Category: pasta

porcini marsala pasta

porcini marsala conchiglie with parmesan

Why do porcini mushrooms stink so bad while they are marinating in hot water? It’s like cat food!

That said, many dishes would be all the poorer without their meaty, chewy flavour. I’ve combined them here with chestnut mushrooms, chicken breast pieces, and surrounded it all with rich, sweet marsala-infused chicken stock and just a touch of cream. It was very tasty, but a little thin. If I did it again (and I will) I’d add a touch of flour to help thicken it up, and some finely chopped curly parsley for a fresh, green edge.

Porcini marsala conchiglie:

300g pasta (penne or conchiglie, anything that can catch some sauce)

1 pack dried porcini mushrooms

200g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

250g diced chicken breast

300ml chicken stock

100ml marsala

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 sprig rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped

2 tablespoons cream

shaved parmesan to serve

Pour boiling water on the porcini for 15 mins. Drain and rinse of grit, then finely chop two thirds of them.

Brown chicken pieces in a hot oiled pan and put to one side.

Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.

Add the rosemary and garlic to the pan and fry for one minute.

Add the chestnut and porcini mushrooms (sliced and whole) to the pan and fry for a further 5 minutes. Season.

Add the marsala and allow to bubble until the taint of alcohol evaporates. Add the chicken stock and allow to simmer until reduced by half.

Add the cream and stir through.

Scoop into bowls and top with parmesan.

basil food garlic olives pancetta pasta tomato

roast squash rigatoni

An open confession: I arrived home to this hearty treat as a dish prepared by Mrs Roast Potato and eldest New Potato (is that metaphor too tortured?). Regardless, I present it here on their behalf. A real punchy mediterranean pasta blowout.

Roasted squash rigatoni:

1 butternut squash, skinned and diced

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

12 cherry tomatoes, halved

250g rigatoni

Handful of mixed olives

Handful of basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Pop the squash, tomatoes and garlic in a baking dish in the oven for 30 mins.

Meanwhile cook the pasta according to packet instructions.

Combine the pasta with the vegetables, toss with olive oil and seasoning.

Stir through the olives and torn basil.

basil cauliflower courgettes food pasta soup tomato

minestrone soup

I saw Oliver’s Twist the other day, a TV programme of Jamie Oliver’s created for syndication all over the world. It’s little seen in the UK until recently, when the Good Food Channel started running them. In this one, he was making food for his then-14 month old daughter Poppy. The minestrone soup he made really caught my eye, and my tongue!

I found his recipe for minestrone on his site. ‘Minestrone’ loosely means “the big soup” and has no set recipe; it’s an Italian staple designed to use whatever vegetables are in season and stretch them out for soup. I had some cauliflower and courgette leftover from yesterday’s curry so they were definitely going in, along with some tomatoes and asparagus tips I had.

I started by sweating down a diced onion and some crushed garlic, along with some finely chopped basil stalks. I find the stalks of basil plants infuse your soffritto with such perfume, it’s really delicious backnote. I wasn’t impressed with the quality of my tomatoes so I added a squirt of tomato puree here too. I then added the diced veg as above, spaghetti snapped into 2 inch pieces and vegetable stock. I let it simmer until the pasta was al dente, then scooped into deep bowls topped with shredded basil. The final genius touch by Jamie was a generous dollop of pesto; it sounds a bit odd but the powerful ingredients seep gently into the broth and infuse it with sunny flavours. Very tasty, and one that will stay with me all year depending on what’s in the cupboard!

Tags jamie oliver

food leeks pasta salmon

salmon en croute

I’m not quite sure where this came from. I was sitting at work five minutes before leaving, and salmon en croute popped in to my head. I hadn’t tried cooking it before so I grabbed a few things on the way home and this is what I ended up with. I was pretty pleased with the result.

I started with what would be called a duxelle in a Beef Wellington. I made a creamy leek version. I fried some crushed fennel seeds in butter and oil, and once sizzling in I threw in sliced leeks. After softening I added a splash of white wine and then tasted it. Salt & pepper, and it needed a twang so a tiny splash of white wine vinegar fixed that. Then a glug of cream and allowed to simmer a little, then at the last minute an egg yolk to help hold structure and add a layer of richness. I then blitzed to take the lumps out.

Then I turned to the pastry, which I bought that great frozen stuff, simply shaping into rectangles a little bigger than my salmon fillets. I sliced the salmon in half horizontally, spooned some creamy leeks on and sandwiched the fish back together. Then I laid it in the pastry, added a lid, slashed for effect and brushed with the leftover egg white from earlier. 20 mins in a hot oven, and I got a crispy, fishy, creamy dinner. I love biting through pastry and feeling something warm and soft inside, both comforting and exciting. Great!