Celebrate world pasta day with eight of our most popular pasta recipes
Every night is pasta night, as far as we are concerned.
Black pudding ragu
We have taken inspiration from Thomasina Miers and Niamh Shield in this sauce which we like to serve with tagliatelle
Servings
4Preparation Time
10 minsCooking Time
45 minsTotal Time
55 minsCourse
MainCuisine
ItalianIngredients
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely diced
2 medium onions, finely diced
1 stick of celery, finely diced
400g of good quality black pudding, cases peeled off
2 sprigs of rosemary, needles chopped finely
250ml of red wine
1 tbsp of smoked paprika
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
Handful of parsley, finely chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper and sea salt
25g butter
50g Parmesan, grated
450g tagliatelle
Method
Heat some oil in a large frying pan or casserole and add the onion, carrot and celery on a medium heat.
Season lightly with salt and stir around the pan until everything has softened but not coloured, around 10 minutes.
Add the paprika, some black pepper and the rosemary and stir into the veg before adding the black pudding, breaking it up with the wooden spoon.
Cook for five minutes or so before adding the red wine, cooking for another five minutes and then adding the chopped tomatoes.
Bring to the boil and then let simmer for around 40 minutes. Season to taste.
Cook the tagliatelle in salted boiling water until al dente and then drain and coat with butter.
Serve the ragu spooned over the buttery tagliatelle and cover with grated parmesan and chopped parsley.
Summery Fettuccine Alfredo
This original recipe for this homemade pasta came from the late Marcella Hazan: it is richly flavoured and gorgeous on its own and can be the base for numerous seasonal additions
Servings
6Preparation Time
40 minsCooking Time
10 minsTotal Time
50 minsCourse
MainCuisine
ItalianIngredients
For the pasta dough:
300g '00' flour
25g semolina flour
pinch of salt
1 egg and 3-4 egg yolks
1Â tsp olive oil
1Â tsp cold water
225ml double cream
45g butter
salt
65g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
freshly ground pepper (4-6 twists of the mill)
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 clingfilm and rest in 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 an enamelled cast-iron pan, or other flameproof dish 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 4.8 litres 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 are fresh, they will be done a few seconds after the water returns to the boil. If dry, they will take a little longer. (Cook the fettuccine even firmer than usual, because they will be cooked more in the pan.) Drain immediately and thoroughly when done, 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 are well coated. Check seasoning. Serve immediately from the pan, with an extra bowl of grated cheese.
