by Jamie Oliver
Try this: In the past I’ve used broad beans, spinach and asparagus as partners in crime — always nice.
Or this: You could try serving some simple ricotta-filled tortellini or ravioli, drizzled with a little of this soup. Toss the pasta in a bit of unsalted butter, crumble up the bread and bacon and sprinkle over the top.
potato, celeriac & truffle oil soup
The fact is, I know using truffles at home is a little pretentious and very decadent, but even my local supermarket now stocks truffle oil. Admittedly it’s more than likely not the real McCoy, but it does have a flavour you can’t put your finger on — a kind of fragrant, garlicky, encapsulating smell which when used with subtlety is great. Truffle oil can be used for so many things — with a simple risotto or tagliatelle it’s amazing. Then, when you’ve got the bug, treat yourself to the real thing, be it black or the exceptional white truffle.
SERVES 6
olive oil
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 bunch of fresh thyme
500g celeriac, peeled and roughly diced
500g floury potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
1 litre quality chicken stock
100ml single cream
truffle oil
Drizzle 4 tablespoons of olive oil into a large pan, add the onions, then cook for 5 minutes, or until soft but not coloured. Get the bunch of thyme, tie it up with a little string and add to the pan with the celeriac, potatoes and stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Add the cream, bring back to the boil, then remove the thyme and whiz in a blender or food processor until smooth — you may want to work in batches. Season carefully to taste with sea salt and black pepper, adding 3 to 4 tablespoons of truffle oil, to taste — the oil can vary in strength depending on the brand. Divide between serving bowls. Feel free to improvise by adding croûtons, a little extra cream or, if you’re really lucky, some real black or white truffles shaved over the top.
Try this: If you want to give an edge to this comforting soup, try dressing some chopped parsley and celery leaves with a little extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle over the soup just before serving.
‘as soon as the pasta’s ready, eat it quick!!’
handy pasta recipe
I’ve covered pasta before in my books, but this time I thought I’d give you a few more genius combinations.
Here is my basic pasta recipe. It’s good for making many different pastas, such as ravioli, tortellini, lasagne, pappardelle or tagliatelle. Please don’t read this and think, ‘Oh, I can’t do it.’ I’ve honestly watched ten-year-old kids have a go and make half-decent ravioli. I’ve come home and in five minutes I’ve made my own pasta.
To make the pasta recipe less frightening and more accessible, I’m going to be less strict on exact measurements, as all flours and eggs have slightly different absorption rates and moisture levels.
You will need strong flour, preferably Tipo 00, which is an Italian term for milling the flour extra fine. I normally make at least enough for 6 people at any one time — i.e. 600g flour and 6 large eggs. If you want to make the pasta slightly yellower and richer, add 2 egg yolks per 100g instead of 1 egg. And if you want to give the pasta a little more texture, use half strong flour and half semolina flour.
1. Place the flour on a clean board. You can also do this in a bowl.
2. Make a well in the centre of the flour and crack in the eggs. Using a fork, beat the eggs until smooth.
3. Mix the egg with the flour as much as possible so it’s not too sticky.
4. Flour each hand and begin to knead.
5. This is the bit where you can let all your emotions out, so go for it!
6. What you want to end up with is a nice piece of silky elastic dough. Cover it with clingfilm and leave it to rest for 30 minutes while you make the fillings.
TURNING PASTA DOUGH INTO A SHEET
It’s amazing the number of different things you can do with a sheet of pasta, so get stuck in and have a go at making one!
1. Divide the dough in half. Cover one half with clingfilm and place in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. Push the other piece of dough out with your hand.
2. Run it through your pasta machine on the thickest setting a few times, folding it in half each time until you have a nice, elastic, silky dough.
3. Keep rolling the pasta through the settings, reducing the thickness each time until it’s as thick as a beer mat.
4. If the pasta gets too long to work with, cut it in half.
5. You now have your pasta sheet and can start to shape it.
‘you don’t always get it right the first time, but after a while everyone will get the knack of it’
ravioli of roasted red onions, thyme, pine nuts & maris piper potato
This was a pasta I tried in a restaurant in Tuscany in late November, when I was over there buying olive oil for the restaurant. It’s quite a robust ravioli but one of the best I’ve had in a long time. Although it’s a winter ravioli I eat this any time of the year.
SERVES 6
1 × handy pasta recipe (see pages 86—7)
2 red onions, peeled and quartered
½ a bunch of fresh thyme, leaves picked
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
400g large Maris Piper potatoes, washed and unpeeled
4 good knobs of unsalted butter
1 handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for grating
1 handful of pine nuts
Start by making the pasta dough (see page 87).
