We love pasta, and have recently been trying out lots of new recipes You may have guessed from the picture that we didn’t use fusilli here, but instead went for some elk-shaped pasta that I found in Ikea (we love novelty pasta too, haha!). This is a simple but delicious dish that is perfect for a week night – if you’re making it veggie then make sure you use a veggie substitute for the Parmesan.

This recipe comes from Gino D’Acampo’s ‘Gino’s Pasta‘ and serves 4.

Ingredients

45g salted butter
250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
2 leeks, washed and sliced 0.5cm thick
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
250g mascarpone cheese
3 tablespoons freshly chopped chives
4 pinches cayenne pepper (we used sweet smoked paprika instead)
500g fusilli
60 freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or veggie alternative)

Method

1. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the mushrooms, leeks and garlic and fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.

2. Spoon in the mascarpone and continue to cook for a further minute, stirring continuously. Stir in the chives and cayenne pepper, season with salt and remove from the heat.

3. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and tip back into the same pan.

4. Pour in the mushroom sauce and stir everything together for 30 seconds to allow the flavours to combine.

5. Divide between four serving plates, sprinkle over the Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

We actually cooked the pasta whilst cooking the veg because Tom likes his food really hot, so you could do it that way too if you prefer. Enjoy!

The post Fusilli with chestnut mushrooms, leeks and mascarpone cheese appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

If you’re thinking about giving a handmade gift this Christmas, this would make a great present. And if you’re not thinking about that, you should make them anyway! Almond is one of my favourite flavours, so I doubt that these biscuits will last long. I followed the instructions below for my first batch which looked ‘rustic’, as I used a teaspoon to place the mixture onto the tray. For the second batch I rolled the mixture into small balls and they look a bit more like Gino D’Acampo’s – haha! This was messy and I could only manage 3 before having to wash my hands again, but it’s worth it if you want them to look more even.

Ingredients

340g/12oz ground almonds
340g/12oz caster sugar
4 eggs, whites only
30ml/1fl oz amaretto liquor
butter, for greasing

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3.

2. In a large bowl beat the egg whites until firm, and then mix the sugar and the almonds gently into it. Add the amaretto liquor and fold in gently until you have a smooth paste.

3. Place some baking parchment on a baking sheet lightly brushed with butter. Using a teaspoon place small heaps of the mixture approximately 2cm/¾in apart. as they will expand whilst cooking.

4. Bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes until golden brown. Enjoy!

This is the difference between my batches…they look different but they all taste good!

If you like these then you might also like these Pastelitos de Boda that I made as gifts last Christmas!

The post Amaretti biscuits appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

If you follow me on Instagram then you’ll already know that I’ve been busy making my own pasta today! It’s one of those things that I’ve wanted to do for ages and we got a pasta machine with some vouchers that we were given for our wedding. So today I used it for the first time and ticked making pasta off my recipe bucket list! I have to admit that at various points I wondered if it would ever come together, but it’s probably one of those things (a bit like bread) that’s worth spending bit of time to perfect.

The recipe I used is from Gino D’Acampo’s ‘Gino’s Pasta‘ – this is for the pasta and the ravioli filling. I served it with some homemade tomato sauce and it worked really well – you can find the original recipe for the sauce here.

Ingredients

For the pasta (makes about 400g)

300g white flour type ’00’, plus extra for dusting
3 medium eggs
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

For the ravioli filling

5 tablespoons olive oil
300g chorizo, finely chopped
3 medium hot red chillies, halved, deseeded and finely chopped
750g ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley (I actually used basil instead – not a parsley fan!)
Salt and pepper to taste
One egg, beaten

Method

1.Sift the flour onto your work surface. Make a well in the centre and break in the eggs, before adding in the salt and oil.

2. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, mix the flour into the eggs, working from the centre outwards. Once you have a crumbly texture, gather the mixture together with your hands and start to knead until you have a soft dough.

3. Once the dough has come together, continue to knead for about 8 minutes, exactly as though you were kneading bread.

4. Roll the dough into a ball, cover in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.

5. As the pasta dough chills, make the filling. Heat some of the olive oil in a pan and fry the chorizo and chilli over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Set aside.

6. Place the cooled chorizo and chilli in a large bowl with the ricotta and parsley (or basil) mix everything together with a fork and season. Cover and leave to chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.

7. After 20 minutes, remove the dough from the fridge and flatten it with your fingers so that it fits through the pasta machine. Flour the pasta lightly on both sides and work it though the machine from the thickest to the thinnest setting – keep the pasta floured so that it doesn’t stick.

8. Lay the sheets on a well-floured surface. Put teaspoons of filling at 4cm intervals, and then brush beaten egg between the gaps. Cover with the other half of the pasta and press down between the filling.

9. Use a pastry wheel or sharp knife to cut the pasta into squares between the fillings. Cook the ravioli in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Drain and serve with a little salt, olive oil and ground black pepper, or with sauce of your choice.

You could use a ravioli tray to shape your pasta – I tried with my starry ravioli tray first but they were a little bit small for the size of the filling. They look quite pretty though! I’ll definitely be having another go at making pasta soon!

The post Spicy Chorizo and Ricotta Stuffed Ravioli appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

I’ve been meaning to get around to making my own pesto for ages, and the basil plant on our kitchen windowsill was looking a bit overgrown so I decided to give it a go. This recipe is from Gino D’Acampo’s book ‘Gino’s Pasta‘, and you could make it without the yoghurt if you don’t want creamy pesto. I actually used creme fraiche so it was super creamy but really tasty! The original recipe uses homemade pasta, but we haven’t got a pasta machine (yet!) so I used dried.

Ingredients

60g fresh basil leaves
50g pine nuts
1 garlic clove, peeled
130ml olive oil
Zest of an unwaxed lemon
100g greek style yoghurt (I used one and a half heaped tablespoons of creme fraiche)
Salt and pepper to taste
500g spaghetti

Method

1. Place the basil, pine nuts and garlic in a food processor. Add the olive oil and blitz until smooth.

2. Mix together the yoghurt and lemon zest in a bowl. Add the basil and mix well. Season to taste.

3. Cook the spaghetti until al dente (according to packet instructions if using dried pasta). Drain when cooked and then toss in the yoghurt pesto. Leave for 30 seconds to allow the pesto to coat the pasta, and then serve immediately. Enjoy!

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