Simple Student Pasta

The time has come for my final #RespectThePasta challenge with ASK Italian. This challenge was to involve the kids in something, so I took the opportunity to encourage my teenager to cook his own dinner. I do most, if not all, of the cooking in this house, but I really should encourage them more as they really quite enjoy it when they do.

I jotted down some basic instructions to cook the pasta, add the passata etc, and then left him to it. Twenty minutes later, he proudly presented his bowl of pasta.

Simple Student Pasta - serves 3/4

500g Pasta

500g Passata

1 tsp dried Oregano

Grated cheese

• Cook the pasta according to the directions on the pack, and drain
• Add the passata and herbs to a pan and bring to the boil
• Turn off the heat and stir in the cooked pasta
• Divide between bowls and top with grated cheese to serve

I think this may be a weekly event now, and you never know, he may even make his own pasta one day.

#RespectThePasta Challenges

Challenge 1 - Respect the cook

Challenge 2 - Doing it right

Challenge 3 - Re-respecting the pasta

Challenge 4 - Respect from scratch

Fresh Ravioli with Sausage & Chorizo

In the penultimate #RespectThePasta challenge I have been asked to make ravioli from scratch. I've only ever made pasta from scratch once before, just a few weeks ago, in a lasagne. I rolled it a bit too thin so this time I made sure I left it a little thicker so that it didn't disintegrate completely in the pan.

I went for a simple filling of sausage and chorizo, and a very simple tomato sauce. There was a little of the sausage filling left over from the ravioli which I added to the sauce.

Fresh Ravioli with Sausage & Chorizo - serves 3-4

Pasta
200g '00' flour plus extra for dusting
2 large eggs

Filling
40g Chorizo, finely diced
4 good quality pork sausages

Sauce
glug of Extra Virgin olive oil
onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
handful of fresh basil
salt & pepper

• Make the pasta by stirring the eggs into the flour until it starts to come together
• Knead until smooth & elastic - this will take a while - it will be grainy at first and then smooth. At this point keep on kneading until it becomes more elastic
• Tightly wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 30 minutes
• In the meantime make the filling by frying the chorizo until the oil starts to come out
• Squeeze the sausagemeat from the casings and add to the pan, breaking the meat up
• Once cooked through set aside whilst you roll the pasta
• I used a Lakeland Pasta Machine to roll my pasta out, but you could do it by hand 
• Cut the dough in half and pass half through the machine until you reach the second to last setting (1-7 on the Lakeland machine). Repeat with the other half.
• Lay a sheet of pasta onto a floured work surface
• Spoon a little of the sausage filling along the pasta sheets in small mounds before placing another sheet on top
• Press the top sheet onto the bottom sheet around the filling to remove any air and seal around the edges
• Using a ravioli cutter cut the squares of ravioli out around the filling
• Leave the ravioli to dry out a little whilst making the sauce
• Add a glug of olive oil to a pan
• Add the onion and garlic and fry for 3 minutes
• Add the tinned tomatoes and half of the chopped basil
• Place a lid on and simmer for around 20 minutes
• Add the rest of the basil and season with salt & pepper
• Put a large pan of salted water on to boil
• Once boiling, add the ravioli (in batches if necessary)
• Boil for 3-4 minutes and spoon out into the sauce, tossing gently
• Serve immediately

I received a ravioli cutter and '00' flour from ASK Italian for the purpose of this challenge

Fettuccine Bolognaise - #RespectThePasta

For the third #RespectThePasta challenge set by ASk Italian I have been asked to recreate a Fettuccine dish from the ASK Italian cookbook. I chose to make Fettuccine Bolognaise, as the family love a rich and meaty bolognaise.

I was provided with a box of dried Fettuccine that takes just 6-7 minutes too cook, however the bolognaise sauce takes a little longer to develop the rich flavours so make sure you start cooking it in plenty of time, or make in advance and store in the fridge.

Fettuccine Bolognaise - serves 4-6

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

450g lean minced beef

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

100ml red wine

150ml beef stock

1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

500g tomato passata

5 fresh basil leaves

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1 tsp dried oregano

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

juice of half a lemon

1/2 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper

500g Fettuccine

• Heat the oil in a saucepan over a low heat
• Add the onion and cook slowly until it has softened and become translucent
• Add the beef mince and brown gently, breaking the meat up and stirring constantly
• When the meat has lost its raw look, add the garlic
• Add the wine, turn up the heat and cook for about 5 minutes, until the wine has evaporated
• Stir in the stock, tomatoes & passata
• Season with the herbs, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and salt
• Bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often
• Check the seasoning, adding pepper to taste
• Lower the heat and cook the sauce very gently for 1 hour 20 minutes with the lid off
• Stir often to prevent the sauce from sticking
• It should be at a low simmer
• Cook the Fettuccine according to the directions on the pack
• Once the Fettuccine is cooked, add it to the sauce and mix well
• Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Pork, Chestnut & Cranberry Fusilli - #RespectThePasta

After the first challenge (which was a nice easy one) it was time to get into the kitchen and start cooking some pasta, following a few rules set out by ASK  ambassador, Theo Randall.

DO

• Use lots of boiling, well salted water
• Cook for 2 minutes less than the packet instructions and finish cooking in the sauce with a spoonful of cooking water
• Enjoy immediately in small portions in warm bowls or plates - "pasta waits for no man"

DO NOT

• Tip pasta into a colander to drain it - use tongs or slotted spoon to take pasta out of the water
• Test 'done-ness' by throwing pasta onto the walls
• Use too much sauce - coat the pasta, don't drown it

I decided to make a sauce using some dried cranberries and chestnuts that I had kicking around after Christmas - yes I know it's April, but I had them hidden away and forgot all about them!

Pork, Chestnut & Cranberry Fusilli - serves 4/5

4 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 tsp herbs (I used thyme & rosemary), finely chopped

200g cooked chestnuts, chopped

500g pork mince

100g dried cranberries

400g tinned tomatoes

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

150ml red wine

pinch salt & pepper

500g dried fusilli

• Heat the oil in a large pan
• Add the onion and garlic and fry gently for 1 minute
• Add the herbs, chestnuts, pork mince and cranberries, and fry gently until the mince is browned
• Add the tomatoes, worcestershire sauce and red wine
• Stir well, place a lid on and simmer for approx 30 minutes
• Cook the pasta as per the rules above and add to the sauce with some of the cooking water as needed, and stir
• Serve with some chopped herbs on top