centre and break in the eggs.
Use a fork to break the egg yolks and gently whisk before starting to incorporate the flour by knocking it into the eggs. When you have added enough flour that the eggs will no longer run away, you can start using your hands and continue to mix, bring the flour and eggs together into a soft scraggy ball.
Knead the pasta until the dough starts to soften and smooth out – at least 5 minutes. If after the first few minutes the ball is still dry and flaky, flick just a few drops of water onto the board and knead them into the dough. You may need to do this a couple times, but don’t add too much, keep it to a couple of drops each time.
Once the dough is smooth, firm but pliable, leave it to rest, covered with a cloth or cling film for a at least 30 minutes.
Clamp a pasta machine onto a suitable table and put to the widest setting. Divide the pasta dough into 4, take a quarter and put the other 3 back under the cloth. Flatten the dough into a patty and put it through the rollers. Fold the strip of dough like an envelope and pass it through again, evelope again and pass again. It will be the size of a small book.
Set the machine at two and pass the dough through, but don’t fold this time. Do the same with the third setting, and so on until you have rolled it through all the settings and have a long strip, you can cut this to make it more manageable. Dust with some flour if it feels sticky.
Repeat this method with the other lumps of pasta. Cut the pasta into 12 sheets, each 20 x 10cm.
FOR THE SAUCE:
6 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
a pinch of chilli flakes
2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes
a few fresh basil leaves
FOR THE FILLING:
300g ricotta, drained
2 eggs
200g mozzarella, drained overnight and diced
3 heaped tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
60g Parmesan, grated, plus extra for the top
a few fresh basil leaves
grated nutmeg
First make the sauce. Warm the olive oil, garlic and chilli in a large, deep frying pan. When the garlic is fragrant, add the tomatoes, basil and a pinch of salt. Break the tomatoes up with a wooden spoon and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.
To make the filling, mash the ricotta in a large bowl, then beat in the eggs. Add the mozzarella, parsley and Parmesan and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.
Bring a large pan of salty water to the boil and prepare a large bowl of cold water. Drop a few pasta sheets into the boiling water, leave for 1 minutes, then lift out and into the cold water for 20 seconds, then lay on clean tea towels.
To roll the cannelloni, put 2 spoons of the filling at the top of the longer edge of each pasta sheet and roll closed.
Spread a little tomato sauce into the bottom of a large baking dish, arrange the cannelloni on top, then sprinkle with grated Parmesan and a few basil leaves, then pour over the rest of the sauce.
It helps to rest the dish now for at least 2 hours or even overnight.
Preheat the oven to 200C and bake for 30 minutes.
Leave the dish to rest for 30 minutes before serving with a green salad.
(Original recipe from An A-Z of Pasta by Rachel Roddy, Penguin:Fig Tree, 2021.)
This fish dish feels a bit special but is very easy to make. Serve on buttered spinach and with steamed potatoes.
Wine Suggestion: from our recent trip to the Loire we opened the superlative Domaine de la Taille aux Loups Clos de la Bretonnière. Made by Jacky and J-P Blot from a monopole in Vouvray, it has to be “Vin de France” as their winery is not in the appellation. No matter, this is as fine as dry Vouvray gets. We really enjoyed the taut minerality that complimented the fish, and how it kept on giving more layers as it went along revealing hints of spring and summer fruits. Tension and poise, but with a real generosity too.
Lemon sole with basil & tomato sauce – serves 4
60g plain flour
2 small lemon sole, each cut into 4 fillets and skinned (your fish shop will do this for you)
30g butter
FOR THE SAUCE:
300ml double cream
juice of ½ lemon
3 tbsp fresh pesto
100g sun-blush tomatoes, finely chopped
2 tsp chopped basil, to serve
Sprinkle the flour over a large plate and season well with salt and pepper.
Dip the fish fillets into the seasoned flour and shake off any excess.
Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Wait until the butter foams, then add the fillets and cook for 2 minute on each side, or until opaque and easy to flake. Transfer to a warm plate and keep warm while you make the sauce.
Heat the cream, lemon juice, and pesto in a pan over a medium heat until hot, then add the sun-blush tomatoes and season with salt and black pepper. Serve the fish fillets on a bed of buttered spinach, dress with the sauce and sprinkle over some basil leaves.
(Original recipe from Mary Berry’s Cookery Course, DK, 2013.)
Who doesn’t love meatballs. There’s at least one person in this house who would have them every week. This recipe by Olia Hercules makes heaps to help with that problem.
