Pappardelle with chestnut mushrooms

Here’s another quick and tasty recipe that’s a mid-week favourite of ours: Pappardelle with chestnut mushrooms.

Admittedly, it doesn’t sound that exciting – but you’ll be surprised just how tasty and filling the dish it. While you can substitute other types of pasta (tagliatelle would also be good), I really wouldn’t try using white/button mushrooms in place of the chestnut mushrooms – they just don’t have the earthy flavour that the recipe needs to make it worthwhile.

You can see more photos hereImage 1Image 2Image 3Image 4

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

• 200g of chestnut mushrooms, finely sliced
• 500g of fresh Pappardelle
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 50g of butter
• A good glug of olive oil
• Parmesan (to grate over the finished dish)

Method

1. Heat a saucepan of water to boiling point and add the fresh Pappardelle.
2. In a separate saucepan melt the butter over a low heat, adding the olive oil to prevent burning.
3. When the butter has melted add the garlic and allow to soften.
4. When the pasta has cooked, drain and return to the same saucepan.
5. Add the sliced mushrooms and mix through the pasta.
6. Add the garlic butter and mix through the pasta.
7. Allow to stand for 5 minutes, so the mushrooms “cook” in the residual heat.
8. Serve the pasta with a good grating of parmesan and season to taste.

Enjoy!

Boulangere potatoes

After our superb lunch in Cafe Vaudeville I thought that I would have a go at making the Boulangere potatoes that were such an important part of that main course. This French recipe makes a really tasty side dish.

The type of potato that you use is important. I prefer a waxy variety of this type of side dish as they will hold their shape a little better rather than dissolving into the stock. Charlotte or Maris Peer varieties would be my choice.

Lighter and healthier than the cream-drenched Dauphinoise potatoes (and yes, I love them!), Boulangere potatoes are very similar in that the dish is composed of thinly sliced layers of potato that are cooked in the oven. The difference between the two is the addition of chicken stock. I tried the Knorr Stock-pots in this recipe and I quite like them, I have to admit – they produce a rich, flavoursome stock without the saltiness of stock cubes.

In terms of slicing the potatoes, while a mandolin would be ideal, I like using the “D-shaped” potato peeler – it makes the chore of slicing the potatoes so much easier, and the slices are wafer thin. Obviously, if you have neither, there’s nothing wrong with a good sharp kitchen knife either.

My recipe uses a large casserole dish but you could be very chef-y and use a “tower” to create a cylinder of stacked potatoes, liberally brushing the top with rosemary flavoured olive oil to caramelise the top layer of potato for even more flavour.

Serves 4

You can see more photos hereImage 1Image 2Image 3Image 4Image 5

Ingredients

• 4-5 largish potatoes – thinly sliced
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 small red onion – finely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• Fresh rosemary, chooped (optional)
• 1 to 11/2 pints of chicken stock (I used the Knorr stockpots for the stock)
• 25g butter, cubed (and some more or greasing the casserole dish)

Method

1. Peel the potatoes, slice them thinly, and then wash and drain the potato slices in water to remove the excess starch .
2. Mince the onion and the garlic.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 180/360/gas mark 5.
4. Rip a small section from the wrapper of your butter and rub then inner-side around your casserole dish to grease the dish.
5. Now layer the potatoes in the bottom of this dish, and sprinkle some of the onion, garlic and bay leaves on top.
6. Season the top of this layer with a little salt and pepper (and the rosemary, if you’re using it).
7. Continue to layer the potatoes, garlic, bay and onion, finishing with a layer of potato at the top. It’s important that you press each layer down to make the layers of potato as compact as possible.
8. Dot the top of this top layer with the cubes of butter.
9. Now pour on the stock so it comes up level to the top layer of potato.
10. Place the casserole dish in the oven on the highest shelf and leave it there for about an hour. When it’s ready the crust should be a golden brown and the bottom layer tender when prodded with a knife.

Enjoy!

Spinach and ricotta canneloni

Here’s the recipe for one of our favourite Italian dishes: spinach and ricotta cannelloni (or is that “canneloni”?). Given that the recipe is suitable for vegetarians, it just shows you that bechamel with melted cheese can overcome all obstacles to enjoyment!

