PASTA: Tortellini is a family favourite that started with home-made ones, then evolving to the store-bought varieties that are on the whole of excellent quality.

BASIC TORTELLINI:

 

 

 

1 quantity of fresh pasta dough, see posted recipe                                         

filling of choice

 

 

 

To make tortellini: Using a pasta machine with rollers set to the thinnest setting, roll out pasta into sheets. Cut the sheets into 2-inch squares.

 

Place 1 tsp. filling in the center of each square. Fold the opposite corners together to form a triangle and press the edges firmly to seal. Bring the long points of the triangle together and join with firm pressure. Continue filling and shaping tortellini until all the pasta sheets and fillings are used.

 

Cook tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water for 6-7 minutes or until filling is cooked. Drain and toss with desired sauces.

PASTA: This recipe involves the use of raw eggs that might not work for everybody. Please substitute with coddled egge which does the same job.

TAGLIATELLE WITH MUSHROOMS:

 

 

 

1 lb. tagliatelle pasta

mushroom mix:

    ½ oz. dried ceps, porcini mushrooms                                 

    2 cups button mushrooms, quartered

    1 cove garlic, crushed         

    2 tbsp. butter                                                                       

    2/3 cup dry white wine

2 eggs

½ cup whipping cream                                    

salt and pepper                                               

3-4 tbsp .freshly-grated Parmesan cheese                   

1 tbsp. chopped parsley

sprigs of parsley to garnish

 

 

 

Soak dried ceps in warm water for 20 minutes. Rinse well to remove grits; then chop finely. Melt butter in a saucepan, sauté button mushrooms and garlic for 2 minutes. Add ceps and wine and cook over high heat for 2-3 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender and liquid has been reduced by half. Keep warm. Beat eggs and cream together.

 

Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Drain well and return to the pot.

Add in eggs and mushroom mixture. Toss until eggs become creamy and begin to set. Add salt and pepper and Parmesan cheese and toss again.

 

Serve immediately, sprinkled with chopped parsley and garnished with parsley sprigs

PASTA: This is a simple to follow recipe that produces good result. Please give it a try.

SPAGHETTINI WITH SHRIMP (PRAWNS):

 

 

1 lb. spaghettini                                                          

1 lb. fresh large-size shrimp (prawns)                                     

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp. dried chilli flakes                                              

2 tsp. finely minced garlic

1/3 cup dry white wine                                               

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp. cooking oil

 

 

 

Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente.  Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of pasta- cooking liquid, & toss pasta with olive oil. Keep warm.

 

Shell, rinse and de-vein shrimp. Heat oil in a non-stick skillet over high heat until hot to cook shrimp. Add salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste. Cook until shrimp turns pink colour, about 1 minute. Add garlic. Cook for another 30 seconds, then add wine, lemon juice and 1 tbsp. water. When the wine boils vigorously, remove pan from heat.

Add in spaghettini and a little of the pasta-cooking liquid. Toss well together to serve.

 

 

 

VARIATION:   Substitute linguine or angel hair pasta.  Cook 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1½-inch strips and i tbsp. chopped fresh dill together, just until zucchini is slightly softened. Season to taste; then add mixture to shrimp and proceed as above.

PASTA: Some people prefer serving spagetti with meat balls, rather than just the meat sauce. So here is my version of that.

SPAGHETTI WITH MEATBALLS:

 

 

 

 

1 quantity of basic tomato sauce, see posted recipe

½- 1 lb. spaghetti

meat mixture::

    4 slices white bread                                    

    2 cups ground chuck or round steak

    2 tbsp. grated onion                                    

    2 tsp. salt +  ¼ tsp. fresh ground black pepper                    

    ¼ tsp. oregano

    1 egg

    2 tbsp. each chopped parsley & grated Parmesan cheese

                               

1/3 cup cooking oil

                                            

freshly grated Parmesan cheese to serve

 

 

 

To make meatballs:  Place the bread in a small bowl, adding enough water to cover, and allow it to stand for 2 minutes. Remove the bread and squeeze out any excess water.

