Sausage and Wild Mushroom Papardelle

My Boyfriend says he doesn't like Pasta. I have a feeling he just had a bad Pasta Dish and like with so many other people who don't like some specific ingredient, it tends to be the dish that was bad, not the ingredient. I decided to try and to make him change his mind.

So I made this Pasta dish, which I think is a far cry from a badly made dish with some pasta tubes in soggy sauce.

I used venison Sausages, but any good quality sausage will be fine. Wild Boar ones would have been my ideal choice. They were out of stock this time.

Fresh Papardelle is the Pasta I used, a  nice Tagliatelle maybe substituted or another wide flat variety.

My Mushrooms were Giroles, but a mixed assortment would be even better.

So here the Ingredients:

(feeds 6 people)

500g Fresh Papardelle

500g Good Quality Sausages

200g Wild Mushrooms

3 Garlic Cloves, crushed

1 tsp fresh Thyme

100g Creme Fraiche

Parsley and Parmesan Cheese for finishing

Heat a little Olive Oil in a large Pan. 

Drop little nuggets of sausage pulled straight out of the casing into the pan. 

Fry until nicely browned, breaking the pieces up a little but leaving it chunky.

Add the chopped Garlic and Mushrooms and sautee until the mushrooms are cooked.

Meanwhile cook the Pasta in a large Pot with salted boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes or whatever the instructions on your pasta packet say.

Next add the Thyme and Creme Fraiche and to the pan and leave to bubble very quietly on a low heat  while we wait until the pasta is cooked.

Once ready drop it straight into the sauce, adding some of the cooking water as well to loosen everything to the perfect saucy Pasta stage. Stir it all well and it's done.

Now serve right away on warm plates, garnishing with Parsley and grated Parmesan.

Tuck in and Bon Appetito!!

Verdict, I think he liked it. Will make more yummy Pasta dishes in the future. Because after all, I love a nice plate of Pasta every so often!

Italian Style Pasta Bolognese

Is there anybody out there who doesn't like a bowl of hearty Bolognese? Is there anybody out there who doesn't make THE best Bolognese? There isn't, is there. So, I was wondering if you would like compare our Recipes. Reveal our best version of this wonderful dish.

I am using the classic Italian recipe where Tomato paste is used sparingly and the base is made with smoky bacon and sofrito. Wild Boar is often used as the main meat ingredient, but I am using extra lean Beef today. Pancetta would be the ideal smoky bacon, however I am using my organic free range English bacon, with all the fat trimmed away, because I am as always watching my weight.

Ingredients:
500g extra lean minced Beef
100g smoky Bacon, diced
1 tsp Olive Oil
2 Carrots, diced
2 Onions, diced
2 ribs of Celery, diced
2 Garlic, cloves, chopped
2 tbs Tomato Puree
1 glass White Wine
1 glass of skimmed Milk
1 red Chilli, chopped
Salt and Pepper
Basil and Parmesan to finish an garnish

Start by frying the bacon in the Olive Oil, then add the Beef and stir till browned. Next add the Onion, Carrot, Celery, Garlic, Chilli and fry until translucent.
Add the Tomato paste, fry a little more then pour in the wine. Let the alcohol evaporate... then add the milk. Check the seasoning at this stage and add Salt and Pepper to taste.  Cover and simmer quietly for about an hour. Keep stirring occasionally.
Add a little water if it goes to dry. Keep simmering on a low heat, the longer the better.
Once the sauce has cooked into a rich unctuousness it is ready to be mixed with your favorite Pasta. In Italy it would of course be Tagliatelle.

I'm pretty sure you have your own ideas about what makes THE best Bolognese. Do you like to add any Herbs, maybe Jamie Oliver style with Peas, how do you do it? What's your secret? Please share :-)

Gennaro's Pasta of Land and Sea

Isn't it always exciting when you know you have special ingredients in the fridge and you get to cook them today!

Yep, I most definitely am.

Yesterday I watched Gennaro Contaldo make it on the BBC Good Food Show Stage at Bluewater and I really wanted to recreate it for myself. So I went and bought all the ingredients there and then, told Gennaro that I am going to cook his dish as he signed his book for me, about which he and I were very pleased.

I believe he used Wild Boar Panchetta, because when he explained the name of the dish, he said 'it's the Clams from the Sea and the Wild Boar, Tomatoes, Basil ect. from the Land'.

I haven't had time to source this fabulous ingredient this time, so have substituted with a Wild Boar Salami and an award winning smoked Bacon, which should build the rich flavour that I am looking for. The recipe I am using here is my recreated version of what I saw at the show.

Ingredients:

(serves 2 @ 9 Weightwatchers points)

25g Smoked Bacon, cut into lardons

25g Wild Boar Salami, sliced very thinly then cut into strips

7 Chestnut Mushrooms, sliced

1 long red Chilli, sliced

14 Cherry Tomatoes, halved

2 Garlic Cloves, sliced thinly

about 30 fresh Clams

a small handful fresh Basil, torn

The Pasta:

100g Double Zero plain Flour

1 Egg

To make the Pasta simply combine the Egg with the flour, mix well together, then kneed into a dough. Cover with clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge.