Wine Suggestion: great with a simple Sangiovese with bright and slightly crunchy fruits and a good wack of tannins. Rocca delle Macie’s Chianti Vernaiolo is our standby and doesn’t hide behind oak, rather celebrates the joy of fruit. The added joy is the smooth tannins this wine brings despite the potentially awkward Sangiovese grape; they have a great feel for getting the balance right even with a bouncingly youthful cuvee.
Olia’s Meatballs – Sugo Della Mamma – makes 30 meatballs
FOR THE MEATBALLS:
60g stale sourdough bread with crusts (or dry out 80g of fresh bread chunks in the oven)
250ml hot whole milk
20g parsley, very finely chopped
400g beef mince
400g pork mince
1 small egg, lightly beaten
2 cloves of garlic, finely grated
100g Pecorino/Parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
¼ nutmeg, finely grated
FOR THE SAUCE:
up to 5 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and bruised but left whole
800g tomato passata or 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
a couple of sprigs of basil
Tagliagelle, pappardelle or orecchiette, to serve
Put the bread into a bowl and pour over the hot milk. Leave for 5 mintues then press the bread down to make sure it’s all soaked. Cover and leave for 15 minutes.
Mix the mince, egg, bread and soaking milk, grated garlic, parsley, cheese and nutmeg together. Season well with 1 tbsp of sea salt and lots of black pepper. Use your hands to mix it all together really well.
Wet your hands and shape the mixture into about 30 golf-ball sixed meatballs.
Heat 3 tbsp of the olive oil for the sauce. Fry the meatballs in batches until browned on a couple of sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.
If you need more fat you can add the extra 2 tbsp of oil, then add the bruised garlic and cook for a few minutes to infuse the oil, then remove and discard.
Add the passata or tomatoes to the pan, then fill the jar or tin with 200ml water and add that with a generous pinch of salt. Cook over a medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Gently place the meatballs into the sauce and cook for 15-20 minutes at a gentle bubble. Add the basil sprigs for the last 5 minutes of cooking time.
Cook the pasta, then roughy drain so a little water remains. Return the pasta to the pot it was cooked in, ladle over the sauce and meatballs and gently stir to combine.
Serve with extra grated pecorino.
(Original recipe from Home Food by Olia Hercules, Bloomsbury, 2022.)
This was our first ever attempt at rough puff pastry. It’s actually pretty simple but you do need to start in the morning if you want to eat these for lunch. We had too much filling and we made some extras with shop-bought puff pastry – these were good too! It’s a good idea to make the filling first as it needs to cool completely before stuffing the pasties.
Courgette, chard & feta pasties – serves 4
FOR THE FILLING:
a bunch of chard
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
6-8 small courgettes, sliced into 1cm rounds
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
a large handful of basil leaves, chopped
a handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
150-200g feta cheese (or soft goat’s cheese)
FOR THE ROUGH PUFF PASTRY:
250g unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
500g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
a good pinch of salt
200ml iced water
TO FINISH:
1 beaten egg
1 tsp black onion seeds
Wash the chard, then remove the stalks from the leaves. Roughly chop the leaves and cut the stalks into 1cm pieces. Bring a pan of salty water to the boil and add the stalk pieces. Cook for a minute or two, then add the leaves and cook for another couple of minutes. Drain and allow to cool, then squeeze out any excess liquid from the leaves with your hands. Set aside.
Heat half the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and some seasoning. Cook for 5-6 minutes, watching that they don’t catch. Add the courgettes and cook for another 15-20 minutes. You want the courgettes to be nice and soft but not disintegrated. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the chard, lemon zest, basil, parsley and more seasoning. Allow to cool completely, then crumble in the feta and gently mix together. Keep the filling cool while you make the pastry.
TO MAKE ROUGH PUFF PASTRY:
Combine the butter cubes, flour and salt in a large bowl. Add just enough cold water to bring everything together into a dough. It will have big pieces of butter in it and that’s ok.
Flour your surface well, then roll the dough in one direction, away from you, to a 1cm thick rectangle. Fold the two short ends into the middle so they overlap. Give the pastry a quarter turn, repeat the rolling, folding and turning process another three times (four in total). Wrap the pastry in baking paper and put into the fridge for 30 minutes. Remove the pastry and repeat the rolling, folding and turning process another 4 times. Return to the fridge again for another 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/400F/Gas 6.
Remove the chilled pastry from the fridge and roll out to 4-5mm thick. Use a 18-20cm plate or cutter to cut out 4 rounds. Put a quarter of the filling (or whatever fits) in the lower half of each round, leaving a 2cm border around the edge. Brush the border below the filling with beaten egg and fold the pastry over to encase the filling. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal, then brush with the egg and sprinkle over the onion seeds and a little bit of flaky sea salt.