 

In a large bowl, combine the bread with the meat mixture, mixing lightly but thoroughly until well-combined. Shape each tablespoonful of meat mixture into balls. In a large skill, heat oil until hot and fry meatballs until brown on all sides. Drain on paper towels.

 

Bring tomato sauce to a gently boil and add in meatballs. Cover pot to bring back to boil; then simmer meatballs at reduced heat for 10 minutes. Meanwhile cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large serving platter.  Pour in meatballs and sauce to serve, sprinkled with grated cheese.

PASTA: This is my own favourite version of that very popular pasta dish. It has served me well in many family meals over the years.

SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE:

 

 

 

1 lb. spaghetti 

meat mix:

    4 oz. bacon or pancetta, diced                                            

    1 ½ cups ground beef

    1 ½ cups ground veal                                                          

    1 ½ cups chopped onion                                         

    1-2 spicy Italian sausage, casing removed              

¾ cup each diced celery & carrots                                                      

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1 tbsp. olive oil                                                           

1 cup each red wine & beef or chicken stock

herbs & spices:

    ½ tsp. each cinnamon, dried thyme & nutmeg

    ¼ tsp. oregano

    2 bay leaves                                                

    1 tsp. salt + 2 tsp. sugar                                                       

1 x 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes + 2 tbsp. tomato paste                                 

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

 

 

To make meat sauce:  In a large heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat and add in bacon or pancetta. Cook for 4 -5 minutes to brown slightly. Drain off excess oil. Add onions, carrots and celery. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add herbs mixture and the salt, but no sugar yet. Stir and cook together for 1 minute; then add beef, veal and sausage meat. Stir well together and cook until no longer pink. Add wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits sticking to the bottom of pan. Continue cooking until half the liquid is evaporated, about 2-4 minutes. 

 

Add canned tomatoes and its juice, tomato paste and beef broth. Bring to a boil, add sugar and adjust seasoning. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 1 to 1½ hours, or until sauce is thick. Keep warm until ready to serve.

 

Bring a large pot of water, with 2 tbsp. salt added, to a boil and cook spaghetti until al dente. Drain and add pasta to sauce, tossing to coat. Alternately, put a serving of spaghetti in individual serving bowl and top it with sauce; then sprinkle with grated cheese.

 

 

 

 

 

VARIATION:  SPICY SPAGHETTI SAUCE:  Add 2 red chillies, chopped, and ½ tsp. chilli powder to seasoning ingredients. Prepare as above.

PASTA: My version of Spaghetti Carbonara involves raw eggs being cooked by the heat of the noodles. For those skimish about raw eggs, please substitute with very lightly eggs.

SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA:

 

 

 

1 lb. spaghetti 

4 oz. piece pancetta or bacon, cut into ¼ -inch cubes 

½ medium onion, finely chopped                                           

½ cup 18% cream                   

4 eggs

                                                                   

salt and fresh ground pepper                                                              

½ cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese

 

 

 

 

 

Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling water, with 2 tbsp. salt added, until al dente.

 

In a large skillet, cook onion and pancetta over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Separate eggs into yolks and whites.

 

Add spaghetti to the hot pan and toss over medium heat until well coated. Add ¼ cup of cheese and stir through. Remove from heat and vigorously stir in egg whites.

 

Divide pasta among 4 serving plates. Top each serving with 1 yolk. Sprinkle with remaining grated cheese to serve. While serving, stir egg yolk through the pasta, the heat of the noodle cooks the raw egg.  

RISOTTO: This recipe is more or less the same as the one with sausage & mushroom flavouring the risotto.

RISOTTO WITH LEEKS AND PANCETTA:

 

 

 

 

2 cups Aborio rice

2 leeks, white parts, washed and thinly sliced

2 -4 oz. pancetta, or bacon, chopped

1 tbsp. olive oil + 2 tbsp. unsalted butter

                                                     

½ cup dry white wine

6 cups hot chicken stock                                            

salt and pepper

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

 

 

 

 

In a wide heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt butter with the oil. Add pancetta or bacon and cook until lightly browned. Add leeks and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

 

Add rice and cook for 2-4 minutes until well coated and opaque; then add in wine and cook over medium-high heat until liquid is absorbed.

