Ravioli di porro

Ravioli with leeks, lemon butter and a hazelnut crumb.....

I've been dying to make some pasta since I got back from Italy in June, however it's been such a busy wedding season I haven't had time, until today. 

Pasta is one of the easiest and cheapest things to make in a kitchen. You only use two ingredients and you do not have to use a fancy pasta machine, just a rolling pin and a bit of elbow grease.

I was lucky enough to be taught how to make pasta by the amazing Gennaro Contaldo (http://gennarocontaldo.com) who makes it look like child's play, he is a genius! 

However, you don't need a master-class from a celebrity chef to make this dish, you can make pasta at home very easily, this recipe I dreamed up on route back from one of the weddings I recently attended, it would be ideal as a starter for a dinner party, I love leeks and this simple combination is a great showcase of this often overlooked vegetable. 

Ingredients (makes 6 large ravioli, for 2 people)

Pasta: 2 whole eggs + 1 additional egg yolk, 200g '00' plain flour.

Filing: 2 spring onions, 2 medium size leeks (washed and trimmed), 1/2 ground nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste, 1/2tbsp butter, drop olive oil. 

Sauce & topping: 2tbsp unsalted butter, 1/2 fresh lemon juiced,  2 slices fresh white bread crumbs, 1tbsp olive oil, few leaves of sage, 1 tbsp crushed hazelnuts, salt & pepper to taste.

To make the pasta mix the eggs and flour until it comes together to form a stiff dough. Kneed on a flat surface until it becomes a smooth ball. (If it's too dry you may need to add a couple of teaspoons of beaten egg, and if it's too wet a little extra flour).

Once it forms a smooth ball wrap well in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 mins.

While the pasta is chilling, finely slice the spring onion and leeks and add to a large pan, on a medium heat, with the butter and oil. 

Take a square of grease proof paper and fold in to quarters and then once again, hold the point in to the centre of the pan and cut with scissors to create a disk which fits your pan diameter. (This is called a cartouche). Cover the leeks with it, pressing gently, put a tight lid on the pan, turn the heat right down and leave for 30 minutes. Once cooked add the grated nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste and stir well, don't worry if the leeks have gone golden and gooey, as long as they are not burned this is all gorgeous flavour! 

When the pasta has chilled take it out of the fridge and use a rolling pin to start to flatten it. If you are using a pasta machine put it through on the largest setting and keep folding the pasta and passing it through, gradually letting the settings get smaller until a thin sheet is formed. If you are using a rolling pin, keep folding the pasta and rolling thinner until a thin sheet is formed. Use a scant amount of flour to prevent sticking as you go. 

When the pasta is extremely thin lay it out on a large flat surface being careful to lightly flour underneath to prevent sticking. Put small spoonfuls of the leek mixture on to the pasta sheet, and gently cover with another thin sheet of pasta. You need to ensure you gently squeeze the air out of each ravioli to prevent them bursting whilst cooking, press around each one to seal and then use a round cutter to cut each in to a seperare ravioli. Set them aside on a lightly floured plate whilst you prepare the topping. 

For the topping melt 2tbsp butter in a pan and leave to cook until it turns a golden brown colour, keep skimming the top to take away the white foam which forms. You should end up with a clear brown butter. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. 

Next heat the olive oil in a frying pan and add the breadcrumbs, sage, hazelnuts and seasoning, toss constantly until golden brown and remove from the heat. 

To assemble bring a pan of water to a rolling boil, turn down slightly and add the ravioli, cook for 3 minutes until tender, drain well. 

Assemble the cooked ravioli on a plate, drizzle with the lemon butter and sprinkle with the hazelnut crumb. 

Tip: when I make pasta I always double the recipe and make some extra sheets, these can be cut in to large pappardelle pasta strips and dried on wire hangers to use the next day. It doesn't matter if the shape isn't perfect, it all tastes the same once cooked! 

Here is some pappardelle drying on hangers in my door at home, ready for tomorrow's dinner. 

The Pig, New Forest

We recently visited the gorgeous Pig Hotel http://www.thepighotel.com/hotel-in-the-new-forest/explore.aspx in the New Forest for our wedding anniversary, it's a must for all foody fans out there! They describe themselves as a restaurant with rooms, as opposed to a hotel with a restaurant attached, and upon entering the beautifully shabby chic house you can see why. 

The whole place is centred around good British grub, their chef only sources food from within a 25 mile radius, and much of what is cooked is grown or reared on site. They have a gorgeous walled garden full of fruits, herbs and vegetables, pens of quail, pigs and chickens and I even spotted some bee hives beside the pond.  If you are in to sustainable food then this is the place for you! 

There are two dining options on site, a gorgeous covered outdoor terrace where one can order deliciously salted 'piggy bits' (crackling) served with a sweet homemade apple sauce, while you're drinking local ale or sipping a perfectly crafted cocktail. You can also order flat bread 'pizzas' here to nibble by the roaring outdoor fire. I whiled away much of the afternoon sitting here watching the dancing flames and having a tipple or two!

The main restaurant it set in a stunning, chic conservatory with coloured mosaic tiles, casual wooden furniture, dancing candlelight and an abundance of fresh herbs.

The food here was hearty and delicious, homemade breads served with Rosemary infused oil and smoked salt to start, followed by a ham hock terrine and delicately pickled vegetables which were perfectly balanced, next was veal tongue with roasted lettuce which was divine, salty, smokey and perfect with our bottle of red. 

The mains were not for the faint hearted, or the vegetarian! I opted for a pork chop with chard and confit potato mash, a real treat! Christian had "the extraordinary chap", essentially a pigs jaw complete with teeth and a head of cracking, served with tart and sweet apple sauce on the side. Now it may seem odd dismembering a pigs head at dinner, however once the crackling was lifted off the pig cheeks contained therein were soft and sweet and delicious! 

