Tag Archives: pasta recipe

3 February 2013

parmesan meatballs with linguini

By angelica | table twenty eight

parmesan meatballs with linguini  

::  When people ask me what my specialty is, I normally end up racking my brains for an answer because truth be told, I don’t cook a lot of things more than once or twice.

My foodie magazines are all earmarked with the recipes I want to try or be inspired by and more often than not, I’ll fill my shopping basket with whatever’s in season and just make it up as I go.  The conquering of new dishes and flavour combinations is just so exciting and rewarding.

Maybe it’s for this reason that I’ve never really been drawn to those time honoured, classic menu staples.  No offence intended, but meatballs have always seemed to me, well… ordinary.  Balls of meat in tomato sauce – not really earth shattering, right?  And not a whole lot of options of jazzing it up (or so I thought).

However, I must concede they certainly have their place after making this pretty damn delicious dish.  It’s not something I was craving as such, but halfway through the first bowl (and second), all I could think of was how hearty and completely gratifying a bowl of meatballs and pasta can be.  The zest in the sauce might be a bit unconventional, but it gives it real zing and kick, and the parmesan adds another flavour dimension to the mince.  This might be going on the repeats list after all…

parmesan meatballs with linguini

Meatballs
1.5kg beef mince (not too lean, as the natural fat will keep them nice and moist)
2 free range eggs
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan
1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves
Sea salt
Black pepper

Napolitana Sauce
2 onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup tomato paste
4 tins chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp sugar
Zest from one lemon
Fresh basil leaves, about a cup

Start by pre-heating your oven to 200°C.  In a large bowl, mix together the meatball ingredients and season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Use you hands to scrunch the seasonings through the mince, so that everything is thoroughly combined.  If you’re a bit squeamish about this, use some light rubber gloves but it’s really important that the flavours go right through the mix.

Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper and roll small portions of the meat into walnut-sized balls with your hands.  Once both trays are covered, place in the over for 10-15 minutes, until cooked all the way through and nicely browned.

For the napolitana sauce, place a large saucepan over medium heat and add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.  Add the finely chopped onions and garliic, and let them sweat, stirring often, until translucent and golden.  Add the tomato paste and sugar and season generously.  Turn the heat up to high and add the tins of chopped tomato, stirring them through until the mixture just reaches the boil.  Turn the heat down to low and simmer gently for about 20 minutes, adding the meatballs halfway through so they can soak up some of the sauce .  In the last 5 minutes, stir through the torn basil leaves and lemon zest.

Meanwhile, place enough linguini for your diners in a saucepan of boiling, salted water and cook until al dente.  Twirl portions of pasta into your serving bowls and top with meatballs and a nice ladle of sauce.  Top with freshly grated parmesan and some fresh basil.

Perfect for feeding a lot of mouths, or even batching up for the freezer, this easy but comforting dish is sure to hit the spot.

 

parmesan meatballs with linguini

 

2 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in beef & game, main meals, pasta & noodles, recipes

25 June 2012

pappardelle with rabbit ragu

By angelica | table twenty eight

pappardelle with rabbit ragu

::   Rabbit is one of my favourite meats to cook.  Because it’s so lean, it does need to be cooked on the bone and preferably in a slow oven to ensure it remains moist but it’s very versatile in the number of flavours it can be paired with.

As kids we ate rabbit from a fairly young age, even though we had pet rabbits roaming the garden throughout our childhood.  It’s a pity that a lot of people are put off eating it because of the cute bunny factor because it’s so lovely and lean with a subtle wild flavour.

1/4 cup olive oil
1.6kg rabbit, jointed
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 leek, white part sliced
400ml dry sherry
1 star anise
1 tsp each juniper berries, coriander seeds and whole black peppercorns
6 garlic cloves
2L good quality chicken stock
1/2 bunch of thyme
400g can borlotti beans, drained
1 cup chestnut flesh
500g fresh pappardelle
50g unsalted butter
Chopped flat-leaf parsely and grated fresh parmesan to serve

When purchasing rabbit, you can ask to have it jointed at the same time.  It’s easy enough to joint it yourself (just divide into the two hindlegs, saddle pieces, forelegs and neck) but it saves a bit of time asking your butcher to do it for you.

jointed rabbit

Preheat your oven to 100°C.  Heat two tablespoons of oil in a flameproof casserole over medium-high heat.  Cook rabbit for 5-6 minutes until golden and starting to brown.  Remove meat from pan and reduce heat to medium.

sherry, leek & borlotti beans

Add remaining oil and cook onion, carrot, leek and celery until golden.  Add sherry and simmer for 7-8 minutes or until reduced by half.  Add spices, garlic, stock and thyme and bring to the boil.

star anise

Cover and place in the preheated oven for one and a half to two hours until the meat is tender and separates easily from the bone.

rabbit ragu before cooking

Whilst rabbit is cooking, you’ll need to prepare the chestnuts.  Slice either a horizontal slash or a large cross along the flat side before boiling.

