crab and fennel pasta with chilli, anchovy and lemon pangrattato

A beautiful taste of late Summer.  Crab and fennel are a perfect match and great with pasta.  Top this with a lovely chilli, anchovy and lemon pangrattato and a scattering of herbs and you have a dish ideal for alfresco dining enjoying the last of the Summer sun.  

Pangrattato is Italian for breadcrumbs - fried up with a bit of olive oil to top your pasta or risotto dishes - and a much cheaper alternative to Parmesan.  Crab and any kind of fishy pasta does not work with Parmesan anyway it just seems to 'clash' and become a bit cloying.  The pangrattato adds a crunchy, spicy bit of texture which works well against the soft, delicate pasta flavours.  

Let me know how you get on - I hope you enjoy - this is one of my favourite pasta dishes.  

preparation time:  10 minutes
cooking time:  15-20 minutes
serves 2-3 

recipe by:  chip butties and noodle soup 

crab and fennel pasta with chilli and lemon pangrattato

ingredients:

100-170g cooked white crab meat - I used fresh Cornish white crab meat, but tinned is also fine.
1 fennel bulb - chopped/sliced - I cut my in chunky, lengthways slices
1 clove garlic - crushed
400g chopped tinned tomatoes
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 tbs olive oil 
200g dried pasta - I used spaghetti 
handful of chopped fresh herbs - a mix of basil and parsley works really well here
salt and pepper to taste

for the pangrattato:

100g white breadcrumbs (whizz up in food processor or tear/chop up - I left mine quite chunky)
2 tbs olive oil
3-4 anchovies
1 tsp chilli flakes
zest of 1 lemon 

method:

1. heat 2 tbs of olive oil in a pan, add your fennel seeds and garlic and fry for a minute or two before adding your chopped fennel.  
2. cook for about 5 minutes until your fennel has softened then add your tinned tomatoes.
3. simmer and let your sauce reduce for about 10 minutes or so to make sure the fennel has softened well.  Add a splash of water if it looks like it may be drying out.
4. add your pasta to a large, salted pot of boiling water and cook until al dente (about 10 minutes but check by tasting a bit to see if it's ready).  
5. while the pasta and sauce are cooking fry off your breadcrumbs/pangrattato with 2 tbs olive oil, anchovies, lemon zest and chilli flakes until crisped up and lightly golden.  
6. when the pasta is done, drain and add to the pasta sauce along with your cooked crab meat - stir until well mixed - this also helps the sauce stick to the pasta as the starches are released from the stirring.  
7. check for seasoning and finish off with the chopped fresh basil and parsley, a squeeze of lemon juice and a large sprinkling of the pangrattato.  Enjoy! Preferably outside, in the late Summer sun :-) 

As always your comments are most welcomed.  I would love to know your thoughts and if you try any of my recipes.  Happy cooking, and thanks for stopping by.  

I have entered this recipe into 

 cooking with herbs hosted by Karen at Lavender and Lovage

 Javelin Warrior's Made with Love Mondays over at Cookin w/ Luv

and Four Seasons Food hosted by Delicieux and Chezfoti

candied peel and aniseed biscotti

This recipe for biscotti makes a lovely food gift for Christmas and the holiday season - if you don't eat them all first!  These crunchy, twice baked Italian biscuits flavoured with aniseed and candied peel are really easy to make and don't take very long either.  You can always swap the candied peel and aniseed I use in this recipe for chopped nuts, chocolate chips or dried fruit with no problem.  These apparently keep really well in an airtight container for up to a month - however they have never lasted that long in my house :)

These biscotti  are great served after dinner and dunked in coffee or tea but also in a sweet dessert wine if you are that way inclined.  I hope you enjoy and try out this recipe.  Next time I am going to make them with chopped almonds and lemon zest I think.......

Happy Baking!

preparation time:  10-15 minutes
cooking time:  25-30 minutes
makes about 35-40 biscotti

ingredients:
300g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
175g sugar
2 eggs
100g chopped candied peel (or equal amounts of dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips etc - feel free to add your own favourite flavourings)
2 tbs aniseed
1 tsp vanilla extract

• preheat the oven to 150C
• add the eggs to a large bowl with the sugar and vanilla extract and whisk for a few minutes until doubled in size

• sift in the flour and baking powder and stir in the candied peel and aniseed - mix until a dough is formed

• tip out the dough onto a floured surface and shape into flattened 'sausage' shapes - about 5cm wide and 2cm high then place onto a greased baking sheet with a few inches space between each one.  

• bake for about 15 minutes until light brown/golden and firm to the touch

• remove from oven and slice into 1.5cm thick pieces then place back on the baking sheet

• bake for a further 10-15 minutes until golden and crisped up.

• allow to cool before serving.  Store in an airtight container.  

Buon Appetito!

polenta gnocchi with super-green florentine sauce! (and it's gluten free and vegetarian too!)

A great winter warming recipe - polenta gnocchi with a watercress, spinach and rocket Florentine sauce all topped with parmesan - great as a vegetarian main meal or a side dish with a hearty stew or casserole.

