Hi everyone
I love pasta but get bored with your standard spag bol..and lord knows I won't use a basic spag bol sauce from a can when I do cook it (its one of the son's favorites so has to be on the menu). Soo I do try and do other things with it.
When I can I use italian made pasta. You can get it in the supermarkets now and there is amazing pasta if you look for it in your mediterranean shops and delis. Its also easy to make but thats another discussion.
Tomato
So Ill give you the recipe I use for my tomato pasta sauce.
Some dried mushrooms - ceps or porcini. Soaked for half an hour in 2 tablespoons of boiling water. If you don't have them then chop up some fresh mushrooms.
1 tablespoon of butter
55gm pancetta diced
1 small onion finely chopped
1 garlic clove finely chopped
2 small carrots diced
2 celery sticks diced
300g mince beef
1 pinch of salt
nutmeg
1 tablespoon tomato paste
125 ml red wine
250g passata. Tomato sauce base you can get in most supermarkets
salt and pepper
Fry the pancetta in the butter. Add the onion and garlic and fry till soft but not brown. Add the carrots and celery and cook, stirring for a couple of minutes. Add the beef and brown. Season with salt and pepper a pinch of sugar and some nutmeg. Add the tomato paste and then the red wine and passata.
If using dried take the mushrooms from the water , reserving the liquid and thinly slice the mushrooms. Add the mushrooms (fresh or dried) to your sauce. Pour the reserved mushroom liquid through a sieve into the tomato sauce. Cook sauce over a low heat for an hour and check seasoning before you serve. Serve with your preferred pasta. Note you can make the beef into meatballs instead of just as mince or you can leave the beef out. If you make with meat balls make the sauce without the beef and brown the meatballs before adding to the sauce in the last 10 minutes of cooking. If you do leave the beef out completely add 1/4 cup of beef stock for taste.
Stir the sauce through your preferred pasta or use as a base for lasagna.
Creamy Mushroom
I admit Im not a big tomato fan so I tend to use other sauces too. For my mushroom sauce that I have with tortellini or ravioli (although its just as nice with a fettucine) I use:
A mix of mushrooms - dried and fresh. With the dried I rehydrate in some boiling water for half an hour. About 400gms should be about right, sliced.
50gm pancetta diced
30gm butter
30mls olive oil or if you can get it garlic oil
1 clove of garlic diced if you can't get the garlic oil
30mls white wine
4 tablespoons mascapone cheese - italian cheese that you can get in the specialty cheese or by the cream and sour cream in the supermarket :)
salt and pepper
tablespoon of freshly chopped parsley
Heat the butter and oil. Add the garlic if using and stir for a minute. Add the mushrooms nd cook for 3 minutes over a medium heat. Add the wine to the pan and turn the mushrooms. Let the wine reduce for a couple of minutes but not so much that the pan goes dry. Then take the pan off the heat and add the mascapone, stirring. Once stirred in put back on a low heat for a minute to warm through. Add the pasta to the pan and toss. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.
Something different
Now finally here is a recipe with a bit of difference. I saw a version of it in a magazine and have played with it to make it more my own. Sorry Sue its got peas in it so if you don't like them, leave out and add a tablespoon of pesto instead of the peas and mint.
20gm butter
1 onion finely chopped
3 sausages - I like lamb but pork is fine too
2 tablespoons of mint, chopped
250 gms fettucine
250 gms peas
125gm mascapone
juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
40gm parmesan grated
Cook the onion in the butter over medium heat until soft. Squeeze the meat out of the sausages and add the cooked onion and mint if using and mix well. Form small meatballs (2.4cm approx)
from the mixture and set aside.
Cook pasta according to directions and drain reserving a 1/4 cup of the pasta water.
Cook the peas on salted boiling water for 5 minutes until tender, then drain well. Return peas to pan and crush lightly with a fork. Lightly so not until mush your just releasing the flavor of the peas. Stir in the mascapone (pesto if using) and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the frying pan you cooked the onions in and cook the meatballs. Turn them on all sides for 3-4 minutes until brown. Then add the pasta, pea mixture, pasta water and remaining oil. Season and toss over a medium heat until combined and heated through.
When serving top with the parmesan.
Enjoy
Me xx
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