For sheer all-round popularity, pasta dishes top the bill. Pasta cooks quickly and looks as good as it tastes. It is easy to digest and gives slow-release energy, so is ideal for older as well as younger guests. This chapter includes dishes suitable for vegetarians and vegans, as well as classics such as Clams with Neapolitan Tomato Sauce, which features vermicelli. Asian noodles are well represented, too. For a special treat, try Thai Crispy Noodles with Beef, or, for a softer option, treat your tastebuds to Pumpkin Gnocchi with Chanterelle Parsley Cream.
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LINGUINE ALLE VONGOLE
Use the smallest clams you can find for this recipe. You will have great fun sucking them out of their shells. If you can’t find linguine, use thin spaghetti. SERVES FOUR INGREDIENTS 675 g / 1½ lb small fresh clams 45 ml / 3 tbsp olive oil 2 fat garlic cloves, finely chopped 15 ml … Continue reading “LINGUINE ALLE VONGOLE”
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BLACK FETTUCCINE WITH SEAFOOD
The dramatic black pasta makes a wonderful contrasting background for the pink, white, and golden seafood. Use whatever shellfish are available; tiny cuttlefish, small squid, clams or razorshell clams are delicious in this dish. SERVES FOUR INGREDIENTS 800 g / 1¾ lb fresh mussels, scrubbed and bearded 45 ml / 3 tbsp olive oil 105 … Continue reading “BLACK FETTUCCINE WITH SEAFOOD”
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LOBSTER RAVIOLI
It is essential to use home-made pasta to obtain the delicacy and thinness that this superb filling deserves. Before you start the recipe, make a well-flavored fish stock, using the lobster shell and head. SERVES FOUR INGREDIENTS 1 lobster, about 450 g / 1 lb, cooked and taken out of the shell 2 soft white … Continue reading “LOBSTER RAVIOLI”
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PUMPKIN GNOCCHI WITH CHANTERELLE PARSLEY CREAM
Italians love pumpkin and often incorporate it into their dumplings and other traditional pasta dishes as it adds a slight sweet richness. These gnocchi are superb on their own, but they are also great served with meat or game. SERVES FOUR INGREDIENTS 450 g / 1 lb floury potatoes 450 g / 1 lb pumpkin, … Continue reading “PUMPKIN GNOCCHI WITH CHANTERELLE PARSLEY CREAM”
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CLAMS WITH NEAPOLITAN TOMATO SAUCE
This recipe takes its name from the city of Naples, where both fresh tomato sauce and shellfish are traditionally served with vermicelli. Here the two are combined to make a very tasty dish that is perfect for a cold winter’s evening. SERVES FOUR INGREDIENTS 1 kg / 2¼ lb fresh clams 250 ml / 8 … Continue reading “CLAMS WITH NEAPOLITAN TOMATO SAUCE”
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THAI CRISPY NOODLES WITH BEEF
Rice vermicelli are very fine, dry, white noodles bundled in large fragile loops and sold in packets. They are deep-fried before being added to this dish, and in the process they expand to at least four times their original size. SERVES FOUR INGREDIENTS about 450 g / 1 lb rump (round) or sirloin steak teriyaki … Continue reading “THAI CRISPY NOODLES WITH BEEF”