Ingredients (serves 2)

2 boneless chicken breasts, each cut into small pieces

Fettuccine for 2 (we actually used tagliatelle – follow the instructions on the packet for serving amounts)

A good slosh of Marsala wine

125g mascarpone cheese

A handful of baby portobello mushrooms, sliced (we had ‘normal’ mushrooms to use up, and these worked fine)

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 handful chives, chopped

A knob of butter

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

Method

1. In a large non-stick pan over medium high heat add olive oil and sauté chicken for a few minutes until browned. It is okay if it doesn’t cook all the way through, as it will be finished off in the sauce with pasta later.

2. Whilst the chicken is cooking, place a large pot of salted water on high and bring to a boil. Add the pasta. Once browned, remove chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm.

3. Using the same pan over medium heat add chopped onions, two-pinches of salt and sauté for four minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for two-minutes. Add the butter, mushrooms and sauté for three-to-four-minutes. Increase heat to medium high adding Marsala wine and cook until reduced by half.

4. In a small bowl combine mascarpone and mustard and mix well, then add to pan. Reduce heat to medium and fold until dissolved into a creamy sauce. Add chicken back to sauce and stir to coat chicken with sauce and cook for a few minutes more. Drain the pasta once cooked and then add it to the pan, along with the chives.

5. Serve and enjoy!

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Today I made pasta (for only the second time) and remembered how much I enjoy doing it! It’s definitely something to do on a weekend, and it’s easier than you think too. My first attempt was some ravioli, and today I tried out my tagliatelle attachment I had to get Tom to help me put it through the machine because it ended up being really long! 

This recipe is taken from ‘Gino’s Pasta‘ and serves 4. The original recipe says to use good quality pork sausages (or Italian sausages) but we used some smoky chipotle chilli sausages which worked really well.

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 rest of the dish

400g good quality pork sausages
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 leek, washed and finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
50g dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 15 mins and drained
100ml dry white wine
150ml double cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1.To make the pasta, 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. 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. Pass it through the tagliatelle attachment and leave to dry out a little.

6. Remove the skins from the sausages and place the mixture in a bowl. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a low heat and fry the sausage meat and leeks for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to crumble the meat.

7. Add the rosemary and mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and cook for a further minute, allowing the alcohol to evaporate.

8. Pour in the cream, mix everything together and cook a couple more minutes.

9. Cook the fresh pasta for 2-3 minutes in a pan of salted water until al dente (if you’re using dried pasta, then you’ll need to put it on a little earlier!).

10. Pour in the cream sauce and toss everything together for 30 seconds to allow the flavours to combine. Serve immediately.

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This gorgeous recipe takes quite a long time to cook, but it is honestly worth every minute! It comes from the March 2014 issue of BBC Good Food magazine, and the quantities here will serve 6 people (you could always freeze the rest for another day). Why not make it this weekend?

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
4 duck legs
2 onions, finely chopped
2 fat garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp plain flour
250ml/9fl oz red wine
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
1 chicken stock cube, made up to 250ml/9fl oz stock
3 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked and chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp milk
600g/1lb 5oz paccheri or pappardelle
Parmesan, grated to serve

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the duck legs and brown on all sides for about 10 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside, before adding the onions to the pan and cooking for 5 mins until softened.

2. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, then stir in the cinnamon and flour and cook for a further minute. Return the duck to the pan, and add the wine, tomatoes, stock, herbs, sugar and seasoning.

3. Bring to a simmer and then lower the heat, cover with a lid and cook for 2 hours. Stir every now and again.

4. Carefully lift the duck legs out of the sauce and place on a plate (trying not to lose any meat as they are very tender). Pull off and discard the fat, then shred the meat with two forks and discard the bones. Add the meat back to the pan, along with the milk, and simmer (uncovered) for 10-15 minutes while you cook the pasta.

5. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, adding a little oil to the water so it doesn’t stick. Drain when cooked, reserving a little of the water, and add the pasta to the ragu. Stir to coat all of the pasta and cook for another minute, adding a splash of the water if it looks a little dry.

6. Enjoy with a dash of grated parmesan and the left over red wine

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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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I was quite surprised when I looked through my blog posts earlier and discovered that I haven’t posted this recipe before – it is one of those ‘tried and tested’ ones that I’ve been making for years! In fact, my Mum used to make it when I was younger and it was one of the few things that I could actually cook when I left home to go to uni. You can use any pasta you like for this – macaroni works really well – but I used penne today. It was either that or our Simpsons pasta that Helen bought us – but you wouldn’t have recognised the Simpsons for the courgettes so we’re saving that for another day!

Ingredients

120g pasta
1 tin chopped tomatoes
2 tsp mixed herbs
Black pepper
1 tin tuna in brine (or spring water – but not in oil)
150g low fat cottage cheese
1-2 medium size courgettes
1-2 cloves of garlic
4 mushrooms
A handful of spinach
Grated cheese of your choice

Method

1. Put the pasta on to boil and preheat the oven to 200/400/Gas mark 6. Tip the tomatoes into another pan and add the herbs and some black pepper. Leave to simmer.

2. Slice the courgettes and chop the garlic. Put some olive oil in a pan and add the courgette and garlic, cooking until softened.

3. Drain the tuna and put into a bowl. Add the cottage cheese, season with black pepper and mix well.

4. When the pasta is cooked, drain and mix in the tomatoes, before adding the tuna and cottage cheese mix. Add the vegetables and stir well, before pouring into an oven proof dish.

5. Grate some cheese over the top before cooking in the oven for around 20 minutes. Serve with some salad and enjoy!

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