Category: Community & Charity

Chef & restaurateur Gennaro Contaldo shares two delicious autumnal recipes from his new book Pasta Perfecto

LASAGNE DI CARNEVALE

Carnival-Time Lasagne

This typical southern Italian lasagne is usually made for special occasions such as Carnevale – the week before Lent when festivities all over Italy take place. Lent is traditionally a time when eating meat is forbidden, so a lasagne such as this one – with meat ragù and sausage – would be made to enjoy before the period of abstinence. Only the tomato sauce from the meat ragù is used for the lasagne; the beef can then be enjoyed as a second course with a green salad.

Method:

First make the ragù: heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, add the onion and bay leaves, and sweat for about 3 minutes, until softened. Add the beef and seal well all over. Increase the heat, add the wine and allow to evaporate. Stir in the tomato purée mixture, chopped tomatoes, basil, Parmesan and some salt and pepper, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for at least 2 hours, until the meat is cooked through and the sauce is thick. Check from time to time, stirring with a wooden spoon and, if necessary, add a little hot water.

When cooked, remove the beef and set aside to enjoy later.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

Cook the pork sausage: you can either do this in the oven or fry it. If using the oven, put the sausage into a roasting pan with a splash of olive oil and bake for 25 minutes. If frying, fry for about 15 minutes in a frying pan (skillet) with a splash of olive oil over a medium heat. When cooked through, remove, slice and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, eggs, half of the Parmesan, and some salt and pepper, until creamy.

Line the bottom of a baking dish (about 24 x 17 cm/9½ x 7 in) with some of the tomato ragù, cover with a layer of lasagne sheets, then add a layer of ricotta, scatter over some sausage slices and some pieces of mozzarella, then add another layer of tomato ragù. Continue making layers in this way until you have used up all the ingredients, ending with a layer of lasagne sheets, tomato ragù, mozzarella and the remaining grated Parmesan sprinkled on top.

Cover with foil and bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 20 minutes, until golden and bubbling.

This should be really be called ‘Olivia’s Soup’ as it’s my daughter Olivia’s favourite meal! Small pasta shapes (pastina) can be little stars, butterflies, alphabet shapes or even broken-up capelli d’angelo (very fine spaghetti) if you have nothing else. In Italy, there is a huge variety of pastina shapes to choose from and we always bring some back after a trip. For an even richer flavour, pastina can be made with homemade broths in place of the ready-made vegetable stock.

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat, add the onion, celery, carrot and courgette, and sweat for 2–3 minutes until softened. Pour in the vegetable stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and gently simmer for 5 minutes. Add the pastina and cook until al dente (check the instructions on your packet for cooking time).

Divide between serving bowls and serve immediately with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan, if desired.

Join Macmillan Coffee Morning and get baking these treats

Coffee, walnut and cardamom cake

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160C Fan /180C/350F/GM4
2. Combine flour, ground walnuts, ground coffee and salt in a bowl.
3. In a large bowl or food mixer, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
4. On medium speed, add eggs a tablespoon at a time, mixing well between each addition. Add a teaspoon of milk if the cake batter looks like curdling.
5. On the lowest speed, add the flour mixture until just combined (10 seconds).
6. Evenly fill the tins and smooth the surface with palette knife or back of a spoon.
7. Bake in the centre of the oven for 30 minutes until a skewer comes out cleanly and the top is springy to touch.
8. Remove cakes from the oven, leave in the tins for a couple of minutes, turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Wrap the cakes in cling film and rest overnight at room temperature before icing.

Prepare the cardamom syrup
1. Place the caster sugar and water in a small saucepan and over a low heat, dissolve the sugar completely. Then bring to the boil for a couple of minutes.
2. Remove from the heat, add the cardamom and set aside.
Make the buttercream
1. Beat the unsalted butter in bowl or food mixer until pale & light in texture.
2. Add the sifted icing sugar in 3 batches, beating well between each addition, until the buttercream has increased in volume and is very pale and fluffy.
3. Add the coffee mixture and beat again.

Combine everything
1. Place one cake half upper side down on a plate, brush with the syrup.
2. Sandwich the cakes together using half the buttercream.
3. Put on top, brush with syrup, decorate with buttercream and walnuts.

Method:

1. In a food processor, blend the almonds until they are ground.

2. Add in the dates, cranberries and a pinch of salt and continue to mix. (The mixture should be slightly sticky.) If the mixture looks too dry, add in a little bit of water, one tablespoon at a time and continue to mix.

3. Using cupcake cases (preferably made of silicone) spoon the mixture into each of the cases and press down, then put to one side.

4. Soak the cashews for 1 hour in hot water. Once soaked, strain them well.

5. Add the cashews, coconut oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, maple syrup and 1/4 cup of water into the food processor and mix on high for about 5 minutes until a very smooth mixture forms.

6. Pour the mixture evenly over the base of the cupcake cases.

7. Place straight into the freezer for about 1-2 hours before serving.

8. Top with fresh raspberries, lemon zest and mint leaves to serve.

Method:

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.

2. Grease and line a square traybake tin, about 28 x 28cm, with baking parchment.

3. Put all the cake ingredients (apart from the cherries) in a large mixing bowl or tabletop mixer and beat together until thoroughly combined.

4. Toss the cherries in a little flour, then fold them into the cake mixture using a spatula.

5. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 mins until the cake is golden brown, springy to the touch, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tin.

6. To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl, then add the lemon juice and enough water to make a thick yet fluid icing. Spoon the remaining icing over the cooled cake – it should be liquid enough to level itself out; if not, use a palette knife to smooth it.

7. Cut into squares and garnish with glace cherry quarters and toasted flaked almonds.

Method:

1. Half lengthways, wash and finely slice the medium leeks. Separate the leaves and stalks of the thyme and discard of the stalks. Cut into lardons the smoked streaky bacon. Grate the Gruyère.

2. Heat the olive oil and butter together in a heavy bottomed saucepan.

3. Add the leek, thyme and bacon, season well with black pepper and cook over a very low heat for 15 minutes, until the fat has rendered out of the bacon and the leeks are starting to caramelise.

4. Empty the sachet of scone mix into a bowl with the salt and rub in the butter until you have something that resembles breadcrumbs.

5. Stir in the Gruyère, leek and bacon.

6. Mix in the milk to make a soft dough.

7. Roll the dough to a depth of 2-2.5cm and cut out scones with a 7cm cutter.

8. Place onto a lined baking sheet, brush with milk and bake at 180°C for 15 minutes until golden brown.

9. Eat warm, split and spread with good salted butter.