Pasta Casareccia - a Linda Poulnott guest recipe post special

Those who are regular readers of my blog or are connected to my social media mutterings will be aware that I was fortunate enough to have Linda Poulnott write some wonderful food/recipe posts for my blog on the subject of Neapolitan (Southern) Italian cooking.

Linda, originally from Scotland, has lived for over 20 years in the Bay of Naples, where she has dedicated herself to learning the language, culture and food heritage of this amazing part of southern Italy, famous for inventing pizza.

I met Linda online, and was astonished about how much we had in common, despite being separated by a huge distance. Like me, she teaches for a living, and we both love music, guitars, food, wine, cooking in and eating out. I am lucky to know her and we are all fortunate that she is happy to share her culinary skill and knowledge with us all.

Linda Poulnott

Linda’s hassle free and simple approach to Italian food reflects her learning from locals. There aren’t dozens of ingredients and deeply complex preparation techniques. A focus on bringing out the best from quality ingredients is the key.

In case you didn’t get the chance to read them the first time, here are links to Linda’s previous brilliant and helpful posts:

Pasta with Broccoli: http://snigskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/pasta-with-broccoli-guest-post-by-linda.html

Parmigiana di Melanzane (Neapolitan Baked Aubergines): http://snigskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/parmigiana-di-melanzane-guest-post-by.html

Risotto con Funghi Misti (Risotto with mixed mushrooms):  http://snigskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/risotto-con-funghi-misti-guest-post-by.html

How to cook like a Neapolitan Mamma (food and cooking advice): http://snigskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/come-facette-mammeta-guest-post-by.html

This recipe is a pasta bake, and I have often heard Italians and those who love Italian food recommend the De Cecco brand of pasta as being one of the most authentic and reliable available outside of Italy. Linda has helpfully provided a photo of the packet of pasta she has used so that you can find it for yourself. 

I am fortunate enough to have a delightful Italian deli near me in Lewis Grove, Lewisham (south east London) which stocks De Cecco pastas, but some larger supermarkets also stock this brand.

My heartfelt thanks go to Linda for writing yet another recipe post and for her enthusiasm for spreading the real food of southern Italy.

If you have any questions, please feel free to either ask Linda on twitter as she is always helpful and friendly (just look out for @nnamorata) or post in the comments below. Any thank yous I am sure would be appreciated by Linda, so do reach out!

Buon appetito, readers! Now to hand over to Linda, the main event!

Firstly, I would like to thank Snigdha for giving me the chance to submit another recipe to her food blog. Hopefully, I can pass on some more of the local cooking tips that I've picked up over the many years of living in the bay of Naples.

As I have said before, the secret of good Neapolitan cooking is keeping it simple. Never drown your dishes in strong herbs and spices or flood them in lemon juice. The natural flavour of whatever you are cooking should always be paramount. Let it shine through!

PASTA CASARECCIA AL FORNO

This tasty dish is very easy to make and can be kept covered in the fridge to be reheated when you come home from work the next day. Cooked ham or pancetta is usually included in the recipe, but if you are vegetarian you can leave this out.

It's very "moreish", so I recommend that you make more than you really need (as long as you're not counting calories of course!). It's lovely eaten with a green salad to accompany it.

YOU WILL NEED

A large frying pan

A medium sized saucepan

A wooden spoon

A sieve or colander to drain the pasta

A casserole type oven dish

INGREDIENTS FOR 2 PEOPLE

250g of Casareccia shaped dry pasta (or if you can't find this, use any fusilli or tube type pasta. It will work just as well.)

200ml of single cream or cooking cream

1 small tin of garden peas or about 140g of frozen peas

30/40g of either chopped sliced cooked ham (you can use chopped pancetta or salami instead)

A few glugs of dry white wine

A few glugs of olive oil

A handful of grated grated parmesan (use pecorino or even cheddar if you don't have it) plus extra if you wish to add some to the breadcrumb topping

Half a cup of breadcrumbs (I usually buy the pre-prepared packs in the supermarket), please use natural breadcrumbs, not the orange dyed ones

Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to about 160 degrees C.

2. Heat up the frying pan over a medium heat add a couple of glugs of olive oil plus the ham, then after a minute or two add the drained peas. At this point, I also add the wine and reduce it.

3. Whilst the wine is reducing (which will take around 7 minutes), add salted, boiling water to a saucepan and start cooking the pasta. Locals keep some of the water that the pasta is cooked in, as it's starchy and great to use if you need more liquid in your sauce mix. Keep about half a mug full.

4. Once the wine has reduced I usually mash half of the pea mixture with my spoon until it resembles mushy peas. Add the cream and a little of the pasta water. Cook for another few minutes stirring occasionally and checking that the sauce doesn't dry out. If it does, add a little more of the pasta water.

5. When the sauce is ready, throw in a handful of grated parmesan and mix it through. It's best to salt and pepper to taste at this point, as adding the cheese will already make it quite salty. Add the cooked drained pasta and mix together.

6. Put the pasta mix in a casserole or oven dish but don't cover it. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

7. Bake in your preheated oven (at about 160 degrees C) for approximately 15 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden.

