Pumpkin Orecchiette

Makes a large amount enough to make 6 or more plates
Preparation Time: 2 hours



400g Pumpkin diced
700g of Farina doppio 0 plain flour (you will need to adjust as you prepare)
Chilled water if needed to make dough more wet
Fresh sage leaves
Salt for water
Pure butter organic is best


Place diced pumpkin in a pyrex dish with lid and microwave until tender. Once cooked let it cool and mash in a large bowl.  Set aside.

Sieve the flour into another large bowl and place eggs in a well in the centre and mix with your hands slightly until blended, then add the pumpkin mash and continue to blend with hands or in a food processor until glossy and smooth.  Roll out onto bench top and keep kneading until smooth and not too dry or not sticky it must be smooth and elastic.  The consistency needs to be managed by if dry more chilled water and if wet and sticky you need more flour.  Place into a large ball and cover with a tea towel for 30 minutes.

To roll out the dough, divide into two or three manageable portions.  Work one portion at a time and keep the other portions covered with a teatowel.  Flatten dough slightly on floured bench top and roll out from the centre to the outer, rotating the dough.  When you have 1/4 inch thick circle of dough  fold in half and roll it out again.

It is easier to use a  pasta machine to roll out the desired thickness and roll it though several times.  Making the setting smaller each time until the dough is around 2 - 2.5mm thick.

To make orecchiette you must almost make a thumb impression into the pasta. It takes quite some time at first to get the desired shape.

When you have prepared a plate of pasta let it dry laid out on a board covered lightly with flour (white cloth if you can find some) for around 24 hours. Place in fridge air tight container. This way it keeps up to 15 days and up to a month in the freezer.


Prepare some butter and fresh sage leaves in a fry pan and melt butter with sage and turn heat off.

Place pumpkin orecchiette in salted boiling water and cook for less than 3 minutes it will cook very fast.

Then drain pasta and toss through the butter and sage mixture.

Serve immediately with crusty bread.

Spaghetti Broccoli

Thin spaghetti 250g serves 4 (not too much)
Broccoli florets (remove main stalk)
Pinch of dry chilli flakes (if desired)
2 cloves of garlic diced very finely
Extra virgin olive oil (i just love Cobram Estate)
Parsley( if desired)
Shake of pepper
Grana Padano Parmesan cheese finely grated


Steam the broccoli in a steamer or in microwave bowl with lid. Not too soft just so a fork settles into the broccoli (6 minutes or so)

Cook the spaghetti til "al dente" in salted (pinch) boiling water ( this should take if thin spaghetti approx 5 - 7 minutes).

In separate fry pan place some olive oil (approx 1/4 cup) and the garlic, chilli, parsley and pepper. Do a very quick heat and slightly cook but not til brown then turn off heat.

Drain pasta and combine with broccoli, oil mixture and some grana padano parmesan.

Home Made Pasta Sauce - Bolognese Recipe

Home Made Pasta Sauce - Bolognese Recipe

 

Cooking Time: 1 to 2 hours

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Serves approx 4

Beef mince 250g

1/4 onion chopped finely

Tomato Passata 250g bottle 

Basil leaves 3 fresh
Olive Oil
Salt
1/2 beef stock cube (quality cube) or you can use 1/2 cup fresh beef stock


Cook the onion in some olive oil until opaque.  Then place mince meat into the onion mix and stir while cooking making sure its all broken up well.  Brown mince nicely and then you can add the tomato passata, basil and salt to taste.  I use beef stock cube for extra flavour in my sauce.  1/2 a cube with 1/2 cup of water can be added and the sauce should be cooked for around 1.5 hours to 2 hours for a nice flavor.


You can freeze this sauce if the meat is purchased fresh and defrost as you require for pastas, etc.

Spaghetti with meatballs and sauce

Spaghetti with Meatballs

Serves: 4
Preparation: 45 mins

400g beef mince
olive oil for cooking
1 tablespoon oregano
1 spring onion or quarter a white onion chopped finely
750g quality tomato passata
1/2 beef stock cube
1 teaspoon of wostershire sauce
1 egg
1 small teaspoon of chopped italian parsley
approx 1/2 cup bread crumbs (not too dry preferable)

200g spaghetti

Place your tomato passata into a large saucepan and slowly heat. Add a little salt and half a beef stock cube. Let heat up to a simmer.

In a separate bowl prepare the meatballs by placing meat,oregano, parsley,onion,wostershire sauce,egg and breadcrumbs together. Mix up evenly and form small little balls placing them one by one into a frypan with some olive oil.

Cook them until they are brown on the outside.  Then place the balls into the simmering sauce.

Let them cook in the sauce with a lid on slightly ajar while in another pot cook the spaghetti as per pack instructions.

Strain pasta when ready and combine with sauce and balls



Spaghetti with Chilli and Prawns

Spaghetti with Chilli and Prawns

Serves 4

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

1 pack of spaghetti (depending on how many eating)

400g Green Prawns

1 red chilli chopped finely and take out the seeds if you dont like it too hot

a few sprigs of fresh italian parsley finely chopped

1 flat teaspoon of garlic chopped finely

olive oil

salt and pepper if desired

Boil water for the spaghetti in a large saucepan to fit.  Cook for approx 10 minutes.

While your pasta is cooking in a frypan add some olive oil, prawns, garlic, chilli and parsley and cook for approx 5 minutes or until prawns are cooked through. Make sure to stir occasionally. Do not let the chilli burn  this is very important.

When the spaghetti is ready drain the water and then add the frypan ingredients to the cooked pasta and stir through.

Serve with a nice glass of white wine ( Moscato )

Enjoy!