 

Continue cooking by add hot stock in, ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly and making sure liquid is absorbed before adding more.  After 10 minutes of cooking, add salt and pepper to taste. Cook risotto until rice grains are tender, yet still firm to the bite.

 

Remove pan from heat. Stir in grated cheese. Serve at once.

Risotto: This is a substantial risotto that is quite filling, and is more like the main course of the meal.

RISOTTO WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND MUSHROOMS:

 

 

 

2 cups Aborio rice

½ lb. Italian sausage, mild or hot, casing removed

2 cup sliced mushrooms

6 cups hot chicken stock                                            

2 tbsp. unsalted butter + 1 tbsp. olive oil                                                        

1 onion, finely chopped

½ cup dry white wine

salt and pepper                                                           

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

 

 

 

In a wide, heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and add olive oil. Cook onion until tender, about 5 minutes.

 

Break sausage meat up into small chunks and add to the pan. Cook until lightly browned. Add mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes or until just wilted. Add the rice and stir for 2-4 minutes to coat grains with butter. Add wine and cook until liquid is absorbed.

 

Continue cooking by adding hot chicken stock, ½ cup at a time, into the rice mixture, stirring constantly and cooking until liquid has been absorbed before adding more. Add salt and pepper after 10 minutes of cooking.  When stock is finished, add hot water if necessary. Risotto is done when the rice grains are tender yet firm to the bite.

 

Remove from heat and stir in grated cheese. Serve at once.   

RISOTTO: This is a simply recipe that utilizes fennel--a flavourful and aromatic herb--to make the risotto special.

RISOTTO WITH FENNEL:

 

 

 

2 cups Aborio rice

1 lb. or 1 large fennel bulb                                         

6 cups hot chicken stock

2 tbsp. each unsalted butter & olive oil

3-4 spring onions, finely chopped                              

salt and pepper                                                           

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

 

 

 

Trim off the dark green feathery leaves of the fennel and trim the stalks down to the rounded bulb. Cut a slice off the stem end and cut away any bruises on the outer leaves. Cut the fennel into quarters lengthwise, then into thin slices.

 

In a wide heavy saucepan, melt 1 tbsp. of the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. Add spring onions and cook until tender, about 1-2 minutes. Add the fennel and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add rice, and stir for 2 minutes to coat the grains. Add the hot stock, ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly. Continue cooking at medium-high heat until liquid is absorbed before adding more. After 10 minutes of cooking, add salt and pepper to taste. Cook risotto until rice grains are tender, yet still firm to the bite.

 

Remove from heat. Stir in remaining butter and the cheese. Serve at once.

PASTA: Mushrooms, especially the wild varieties, are especially good when used to flavour risotto. This recipe is one of my most favourite, hope it will be yours too.

RISOTTO WITH ASSORTED MUSHROOMS:

 

 

 

                                            

1½ cups Aborio rice

8 oz. fresh porcini mushrooms, stems and caps sliced ¼-inch thick, or 1 oz dried

8 oz. fresh shitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced ¼-inch thick

4 cups hot chicken stock

½ large red onion, finely chopped                              

4 tbsp. unsalted butter  & 2 tbsp. olive oil

1 cup dessert wine or sherry                                       

salt and pepper

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese                        

 

 

 

If using dried porcini, soak in warm water for 30 minutes. Rinse, drain well and roughly chopped

 

Heat oil in a heavy wide saucepan over medium heat until hot to cook onions. Cook until translucent but not browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until lightly browned but not fully cooked, about 5 minutes.

 

Add rice and stir for 2-4 minutes until grains are well coated with oil and opaque. Add in hot stock, ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly, and continue cooking until liquid is absorbed before adding more. Add salt and pepper after 10 minutes of cooking.

 

Cook risotto until just softened. Add the butter, wine and cheese and bring to a gentle boil again. Continue cooking and stirring until rice is al dente or cooked to the desired degree of doneness. Serve at once.