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Fish Italian Main course Mediterranean Pasta

Pasta with mackerel, Marsala and pine nuts

Pasta and mackerel work well together, try and get very fresh fish.  The Marsala adds a bit of sweetness and the pine nuts add texture.

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Chicken Italian Main course Pasta Ravioli fillings Starters

Chicken and mushroom ravioli with fresh tomato sauce

This is a very simple and easy to follow recipe for chicken and mushroom ravioli which serves 4 as a starter or two as a main course.  You have to make your own pasta but the best things in life need a bit of effort

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Main course Mediterranean Pasta Vegetarian

Tagliatelle with parsley and walnut pesto

A Tagliatelle twist on the traditional basil/pine nut pesto. So easy but so tasty!

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Italian Lamb Main course Pasta

Lamb and sweet pepper sauce

This is a great pasta dish, I would never of thought of having lamb and pasta together but it works perfectly and the peppers add a nice sweet flavour

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Beef Italian Main course Pasta Pork

Spaghetti Bolognese

Serves 4 Cooking time 3 hours Ingredients 500g Steak mince 250g Pork mince 6 rashers of pancetta (or smoked bacon) diced 2 onions, diced 1 Stick celery, diced 2 cloves of garlic, sliced 1 tbs tomato puree 1 Carrot, diced 1 glass of red wine 1/2 cup of milk or single cream 2 tins tomatoes […]

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Italian Main course Mediterranean Pasta

Pasta alla Puttanesca

Serves 4 Cooking time 30 mins Ingredients 500g pasta 4 tbsp olive oil 400g (1 tin) chopped tomatoes 1 red chilli, finely chopped (or pinch of chilli flakes) 8 anchovy fillets, chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped 25g butter (optional) 100g pitted black olives, sliced 2 tbsp capers, rinsed 4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley Method: Cook […]

Categories
Italian Mediterranean Pasta

Pasta with broccoli, anchovy and chilli

Serves 1 Cooking time 20 mins Ingredients 80-100g short pasta olive oil 2-3 anchovies (from a jar or tin) small clove garlic, chopped pinch of dried chilli flakes 6-8 small florets of broccoli 1 tomato, chopped chopped parsley squeeze of lemon juice black pepper Method: Perfect for lunch or a quick weeknight tea. Cook the […]

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Italian Main course Mediterranean Pasta Vegetarian

Pasta with garlicky greens

Serves 2 Cooking time 30 mins Ingredients 1 tbsp olive oil 1-2 shallots, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 8-10 small florets of broccoli (you could also use spinach or kale, a good few handfuls) splash of white wine 3 generous tbsp creme fraiche 200g short pasta (shells or tubes work well) 50g blue cheese […]

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Italian Main course Mediterranean Pasta Vegetarian

Pasta with chickpeas, greens and tomatoes

Method: This recipe uses mafalda corta, a short, flat, ribbony pasta with a wavy edge from the Campania region of Italy. If you can’t find that, any other short pasta (such as penne or gemelli) with ridges to hold the sauce will work just as well. Put the pasta on to cook. Pour a generous […]

Categories
Italian Mediterranean Pasta Soups Vegetarian

Winter minestrone

Method: A great lunch for the winter months – warming, filling and healthy. Kale, an under-appreciated member of the cabbage family, is packed with bet-carotene, folate and vitamin C so should keep the sniffles at bay! Heat some olive oil in a large soup pan and add the onion and a pinch of salt. Fry […]

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Fish Italian Main course Pasta

Tagliatelle with prawns and brandy

Method: Normally, I would only advise drinking brandy but here it’s used in this very tasty pasta dish! Cook the tagliatelle in a large pan of salted water until al dente. While the pasta is cooking, fry the shallots and walnuts in olive oil in a large frying pan for a few minutes. Add the garlic and […]

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Italian Main course Pasta Vegetarian

Pasta with tomatoes, butter beans and ricotta

Method: Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water until al dente. Heat 1-2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and add the pancetta. Fry over a medium heat, stirring until crispy. Add the garlic and chilli and fry gently for a few minutes. Next, add the butter beans and fry, […]

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Fish Italian Main course Pasta

Smoked salmon and creme fraiche pasta

Cook pasta until al dente in plenty salted water.  While the pasta is cooking, heat a frying pan and melt the butter and add the smoked salmon. Fry over a medium heat for a few minutes then add the peas. Stir through then add the creme fraiche. Heat through quite gently until peas are cooked […]

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Italian Main course Pasta

Penne with tomato, courgette and peppers

Cook the pasta in a large pan of well salted boiling water until al dente. Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan and add a couple of tbsp olive oil. Add the pancetta and fry over a fairly high heat until slightly crispy and most of the fat has been rendered. Remove the pancetta pieces from […]

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Italian Main course Pasta

Penne with peas, pancetta and cream

Method: Put the chopped pancetta into a frying pan with a splash of olive oil. In the meantime put your pasta on to cook in a pan of salted water. When the pancetta is browned add the garlic, fry until golden then add the peas and cream. Cook for a couple of minutes and then […]