This dish was one of the first I learned to cook. There are many different recipes for carbonara and there are heated debates about whether you should add cream or not. I like cream, so Im using it. My recipe, my rules etc. But if you fancy something a little less rich, you can leave … Read more
Using just four ingredients, this is about as simple as a kids dinner dish gets (OK, five, if you include the oil. OK, OKAY..six if you include the salad). Serves 3-4 1 tbsp vegetable oil3-4 good quality pork sausages, skins removed1/2 onion, finely chopped2-4 tbsp mascarpone cream cheese2 handfuls dried fusili pasta, cooked according to … Read more
I teamed up with another dad and his kids (and mine!) last weekend and for lunch we went to a cafe in a local park. He raved about its Pasta Peperonata and challenged me to re-create it at home so that he could cook it for himself and his family. I wasnt sure exactly … Read more
Heres my second recipe for @ethelthegoats challenge, a Ready Steady¦Cook! mission to make something delicious from a box of ingredients sent to me by Capricorn Somerset Goats Cheese. The key to this is to oven-dry your tomatoes with balsamic vinegar and black pepper. The resulting zingy intensity of the tomatoes cuts through the rich creaminess … Read more
My wife bought me Theo Randalls magnificent Pasta book for my birthday to add to the Imperia pasta machine she bought me for Christmas. Then my friend Richard went to a lot of trouble to get my Pasta book signed by the great man! Ive used his basic pasta dough recipe several times now, but … Read more
The lovely Sally Whittle, founder of Tots 100 and blogger at Whos The Mummy, tells me her favourite ingredient is cheese, so Im dedicating this fantastically cheesy recipe to her. I think hearty is an appropriate word for this dish as it contains both pasta AND potatoes. Its Nigella Lawsons take on classic macaroni cheese, … Read more
The recipe for this sauce was given to me by Drogo Montagu, owner of Fine Food Specialist. He used it to complement pan-fried halibut (check out the video I shot of him cooking it) but I thought it would work just as well with pork, with a tweak here and there. And although Drogo used … Read more
It feels like an admission of defeat to say that I have found these Easter holidays incredibly challenging. My three kids are growing and growing and their appetites are keeping pace with that process. During term time, school dinners are a huge and welcome support, but in holiday time, its down to me to keep … Read more
Ive adapted this from James Martins Penne Carbonara which he cooked on a recent episode of Saturday Kitchen. James used 6 egg yolks but I thought that would make it too rich. The beauty of this recipe is it can be on the table in about 10 mins less if you use fresh pasta. Serves … Read more
Im a big fan of smoked cheese. Its wonderful melted for use as a dip for crudites, glorious on an oat cracker, fantastic on toast. I use it to give pasta sauces a savoury, smoky twist; or as a topping for baked potatoes, mixed with chopped mushrooms and fried streaky bacon. Now one of the … Read more