Antoni in the Kitchen

When I was young and my parents went out, they would leave my sisters in charge of feeding me, and we’d often indulge in Kraft Mac & Cheese, with minced meat mixed in. I loved the light sharpness of the Day-Glo orange ‘cheese’ sauce and the tubular pasta it coated. In my baked version, a blend of three cheeses forms a rich, complex sauce. I always go for extra-crispy bites from the corners of the baking dish after finishing my plate. (I guess this still brings out the kid . . .) A heap of rocket dressed with fresh lemon juice and good olive oil makes it a complete meal. The photo is on pages 144–145.

For the bake: Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4, with a rack in the middle. Butter a 23 x 32 x 5cm (9 x 13 x 2in) baking dish or 3-litre gratin dish.

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and salt it ‘til it tastes like the ocean (taste it). In a medium bowl, gently mix together the three cheeses; set aside.

In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the turkey and ¾ teaspoon salt and cook, breaking up the meat into small bits with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in ¼ teaspoon pepper and 2 tablespoons of the parsley. Remove the pan from the heat.

Cook the pasta in the boiling water for 2 minutes less than the lowest cooking time recommended on your packet. Drain the pasta and set aside. Set the pan aside.

In a small saucepan or a microwavable bowl, gently warm the milk over low heat or for 10-second intervals just until hot to the touch. Remove from the heat.

Add 90g of the butter to the pan you used for the pasta and melt over low heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking frequently, until the mixture is foamy and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cayenne, nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper, then whisk in 125ml of the hot milk (the mixture may seize up); continue whisking until the mixture is fairly smooth. Continue adding the milk 125ml at a time, whisking constantly, getting into the edges of the pan, until all the milk is incorporated and the sauce is thickened and smooth, 3 to 4 minutes total. Sprinkle in 200g of the cheese mixture, stirring as you go, and then stir just until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth, about 1 minute. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the pasta and 1 teaspoon salt.

Sprinkle 50g of the reserved cheese evenly into the baking dish. Spoon about half of the pasta on top. Top with the turkey and 100g of the cheese, then cover with the remaining pasta and then the remaining cheese. Pour the cream over the top.

Melt the remaining 45g butter in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Stir in the panko to coat, then sprinkle the mixture evenly over the pasta.

Bake until the cheese sauce is bubbling and the crust is golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the salad: In a large bowl, toss together the rocket, oil, lemon juice and a pinch or two of salt.

Sprinkle the bake with the remaining 2 tablespoons parsley and serve hot, with the salad alongside.

Tip

Italian Fontina is best for both cooking and eating, because of its rich, nutty flavour and super-creamy texture. The Swedish and Danish types, though they cost less, pale in comparison.

Mac and Cheese

WITH FRESH HERBS + PEAS

After a challenging day, or for those times when I decide to fully ignore my efforts to be health-conscious, mac and cheese is the perfect source of a delightful food coma. And since there’s no roux or baking involved, this is the version I turn to when time is as tight as my patience. Tangy goat’s cheese and Parm flavour the creamy sauce, while peas add a little sweetness. They also fit adorably into the orecchiette (aka ‘little ears’) pasta.

15g finely chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as basil, tarragon, mint and/or chives or spring onion greens

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and salt it ’til it tastes like the ocean (taste it). Add the pasta and cook until it is about 2 minutes under al dente. Stir in the peas and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Scoop out and reserve 125ml of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and peas.

While the pasta is cooking, in a large heatproof bowl, stir together the Parmesan, goat’s cheese, cream and ½ teaspoon salt until smooth.

Stir 60ml of the reserved pasta cooking liquid into the cheese mixture, then add the pasta and peas and about half of the herbs. Toss to combine. Add more pasta cooking liquid if the sauce seems dry.

Spoon the pasta into serving bowls. Top with the remaining herbs, more Parm and pepper to taste.

Bucatini Cacio e Pepe

Two things: cheese and pepper. That’s pretty much the Italian name of this pasta, and it is one of the best. Technique here is everything. The pasta cooking liquid is a key ingredient, and the trick is to make it extra starchy (which helps bind the sauce) by using less water than you normally do to cook your noodles. Mixing the cheese with some of that starchy hot liquid before adding it to the pan also helps the sauce emulsify.

100g finely grated (ideally, use a Microplane grater so that it’s thin) Pecorino Romano, plus more for serving

Set out two or three serving bowls. Place the cheese in a small heat-resistant bowl near the stove.

Fill a large wide saucepan or deep frying pan with water to come up to 8cm (3in). Bring the water to a boil and salt it ‘til it tastes like the ocean (taste it). Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes less than the lowest cooking time recommended on your package.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat the pepper in the oil over low heat just until the oil is warm to the touch and the pepper is fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

About 1 minute before the pasta is ready, scoop out 60ml of the pasta cooking water and add it to the cheese, stirring to make a thick paste. Ladle about 60ml of the boiling pasta cooking water into each of the serving bowls to warm them.