The recipe does take a little bit of effort – stuffing the pasta tubes with the spinach and ricotta mixture requires some patience – but it’s all worth it in the end. The canneloni is also great for mid-week dinners, as it invariably lasts for two nights, and tastes even better the next day.

The dish is great by itself, but we prefer a small rocket salad and warm ciabatta alongside.

You can see more photos hereImage 1Image 2Image 3Image 4Image 5Image 6Image 7Image 8

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and minced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 pinches of dried oregano
• 2 pinches of dried basil
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp red wine
• 500g spinach
• 300g ricotta
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• Freshly ground black pepper
• As many cannelloni tubes as will fill your oven dish

For the Napoli sauce

• 25g butter
• 25g flour
• 300ml milk
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• 60g Cheddar cheese, grated
• 30g Parmesan cheese, grated

To finish:

• 60g Cheddar cheese, grated
• 10g Parmesan cheese, grated

You might also use: a piping bag to put the mixture into the cannelloni tubes.

Cooking Method

Cooking Method – Spinach and Ricotta

1. Place a frying pan on a low heat and add some olive oil
2. Place the spinach leaves in the pan and cook until they have wilted slightly
3. Remove the leaves from the pan and drain in a colander, using the back of a spoon to press the leaves until most of the excess liquid has drained
4. Chop the drained spinach leaves until they are quite fine
5. Allow the spinach to cool
6. Place the ricotta in a bowl and add the cooled spinach leaves, mixing thoroughly
7. If you are using a piping bag, spoon the mixture into the bag and squeeze it down to form a continuous mass, ready for squeezing
8. Taking your cannelloni tube either: squeeze the mixture into the tube until it is full; or using the back of a spoon, scoop the mixture up and place inside the tube
9. Repeat this process until all of the cannelloni has been filled, placing each filled tube into the oven dish as they are finished

Cooking Method – Napoli Sauce:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 225°C.
2. Heat the olive oil in a hot pan and sweat the garlic and onion down until they are translucent.
3. Add the basil, oregano, and black pepper and stir thoroughly.
4. Add the wine and cook off the alcohol.
5. Add the tomatoes and bay leaf, stirring well before leaving to simmer for a further 2-3 minutes.
6. Finally add the tomato puree and allow some time on the heat to reduce the sauce (it needs to be relatively thick, without any excess liquid).

Cooking Method – Bechamel:

1. In one saucepan. add the butter and place over a low heat.
2. In a second saucepan, add the milk and nutmeg, warming the milk until it is just shy of boiling point.
3. Reducing the heat completely When the butter has melted, add the flour and mix together, until you have a thick paste (similar to play-doh).
4. Add a third of the milk to the play-doh, whisking to prevent any lumps forming – then add the rest of the milk a third at a time, whisking as you go. You want to get a smooth sauce.
5. Allow the sauce to cook out for another minute before adding the Cheddar cheese. Stir and remove from the heat.

Cooking Method – Assembling the dish:

1. Spoon the sauce over the filled cannelloni.
2. Pour the bechamel on top of this, making sure that you cover the layer below.
3. Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese and parmesan over the bechamel.
4. Place the oven dish in the oven to bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Wine selection

There’s only one option for me here – a robust chianti compliments the rich, tomato-based cannelloni perfectly.

Our Moussaka

Moussaka is a delicious casserole of lamb, aubergines, and flavoured with some surprising spices.

I’ll tempt fate here by saying that Moussaka is a Greek dish – I have read that other cooks think that it has Arabic origins, and this might well be the case as the recipe includes typical Middle Eastern spices such as cinnamon and mace – but I’ve always been told that Moussaka is Greek.

While I’m being so frank, I’ll also admit that the classic Moussaka is made with bechamel sauce. In our recipe, however, the dish is topped with a combination of cottage cheese, beaten egg, and parmesan, giving the casserole a light, golden layer above the fried aubergines.

We usually add potatoes roasted in olive oil or a simple rocket salad as a side dish. I’d also recommend a light, fruity red wine with this meal – nothing that will over-power the aromatic sauce and delicate lamb flavours.

