Wild Mushroom, Pancetta & Truffle Risotto

Wild Mushroom, Pancetta & Truffle Risotto Ingredients 200 g arborio rice (or other short grained, high starch rice) 850 mL ham stock (or chicken/vegetable stock) 150 mL white wine 250 g mixed mushrooms (such as button mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, porcini, etc) 50 g chopped pancetta (or unsmoked streaky bacon) 1 small onion, finely chopped 2 … Continued

Tagliatelle with Fennel and Asparagus

It is nearly asparagus season in the UK (although you can buy imported asparagus all year round). Here’s a recipe I made up tonight… Ingredients 250 g saffron tagliatelle, or plain tagliatelle 10 asparagus spears ¼ fennel bulb, finely sliced 2 tbsp fennel pesto lemon-infused olive oil, or plain olive oil zest of 1 lemon, … Continued

Fennel, Sausage and Bean Casserole

This recipe is ideally made with plain pork sausages, or pork & leek. Try to avoid overly seasoned sausages. If peeling the tomatoes is too much bother, using half a tin of tomatoes would probably work fine. Ingredients 4 Sausages 2 × 440g tins of cannellini beans, drained ¼—¾ bulb of fennel 4 medium tomatoes … Continued

Gnocchi all’Amatriciana al Forno

This is a very easy Italian-style meal of my own creation, combining gnocchi with a simplified sugo all'amatriciana. If you prefer, macaroni or another small, cut pasta could be used in place of gnocchi. Ingredients 500g pack of gnocchi 400g tin of tomatoes 6 rashers of pancetta, or 4 rashers of unsmoked streaky bacon 1 … Continued

Spaghetti Bolognese

Yes, I know Spag Bol isn’t actually Italian, but it is Italian-style. The sauce doesn’t just have to be served with spaghetti – any other pasta will do, as would chips, baguettes, garlic bread or jacket potato. Ingredients 450g tin of chopped tomatos 500g of lean minced beef, frozen 4 rashers of pancetta or smoked … Continued

Penne Gorgonzola

Ingredients 450g tin of chopped tomatoes or pasatta sauce 100g gorgonzola 150g – 200g penne or other pasta Method If using tinned tomatoes, put them in a blender and liquify. Heat over a medium flame. Cook the penne, following the instructions on the packaging. Chop the gorgonzola into 1/2 inch cubes. Drain the pasta. Put … Continued

Neopolitan Sauce

A very simple Italian tomato sauce, suitable for pasta. Ingredients 450g tin of chopped tomatos 1 medium onion, chopped 2 to 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped some fresh chopped basil or oregano (or both) salt and pepper to taste some olive oil Method Fry the onions and garlic in the olive oil until they … Continued

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Traditionally, Carbonara sauce includes raw egg, but that of course carries with it a risk of salmonela infection. My recipe instead uses white sauce as a substitute. Ingredients 4 rashers of pancetta or smoked bacon 1 medium onion, chopped 2 to 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 1 1/2 teaspoons of dried chopped basil 1 … Continued