Pasta dishes

carbonara

small red onion- fry with pancetta or bacon & garlic & pinch of red pepper flakes(sometimes i put mushrooms in)
cook spaghetti
mix up egg & 1/4 c creme fraische & pepper & 2 T of grated parm

quickly drain pasta and put in pan with onion/bacon/garlic/pepper flakes.  turn off heat!  pour in egg/creme fraische/pepper/parm and stir quickly.  the heat of the pasta & bacon cooks the egg and makes a lovely sauce.

stir in chopped parsley at last minute- if you have any.

Thanks for the recipe! I'm going to try and make this for my boyfriend. Carbonara is his favorite pasta dish. I've never attempted it!

Here's a carbonera alternative based on Jamie Oliver's recipe. Interestingly, the carbonera we had in Rome had no cream in it at all (it was just egg and bacon) and 'purists' would argue it should have no onion, garlic or anything else, either. But I digress - I'll eat it pretty much any way!

To serve 2:

Penne or pasta of choice for 2
1 egg yolk
about 1/4 c grated parmesean
about 1/2 c cream (we've used both single and double)
parma ham cut up (I think we use about 6 thin slices from the deli)

While pasta is boiling, gently fry parma in a pan (I don't use oil at all). Meanwhile, mix egg yolk, cream and parmesean in a bowl. When pasta is done, quickly drain and then immediately add egg mixture. Then mix in parma.

Top with freshly grated pepper and more parmesean if desired. We servie it with pear and rocket salad.

This is one I made up.

Serves 4.

Pasta with butternut squash sauce:

1 packet spagetti or linguine

I medium butternut, chopped into smallish pieces
1 medium onion, chopped finely
1 or 2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tube tomato paste (puree)

Lots of cheese - I use mature cheddar but use whatever you like


Cook the pasta according to the directions on the packet.

Chop the onion and fry it til golden, add crushed/grated garlic and fry a moment or two more. Add  butternut and cover with water. Add about 1/2 tube of tom paste and stir to dissolve.  Bring to the boil, then lower heat, simmer about 20 mins until the squash is tender.  Using a potato masher, mash the squash up in the pan. If the sauce is a bit watery, boil off the excess water. Add more tomato paste to thicken. Season with salt & pepper.

Stir the pasta into the sauce and add as much grated cheese as you like. Pour into a shallow oven proof dish, top with more cheese, and bake at 200 degrees til bubbling and going crispy on top.

Delicimo!

Here's a carbonera alternative based on Jamie Oliver's recipe. Interestingly, the carbonera we had in Rome had no cream in it at all (it was just egg and bacon) and 'purists' would argue it should have no onion, garlic or anything else, either. But I digress - I'll eat it pretty much any way!

To serve 2:

Penne or pasta of choice for 2
1 egg yolk
about 1/4 c grated parmesean
about 1/2 c cream (we've used both single and double)
parma ham cut up (I think we use about 6 thin slices from the deli)

While pasta is boiling, gently fry parma in a pan (I don't use oil at all). Meanwhile, mix egg yolk, cream and parmesean in a bowl. When pasta is done, quickly drain and then immediately add egg mixture. Then mix in parma.

Top with freshly grated pepper and more parmesean if desired. We servie it with pear and rocket salad.

Wow that sounds both delicious AND easy! Is it pretty idiot-proof in general? If you say yes, I'll make it for DH's "Welcome Home" dinner on sat.

Here's a carbonera alternative based on Jamie Oliver's recipe. Interestingly, the carbonera we had in Rome had no cream in it at all (it was just egg and bacon) and 'purists' would argue it should have no onion, garlic or anything else, either.

I've had it (in Spain I think) when it was just egg and bacon (no cream)....thanks for your recipe, I may try sometime, just too late this evening to prevent me buying a ready made sauce.

Wow that sounds both delicious AND easy! Is it pretty idiot-proof in general? If you say yes, I'll make it for DH's "Welcome Home" dinner on sat.

Yes, just make sure you mix the sauce into the pasta as soon as you drain it so the reallly hot pasta cooks the egg yolk!

