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Posts Tagged ‘Penne’

Penne with Italian Sausages & Rocket

Posted in Food, Italian, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 9 June 2022| Leave a Comment »

This simple pasta dish will be ready in 10 minutes, the kind of dish we like on a Friday night! The Italian sausages we used tonight were the spicier sort but this would be delicious with milder ones too, the key is the higher meat content. If the sausages have fennel in them halve the fennel seeds.

Wine Suggestion: An under-rated Tuscan coast gem, Morisfarm’s Mandriolo. A classic, youthful Sangiovese with a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot this is juicy and vibrant, but also hiding a serious core that stands up to flavoursome food

Penne with Italian sausages & rocket – serves 4

  • 200g Italian sausages
  • 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • ½ glass of white wine
  • 500g penne rigate pasta
  • 100g freshly grated pecorino
  • 100g rocket

Remove the skins from the sausages and break them up into a bowl.

Warm the oil in a large frying pan over a low heat, add the sausages and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes. Add fennel seeds and some salt and continue to cook for another minute. Add the wine and cook for a minute more, then remove from the heat.

Meanwhile cook the pasta in lots of salty water.

When the pasta is cooked, return the sauce to a medium heat. Drain the pasta and tip into the sauce. Sprinkle over the pecorino and rocket and toss for about 30 seconds over a medium heat to allow them to come together.

(Original recipe from Gino’s Pasta by Gino D’Acampo, Kyle Books, 2010.)

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Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Onion Pasta

Posted in Food, Pasta, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 27 September 2018| Leave a Comment »

Roasted butternut squash and red onion pasta

A simple autumnal pasta dish for a tasty weeknight dinner.

Wine Suggestion:  we initially thought to open a Pinot Noir for this but hesitated because of the Parmesan and crème fraîche. We’re glad we did because the Pira Luigi Nebbiolo d’Alba was the better match. This had just the right earthiness alongside a youthful fruit (the dish isn’t too serious) plus great fresh acidity and fine tannins for the rich proteins of parmesan and cream that bring the dish together.

Roasted squash & red onion pasta – serves 2

  • 1 butternut squash, about 700g
  • 2 red onions
  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 175g penne or rigatoni
  • 3 rounded tbsp crème fraîche
  • freshly grated Parmesan, to serve

Preheat your oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6.

Peel and deseed the squash, then cut it into bite-sized chunks. Peel the onions then cut each into eight wedges. Tip the squash and onions into a roasting tin along with the sliced garlic and 2 tbsp of olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper, then toss with your hands until everything is coated with oil. Roast for 30-35 minutes or until the veg is completely tender and browned and crispy at the edges.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pan of salted water according to the pack instructions. Drain the pasta and reserve about 4 tbsp of the cooking water. Remove the tin from the oven and stir in the the cooking water and crème fraîche. Tip in the pasta and toss well. Serve in warm bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Rigatoni with Tomato & Rosemary Sauce

Posted in Food, Pasta, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 19 February 2018| 2 Comments »

There is a rosemary bush in our front garden and it often comes to the rescue when we have pretty much nothing for dinner. Provided you have a rosemary bush at your disposal this is pretty much a store cupboard dish and also handy for using the end of a jar of cream. This is surprisingly tasty and a great throw together weeknight dish.

Wine Suggestion: this dish suits a rustic red wine with a bit of “garrigue”, the southern French earthy, herby, spice that is a bit wild and untamed. This time we opened a wine that has this in spades, the Mas Conscience “le Cas” which is 100% old vine Carignan, which is all black fruits hints of hot rocks and earth, and wild Languedoc spices. Not shy in character but a good match nonetheless.

Rigatoni with Tomato & Rosemary Sauce – serves 4

  • 4 sprigs of rosemary, leaves finely chopped and stalks discarded
  • 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
  • a pinch of chilli flakes
  • 400g rigatoni or penne
  • 100ml double cream
  • 1 tsp sugar

Fry the chopped rosemary in a tablespoon of olive oil for about a minute. Stir in the tinned tomatoes and the chilli flakes, then simmer hard for 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in lots of salted boiling water according to the time indicated on the pack.

Stir the double cream into the sauce along with the sugar and plenty of seasoning, then mix in the drained pasta and serve.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food Magazine, February 2011.)

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Penne all’ Amatriciana

Posted in Food, Italian, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , on 16 July 2013| 1 Comment »

This is one of our favourite pasta sauces. Bucatini (long spaghetti-like tubes) is traditionally used but penne works well too and tends to be easier to find at the shops. Makes a great Friday night supper with a matching glass of something equally red and Italian.

The recipe below makes 6 little portions that you might serve as a first course. You will need to adjust accordingly if you’re serving it as a main meal – we half the quantities below to serve the two of us.

Wine Suggestion: An Italian Sangiovese is the obvious match which complements the acidity in this tomato-based sauce. We drank a Rocca delle Macie Chianti; an excellent match.

Penne all’ Amatriciana – serves 6 

  • 250g pancetta, cut into matchsticks
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 dried chillies, crumbled
  • 2 red onions, peeled and finely chopped
  • 150ml red wine
  • 2 x 400g tins peeled plum tomatoes, drained if very liquid (look for Italian brands)
  • 2 tbsp rosemary
  • 250g penne
  • 100g Parmesan, grated
  • A handful of fresh oregano (don’t panic if you don’t have this)

Put the pancetta, oil and chillies into a large saucepan, heat and fry until the pancetta becomes crisp.

Add the onions and rosemary and keep frying until they have also turned light brown and crisp.

Add the red wine and let it reduce before adding the tomatoes, then season with the oregano and some black pepper.

Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for at least 45 minutes, until thick and almost dry. Check for seasoning.

Cook the penne in a generous amount of boiling salted water, then drain. Add to the sauce, mix and serve with Parmesan.

(Original recipe from The River Café Cookbook by Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray, Ebury Press, 1995.)

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