PASTA

Gnocchi with roasted butternut and sage butter

This is perfect for those crisp autumn days when a bowl filled with warm, buttery flavours seems just right. But it’s also good on cooler summer evenings, especially when hungry young tummies are seeking something substantial.

Roasted butternut

• ± 1 kg butternut, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 60 ml (4 Tbsp) canola oil
• 60 ml (4 Tbsp) Wooden Spoon or margarine
• 2 ml (¹⁄₂ tsp) nutmeg
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped

Gnocchi

• 1 kg baking potatoes, washed, peeled and cut into chunks
• 5 ml (1 tsp) salt
• 30 ml (2 Tbsp) olive oil
• 375–435 ml (1¹⁄₂–1³⁄₄ cups) flour

Sage ‘butter’

• 30 ml (2 Tbsp) canola oil
• 15 ml (1 Tbsp) Wooden Spoon or margarine
• a good handful of sage leaves

To serve

• 60 ml (¹⁄₄ cup) fresh parsley, chopped
• 10 ml (2 tsp) Parmesan-style cheese, or to taste

Roasted butternut

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Add the cubed butternut to a roasting pan, coating with half the oil.
2. Dot with Wooden Spoon and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
3. Roast for about 20 minutes, then turn the cubes, add the onion and the remaining oil to the pan and roast for a further 20 minutes until everything is softened and golden brown.
4. Set aside and keep warm.

Gnocchi

1. In a saucepan, boil the potatoes until soft, then drain and transfer to a large bowl. Add the salt and olive oil and mash well by hand (don’t purée the potatoes with a blender, as this creates too much starch).
2. Add about half the flour, then start to knead, slowly incorporating more flour. The resulting dough should be smooth, not sticky. Roll pieces of the dough into ropes about 1¹⁄₂ cm thick and cut them into segments about 1 cm long.
3. Using a fork, roll each segment from one end of the tines to the other, to get a notched side and a dimpled side. (If you are making the gnocchi ahead of time, cover with a clean, damp cloth and put into the fridge for a few hours.)
4. To cook the gnocchi, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and add a pinch of salt. Boil the gnocchi in small batches. Within 2 minutes, they will rise to the surface. As soon as they rise, remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl, cover and keep warm.

Sage ‘butter’

1. In a small pan, heat the oil and Wooden Spoon.
2. Add the sage leaves and fry until crispy and curling around the edges.
3. Drain a few leaves on roller towel and set aside for garnish. Pour the rest of the sage ‘butter’ over the cooked gnocchi.
4. Combine the gnocchi, roasted butternut and half the parsley in a serving dish, and toss gently. Top with the remaining parsley and the reserved fried sage leaves and sprinkle with Parmazano or Nature’s Choice Mock Parmesan.

Serves 4

Fettucini with roasted red peppers, cherry tomatoes, garlic and chilli

• 200 g punnet cherry tomatoes
• 2 red peppers, seeded and quartered
• 12 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 chillies, halved lengthway, seeds removed or left in, to taste
• 1 red onion, peeled and quartered
• 60 ml (¹⁄₄ cup) olive oil
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 15 ml (1 Tbsp) dried origanum
• 500 g packet fettuccini, cooked according to instructions
• 45 ml (3 Tbsp) fresh parsley, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
2. Put all the vegetables into a roasting tray, pour over the olive oil, and season with salt, pepper and origanum, stirring to coat everything evenly. Place the tray into the oven and roast for 30–40 minutes, until the vegetables start to blacken (but not to burn) around the edges.
3. Remove from the oven and lightly crush the vegetables with a potato masher to achieve a chunky texture.
4. (For a smoother consistency, crush half the mixture with a potato masher and blend the other half in a blender, using the pulse button. If you prefer a very smooth sauce, blend the full quantity in a blender, using the pulse button.)
5. In a serving bowl, combine the cooked pasta and sauce.
6. Top with a scattering of fresh parsley and serve immediately.

