Darina Allen: Pasta is my favourite comfort food — here are my go-to recipes
Pasta is a versatile dish - feel free to play with this recipe and try some variations
Every now and then I get a longing for pasta, it’s really my comfort food and it reminds me of Marcella Hazan, the doyenne of Italian food who first introduced me to two wonderful ‘pasta making’ nonnas at Café Diane in Bologna. They taught me how to make homemade pasta, plump tortellini and cappelletti and explained how in Italy, different sauces suit different shapes.
To paraphrase, oil-based sauces are best with thin strands of pasta, while heavier meat based sauces are good with wide ribbons.
Tubes and twisty shapes hold chunky sauces inside and in the crevices. The nonnas showed me how to make beautiful silky pasta that cooks in 30 seconds and melts in your mouth.
Marcella explained how bought pasta was best for some recipes, but to be aware that the quality varies enormously. Her advice was to buy an Italian brand of pasta made with durum semolina. De Cecco is probably the most widely available in our shops and good value for the price…look out for Voiello too.
Rustichella d’Abruzzo, a fourth generation business is also worth seeking out, the surface is rougher, all the better to hold the sauce.
It’s so fun to make your own homemade pasta, I gave a detailed recipe in last week’s column. Children also love to help but for the many who are ‘time poor’, what’s not to like about making a delicious sauce while some bought pasta cooks.
Summer produce is now jumping out of the ground in the gardens and greenhouse. We’ve got lots of Genovese basil to make homemade pesto. You can’t believe how easy it is. Store in small spotlessly clean glass jars and don’t forget to cover it with a layer of extra virgin olive oil to exclude the air.
Basil pesto can keep for eight to 10 months but is most delicious when freshly made.
In summer, I love to add freshly picked and podded peas, broad beans, young courgettes, or French beans to Fettuccini Alfredo, completely irresistible (having said that, frozen peas work well also!).
Just tasted the first ripe home-grown tomato yesterday evening, a joy but the flavour will be even more delicious in a few weeks’ time. Tomatoes need sun to intensify the flavour. So many favourite pasta dishes are based on tomato. Good quality tinned are great but I really like to use and make the most of fresh tomatoes in summer. Use the ripest ones for maximum flavour, then you’ll need to do so little to make them taste just great.
Gluten-free pasta is now widely available and there are tons of different, exciting shapes to experiment with. There are several one-pot pasta dishes in my One Pot Feeds All book. But my classic go-to book for Italian food, not just pasta, is Marcella Hazan’s Classic Italian Cooking, there’s also Chez Panisse Pasta, Pizza and Calzone, Tim Siadatan’s Padella: Iconic pasta at home (recipes from my favourite pasta restaurant in London, beside Borough Market).
There are masses more, because pasta is probably our favourite comfort food. So many truly delicious recipes are literally made in minutes. Better still, one can do riffs on many basic recipes. Follow with a delicious salad of summer leaves and herbs. Enjoy!
One-Pot Pasta with Tomato and Chorizo
The idea of cooking pasta in the sauce in just one pot may be quite a stretch to consider attempting, but do try it.
Servings
6Preparation Time
45 minsCooking Time
20 minsTotal Time
1 hours 5 minsCourse
MainIngredients
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
½-1 red chilli, chopped
900g very ripe tomatoes, peeled, in summer or 2½ x 400g tins of tomatoes in winter
zest of 1 organic lemon
1-2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary, depending on the strength of flavour (chop just before you use)
225g chorizo, peeled and diced
850ml homemade chicken or vegetable stock
175ml double cream
300-350g fettuccine or spaghetti
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
30g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
flaky sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and a generous pinch of sugar, to taste
Method
Heat the oil in a 6-litre stainless-steel saucepan. Add the onions and garlic, toss until coated, cover and sweat over a gentle heat until soft but not coloured. Add the chilli. It is vital for the success of this dish that the onions are completely soft before the tomatoes are added.
