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!.

This is another of my Mum’s tried and tested recipes and it’s really tasty and easy to make. You can either make the pastry yourself, or use cheat pastry from the shop if you want to make it quickly during the week (which is what I did!). Smoked bacon works really well with this recipe, but you could use unsmoked if you prefer. Use a loose bottomed tin for this so that it is easy to remove after baking, and leave to cool for 5 minutes before serving (or serve cold too).

Ingredients (for a 12″ tin, or 2-3 smaller tins)

(For the pastry)
225g/8oz plain flour
125g/40z margarine or butter
A pinch of salt
About 2-3 splashes cold water

(For the filling)
900g smoked bacon joint
2 medium sized leeks
3 eggs
Olive oil
Semi skimmed milk
Black pepper

Method

1. Fill a large pan with cold water and place the bacon joint in the pan. Bring to the boil and cook for around an hour (check the instructions on the pack – I always cook for slightly less than the time given, as it will cook again in the quiche).

2. Meanwhile, to make the pastry, put the margarine, salt and flour into a food processor and blitz (or rub together if using hand method). Slowly add the cold water and mix – just add as much or as little, making sure the mixture is not too wet. Knead a little and then wrap in cling film before chilling in the fridge for at least half an hour.

3. When chilled, roll out the pastry. Grease the tin and then line with the pastry, before blind baking (this works best with baking beans) for around 20 minutes at 200/400/Gas mark 6.

4. Whilst the pastry is cooking, prepare the filling. Chop the leeks length ways and then slice into 1cm pieces. Heat a little olive oil in a pan and soften the leeks for a few minutes.

5. When the bacon is cooked, remove from the pan and leave to cool for a few minutes. Slice into chunks and place in a food processor, blitzing it briefly. Place the bacon in a bowl with the leeks and stir well. Season with black pepper.

6. Beat the eggs and add milk, making it up to around 450ml. Season with black pepper and then add some of it to the bacon and leek mix, stirring well.

7. When the pastry case is cooked, add the filling and spread the mixture evenly. Then slowly pour the egg over until it almost reaches the top of the case (you might need to squash the mixture with a fork to make sure the egg will bind everything together).

7. Place in the oven and bake for around 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. You will need to keep squashing the mixture with a fork during cooking time to make sure that the liquid comes to the top – this will help it to cook quicker and ensure that it is cooked right through.

8. You can eat this hot or cold – if serving hot, it is better to leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving. It goes well with summery salads or winter veg, so enjoy!

You may also like my Tuna and Courgette Quiche! Both quiches freeze really well – just reheat for around 25 minutes.

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