Spaghetti Bolognese

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 225 grams smoked back bacon, finely diced
• 2 onions, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 large carrots, finely diced
• 3 sticks celery, finely diced
• 500 grams minced beef
• 800 grams chopped tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato purée
• 250 milliliters white wine
• 3 finely pared strips lemon zest
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 sprigs parsley
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• 10 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra to serve
• 500 grams spaghetti
• 30 grams butter

Directions:

1. To make the bolognese sauce, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the bacon, onion, garlic, carrot and celery and fry for about 6 minutes or until tender. Stir in the minced beef and stir-fry until the beef is evenly brown and crumbly. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, wine, lemon zest, bay leaf and parsley. Lightly season with salt (the bacon is quite salty). Add pepper and freshly grated nutmeg to taste.

2. Return the mixture to the boil and simmer gently for an hour until it forms a thick, flavoursome sauce, then remove the lemon zest, bay leaf and parsley. Finally, stir in 6 tbsp grated Parmesan.

3. Just before you are ready to serve, drop the spaghetti into a pan of boiling, salted water. Cook according to packet instructions until al dente - about 10 minutes. Drain thoroughly and heap into a serving bowl. Add the butter and 4 tbsp more Parmesan. Toss well and serve with the sauce and extra Parmesan.

4. Adapted from a recipe was first published on Waitrose.com in February 2004.

(Serves 6)

Linguine With Gorgonzola, Pancetta And Wilted Rocket

Ingredients:

• 225 grams linguine
• 110 grams Gorgonzola Piccante
• 125 grams cubetti (cubed) pancetta or chopped bacon
• 50 grams fresh rocket
• 200 milliliters crème fraîche
• 1 clove garlic, , peeled and crushed
• 110 grams Mozzarella, , cut into little cubes
• a little freshly grated Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano), to serve

Directions:

1. Begin by putting the pasta on to cook (see How to cook perfect pasta, below) and give it 1 minute less cooking time than normal, then place the Gorgonzola Piccante and the crème fraîche in a food processor and whiz it to blend together. Next place a large, solid frying pan over direct heat and, as soon as you think it is really hot, add the cubes of pancetta or chopped bacon and sauté them in their own fat for 3-4 minutes, keeping them on the move to brown all the edges evenly. Then add the garlic to the pan and toss that around for about 1 minute. Next, remove the pan from the heat and add the rocket leaves which, when you have given them a stir, will wilt in the heat of the pan.

2. When the pasta is ready, drain it immediately and return it to the saucepan. Now add the Gorgonzola mixture, Mozzarella and the contents of the frying pan, then return the pan to a low heat and toss everything together very thoroughly for about 1 minute. Give it a good seasoning of freshly milled black pepper and, if it needs it, a touch of salt, then serve very quickly in hot pasta bowls with some Parmesan sprinkled over.

3. Serve with a mixed leaf green salad. A nice starter would be some mixed salami and ciabatta.

4. This recipe is taken from How to Cook Book One.

(Serves 2)

This is a lovely combination of assertive flavours that harmonise together perfectly.

British Bangers With Curly Kale And Bacon

Ingredients:

• 454 grams Sausages
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, , sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 200 grams Smoked Danish Lardons
• 200 grams curly kale, , washed and chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the grill to medium and cook the sausages for 10-12 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned and thoroughly cooked.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok and add the onion and garlic. Fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the onions are slightly softened.

3. Add the lardons and cook for 3-4 minutes, until golden. Stir in the kale and fry for a further 3-4 minutes, until it is just wilted and piping hot. Season with black pepper and serve immediately with the sausages. Mustard-flavoured mashed potato also makes a lovely accompaniment.

Cod, Chorizo and Chickpea Casserole

Ingredients:

• 4 cod fillets, around 150g (5oz) each
• 100 grams chorizo, sliced (uncooked if possible)
• 4 small onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tins whole plum tomatoes
• 2 tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, gas mark 4). In a large sauté pan or roasting tin, fry the onions in the olive oil until soft and tender. Add the garlic and chorizo slices and fry for 2 to 3 mins. Don't over-fry the chorizo as it can become tough. Next, add the tomatoes and chickpeas and stir together well. Place in an ovenproof dish and sit the cod fillets on top. Bake in the oven for 20-25 mins or until the fish is cooked through.