Slice the fresh or tinned tomatoes and add to the onions with all the juices and the lemon zest. Season with salt, pepper and sugar (tinned tomatoes need lots of sugar because of their high acidity). Add the rosemary. Cook, uncovered, for a further 10 minutes, or until the tomato softens. Cook fresh tomatoes for a shorter time to preserve the lively fresh flavour.
Add the chorizo, stock and cream. Bring back to the boil, add the pasta, stir gently to separate the strands and prevent sticking. Return to the boil, cover and simmer for 4 minutes and leave to sit in the tightly covered saucepan for a further 4-5 minutes, or until just al dente. When you add the dried pasta, it will seem too much but hold your nerve, it will soften within a minute or two and cook deliciously in the sauce.
Season to taste, sprinkle with lots of chopped parsley and grated Parmesan. Serve.
Fettuccine Alfredo
*Recipe adapted from “The Classic Italian Cookbook” by Marcella Hazan. Despite its southern origin, this dish has now become a fixture of those Italian restaurants abroad specialising in northern cuisine.
Servings
6Preparation Time
45 minsCooking Time
20 minsTotal Time
1 hours 5 minsCourse
MainIngredients
300g “00” flour
25g semolina flour
pinch of salt
1 large egg and 3-4 large egg yolks, preferably free range
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp cold water
225ml double cream
45g butter
65g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper (4-6 twists of the mill)
a very tiny grating of nutmeg
Method
First make the pasta.
Sieve the flour into a bowl and add the salt. Make a well in the centre, add the eggs (no need to whisk the eggs), oil and water. Mix into a dough with your hand. The pasta should just come together but shouldn't stick to your hand - if it does add a little more flour. (If it is too dry, add a little extra egg white being careful not to add too much.)
Knead for 10 minutes until it becomes elastic. It should be quite pliable, wrap in parchment paper and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Divide the dough in half and roll out one piece at a time into a very thin sheet, keeping the other piece covered. You ought to be able to read the print on a matchbox through the pasta. A pasta machine or long thin rolling pin is a great advantage, but you can manage perfectly well with an ordinary domestic rolling pin.
Cut into strips, 3mm wide.
Choose a heavy, low-sided saucepan that can later hold all the cooked fettuccine comfortably. Put in 150ml of the cream and all the butter and simmer over medium heat for less than a minute, until the butter and cream have thickened. Turn off the heat.
Bring 8 pints of water to the boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt, then drop in the fettuccine and cover the pot until the water returns to the boil. If the fettuccine is fresh, they will be done in a few seconds after the water returns to the boil. If dry, it will take a little longer. (Cook the fettuccine even firmer than usual because it will be cooked more in the pan.) Drain immediately, save a little pasta cooking water and transfer to the pan containing the butter and cream.
Turn on the heat under the pan to low, and toss the fettuccine, coating them with sauce. Add the rest of the cream, all the grated cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Toss briefly until the cream has thickened and the fettuccine is well coated. It should be a loose texture, add a drop more cooking water if necessary. Check seasoning. Serve immediately from the pan, with an extra bowl of grated cheese.
Some riffs on the recipe
Pasta with Basil Pesto
*Recipe adapted from “The Classic Italian Cookbook” by Marcella Hazan. Homemade Pesto takes minutes to make and tastes a million times better than most of what you buy. Serve with pasta, goat cheese, tomato and mozzarella.
Servings
6Preparation Time
45 minsCooking Time
20 minsTotal Time
1 hours 5 minsCourse
MainIngredients
300g “00” flour
25g semolina flour
pinch of salt
1 large egg and 3-4 large egg yolks, preferably free range
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp cold water
225ml double cream
45g butter
65g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper (4-6 twists of the mill)
a very tiny grating of nutmeg
For the basil pesto
110g fresh basil leaves
175-225ml extra virgin olive oil
25g fresh pine kernels (taste when you buy to make sure they are not rancid)
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
50g freshly grated Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano is best)
salt to taste
Method
First make the pasta.
Sieve the flour into a bowl and add the salt. Make a well in the centre, add the eggs (no need to whisk the eggs), oil and water. Mix into a dough with your hand. The pasta should just come together but shouldn't stick to your hand - if it does add a little more flour. (If it is too dry, add a little extra egg white being careful not to add too much.)