Serves 4

Vegetable ‘bolognaise’

Children love this, especially if you break up the spaghetti, or serve the sauce with small pasta shapes that are easier for little hands. For adults, choose your favourite ‘long’ pasta: spaghetti, linguini, fettucini, tagliatelle or bavette.

• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 3 cm piece fresh ginger, grated
• 3 large tomatoes, chopped
• 410 g can chopped tomatoes
• 500 ml (2 cups) water
• 10 ml (2 tsp) vegetable stock powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 5 ml (1 tsp) each paprika and ground ginger
• 15 ml (1 Tbsp) dried mixed herbs
• 15 ml (1 Tbsp) sugar
• 2 large carrots, peeled and grated
• 4 courgettes, peeled and grated
• 500 g pasta of your choice, cooked according to instructions
• 60 ml (¹⁄₄ cup) fresh parsley, chopped
• Parmazano or Nature’s Choice Mock Parmesan for serving

1. In a medium saucepan, sauté the onions, garlic and ginger until translucent.
2. Add the fresh and canned tomatoes, stir, and simmer until softened.
3. Add the water, stock powder, salt and pepper, spices, herbs and sugar.
4. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.
5. Using a hand-held blender, blend the sauce until smooth.
6. Add the grated carrots and courgettes and simmer until they are cooked through and the sauce has thickened and reduced.
7. Ladle some sauce over your choice of pasta, add the chopped fresh parsley and top with a sprinkling of Parmesan-style cheese.

Serves 4

Sautéed cabbage and chickpea maccheroncini

For this dish, I use a traditional Italian recipe for home‐made maccheroncini, an elbow‐shaped, tubular pasta. It takes time, but the result is a lovely, silky pasta. If you are pushed for time, you can reduce the resting time of the dough, or substitute 500 g of bought macaroni or pasta elbows. It’s up to you whether to use red or green cabbage. Experiment. Have fun. Enjoy.

Maccheroncini (home-made macaroni)

• 250 ml (1 cup) brown bread flour
• 500 ml (2 cups) white bread flour
• 150 ml (²⁄₃ cup) semolina, plus extra for dusting
• 5 ml (1 tsp) salt
• 150 ml (²⁄₃ cup) tap water
• 100 ml (10 Tbsp) dry white wine, white grape juice or water

Cabbage and chickpea sauce

• 45 ml (3 Tbsp) olive oil
• 2 shallots or 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 2 baby cabbages, thinly shredded
• 400 g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 3–4 fresh sage leaves, torn
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• extra olive oil, for serving
• 1–2 chillies, sliced, for serving (optional)

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk or stir together both flours, the semolina and the salt.
2. Make a well in the centre and add all the water and the wine or grape juice.
3. Using a wooden spoon, stir lightly until the dough starts to clump together. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours, but preferably 12 hours, or even overnight.
4. Remove the dough and cut into six equal pieces. Taking one piece at a time, flatten it a little with your hands, then pass it through a pasta machine set on the biggest setting. Repeat the process twice on each setting, continuing until the thinnest setting. Set the finished sheets aside and cover with a damp tea towel to prevent them from drying out.
5. Cut each pasta sheet into 15 cm lengths and cut each length into pieces measuring 2 cm wide × 5 cm long. Roll each piece lengthways around a metal skewer, gently joining the sides along the seam. Ease the maccheroncini off the skewer and lightly toss in a little semolina flour. If you are not cooking the pasta immediately, cover with a clean cloth and set aside until needed.
6. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the maccheroncini and cook for about 3 minutes, until ‘al dente’. Drain and toss with the sauce.

Cabbage and chickpea sauce

1. Heat the oil in a large pan. Fry the shallots or onion and garlic until softened.
2. Add the shredded cabbage and sauté until just cooked through, about 20 minutes.
3. Add the chickpeas and sage leaves and cook until the chickpeas are heated through. Season well with salt and pepper.
4. Add the cooked maccheroncini to the pan and toss gently to combine with the cabbage and chickpeas. Drizzle with a little olive oil. If you want to add some heat, scatter a few finely sliced fresh chillies over the top.