Scoop out another 125ml or so of cooking water and reserve. Drain the pasta and transfer to the frying pan with the oil and pepper. Toss over low heat for 1 minute to coat the pasta with the oil and cook off most of the excess liquid. Remove the pan from the heat and add 75ml of the reserved pasta cooking liquid to the pasta. Add the cheese paste, stirring well. Add more of the pasta cooking liquid by the tablespoonful if necessary, until you have a creamy sauce that coats each strand of pasta.

Drain the water from the pasta bowls, add the pasta to the bowls, and serve immediately, topped with more cheese.

Tip

The black pepper is central to this dish, which is why you want to use a very coarse grind and do the grinding just before making the pasta. If you don’t have a great pepper mill, place whole peppercorns on a cutting board and use the bottom of a heavy frying pan (using a pressing and rocking motion) to coarsely crack them.

Summer Pasta Salad

WITH PICKLED GRAPES

A good pasta salad offers a mix of zippy ingredients, such as fresh tomatoes, briny olives or a citrusy dressing – the high notes – and ones that anchor the dish, like cheese, mayo or a yoghurt sauce – the low notes. I use quick-pickled grapes, seasoned with coriander and shallot, in tandem with sweet corn, fresh basil and smoky Gouda cheese. The result has just the right balance. Bonus: this dish holds up well at picnics, barbecues and other multi-hour entertaining situations.

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil and salt it ’til it tastes like the ocean (taste it). Add the orzo and cook until al dente; drain. Transfer to a large bowl, toss with the oil, and set aside to cool. (The orzo can be chilled for up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature before continuing.)

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the vinegar, sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt just to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Transfer to a small heatproof bowl, add the shallot and coriander seeds and let cool, about 20 minutes.

Add the grapes to the brine. Let stand, gently stirring once or twice, until pickled, about 20 minutes.

Drain the pickled grape mixture (discard the brine) and add to the bowl with the orzo. Add the tomatoes, corn, cheese and basil and gently stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (The salad, except for the basil, can be chilled, covered, up to 8 hours ahead. Bring to room temperature and toss with the basil before serving.)

Pasta with Sausage, Lemon + Parsley

This weeknight pasta can double as an impressive dish for entertaining. Lightly toasting then crushing a few whole fennel seeds emphasizes the flavours of the Italian sausage while adding a lively freshness. Be sure to brown the sausage well for nice crispy edges – it tastes so good that way.

100g coarsely grated Parmesan, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving

In a small dry frying pan, toast the fennel seeds over medium-low heat, shaking the pan back and forth, until the seeds are fragrant and lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool, then crush with a mortar and pestle or the bottom of a heavy pan. Set aside.

Bring a large pan of water to a boil and salt it ’til it tastes like the ocean (taste it). Add the pasta and cook until it’s about 2 minutes under al dente.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until deeply golden in spots, about 6 minutes. Add the wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, until about half of the liquid is evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the lemon zest and juice. Whisk in the butter one piece at a time, just until melted and incorporated, to form a nice silky sauce.

Scoop out 175ml of the pasta cooking water and reserve. Drain the pasta and return it to the pan. Add the cheese, 125ml of the reserved pasta cooking water, ½ teaspoon salt and the fennel seeds. Quickly toss everything together to coat the pasta, adding more of the pasta cooking liquid if the dish appears dry, then stir in the parsley. Adjust the seasoning to taste.

Champagne + Lemon Risotto

Risotto was the meal I made most often for friends when I was a broke university student in Montreal. With little more than some Arborio rice, chicken stock, Parm and an add-in or two, I had an impressive homemade meal. As time has passed, my add-ins have gotten a little more luxe. Enter this classic, which I was first inspired to make when I had some leftover bubbly from a party the night before. While Champagne is nice, less expensive bubbles, like cava or Prosecco, or any good dry white wine, is perfectly fine. You can build a fuller meal around this by serving it after an appetiser such as Roasted Carrots with Carrot-Top Pesto (page 94), or as a starter before Rosemary Pork Tenderloin (page 228) or Chili-Maple Roasted Chicken (page 216).

I like a slightly soupy-style risotto, referred to in Italian as all’onda (meaning ‘wavy’), rather than a drier version. You’ll know it’s ready when there’s just enough liquid in the pan for the cooked rice to ripple yet still have a thick, creamy consistency.

75g finely grated Parmesan, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving

In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low.

In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent and softened, 8 to 10 minutes (do not let brown). Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until it turns opaque, about 4 minutes. Add the Champagne or wine, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring constantly, until it has evaporated.

Add 175ml of the hot stock and cook, stirring frequently yet gently and getting into the edges of the pan (mixing too roughly will eventually break the grains, which you want to avoid), until the stock is absorbed. Continue adding stock 175ml at a time, allowing it to be absorbed each time before adding more, until the rice is tender yet still firm to the bite and the risotto is creamy and still slightly soupy, 16 to 18 minutes total. (You may have some stock left over.)

Remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, lemon zest and juice and stir until the cheese is melted, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon the risotto into bowls and top with more Parm and pepper. Serve immediately.

Tip

A wooden spatula that’s wide and flat at the bottom is the tool I like for stirring risotto because it allows you to stir and fold the rice while scraping the bottom and sides of the pan as you go.