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 150-175ml olive oil
• 1kg lean lamb mince
• 100ml red wine
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 7.5cm piece cinnamon stick
• A pinch of mace
• 2 tbsp of dried oregano
• 3 large aubergines, each weighing about 300g
• 2 free-range eggs, beaten
• 400-500g of cottage cheese
• 50g Parmesan, finely grated
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Method:

1. Sweat the onion and garlic in the olive oil until the onions have become soft and transparent
2. Add the lamb mince and increase the heat slightly, until the meat has browned (If your lamb mince isn’t lean, spoon off some of the fat)
3. Add the red wine, tomato purée, canned tomatoes, cinnamon, mace and oregano, and lower the heat, allowing the contents to simmer gently for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally
4. Slice the aubergines into 1 or 1.5cm discs and brush with olive oil
5. Fry the aubergine slices in batches on both sides in a separate pan until the white flesh has browned
6. Lay half the aubergine slices over the base of a casserole dish and season well
7. Remove the cinnamon stick from the sauce and spoon it over the aubergines
8. Add the remaining aubergine slices to the top of the dish
9. Preheat the oven to 200C/fan180C/gas 6
10. In a separate bowl, empty the cartons of cottage cheese and add the two egg yolks, grated parmesan, and nutmeg, stirring the mixture well
11. Spoon the cottage cheese and egg mixture on top of the contents of the casserole dish
12. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling

To complete the meal, I’d recommend a young, medium-bodied Beaujolais.

Aubergine Gratin

Here’s a short recipe from Ina Garten, the “Barefoot Contessa”. We’ve added bechamel, mainly because Kelly loves it..

You can view the slideshow hereImage 1Image 2Image 3Image4

Ingredients

The Aubergines

• Good olive oil
• 2 Aubergines, unpeeled and sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 1 Onion, Chopped
• 2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
• A good pinch of Ground Black Pepper
• 1 Tin of Chopped Tomatoes
• 1 Tube of Tomato Paste

The Bechamel

• 25g butter
• 25g flour
• 300ml milk
• Pinch of ground nutmeg

To finish:

• 1/2 Cup of Mature Cheddar, grated
• 1/2 Cup of Parmesan, grated
• Rocket lettuce leaves
• A splash of pepper-y olive oil
• Juice of half a lemon
• A fresh baguette

Cooking Method

The Aubergine Base:

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
2. Salt the aubergines to extract the extra moisture and leave for 10 minutes
3. In a saucepan, add the olive oil, the minced garlic, and the chopped onion – place over a low heat and allow to sweat until translucent
4. Add the tin of tomatoes and a good squirt of tomato paste – allow to simmer over a very low heat
5. Brush the salt off of the aubergine slices with a sheet of kitchen-towel
6. In a separate frying pan, heat the oil over a medium heat
7. Add the aubergine slices in batches of 4 or 5, allowing them to brown on each side before removing them and adding more
8. With the aubergines fried, line a casserole dish with the aubergines
9. Spread the marinara sauce thinly over the aubergines

The Bechamel:

1. In one saucepan. add the butter and place over a low heat.
2. In a second saucepan, add the milk and nutmeg, warming the milk until it is just shy of boiling point.
3. Reducing the heat completely When the butter has melted, add the flour and mix together, until you have a thick paste (similar to play-doh).
4. Add a third of the milk to the play-doh, whisking to prevent any lumps forming – then add the rest of the milk a third at a time, whisking as you go. You want to get a smooth sauce.
5. Allow the sauce to cook out for another minute before removing from the heat.

Cooking the Gratin:

1. Spoon the bechamel over the aubergine base
2. Sprinkle the top with the cheddar cheese and parmesan
3. Place the gratins on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the bechamel sets and the top is browned.

To Serve:

1. Spoon a portion of the aubergine gratin onto a plate
2. Place the rocket into a bowl, add the olive oil and lemon juice, tossing the leaves lightly
3. Add the rocket to your plate, along with a portion of the baguette.

We’d also recommend the San Valentin Garnacha to compliment this delicious meal.