(Serves 4)

Bratwurst with Rosti and Onion Sauce

Bratwurst can be bought from some specialist delis and you occasionally see them in supermarkets. They make a change from normal bangers as they have a smooth but meaty texture. With a good onion sauce and crisp potato rosti they make a change for supper. Anton Mosimann often serves them at his chef reunion dinners and they always hit the spot with hungry alcohol-fuelled chefs.

Ingredients:

• 4 large bratwurst sausages weighing about 150g each
• 2 large floury baking potatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• for the onion sauce
• 2 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 knob butter
• 3 tablespoons plain flour
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• 1 tablespoon mustard (dijon)
• 100 milliliters red wine
• 250 milliliters beef stock
• 1 pinch salt and black pepper

Directions:

1. To make the sauce, heat the oil in a thick-bottomed pan and gently cook the onions for 8-10 minutes with a lid on until lightly coloured. You may need to add a splash of water if they are catching on the bottom of the pan. Add the butter, flour and tomato purée and stir well over a low heat for a minute. Add the mustard, stir well then gradually add the red wine, stirring to avoid lumps forming, before gradually adding the beef stock. Season, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 20-25 minutes until the sauce has reduced by about two thirds and thickened. If the sauce is getting too thick, add a little water. Remove from the heat and cover with a lid to keep warm.

2. Meanwhile put the potatoes in a pan and cover with salted water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes so they are cooked no more than two thirds of the way through. Remove from water and leave to cool for about 15 minutes, running them under cold water if you need to speed up the process. Scrape the skin from the potatoes with a knife and grate them on the coarse side of a grater. Put them in a bowl, season and mix well.

3. Heat a non-stick frying pan about 20-22cm in diameter (or you can make individuals in non-stick egg or blini pans) with about a tablespoon of olive oil in and add the grated potato. Press the potato down lightly with a spatula and cook on a low heat for about 4-5 minutes until the bottom is lightly golden and crisp, then flip them over and cook for another 4-5 minutes on the other side until crisp. Keep them warm in a low oven.

4. To cook the sausages, grill them in a ribbed griddle pan or under a medium to hot grill for 4-5 minutes on each side until lightly coloured.

5. If you've made a large rosti, quarter it and serve a bratwurst on each quarter with the hot sauce spooned around.

(Serves 4)

Warm Potato and Apple Salad with Boudin Noir

Ingredients:

• 2 Granny Smith apples
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 large potatoes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 or 2 links of boudin noir with onions, removed from skin
• Mint, snipped with scissors

Directions:

1. Take one of the apples, peel, core and cube, then put in a small pot with the water and sugar, bring to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. Set aside, keep warm.

2. Core the other apple, don’t peel, cube and refrigerate.

3. Peel and cube the potatoes, then cook in the olive oil until brown and cooked. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.

4. Cook the boudin noir in another pan until brown. Keep warm.

5. Divide the cooked apple and scatter on the bottom of two plates. Sprinkle with a little of the mint. Place the potatoes on top of the apple and mint, then the boudin, the raw apples and a little more mint. Enjoy.

(Serves 2)

Flammekueche (Cream and Onion Tart)

Ingredients:

• 1 pack bread dough (you can use pizza dough instead)
• 2 large onions
• 300 milliliters sour cream
• 120 grams bacon
• 100 grams grated cheese
• salt and pepper
• grated nutmeg
• dry white wine

Directions:

Approximately 1 hour in advance, cover the thinly-sliced onions with dry white wine (if you are in a hurry and unable to leave for an hour, you'll notice a difference in the taste). Prepare the dough and spread it out thinly. Drain the onions, but not too much, it's best when there's some wine left. Slowly cook the onions with butter, without letting them colour. Leave to cool. Mix the sour cream, onions and the bacon, season with a little salt (not too much because of the bacon), pepper and nutmeg. Spread the mixture out over the dough and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Cook at 220°C (Gas Mark 7) for 10-15 minutes.

(Serves 4)