When you're ready to make the pasta, flour your working surface, rolling pin and pasta machine if you're using it. Roll out the dough to make it a little flatter and so that it fits the machine, Then starting on the highest setting, roll the dough through the pasta machine several times. This will make it smooth and silky.

Fold the dough a few times as you go. Once you're happy with the consistency, start making the rollers smaller, one notch at a time and roll the dough trough stage by stage.

Once it's nice and thin cut along the sides to straighten out the edges, then roll it through the cutting blade of the machine to make Tagliatelle,

Separate the strands with a little dusting of flour. These will take only a couple of minutes in boiling salted water to cook and will finish in the Sauce where they will absorb some of the juices and flavour.

To make the Sauce, fry the bacon in the olive oil for a minute then add the mushrooms and sauté for a minute more, then the Garlic goes in along with the Wild Boar Salami, Tomatoes and Chilli. I have put my clams in the freezer for 5 minutes to make them go 'to sleep' before adding them to my pan now.

Cover with a lid and let them steam open.

Clams contain a lot of their own juice so I am not adding any water or wine to it. But if there is no liquid then add a splash of wine also.

The seasoning should be good from the bacon and Wild Boar, but check and add a little salt only if necessary.

Cook the Pasta at the same time as the sauce and add the Pasta straight in, once the clams have started to open. Add the Basil also at this point, then cover again and leave to finish cooking for another minute or two.

And there you have it, my recreation of Gennaro Cantaldo's Pasta of Sea and Land, so delicious I ate all of it even though it's meant to be for 2 people. Though to be honest I would have rather shared it, with someone I love. 

Rustic Tuscan Bean Soup

This filling and healthy soup, using Kale, which is one of the Superfoods, containing vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, is perfect for any day, any time of year.

Ingredients:

(makes 4 bowls @ 2 WW points)

1x 400g can of Cannelini Beans

1x 400g can chopped Tomatoes

2 Celery Sticks, chopped

1 Onion, chopped

1 Carrot, chopped

2 Garlic Cloves, chopped

a couple of Cabbage Leaves, chopped

2 large handfuls of Kale, chopped

1 tsp Thyme Leaves

4 Sage Leaves, chopped

1 tbs Olive Oil

300ml Organic Vegetable Stock

Sweat the Carrot, Onion, Celery and Garlic in the Olive Oil for a few minutes. Add a small pinch of Sea Salt at this stage. Next add the Tomatoes, Sage, Thyme, Water and Stock powder and season with a little fresh ground Pepper. Stir in the Cabbage and Kale, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked through but still remain vibrant in colour.

Add the Beans towards the end and just heat them through in the soup.

Tuscan Wild Boar Stew

I love all the Wild Meats with their rich mysterious flavours and Wild Boar is probably my favourite. Maybe because I am a Boar in Chinese Astrology. Maybe I just like things that are a little bit different, a little bit special. Wild Boar is becoming more and more popular in the UK and some good Butchers will sell it when it is in season. However I get mine from an online Organic Frozen Meat Butcher named Farmers Choice.

So here is my Recipe for a hearty Tuscan Wild Boar Stew.

Ingredients:

(serves 4 @ 7 Weightwatchers points)

500g Wild Boar, diced, marinated in 300ml Italian Red Wine overnight

2 Onions, sliced

1 Garlic Clove, squished

2 Bay leaves

10g Dried Porchini Mushrooms, soaked in warm Water for 30 minutes

1 Carrot, cut into small chunks

1 Celery Stick, cut into small chunks

1/2 tsp Dried Thyme

3 Juniper Berries

1/2 tsp Dried Savoury

1 tbs Olive Oil

1tbs Flour mixed with a little Water

Remove the Meat from the Marinade, but reserve the Marinade for later use. Pat the Meat dry with some kitchen paper.

Heat the Olive Oil in a heavy based pot/pan and brown the Meat in batches, so the pan doesn't overcrowd and the meat has enough room to get a nice colour. Once done, return all the Meat to the pot and add the Onions, Carrot, Bay leaves, Garlic, Juniper, Herbs and season with Salt and fresh Ground Pepper.

Sauté all this for a little while before adding the reserved Red Wine marinade. Also add the Porchini Mushrooms including the Water they have been soaking in. Take care though, right at the bottom a little gritty dirt may have collected, leave this behind and discard.

Bring everything to a simmer and check the seasoning.

Now stir in the Flour slurry, cover nd place in the Oven at 150C for 2 hours.

Traditionally this dish is served with Polenta, but I have made a Cannellini Bean and Potato Purée and some Vegetables to accompany my Wild Boar.