Put the pasties on to a baking sheet lined with baking paper and bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden. Eat just warm or at room temperature.
(Original recipe from Outside by Gill Meller, Hardie Grant: Quadrille, 2022.)
You need to cut your courgettes into very thin strips for this, as thin as the pasta. The sauce is a bit carbonara-ish, very delicious.
Wine Suggestion: Something fun and white like the El Abuelo de Piqueras, a Verdejo – Sauvignon Blanc blend from Almansa in Spain. Vibrant fruit tied together with a sense of fun and energy.
Bucatini with courgettes – serves 4 (easily halved)
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
300g courgettes, cut into 5cm long, 2mm thick strips
400g bucatini (or spaghetti, linguine or fusilli)
2 eggs, plus 2 extra egg yolks
70g Parmesan, grated
a few fresh basil leaves
Warm the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and courgettes with a pinch of salt, then cook gently for 10 minutes, turning over gently, until very soft. Remove from the heat.
Bring large pan of water to the boil, then add lots of salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.
Meanwhile, put the eggs, egg yolks, Parmesan, a pinch of salt and lots of black pepper into a large bowl. Whisk together to combine.
When the pasta is almost cooked, return the courgette pan to the heat to warm through the fat and courgettes and add the torn basil.
Drain the pasta and reserve some of the water. Add the pasta to the courgette pan and stir together. Remove the pan from the heat and add the egg mixture and a splash of pasta water, then stir quickly until everything is coated in a creamy sauce. Add a little more pasta water to make it silky if needed, then serve.
(Original recipe from An A-Z of Pasta by Rachel Roddy, Fig Tree, 2021.)
This is a totally different barbecue recipe from Geniveive Taylor’s fantastic new barbecue book – Seared. The buttermilk makes the chicken super tender, so it’s worth marinating it the day before if you can.
Wine Suggestion: A round, fresh white was in order here with a bit of body to stand up to the barbecued flavours, so we chose an oaked Rioja for something a bit different. A bargain in any language, the Urbina Blanco Crianza 2014, yes that is correct … 8 years old, is released when ready and despite its age is fresh and vibrant, with layers of tertiary development, butter, toast and nuttiness alongside the melon, cirtus and jasmine flavours. It reminded us of a complex white Burgundy.
Slash the chicken thighs with a sharp knife taking care not to cut the whole way through. Place in a shallow dish in a single layer.
Mix the buttermilk, garlic, mustard and sugar together with plenty of salt and black pepper. Pour over the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
Light your barbecue for direct and indirect cooking (half with coals and half without).
While the barbecue is getting hot, blanch the broccoli in lots of boiling salty water for a couple of minutes. Drain well and toss with the olive oil and some seasoning. Set aside.
Cook the chicken thighs over indirect heat for about 30 minutes or until they reach 60-65C inside, turning regularly. Move them a little closer to the fire and keep cooking until they reach 74C.
When the chicken is almost cooked, grill the tomatoes and the broccoli for about 10 minutes over the fire, turning until nicely charred on all sides.
Transfer the chicken, broccoli and tomatoes to a heavy roasting tin. Add the basil and gently toss to mix. Sprinkle over the Parmesan, breadcrumbs and pine nuts. Top with mozzarella adn drizzle over a little olive oil and some salt and pepper. Set the tin directly over the fire for 15 minutes to melt the cheese.
Serve with crusty bread or some baby roasted potatoes.
(Original recipe from Seared by Genevieve Taylor, Quadrille, 2022.)
Easy and full of veg. Great for a weeknight, and if your kid is like ours they will eat anything with pasta and cheese!
Wine Suggestion: keep it simple with a juicy red from a warmer climate. The Cline Family Cellars have star with their Old Vine Lodi Zinfandel which has a joyful balance between vibrant and complex red and black fruit, velvety tannins and a easy drinkability.
Veggie Pasta Bake – serves 4
1 red pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
1 yellow pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
1 aubergine, finely chopped
1 courgette, finely chopped
1 red onion, sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
150g cherry tomatoes, halved
400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
a handful of roughly chopped basil
300g pasta – we used fusilli
150g mozzarella ball, drained and finely chopped (you don’t need the expensive buffalo stuff for this)
2 tbsp pesto
a handful of grated Parmesan cheese
Heat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5.
Put the peppers, aubergine, courgettes and onion into a large roasting tin and toss in the oil. Season well with salt and pepper, then cook in the oven for 45 minutes, turning a couple of times, until the vegetables are soft and golden brown.
Add the cherry tomatoes, tinned tomatoes, garlic and basil and return to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in lots of boiling salty water. Add 4-6 tbsp of the pasta cooking water to the cooked vegetables to make it a bit more saucy.