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Put the onions in a small roasting tray and add the thyme, 12 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and a few good lugs of oil, then cover well with a piece of wet greaseproof paper. Prick the potatoes and place on another tray. Place both trays in the oven for 40 minutes, or until the onions are really soft and sweet and the potatoes are cooked through (the spuds may need a bit longer, depending on their size — if so, just remove the onions while you wait for the potatoes). Once cooked, allow the onions and potatoes to cool slightly, then scoop the fluffy potato out of the skins into a bowl.
Finely chop the onions, then spoon into the bowl along with the juices from the tray. Add 3 knobs of butter and the Parmesan, then mix up and season well to taste with sea salt and black pepper. Allow to cool. Roll out the pasta dough (see page 88). Roll the filling up into marble-sized balls — use your hand or a teaspoon to do this — and fill the ravioli (see page 92).
To serve, cook the ravioli in boiling salted water for 3 to 4 minutes, then drain. At the same time, lightly toast the pine nuts in a hot non-stick pan in a little lug of oil and the last knob of butter. Fry until the nuts are lightly golden, then remove from the heat and add a couple of swigs of balsamic vinegar. Add the ravioli to the pan, toss and serve with a little more grated cheese over the top.
Try this: You should really cook the ravioli as near to making them as possible. But, if you want to serve them at a dinner party, place them in boiling water for 1 minute, then drain and cool carefully in cold water. Drain again and toss in a little olive oil. Cook them in boiling water for 3 minutes before finishing as above.
SHAPING INTO RAVIOLI
1. Cut the pasta into 9cm × 18cm strips, then brush or spray each strip with a little water.
2. Add 1 teaspoon of filling to the centre of one side of each pasta strip, then fold over in half.
3. Mould the pasta carefully around the filling, pushing out any air bubbles.
4. You can cut the ravioli into squares with a knife …
5. … or into circles with a pastry cutter.
SHAPING INTO CARAMELLA
1. For caramella cut the pasta into 6cm × 10cm rectangles.
2. Fill the middle with 1 teaspoon of the filling and brush lightly with water.
3. Roll up.
4. Pinch hard to secure at each end.
5. Keep on a flour-dusted tray in th
e fridge until you need them, and try to cook them as fresh as possible.
caramella of mint & ricotta
This is a really lovely summer pasta which is easy to make. Caramella means ‘sweetie’ in Italian, and the finished pasta looks like a sweetie in its wrapper.
SERVES 6
1 × handy pasta recipe (see pages 86—7)
340g crumbly buffalo ricotta cheese
1 bunch of fresh mint, leaves picked and finely sliced (see page 114)
2 handfuls of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 lemon
1 whole nutmeg, for grating
3 knobs of unsalted butter
Start by making the pasta dough (see page 87). While the dough is resting, make the filling by mixing the ricotta, mint and Parmesan together — you may want to reserve a little Parmesan and mint for garnish. Finely grate in the lemon zest and ¼ of the nutmeg, then carefully season with sea salt and black pepper to balance the flavours. Squeeze a little lemon juice into the mix to loosen it a bit. If you’re partial to a little bit more Parmesan, mint or lemon, then do personalize the dish to your liking. Roll teaspoons of the mix into little balls then shape and fill the caramella (see page 93). Make as many as you can, but I like to serve about 4 per person.
If you’re not going to cook the caramella straight away, put them on to a flour-dusted tray and place in the fridge until you’re ready. To serve, cook the caramella in boiling salted water for 3 to 4 minutes, then drain, reserving some of the starchy cooking water. Melt the butter in a non-stick pan with the juice of ½ a lemon and 2 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water. Season a little, and toss the pasta in this flavoured butter. Serve straight away with a little extra Parmesan and mint scattered over the top, if you like.
SHAPING INTO CULURZONES
1. Cut a circle with a pastry cutter and place 1 teaspoon of filling at one end.
2. Bend the end over and keep the filling in place with your thumb.
3. Begin to fold over the sides and push against your nail to secure …
4. … and continue all the way up, pressing as you go …
5. … until you reach the end, then give it one last pinch to seal.
6. So, so beautiful!
sardinian culurzones with butternut squash & baked goat’s cheese
Here’s a beautiful sexy little pasta that my mate Gennaro Contaldo makes. Culurzones are ravioli or folded pasta shapes classically served with three cheeses and mint. You can make this dish using caramella-shaped pasta or the more usual ravioli shapes (see pages 92—3) if you prefer, but this one is exciting — the way the pasta is almost plaited together means it holds the cheesy, buttery sauce better.
SERVES 6
1 × handy pasta recipe (see pages 86—7)
1 butternut squash, peeled and halved
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 dried red chilli
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves picked and roughly chopped
olive oil
100g goat’s cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 knobs of unsalted butter
1 handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ a bunch of basil, leaves picked and sliced (see page 114)
Start by making the pasta dough (see page 87).