Rice and Potato Tahdig

WITH SAFFRON + TURMERIC

This aromatic Persian rice dish is named for the golden, crispy layer, known as tahdig, that forms at the bottom of the pan as the rice slowly steams – it’s the part that everyone wants to scoop out when it’s served. My version contains potato and is flecked with chopped parsley and dried cranberries. It’s fun for dinner parties and delicious with roast chicken and fish, or alongside other veg dishes. It’s a perfect match for Pomegranate-Walnut Chicken Stew (Fesenjan; page 131). This takes a while to cook. It’s worth it.

1 small russet (baking) or Yukon Gold potato, peeled and thinly sliced into rounds (about 1mm/¹/16 in thick)

Place the rice in a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon salt and cold water to cover by 2.5cm (1in) and stir, then let stand for 30 minutes. Drain the rice in a strainer and rinse under cold water until the water runs clear.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the saffron with 1 tablespoon hot water; set aside.

Place the rice in a large saucepan. Add 2 litres water and 2 tablespoons salt and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the rice is slightly softened on the outside, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain the rice in a sieve and rinse under cold running water, then shake well to remove excess water. Set aside.

Cut out a round of baking parchment to cover the bottom of a 25cm (10in) heavy saucepan with a lid, such as a casserole. Line the pan with the parchment round. Add 2 tablespoons butter and melt over medium-low heat, then remove from the heat and stir in the turmeric and ¼ teaspoon salt. Arrange the potatoes, overlapping, on the bottom of the pan.

Add the rice and ¼ teaspoon salt to the bowl with the saffron water and gently stir to combine. Spoon the rice on top of the sliced potatoes (do not press or pack down) and, using a fork, gently spread the rice in an even layer. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat, until the mixture is fragrant, about 10 minutes. Wrap a clean tea towel around the lid and tightly cover the pan, folding the cloth over the edges of the lid. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting and cook, undisturbed, until the potatoes are crisp (you can peek by lifting up the mixture at an edge or two with a large serving spoon), 1½ to 1¾ hours. Uncover and dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter.

Remove the pan from the heat. Invert the dish onto a serving plate, then lift off and discard the baking parchment. Sprinkle with the parsley, cranberries and sumac, if using. Serve.

Tip

Sumac – the ground dried berries of a Middle Eastern bush – is a wonderfully astringent spice that’s often used in Middle Eastern cooking and lends a lemony brightness to all sorts of dishes. (Try it as a seasoning for chicken or fish, or sprinkle it over hummus.) Look for it at speciality shops or online.

Tomato, Basil + Melty Mozzarella Baked Rice (SARTU di RISO)

I was completing a treadmill session at the gym when, switching TV channels, I landed on a Food Network segment that featured my favourite Giada De Laurentiis, beaming her megawatt smile as she demonstrated how to make a traditional sartu di riso with her auntie. It’s a big cheesy dish of rice moulded around a filling of thick tomato and basil sauce that’s baked in a Bundt pan – kinda like a veg version of the magnificent pasta timpano in the classic movie Big Night! I’ve since made my version both for holidays and anytime entertaining.

100g finely grated Parmesan, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus a Parm rind, if you have one, and more grated cheese for serving

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, 2 of the bay leaves and a pinch of salt, then stir in the tomato paste and cook until the paste begins to caramelize, about 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and their juices, breaking the tomatoes apart with a wooden spoon. Then bury the bunch of basil and the Parmesan rind, if using, in the sauce. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce has thickened and the flavours have developed, about 30 minutes. Remove and discard the Parm rind (if you used it) and the basil. Set the sauce aside to cool.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the rice, stock and the remaining 2 bay leaves. Bring just to a boil over high heat, reduce to a gentle simmer, cover and cook, without removing the lid, for 15 minutes. The rice should be al dente. Give the rice a stir, transfer it to a large bowl, and let cool until it’s just warm to the touch, 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir the grated Parm into the cooled rice. Adjust the salt if necessary (it should taste nicely seasoned), then stir in the eggs to thoroughly combine.

Generously grease the inside of a 25cm (10in) Bundt pan, including the central tube, with all the butter. Add threequarters of the breadcrumbs, then tilt the pan to coat all sides. Using your hands, line the bottom and sides of the pan, including the central tube, with an even layer of the rice, using about threequarters of it and bringing it up to about 1cm (½in) from the top of the pan. Tear the mozzarella into small shreds and scatter over the bottom layer of rice. Add all but about 250ml of the tomato sauce, then cover with the remaining rice, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon to seal the edges. Top with the remaining breadcrumbs and brush them with oil (which will give you a nice crispy crust).

Bake until the top is golden brown and the edges are crispy, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, gently rewarm the reserved sauce.

Invert the rice onto a large serving plate. Fill the cavity with the reserved tomato sauce. Garnish with basil leaves, then top with more grated Parm and a drizzle of oil. Slice into wedges and serve immediately.

PASTA AND RICE

Baked Turkey, Mac and Cheese

Tip