8.Serve and enjoy. Buon appetito!

My thanks once again to Linda Poulnott for providing this guest blog post and recipe. I have not received any form of incentive for posting it. However, even more surprising is the face that Linda has not received any form of payment or incentive (financial or otherwise) for writing this recipe post. I’m just as amazed as anyone, but that’s the kind and lovely person she is!

Pasta with Broccoli (Guest post by Linda Poulnott)

At the beginning of the year, I was fortunate enough to host a "residency" of guest blog posts by my friend Linda Poulnott. Linda has lived in the Bay of Naples in southern Italy for over 20 years. Through her total immersion into the language, life and culture of this exciting and vibrant part of the world, she has learned how to cook the food of this region authentically. It is with great pleasure that I am happy to say Linda has returned to Snig's Kitchen with a new recipe for us all. 

Linda Poulnott, your brilliant post author

You may have missed Linda's residency, but fear not, here are the links to her three brilliant and helpful posts:

How to cook like a Neapolitan Mamma (food and cooking advice): http://snigskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/come-facette-mammeta-guest-post-by.html

Risotto con Funghi Misti (Risotto with mixed mushrooms):  http://snigskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/risotto-con-funghi-misti-guest-post-by.html

Parmigiana di Melanzane (Neapolitan Baked Aubergines): http://snigskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/parmigiana-di-melanzane-guest-post-by.html

The key thing which you will realise from Linda's writing and recipes is how unfussy good Italian food can be. I have found this to be a revelation. I have, like Linda, tried to cook cheffy and complicated Italian recipes from cook books. Linda has previously described how on her arrival in Italy, she tried to replicate these overly technical and fussy dishes, only to find that the real food of the Neapolitan region could be appealing, flavourful and satisfying without the hassle. 

Linda's approach is refreshing, simple and delightful. This recipe, her fresh trofie pasta with broccoli, is entirely in keeping with her philosophy on cooking. Who would have thought you could rustle up something tasty, healthy and authentic so rapidly? Perfect for a weeknight or a speedy weekend lunch. 

So I hope you will read and try to make this recipe and if you didn't have the chance to catch her previous posts, that you will travel back in time to the start of 2015 to read them!

My thanks to Linda for her lovely recipe, another wonderful guest post that I am proud and happy to include here. 

If you have any questions or queries, please feel free to post in the comments below. Alternatively, I am sure you can ask Linda on twitter. Or perhaps you just want to say hello and thanks to Linda, as she is a friendly and fun person in the twitterati. Just look for @nnamorata. 

Buon appetito, my readers. Over to Linda!

The finished dish: fresh trofie pasta with broccoli

PASTA WITH BROCCOLI

This dish is very simple and ideal to make when you get home after a busy day. It should take you about 15mins to prepare. It’s also suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

People in the Gulf of Naples eat it in winter when broccoli is in season. It’s a Neapolitan “comfort food” dish. If you can get it, try to buy fresh pasta for this dish. In the photo you’ll see I use Trofie shaped pasta.

Fresh trofie pasta

If it’s hard to find, orrechiette or cavatelli shapes work well too.

YOU WILL NEED:

A large frying pan

2 Medium saucepans

A wooden spoon

A sieve to drain the pasta

INGREDIENTS  FOR TWO PEOPLE:

About 300g of Broccoli

150g of Pasta

1 clove of chopped garlic

Couple of glugs of olive oil

A handful of grated pecorino cheese (parmesan is fine to use too)

A few dried chilli flakes or some fresh chopped chilli to taste.(Try not to go too hot if you want the original dish)

Salt and Pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Wash and cut up the florets of broccoli and boil in a saucepan until softened. (Don’t bother adding salt to the water.)

2. Put a couple of glugs of olive oil into the frying pan and put on a medium heat. Add the chilli and chopped garlic,taking care not to burn them.

3. Drain the broccoli, keeping some of the water to add if needed. Add the broccoli to the frying pan and a little of the water. I like the dish creamy so I mash most of the florets with a fork. At this point I add the salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking the broccoli

4. At this point you can start cooking the pasta in a saucepan.

5. Once the broccoli mix is creamy in texture (remember if it gets too dry, you can add the “broccoli water” that you kept earlier!), you add it to the cooked and drained pasta. Mix well and throw in a handful of the grated pecorino cheese.

6. Serve and enjoy!

Parmigiana di Melanzane (a guest post by Linda Poulnott)

I have been proud and pleased to host a "residency" of guest posts from my friend and Italian food aficionado Linda Poulnott. Linda, originally from Scotland, moved to the Bay of Naples over 20 years ago. Since then, she has immersed herself into Neapolitan life, the language and culture - in particular, the culinary heritage. 

Somehow, Linda managed to find me through the magic of the internet. We have lots of interests in common. She appears to tolerate the fact that I prattle mainly about nonsense, and has somehow seen fit to give me her own authentic recipes and cooking tips to share with my readers. I wonder why such immense generosity, but gladly and gratefully accept. It would be churlish to do anything else, right?