Serves 4

Penne arrabiata

with sausages

‘Arrabiata’ is simply a tomato‐based sauce with chillies, to give it some bite. This easy to make, versatile sauce is perfect for pizzas, pasta and baked dishes, so make up a double batch and freeze the extra for up to six months.

Arrabiata sauce

• olive oil for frying
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1 fresh chilli, chopped, or 15 ml (1 Tbsp) dried chilli flakes
• 5 large tomatoes, chopped
• 410 g can whole tomatoes
• 15 ml (1 Tbsp) brown sugar
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 15 ml (1 Tbsp) origanum
• 500 ml (2 cups) water
• 60 ml (¹⁄₄ cup) fresh parsley, chopped

To serve

• 500 g packet penne (quills), cooked and drained
• 4 Fry’s Country-style sausages

1. In a medium saucepan, heat some oil and fry the onion, garlic and fresh chilli until softened.
2. Add the fresh and canned tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper and origanum (and dried chilli flakes, if using).
3. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have softened.
4. Add the water and stir through. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. While the sauce is simmering, fry the sausages in a little olive oil until well browned, then slice into rounds.
6. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Drain the pasta and set aside, keeping warm.
7. Using a hand-held blender, blend the arrabiata sauce until smooth. Add half the chopped parsley.
8. In a large serving bowl, combine the sauce with the drained pasta and toss gently to coat.
9. Fold in the sliced sausages and sprinkle with the remaining parsley.
10. Serve with fresh salad and crusty bread.
11. You can also serve the arrabiata sauce on its own, with spaghetti or penne.

Serves 4

Spinach cannelloni

Although this recipe calls for two different sauces, they can both be made ahead of time, and the dish assembled and cooked when required. I like the bite that arrabiata sauce provides, but if chillies are not your thing, use a basic tomato sauce, or Passata di Pomodoro (see page 162) instead.

• 250 g box cannelloni tubes (preferably the ‘no pre-cook’ kind)
• 500 g pack spinach washed, steamed and chopped
• 30 ml (2 Tbsp) olive oil
• 500 ml (2 cups) home-made arrabiata sauce (see page 53)
• 500 ml (2 cups) béchamel (white) sauce (see page 162)
• 250 ml (1 cup) freshly made breadcrumbs

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
2. Using a teaspoon, carefully stuff the cannelloni tubes with the chopped spinach, making sure you don’t break the pasta.
3. Drizzle half the olive oil into a medium-sized ovenproof dish and spread about half the arrabiata sauce evenly over the bottom of the dish. Place the prepared cannelloni into the dish and pour over the rest of the arrabiata sauce.
4. Pour the white sauce over the cannelloni, spreading it evenly to cover the pasta.
5. Top with breadcrumbs and drizzle with the remaining olive oil.
6. Cover the dish with a lid or foil and bake for 25 minutes, then uncover and bake for a further 20 minutes.

Serves 4

Creamed spinach and mushroom linguini

• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 200 g baby spinach, washed and drained
• 250 g button mushrooms, sliced
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 60 ml (¹⁄₄ cup) chopped fresh parsley, plus extra to serve
• 250 ml (1 cup) Alpro soya cream
• 500 g packet linguini, cooked according to instructions
• Parmazano or Nature’s Choice Mock Parmesan, for serving

1. In a large saucepan, sauté the onion and garlic until softened.
2. Add the spinach and mushrooms, and stir gently, allowing the spinach to wilt and the mushrooms to soften.
3. Add a little water, if necessary, to help the cooking process. Season well, add the parsley and stir through.
4. Add the soya cream, reduce the heat and simmer for 10–15 minutes, until the cream has reduced and thickened.
5. Serve with linguini and a scattering of fresh parsley and Parmesan-style cheese.

Serves 4