I learnt this technique for cooking asparagus from one of the nonnas I met at the market in Rome. By frying, then adding a little liquid and reducing to a low temperature, you ensure the flavours combine...
In Rome, Nonna Teresa introduced me to this method, which doesn't use eggs. For restaurant service, when the gnocchi mix is made in advance, eggs are useful, but cooked this fresh you don't need them....
Try to get hold of Tipo '00' - this is a very finely sieved flour which is normally used for making egg pasta or cakes. In Italy it's called farina di grano tenero, which means 'tender' or 'soft' flour....
This is a beautifully simple, classic Sicilian pasta dish - it's incredibly satisfying, full of flavour, and feels like a great big hug in a bowl. It also contains two of your five-a-day (bonus!), and...
The beauty of this dish is you can freeze any leftovers, ready for another day when you're short on time, or aren't feeling in the mood - it beats takeaways!
This is a basic risotto bianco with very thinly sliced artichokes added to it, which give it a wonderful perfume. You need small artichokes for this dish - not the large globe ones. When things like artichokes...
Celebrating the humble tomato, this beautiful risotto is delicate but packed with flavour. I've kept the risotto itself very simple and elegant, then added a juicy, sweet, roasted tomato to serve, as well...
Using best-quality sausages and tomatoes gives this from-scratch version of Sarah's favourite comfort food a real smack of flavour. Finish with freshly grated Parmesan and fresh basil, it's a real step...
For me, this is both a pleasure to eat and a ritual to embrace - surrounding a wonderful filling with elegant, delicate pasta is definitely a skill worth learning. It's an incredible little parcel of deliciousness,...
This is a brilliant dish for days when you want comfort food, but with a bit of zing. It's packed with green veggies, silky fresh pasta, and fragrant lemon. Plus, using cottage cheese instead of the traditional...
This is such a simple, clean and delicious risotto. When buying asparagus, have a look around because there are lots of varieties available now - purple-tipped, white, thin straggly Japanese, wild Spanish...
It's said that Italians don't eat cheese and fish together, but I've often seen nonnas grating a wodge of Parmesan into a seafood risotto or a pot of pasta. And I thought, if they're doing it, it must...
Both comforting and luxurious, using a decent, drinking Barolo in this beautiful ruby risotto not only adds a lovely pink hue, but boldly brings the sweetness of the veg and the salty savouriness of the...
This is the coming together of three beautiful ingredients - mozzarella, basil and courgette - to make an oozy, cheesy, scrumptious risotto. White wine gives any risotto a beautiful depth of flavour, but...
This paella-style dish is a simple one-pan meal that makes the most of tasty and cheap chicken drumettes. (This is the meaty upper part of a chicken wing - if separating your own wings, keep the tips and...
Ultimately, 15-Minute Meals is a frame of mind, and I think if you give it a proper go you'll really get into it. It's fun, dynamic, no-nonsense cooking. Yes, the first couple of times you cook this recipe...
This is cannelloni, but not like you've seen it before! Good British rose veal is a really smart and sustainable choice of meat that's chronically underused here in the UK and is super-delicious. Although...
Homemade pasta, in a silky sauce of double cream, Parmesan and fresh truffle (or nutmeg, which is easier to get hold of and just as tasty!) is a well-known Italian dish that I cooked up for Goldie - she...
Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to one of the very nicest risottos on planet earth - it's oozy, delicate and super-comforting, with wafer-thin crispy turkey skin, and a well in the middle for...
Pasta con le sarde is a trademark dish of Sicily, due to the abundance of beautiful fresh seafood they have in southern Italy. However, my version uses tinned sardines, which are a great alternative if...
Sienna told me about an amazing ragù she'd enjoyed in the Val d'Orcia region of Tuscany, and this is my take on that recipe for her. Think of it as a richer and meatier version of your average Bolognese...
Super-creamy ricotta is a great source of the minerals calcium and phosphorus, both of which are essential for healthy bones and teeth, plus it's lower in fat than most other cheeses.
When Pippa was a child, she'd go to Devon with her grandparents, and they'd visit a restaurant called Luigi's. Every time they go, they'd sit at the same table and she would choose spaghetti Bolognese....
This pasta sauce takes minutes to cook.What's great about this recipe for beginner cooks is that once you've done it a few times you can add other simple ingredients to your basic tomato sauce to completely...