Yes, just make sure you mix the sauce into the pasta as soon as you drain it so the reallly hot pasta cooks the egg yolk!

Thanks! I'll post how it turns out.

Chopped up black olives, tinned anchovies, garlic and plenty of olive oil

Home made tomato sauce (bolognese type with chopped friend onions and tinned tomatoes) but with chick peas instead of meat.

It's not healthy in the least, but I'm a fan of Nigella's lemon linguine.  It's super easy and SO good.

(Please ignore the "Nigella-ness" of the way it's written.  Looks like they just transcripted the episode.)

It's not healthy in the least, but I'm a fan of Nigella's lemon linguine.  It's super easy and SO good.

(Please ignore the "Nigella-ness" of the way it's written.  Looks like they just transcripted the episode.)

That sounds heavenly! And I particularly like the idea of my pasta "mutely gleaming." 

My favourite pasta dish is ...

Roast some peppers, red onions, garlic, tomatoes and chillies in a roasting pan with some olive oil and a touch of sugar.  Fry off some pancetta and boil your choice of pasta.  Once everything has cooked, combine in the roasting tin with a touch more olive oil, a bit of the pancetta fat, some fresh basil and season with salt and pepper.

Positively scrummy.

My favourite pasta dish is ...

Roast some peppers, red onions, garlic, tomatoes and chillies in a roasting pan with some olive oil and a touch of sugar.  Fry off some pancetta and boil your choice of pasta.  Once everything has cooked, combine in the roasting tin with a touch more olive oil, a bit of the pancetta fat, some fresh basil and season with salt and pepper.

Positively scrummy.

That does sound good.  I'll have to try that.

I like Pasta Puttanesca

olive oil
1 tin anchovies
red pepper flakes
garlic
2 T capers
a bunch of black olives
can or two of tomatoes

mix it all together and serve over linguine. 

These are some great recipes!  Here is the one we tried last night, which was sooo yummy!:

Parmesan and Broccolli Festoni (serves four-so we have tasty leftovers!)

One 400g package of Festoni (we cheated and used whole wheat penne)
400 g Tendersteam Broccolli
2tbsp Olive oil
250 g Cured smoked back bacon with Maple syrup, chopped
2 crushed garlic cloves
150 ml dry white wine
50g (we used lots more though!) grated Parmigiano Reggiano

1.  Cook the pasta according to pack instructions. Meanwhile, trim the thick ends from the broccoli and cut the stems into 1cm lengths, leaving the florets whole (you should have about 300g, including some of the broccoli leaves). Add to the pasta water for the last 2-3 minutes then drain, reserving about 4 tablespoons of the cooking water. Return the pasta and broccoli to the pan, covering to keep warm.
2.  Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the bacon for 4-5 minutes until crispy. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the wine and let it bubble, scraping up any bits from the base of the pan, until the wine is reduced by half.
3.  Add the broccoli, pasta and reserved water to the pan. Mix together then add most of the Parmigiano Reggiano, stirring until all the ingredients are coated.
4.  Serve immediately with freshly ground black pepper and the remaining cheese.

That sounds heavenly! And I particularly like the idea of my pasta "mutely gleaming." 

It is amazingly good.  Although I can honestly say my pasta never gleamed.  Glistened a bit, but never gleamed.

Two of my favorites...

Onion, garlic, olive oil, black olives (I like Kalamata olives for this), tomatoes, fresh herbs if you have any (basil, oregano, marjoram, etc) or dried, salt & pepper, red pepper flakes if you like them, and tuna (either tuna steak, or here I buy the Sainsburys Taste the Difference Albacore Tuna in the jar).  I don't measure it out - just put as much or as little as I want.  I usually serve this with spaghetti or linguine.

Italian flavored sausage (I've found it variously at Sainsburys, M&S, and Morrisons), peppers, onions & garlic cooked up together.  Add a tin of tomatoes & fresh herbs/seasonings to taste.  I like this one with penne usually.

Serve both of them with lots of freshly grated parm!

Steve made a gorgeous mushroom (vegetarian) lasagna for me last night & he even made the lasagna sheets from scratch & by hand.  But I think it was quite involved - that recipe!