Inspired by gnocchi Romana which is traditionally made with semolina and prepared simply with butter and parmesan. I have added this super-green Florentine to try and add a tasty little boost to my immune system in this cold and flu season.

The super-greens (watercress, spinach and rocket) add lots of vitamins and antioxidants as well as a lovely peppery taste which works well with the crème fraiche that makes the super simple super-green Florentine sauce!

This is a really simple recipe - the hardest bit is stirring the polenta while it cooks and thickens up - which does give you arms a bit of a work out but listen to some music and it'll be over in no time - no pain no gain as they say ;)

This is also a great gluten-free and vegetarian dish.

serves 3-4 as a main or 6 as a side dish

preparation time: 45 minutes (plus about 1 hour cooling time)

cooking time: 20 minutes

ingredients:

polenta gnocchi

3 cups fine/coarse cornmeal/polenta

6 cups water

30g grated parmesan/pecorino

1 tbs butter

1 tsp salt (or to taste)

black pepper to taste

1 tbs chopped sage leaves

few gratings of nutmeg

super-green florentine sauce

300ml creme fraiche (mascarpone/soft cheese would also work well)

100g mixed spinach, watercress, rocket leaves

black pepper to taste

30-50g parmesan or pecorino cheese to grate on top before baking

• pre-heat the oven to 200C
• add salt, chopped sage and nutmeg to the water and bring to the boil in a large saucepan
• when boiling add the polenta in a steady stream to prevent lumps (do as I say not as I do as I accidentally added in one big clump which made it harder work to get the lumps out!)
• stir, stir, and then stir some more - for about 30-45 minutes with a wooden spoon until the polenta starts to leave the sides of the pan and has thickened up and all lumps are gone.
• take off the heat and add the grated cheese and butter - stir until combined then tip onto a greased surface or tray
• spread out with a knife to about 1.5cm thick (dipping the knife in boiled water helps prevent the polenta sticking to it) then leave until completely cool. You can put in fridge to speed things up, but I left mine on the work surface and it was cold in about 1 hour.
• cut into small circles (I used a 5cm cutter) to make your polenta gnocchi and then put into a greased oven dish slightly overlapping
• you can add any offcuts together and flatten again to cut out more gnocchi if you still have some left over or save in the fridge for another day.
• chop the watercress, spinach and rocket roughly then add to the creme fraiche to make your super-green Florentine sauce - add black pepper to taste.
• top the gnocchi with the sauce then add more grated cheese to top before baking.
• bake at 200C for about 20 minutes - until the gnocchi are heated through and the top is golden and bubbling
  I served this with a fresh, super-green leaf and beetroot salad.

pasta with sausage, caramelised onion, petit pois, fennel seed & pecorino sardo

 

 

 

 

 

pasta with sausage, caramelised onion, petit pois,fennel seed & pecorino sardo

This is a quick dinner idea with lots of tasty, punchy flavours and textures.  The pecorino sardo (a hard sheep milk cheese from Sardinia) adds a salty taste which contrasts well with the sweetness of the petit pois and caramelised onion.

This is really easy and will be ready in less than 30 minutes.  This would also be good with a bit of fresh chilli thrown in but I need to refrain sometimes from adding chilli to everything!

ingredients

serves 2-3

4 good quality pork sausages
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 chopped onion
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 tbs olive oil
100g petit pois
1 tbs chopped sage leaves
1 tbs fennel seeds

200-250g pasta (tagliatelle or linguine work well with this recipe)
pecorino sardo (parmesan would work just as well as a substitute)
salt and pepper to taste

• Remove skins from sausages and break into small pieces before frying off in the olive oil with the chopped sage. 
• When sausages are browned add onions and continue to fry until they are caramelised
• Add fennel seeds and crushed garlic cloves - cook for a few minutes before adding the tinned tomatoes.
• Simmer for about 20-25 minutes until the sauce is thickened up and the sausage pieces cooked through.
• With 10 minutes to go cook the pasta according to packet instructions
• 2 minutes before the end throw in the petit pois and check for seasoning 
• Drain pasta and mix in with the sauce - top with the grated pecorino sardo

 

Marcella Hazan's tomato sauce

This recipe is adapted from Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. I discovered this recipe about 10 years ago via its inclusion in cook book Dishy by Kevin Gould. 

You need never buy ready made sauce again. This is so fresh, simple, tasty and cheap. A really delicious and helpful addition to your cooking repertoire. 

This recipe serves 6 

Ingredients

2lb ripe tomatoes (deskinned and chopped) 

or 2 large tins chopped tomatoes

5 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half

Salt to taste

1. Put the tomatoes in a saucepan with the butter, onion, and salt.
2. Cook uncovered at a very slow, but steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until it is thickened to your liking and the fat floats free from the tomato.
3. Stir from time to time, mashing up any large pieces of tomato with the back of a wooden spoon.
4. Taste and check for salt. 
5. Discard the onion before tossing with pasta (however I often blend this into the sauce)
6. Serve with freshly grated parmesan. Enjoy!