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. Deseed and coarsely grate the squash, reserving the seeds. Pound up the coriander seeds and chilli in a pestle and mortar (or use the end of a rolling pin and a metal bowl), then mix with the squash. Add the rosemary and 3 tablespoons of oil, then lay it out flat on a tray. Roast for 30 minutes, or until it looks dried out but is really sweet and intense.
Roughly chop the squash seeds. Rub the goat’s cheese with a little oil and pat and press the squash seeds and oregano around the cheese. Place in an ovenproof dish, then roast for about 20 minutes, or until lightly golden — it will taste fantastic and be really crumbly.
Allow the squash filling to cool slightly, then season well with sea salt and black pepper. Shape and fill the culurzones (see page 97).
To serve, cook the culurzones in boiling salted water for 3 to 4 minutes, or until they float to the surface. Put the butter in a non-stick pan and heat. When it foams toss in the culurzones, then divide between serving plates. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan and sliced basil and crumble over the baked goat’s cheese.
Try this: Sometimes, Italians contrast the savoury sweetness of the squash with something called mostarda di Cremona, which is a mustard-spiced selection of preserved fruit, and quite hot! And bashed-up cantucci biscuits, which are usually served with coffee. These are just mixed in with the squash before the pasta is filled.
SHAPING LASAGNETTI, PAPPARDELLE, TAGLIATELLE & TAGLIERINI
1. Cut the sheet of pasta into 20cm lengths. Dust well with flour, then fold in half.
2. Fold in half again and then once more, dusting with flour each time.
3. Cut into 5cm pieces for lasagnetti, 2cm for pappardelle, 1cm for tagliatelle and ½cm for taglierini.
4. Make a cage with your fingers and shake until the pasta separates out.
pappardelle with amazing slow-cooked meat
For this recipe you can use beef, venison, wild boar and even pigeon or hare. In Italy, if a family had to feed ten people out of this, they would cook more pasta and add a little more water — as always, a little meat can go a long way.
SERVES 6
800g braising meat (see above)
olive oil
½ a bunch each of fresh rosemary and thyme, leaves picked and finely chopped
1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
2 wineglasses of Chianti
2 × 400g tins of quality plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons pearl barley
600g fresh or 450g dried pappardelle (for fresh, see page 101)
100g unsalted butter
2 handfuls of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Season the meat with sea salt and black pepper, then fry in a casserole pan on a medium heat with a drizzle of oil — it doesn’t matter if it’s cut into large 5cm chunks if it’s venison, beef or wild boar, or left whole if a pigeon, or jointed into 5 or 6 pieces if you’re using a hare. Fry until golden, then add the herbs, onions, garlic, carrot and celery. Turn the heat down and fry for a further 5 minutes, or until the veg are soft. Add the red wine and simmer until the liquid has almost cooked away.
Add the plum tomatoes, the pearl barley and just enough water to cover the meat by 1cm. Make yourself a cartouche of greaseproof paper (see page 174). Wet it under the tap, rub it with a little olive oil and place it over the pan. Put a lid on the pan as well, as this will retain as much moisture as possible. Cook on a really low heat for about 2 to 3 hours, or until super tender and you can literally push the meat off the bone. Season carefully to taste and allow to cool slightly before removing the meat from the pan. Using 2 forks, pull apart all the lovely pieces of meat, discarding any skin and bones, then place the meat back in the pan on a low heat.
To serve, cook the pappardelle in boiling salted water for 3 minutes if using fresh pasta and according to the packet instructions if using dried. Once cooked, drain, reserving some of the starchy cooking water. Remove the stewed meat from the heat and stir in the butter and Parmesan with a little of the cooking water — this will make it juicy and shiny. Toss together with the pasta, loosening with a splash of cooking water, if needed. Serve immediately.
Try this: Serve sprinkled with a little finely chopped fresh rosemary and some grated Parmesan.
tagliatelle genovese
This is one of the all-time classics from Genoa in Italy: really beautiful fresh home-made pesto with pasta, cooked broken potatoes and green beans. The reason I’ve included it in the book is that two years ago I taught one of my mates, Wally, how to make pesto from scratch. He’s not a gre
at cook, but he got the hang of it quickly and made it really well. Since then he’s stretched from an inch to a mile and has done barbecued veg with pesto, grilled fish with pesto and roasted chicken with pesto, and I think that’s the key really. To be a good cook you don’t need to know everything — you just need to be able to do something well. Even though it might sound a bit odd to us to have potatoes and pasta in the same dish, in Italy they manage to pull it off with such amazing results that you really should try it.