Spaghetti Frutta Di Mare

olive oil

1 small chilli, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

4 cherry tomatoes, halved

6 mussels, cleaned

6 clams, cleaned

50ml white wine

8 prawns, shelled

1 small squid, cleaned and cut into rings

4 small scallops, sliced into four

100g  spaghetti

extra virgin olive oil

chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

juice of 1 lemon

Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Once it's boiling add a couple of pinches of salt and then add your spaghetti to cook.

Place a large heavy bottom pan over a medium heat and add a glug of olive oil then lightly cook the chilli and garlic without colouring. Add the mussels, clams and the wine, cover and steam for a few minutes until they open. Remove the lid and disguard any that have remained closed. Remove from pan and set to one side. 

To the same pan add the squid, prawns and the sliced scallops and cook for a few minutes till the prawns are cooked through and pink.

 

By now your pasta should be cooked so add it to the seafood pan and put the mussels and clams back in and add the chopped tomatoes then toss together well.

Add the chopped parsley and stir through.

Serve with a little extra virgin olive oil and a few drops of lemon juice

Linguine With Prawns, Mussels, Tomatoes And Chilli

This is a really lazy recipe just using some ingredients I had in the fridge . .  but it still tasted great :)

50g frozen shelled mussels
50g frozen cooked prawns
100g linguine
5 cherry tomatoes,halved
3tbsp tomato passata
50ml fish stock
olive oil
1 red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced
Fresh parsley, chopped

Leave your frozen seafood in the fridge to defrost for a couple of hours before your ready to cook.

 

Bring a large pan of water to the boil, reduce to a simmer and add a couple of good pinches of salt. Once the water has returned back to the boil add your linguine to cook.

 

In pan heat a little olive oil and add the chopped chilli and cook for a couple of minutes over a low heat without colouring. Then add the defrosted seafood and the tomato passata, chopped cherry tomatoes and stir round.

 

Add the fish stock, stir together well then reduce the heat to a simmer until the pasta is cooked.

 

Once the pasta is done add it to the tomato and seafood and mix well until  the pasta is coated then add the chopped parsley and mix well.

 

Serve.

Sun-dried Tomato Sauce

4tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed 

3 spring onions, finely chopped

150ml white wine 

125g sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped

6 anchovies, chopped

150ml fish stock

Salt and pepper

Heat a glug of olive oil in a pan, sauté the garlic, onions, sun-dried tomatoes and anchovies for 3-5 minutes stirring regularly.

Stir in the wine and stock, bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes till reduced.

Check seasoning.

Serve with pasta.

Lobster Sauce

Olive oil

30g butter

1 onion, fine chopped

1 celery stalk, fine chopped

1 carrot, fine chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 lobster shell, meat moved

30g plain flour

Tomato purée

300ml fish stock

600ml double cream

In a pan heat a glug of olive oil and the butter till melted then add the vegetables and garlic and sauté gently till softened but not coloured.

Add the lobster shell and crush with a wooden spoon.

Add the flour and a dash of tomato purée and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the stock and cream and cook for 20 minutes.

Move from the heat and let cool a little then place in a liquidisers and blitz to a smooth soup like consistency.

Pass through a sieve.

Check seasoning.

Serve with pasta.

Tomato And Basil Sauce

1 small onion, finely chopped 

2 garlic cloves, chopped

250g cherry tomatoes, halved

85g sun-dried tomatoes

1 sprig rosemary, leaves only

30g basil, torn

150ml dry white wine

Salt and pepper

Heat a glug of olive oil in a pan and lightly sauté the vegetables for 3 minutes then add the garlic and sauté lightly till everything is softened but not coloured. 

Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes, then add the wine and let it bubble for few minutes to burn off the alcohol, then add the rosemary an half the basil.

Squash the tomatoes with a wooden spoon and stir together well.

Cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the rest of the basil just before serving and check seasoning.

Farfalle With Prawns And Peas

 

150g farfalle pasta

olive oil

100g frozen peas, defrosted
juice of 1 lemon

150g raw peeled prawns

1 small red chilli, fine chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped

Put large pan of water on to boil, once boiling add a good pinch of salt, let the water return back to the boil then add your pasta to cook.

 

In a frying pan add a glug of olive oil then add the diced chilli and garlic a fry gently for about a minute, then add the prawns.

 

Once the prawns begin to change colour, toss in the pan until the prawns become coated in the chilli and garlic, add the peas and cook until the prawns are cooked through. 

 

By now your pasta should be cooked so add to the prawns and add the lemon juice then toss together well to flavour the pasta with the oil, garlic and chilli.

 

Serve.

Pollo Alla Calabrese (Calabrian Chicken Stew)

 

For the chicken calabrese

2tbsp plain flour

salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 skinless chicken thighs

extra virgin olive oil

shallot, fine chopped

100g  'nduja  (spreadable spicy pork sausage)

3 peppers, 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 green, all roughly chopped

100ml tomato passata

400ml chicken stock

1 large chilli, finely chopped

small bunch fresh marjoram, chopped

small bunch fresh chives, chopped

small bunch fresh parsley, chopped

For the Parmesan mash

100g King Edward potatoes (peeled and cut into chunks)

50g Parmesan, freshly grated

salt and black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.

 

Place the flour on a plate and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

 

Lightly coat the chicken thighs in the seasoned flour.

 

Heat a glug of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and add the chicken, cooking until golden brown on all sides. Then keep to one side.

 

In the same pan add a little more oil and gently fry the shallots and n’duja for a few minutes.

 

Add the chopped peppers, passata and the chicken stock.

 

Bring to the boil before adding the cooked chicken, chilli and chopped herbs. Stir to combine, then remove the pan from the heat. Taste for seasoning and add salt and freshly ground pepper as necessary.

 

Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for around 40 minutes.

 

For the mash, place the potatoes into a large saucepan and cover with water. Add a pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Then cook the potatoes for 10-15 minutes until tender. Drain well and return the potatoes to the dry pan for a few seconds to steam and dry off a little.

 

Using a potato masher and mash well, gradually adding the grated Parmesan.

 

Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

 

To serve, place a bed of olive oil mashed potatoes on each serving plate and place a couple of the chicken pieces on top.

 

Serve hot.