We couldn't face a dessert each, so shared a lovely light lemon tart, divine! 

All in all it was a delightful stay, a stunning house, beautifully appointed rooms, excellent service and, well, a hotel centred around great British food, my idea of heaven! 

Rainbow chard with chickpeas

I picked up a bunch of gorgeous rainbow chard on the way home, and a red onion.   Now I am on my health kick, so reducing the amount of oil I am using and keeping it super fresh and healthy! 

Chickpeas are a great addition to make this vegetarian dish more filling. 

Ingredients (2 large portions or 4 small portions)

1 bunch rainbow chard,1 red onion, 1 tin chopped tomatoes, 1 tin cooked chickpeas in water, 1tsp herbs Provence, 1tsp sweet paprika, 1/2tsp dried chilli flakes, black pepper and touch of salt to taste. For a touch of glamour I drizzled a tiny drop of white truffle oil over to serve, but it's just as delicious without!

Tip the contents of both tins (including chickpea water) in to a large pan and put on a medium heat. Finely chop the red onion and add to the pan, along with the herbs and spices. Mix thoroughly and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. 

Chop the stalks of the chard in to bite size pieces and add to the pan for 5 minutes. Next chop the chard leaves in to strips and once the onion and chard stalks are soft, add the leaves, cover and simmer for 5 minutes until wilted and tender. 

Season with salt and pepper, spoon in to bowls, drizzle with a tiny drop if truffle oil (if using) and serve hot and steaming! 

I has this just as it was, and Christian had it with lots of crusty bread to mop up the juices. 

The health plan

It has been a glorious summer full of sunshine and sangria, and cheese……and pasta…..and pizza…..and truffles, which is why when I stepped on my scales on Sunday I was 8lbs heavier than usual. Not great! 

Have no fear, I have a fail-safe plan which I always use when I have put on a few lbs, it's simply a healthy eating programme based around reducing the amounts of fatty and sugary foods in the diet and eating whole grains, pulses, vegetables, fruit, fish and lean meats. I ensure that I include all food groups  are included and get a large variety of fruits and vegetables in the diet. 

I have added this to a separate page as my usual blog is all about scrumptious recipes, so this will sit separately in it's own little area. However, I will be updating it daily with my meals and will reveal the weight I am losing as I go along! 

CLICK HERE to view my healthy eating plan, which is a 10 day programme.

Croatia, Istria, Rovinj

We have just returned from the wonderful province of Istria in Croatia, the rugged North, adorned with forests and national parks it joins Slovenia at it Northerly most point and across the tiny strip of sea is glorious Italy. The town of Rovinj (http://www.rovinj.co/ ) is right opposite Venice and you really sense that the land here ripped in two all those thousands of years ago, the landscape and food are so similar to Italy and it’s clear that the similar climate and soil has shaped the cuisine on both sides of the Adriatic.

Motovun Town

Motovun Town

The trip was a mixture of relaxing with food and the stunning Istrian wines; the highlights being crisp and cool while Malvazija and ruby red Cabernet Sauvignons, and visiting the stunning little medieval hilltop towns on the hunt for truffles and oils, which I have brought back and will definitely be using in some dishes inspired by the region.  Istrian cuisine is very similar to its Italian counterparts across the tiny ocean,  rich with truffles, green virgin olive oils, and an abundance of seafood. It has a delicate approach which is mighty in its flavours!

Istrian Wines

Local Produce 

 We stayed at the stunning contemporary ‘Lone’ design hotel http://www.lonehotel.com/en/ which is situated on the edge of a national park, with clear turquoise sea and is a gentle 20 minute stroll from the small fishing town of Rovinj. Lone has some fantastic restaurants and bars within, however our favourite was ‘L’. Here we sampled some beautifully crafted dishes, my favorites being a pumpkin risotto with mushrooms and truffles which was velvety and delicate and balanced perfectly, a wasabi and oyster beef tartar with quails egg which was bold and loud and gregarious, and a starter of giant king prawns in a fiery hot coconut broth that made us want to lick the plate clean (not the done thing in a nice restaurant!) The Lone is such a wonderful place with very professional staff, beautifully designed rooms and gorgeous amenities, we will be back again I am certain.

Pumpkin Risotto

Wasabi Beef Tartar 

We also ate a fantastic eight course menu at the neighboring Wine Vault in the Hotel Monte Mullini (part of the same chain) http://www.winevault.com.hr/en/ which was one of the best meals I have had in a while. My highlights were a starter of homemade fois gras terrine with apricots and smokey lardon, and incredible wagu beef carpaccio served in a delicate Asian broth of lemon grass and radishes which was light  and elegant and made me smile for a good hour! Christians highlights were a spicy prawn tempura and a risotto of shellfish, stunning!

Seafood Risotto

Fois Gras & Apricots

                         
Rovinj itself has some beautiful restaurants, we ate at the coveted “Blu” http://www.blu.hr/, a tiny place which served us stunning local fish in delicate mango sauces and gorgeous truffle covered dumplings. And we wandered the cobbled backstreets and ducked in to tiny restaurants which were more like being invited in to the locals living rooms and had generous bowls of linguine with olive oil and truffles and plenty of fresh seafood served simply with olive oil and lemon juice.

Prawns With Coconut 

I will be back to Croatia for sure, it is a beautiful land with so much variety and it’s vibrancy meets you in its people and in its food. Do let me know if you are heading to the area, I have so many tips which I didn't put on here (I could waffle on all day!) and I would be happy to share them with you.

Dumplings with Truffle