Knead for 10 minutes until it becomes elastic. It should be quite pliable, wrap in parchment paper and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Divide the dough in half and roll out one piece at a time into a very thin sheet, keeping the other piece covered. You ought to be able to read the print on a matchbox through the pasta. A pasta machine or long thin rolling pin is a great advantage, but you can manage perfectly well with an ordinary domestic rolling pin.
Cut into strips, 3mm wide.
Choose a heavy, low-sided saucepan that can later hold all the cooked fettuccine comfortably. Put in 150ml of the cream and all the butter and simmer over medium heat for less than a minute, until the butter and cream have thickened. Turn off the heat.
Bring 8 pints of water to the boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt, then drop in the fettuccine and cover the pot until the water returns to the boil. If the fettuccine is fresh, they will be done in a few seconds after the water returns to the boil. If dry, it will take a little longer. (Cook the fettuccine even firmer than usual because it will be cooked more in the pan.) Drain immediately, save a little pasta cooking water and transfer to the pan containing the butter and cream.
Turn on the heat under the pan to low, and toss the fettuccine, coating them with sauce. Add the rest of the cream, all the grated cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Toss briefly until the cream has thickened and the fettuccine is well coated. It should be a loose texture, add a drop more cooking water if necessary. Check seasoning. Serve immediately from the pan, with an extra bowl of grated cheese.
Whizz the basil with the olive oil, pine kernels and garlic in a food processor or pound in a pestle and mortar. Remove to a bowl and fold in the finely grated Parmesan cheese. Taste and season.
*Pesto keeps for weeks, covered with a layer of olive oil in a jar in the fridge. It also freezes well but for best results don't add the grated Parmesan until it has defrosted. Freeze in small jars for convenience.
To serve
Cook the pasta and drain immediately once cooked. Mix 3 tablespoons of Basil Pesto with the pasta and a little pasta water. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan and serve immediately.
Some riffs on the recipe
Follow the master recipe, adding 450g of lightly cooked and shelled broad beans or 225g freshly cooked peas with the hot drained fettuccine.
Follow the master recipe, adding 50-110g smoked salmon, cut into cubes, and 2 tbsp approximately of chopped fresh parsley. Omit the Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
Follow the master recipe, adding 225g of roasted pumpkin, 16-24 rocket leaves (depending on size) and a few toasted pine kernels with the hot drained fettuccine.
Follow the master recipe, adding some strips of roasted red pepper and a few rocket leaves with the hot drained fettuccine.
Follow the master recipe, adding 450g of sautéed courgettes with the hot drained fettuccine. Garnish with torn zucchini blossoms.
15-20 spears of asparagus, base trimmed if tough
1 tbsp chopped chervil
Skin each spear of asparagus and cut into 3 or 4 pieces.
Cook the asparagus in boiling salted water until tender. Drain and add to the sauced pasta with the chervil. Serve immediately.
The annual Euro-Toques Ireland Food Awards took place recently, bringing together chefs, producers, growers, fishers, artisans, and advocates of Irish food culture from across the island.
The theme for this year’s award was ‘Community at the Table’, from place to plate, reflecting the belief that food is not simply about what we eat, but about how we gather, share knowledge, sustain local communities, and preserve cultural heritage through food.
Congratulations to the following winners: Aran Island Seafoods (Water Award), Garryhinch Mushrooms (Land Award), Winetavern Farm (Farm Award), Kylemore Farmhouse Cheese (Dairy – Aged Cheese Award), Leitrim Hill Creamery (Dairy – Soft Cheese Award), Dunany Flour (Artisan Produce Award) and Micil Distillery (Traditional Craft/Skill Award). Look out for their produce to support them.
The 15th annual Galway Garden Festival will take place on Saturday July 4 and Sunday July 5 this year, in the wonderful surroundings of Claregalway Castle.
A magnificent gathering of some of Ireland’s top dealers in rare and exceptional plants, as well as knowledgeable speakers, artisans in the food and craft industries, and a variety of musical acts performing outdoors. Kids go free.
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