Place chestnuts in a small saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to the boil, and simmer for three minutes. Remove from the heat. Scoop out a few at a time and using a small knife, peel off the shell and inner skin.  This is a particularly tedious process and as they cool they become more difficult to peel, so keep them in hot water until you are ready.

fresh chestnuts

Once the rabbit is cooked and completely tender, remove from the stewing liquid.  Strain liquid and pour into a clean saucepan over medium-high heat.  Simmer rapidly for about 45 minutes or until reduced by half, then add butter and stir until melted and combined.

Pick meat from the the rabbit, shedding larger pieces, and add to the reduced cooking liquid with the beans and chestnuts.  Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes until slightly reduced and the ragu is just binding the meat.

Cook the pappardelle until al dente and then toss with the ragu sauce until all the pasta is coated.  Place in serving bowls and top with chopped parsley and parmesan.

pappardelle with rabbit ragu

pappardelle with rabbit ragu

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in beef & game, main meals, pasta & noodles, recipes

17 June 2012

baked gnocchi with gorgonzola cream, spinach & parmesan

By angelica | table twenty eight

baked gnocchi with gorgonzola cream, spinach & parmesan

::  There aren’t too many restaurants that I return to and order the same dish every time, as I’m incurably curious by nature and always looking to taste new things.

But one dish I will order time and time again is the baked gnocchi from C Restaurant in Perth.  The gnocchi are light as pillows, smothered in a decadent gorgonzola cream with roasted tomatoes and spinach.  Topped with parmesan, it’s then baked and brought straight to the table, bubbling and molten.  Try as I might, I’ve never been able to stray further on the menu.

I decided to try and replicate the dish at home.  Proper gnocchi are made from mashed potato, flour, egg and seasoning – nothing else.  The secret to making good gnocchi is to keep the potatoes as dry as possible, which means you need less flour to bring it all together and this give you a lighter end result.  Do not over-boil your gnocchi! I’ve had a disastrous moment when I got distracted and the little gnocchi absorbed too much water, turning to mush.

nadine potatoes

I use Jamie Oliver’s gnocchi recipe from his cookbook, Cook with Jamie.

6 medium floury potatoes (I used nadine)
2 tsp grated nutmeg
1 large egg yolk
1-2 handfuls plain flour
Sea salt and pepper
Semolina flour for dusting

Gorgonzola Cream
3 tbsp gorgonzola
3 tbsp butter
6 tbsp double cream
2 tsp tomato paste
Large handful of baby spinach
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan

Preheat the oven to 250°C.  Prick the potatoes all over with a fork and lay on a roasting tray.  Roast for a about an hour until the potatoes are crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside.  Allow to cool for a little bit and then, while they are still nice and hot, use a tea towel to pick up your potatoes one at a time, cut in half and scoop out the flesh into a mouli or ricer.

baked potatoes

When you have a lovey smooth mashed potato, place into a bowl with the nutmeg, salt, pepper and egg yolk.   Add enough of the flour to bind the mixture – you might need more or less flour depending on the size of your potatoes.  Mix together and knead with your hands until you have a slightly moist, doughy consistency.  To get the hang of perfect gnocchi dough requires practice but as Jamie says, if you’re unsure try testing one by chucking it into some boiling water – if it falls apart, add a bit more flour to the dough.

Once the dough is ready, divide into three pieces and roll each on a floured surface to the thickness of a sausage.  Cut each tube into 2.5cm pieces.  Place on a bed of semolina flour on a tray and place in the fridge for 10 – 20 minutes to set.

fresh homemade gnocchi

Put a pan of salted water on the boil and then heat a frypan over low heat.  Add the gorgonzola, butter and cream, stirring until the cheese has melted and you have an even consistency.  Stir in the tomato paste and add the spinach, gently agitating the pan until the spinach is wilted.

parmesan, gorgonzola, spinach & sea salt

Cook the gnocchi in the boiling water for four minutes, or until they float to the surface.  Drain carefully in a colander as they are very delicate and divide between your serving bowls. Pour over the sauce and top with grated parmesan.

fresh parmesan

Place bowls until a griller until the top is melted, browned and starting to crisp.  Serve immediately with a fresh green salad and some bread to mop up the creamy sauce.

baked gnocchi with gorgonzola cream, spinach & parmesan

3 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in baked things, pasta & noodles, recipes, vegetarian meals

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