Drain the pasta and tip into the roasting tin with the veg. Add the mozzarella and pesto and stir well to combine. Top with the Parmesan and return to the oven for a final 10 minutes to melt the cheese.
A delicious creamy pasta dish which is ready in minutes, and very useful when you’ve got leftover mascarpone.
Wine Suggestion: Anytime we have pasta our automatic choice is an Italian wine, and with all these summery flavours opened a bottle of Macchialupa Greco di Tufo from the hills and valleys inland from Naples. Quite full bodied for a white it nonetheless added an extra layer to the meal with it’s stonefruit and citrus flavours and nutty (almond & hazelnut) finish. Despite it’s weight it was also fresh and tasted of a warm Italian summer.
Pasta with pancetta, broad beans & mascarpone – serves 6
300g conchiglie pasta
200g frozen broad beans, blanched in boiling water and skins slipped off
200g green beans, sliced into three
140g pancetta cubes
250g tub mascarpone cheese
75g grated Parmesan
juice of 1 small lemon
a small bunch of basil leaves, torn
Cook the pasta in lots of boiling and very salty water according to the timings on the pack. Add the green beans 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan and cook the pancetta until crispy. Stir in the mascarpone and Parmesan cheese and stir until melted.
Scoop out a cup of the pasta cooking water before draining the pasta and beans. Add the pasta, green beans and broad beans to the frying pan and add 6 tbsp of the pasta cooking water (you can add a bit more if it needs loosened further). Add the lemon juice and basil, then season with salt and pepper.
Serve with the rest of the Parmesan sprinkled over.
(Original recipe from Mary Berry Cooks up a Feast with Lucy Young, DK: Penguin Random House, 2019.)
We don’t stop making soups in the summer, and in fact we often need them to use up bits and pieces. At the moment that means the courgettes that are growing faster than we can eat them. Whatever the excuse this is bursting with summery flavours and a joy to eat, especially outside on a hot summer afternoon.
Summer Minestrone Soup – serves 6
3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling over to serve
1 onion, finely chopped
1 stick of celery, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 courgettes, finely chopped (use green and yellow if you have them)
70g diced smoked pancetta
1 large clove of garlic, finely grated
½ tsp dried oregano
400g tin cannellini beans
400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato purée
1.2 litres vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
70g fideua pasta (or other small pasta)
100g kale, stalks removed and roughly chopped
a handful of basil leaves, to serve
finely grated Parmesan, to serve
Warm the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot, courgette and pancetta. Season well with salt and pepper and cook gently for about 10 minutes.
Add the garlic and oregano and cook for another minute, then add the beans, tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, vegetable stock and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 30 minutes.
Add the pasta and kale and cook for a final 10 minutes.
Taste for seasoning, then serve in warm bowls, with some basil and Parmesan over the top.
a few leaves of oregano or basil, picked and chopped or torn
Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.
Drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom of 2 small ovenproof dishes. Sprinkle some tomatoes into each and season with salt and black pepper. Set the pieces of feta on top, then top with the rest of the tomatoes, season again and drizzle with a little more oil.
Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Toast the sourdoubh and rub one side with the cut side of the garlic and drizzle with olive oil.
Take the foil off the dishes, drizzle with the balsamic and sprinkle over the herbs. Serve the salad with the sourdough toast.
(Original recipe by Janinie Ratcliffe in Olive Magazine, April 2016.)
Today was a sunny Sunday so we grilled aubergine slices on the barbecue, made this delicious veggie bake, and ate it outside. Happy days! Serve with garlic or crusty bread and salad.
Wine Suggestion: We think youthful, fruity reds are a joy with this dish and can’t pass up a chance to open a good Beaujolais. For this dish Domaine Rochette’s Régnié, a cru that is often overlooked and unfairly so. Bright and almost crunchy fruit that shouts just as much of sunshine as the Parmigiana.
Melanzane Parmigiana – serves 4 to 6
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing over the aubergines
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 thyme sprigs
8 large sage leaves, finely chopped
4 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp golden caster sugar or granulated sugar
6 large aubergines, sliced very thinly, lengthways
100g Parmesan, finely grated
85g white breadcrumbs
50g pine nuts
2 x 125g mozzarella balls, torn into small pieces
a handful of basil leaves
Get the sauce on first. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or a wide saucepan, then add the garlic, thyme and sage and cook for a few minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes, vinegar and sugar, and simmer gently for about 25 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Meanwhile, light your barbecue – a gas barbecue is particularly good for this as it’s easier to control the heat, you don’t want the aubergine to char before it’s softened. If you don’t have a barbecue (or if it’s not barbecuing weather) you can use a griddle pan instead.
Brush the aubergine slices with olive oil, then barbecue in batches until softened and lightly charred.
Mix 25g of the Parmesan with the breadcrumbs and pine nuts, and set aside.
Spread a little of the tomato sauce over the base of a large baking tray or lasagne dish. Top with a layer of aubergine slices, then season well. Spoon over some more sauce, then scatter over some mozzarella, Parmesan and bssil leaves.
Repeat the layers and finish with a layer of tomato sauce. Sprinkle over the cheesey breadcrumbs. You can bake the dish now or stick it in the fridge for up to 24 hours and bake when you’re ready.
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the top is crispy and golden and the tomato sauce bubbling. Rest for 10 minutes, then serve with salad and bread.
Wine Suggestion: Something red from Italy’s Adriatic coast, but nothing too big or complex as this is a fun, casual dish! For us Umani Ronchi’s Rosso Conero Serrano, a Montepulciano – Sangiovese blend that has a medium body, fresh and bright cherry fruits and a gentle, earthy tannins was the ticket.
Prawn spaghetti with tomato, chilli & basil – serves 2
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic, crushed
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
150g baby plum tomatoes
150ml white wine
200g spaghetti
a handful of basil leaves
225g raw peeled prawns
a generous knob of butter
Warm the oil in a large frying pan, then add the garlic and chilli flakes and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes until starting to soften, then add the white wine and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions in lots of very salty water, then drain but reserve a cup of the cooking water.
Add the basil and prawns to the tomatoes, season well, and cook until the prawns turn pink. Stir in the butter and spaghetti and a splash of pasta cooking water if you need to loosen the sauce a bit. Toss it all together and serve.
(Original recipe by Janine Ratcliffe in Olive Magazine, March 2020.)
Do buy good quality tuna for this, packed in olive oil. We like Ortiz which is widely available and excellent quality. We’d also highly recommend Shines’ Wild Irish Tuna, one of our local companies based in Donegal. We have tried loads of their tinned and jarred fish and they are all top quality.
Wine Suggestion: We chose a lighter red to match this dish from the Marches in central Italy. The Umani Ronchi San Lorenzo Rosso Conero has style and panache and the medium body, morello cherry flavours, soft spices and silky tannins are a charming match.
Baked orzo puttanesca – serves 4
4 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
½ tsp chilli flakes
3 anchovies in oil, drained and roughly chopped
2 tbsp capers
30g preserved lemon, discard the flesh and thinly slice the skin into strips
70g pitted Kalamata olives, roughly torn in half
2 tins of good tuna in olive oil, drained and roughly flaked
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
250g dried orzo
1-2 plum tomatoes, cored and cut into half ½ cm thick rounds
40g Parmesan, finely grated
5g basil leaves, roughly torn
Preheat the oven to 200C fan.
Heat 3 tbsp of the olive oil in a large ovenproof sauté pan that has a lid. Add the onion and cook gently for about 8 minutes or until softed and browned. Add the garlic, chilli flakes and anchovies and cook for another minute, until fragrant.
Stir in the capers, half the preserved lemon strips, 45g of the olives, the tuna, tomato purée, tinned tomatoes, orzo, 450ml of water, 1 tsp of salt and lots of black pepper. Bring to a simmer, then cover with the lid and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the orzo is cooked through.
Turn the oven up to 230C fan.
Remove the lid from the dish, top with the tomato slices and sprinkle over the cheese. Bake for a further 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned, then leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Sprinkle over the remaining olives, preserved lemon, basil and 1 tbsp of oil before serving.
(Original recipe from OTK Shelf Love by Noor Murad & Yotam Ottolenghi, Ebury Press, 2021.)
This is a perfect lunch dish – quick, easy and just a few ingredients. We made this to use up the rest of a jar of passata and cooked slightly less gnocchi to serve 3. The quantities are just a rough guide really so use up what you’ve got.
Gnocchi al pomodoro – serves 4
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, peeled and finely chopped
700ml passata
10 basil leaves
500g ready-made plain gnocchi
100g grated mature Cheddar cheese
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
Warm the olive oil in a medium saucepan, then add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add the passata and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the basil leaves, season with salt and black pepper and set aside.
Half-fill a large saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add 1 tbsp of salt and the packet of gnocchi. As soon as the gnocchi start flowing to the top, scoop them out with a salted spoon and add to the sauce.
Gently stir the gnocchi into the sauce, then transfer everything to a baking dish and scatter over the grated cheese. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown.
(Original recipe from Gino’s Pasta by Gino d’Acampo, Kyle Cathie Ltd., 2010.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 