Regular readers will have discovered her excellent thoughts on how to cook like a real Neapolitan Mamma here: http://snigskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/come-facette-mammeta-guest-post-by.html. Her first recipe, a satisfying supper dish of mixed mushroom risotto can be found here: http://snigskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/risotto-con-funghi-misti-guest-post-by.html

If you're not a regular reader, then I highly recommend that you read all of Linda's guest posts, but perhaps you would like to dig into this, her newest post, first!

Thank you Linda for an amazing series of blog posts. I am truly gobsmacked at the time, trouble and effort you have gone to - and I'm not a woman usually lost for words. I would also like to say your recipes are wonderful. Simple, direct and full of all the things which make the best Italian food special; great ingredients and cooking done with love.

PARMIGIANA DI MELANZANE (Neapolitan Baked Aubergines)

This dish has got to go down as one of my all-time favourites. In Naples it’s usually eaten as a starter or served as a side dish with meat. I sometimes make a batch at the weekend and use it as a sandwich filler on a crusty bread roll to take with my packed lunch on workdays. It can also be cut into small portions and frozen. This version is suitable for vegetarians.

Ingredients for 6 people

1.5 kilos of aubergines

A 400g bottle or can of tomato “passata” (sieved tomatoes) or chopped tomatoes

1 small onion

300 grams of Mozzarella, sliced

A small bowl (around 8 tablespoons) of finely grated parmesan

A handful of fresh Basil

Olive oil (not extra virgin as it can be too strong and overpower the flavours)

Salt and pepper to taste

You will need:

An oven proof dish (a casserole dish is ideal)

2 frying pans

A colander

An oven

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius.

2. Wash and cut the aubergines lengthways into thinnish slices. Cover in salt for around an hour and leave in a colander to drain out the bitter liquid. Rinse the aubergines well and gently squeeze out any remaining liquid. Pat dry and set aside.

3. Chop the onion finely and add to a frying pan with a couple of tablespoons of oil. Fry gently until soft, then add the tomatoes and a couple of basil leaves to the pan. Simmer  for about 20mins until the sauce becomes quite thick then add salt and pepper to taste. (Remember the aubergines may still have some salt left over from the draining process, so go easy!)

4. While the sauce is reducing. Add some oil to another frying pan and fry batches of the drained aubergines. Cook them until they turn a light golden colour, then drain them on some kitchen roll paper.

5. Slice the mozzarella cheese and grate the parmesan.

6. Use an ovenproof dish. A casserole is ideal. Spoon in enough sauce to cover the bottom, then add a layer of aubergine, a couple of slices of mozzarella and sprinkle some parmesan on top. Add another layer of sauce, aubergine then cheese etc, etc. Continue layering until you use all the ingredients.

7. Finish off with some mozzarella and parmesan sprinkled on top. This will turn a nice golden colour in the oven.

8. Bake in a pre-heated oven set at about 150 degrees Celsius for around 30mins.

Locally, we have variations of this dish. If you don’t like aubergines you can use courgettes instead. Some people dip the aubergines in a beaten egg before frying. (In my opinion, it makes it a bit too heavy).  Some folk add slices of ham or salami. Delicious served with chunks of warm, fresh, crusty bread.

BUON APPETITO!

Risotto con Funghi Misti (A guest post by Linda Poulnott)

I was delighted to host the first of my friend Linda Poulnott’s posts about Neapolitan cooking, based on her experience of living in the Bay of Naples for over 20 years.

Linda’s first post, about how you can cook like a real Neapolitan Mamma [Come facette mammeta (like mother makes)] is full of useful tips which can be easily followed to great effect can be found here: http://snigskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/come-facette-mammeta-guest-post-by.html

But right now I am very pleased to be hosting the second of Linda’s guest posts. This is her take on an authentic southern Italian risotto. I love the directness of this recipe. I love risotto, and I enjoy making it at home, but perhaps have been overcomplicating this classic dish. Linda’s version is deceptively simple, but lives up to one of her guiding principles for “real” Neapolitan food; to let the ingredients shine and speak for themselves.

So I will now leave you to enjoy Linda’s brilliant recipe, which I hope you will make at home and share with your family and friends.

Linda Poulnott; friend, cook, guitarist, music fan and all round lovely person

RISOTTO CON FUNGHI MISTI (Risotto with mixed mushrooms.)

Ingredients for 4 people

350g of arborio risotto rice

150g of fresh mixed mushrooms (you can use a pre-packed selection)

1 medium onion

1 small glass of white wine (or a large one and you can drink half!)

50g of cooked ham (optional) (look out for Italian proscuitto crudo, but any cooked ham will do)

500mi vegetable or ham stock

1 clove of garlic

2 tablespoons of olive oil

A handful of finely grated parmesan

A teaspoon of finely chopped Italian flat leaf parsley

Salt

Pepper

You will need:

A frying pan

A saucepan

A ladle

Method

1. Clean and chop the mushrooms, onion and garlic.

2. Add a tablespoon of oil to a large frying pan and fry the mushrooms, garlic, ham and onion gently until cooked (about 10 minutes), add a little salt, then set aside on a warm plate. If you prefer to add the garlic towards the end of the cooking time to prevent burning, this is a good idea.

3. Prepare the stock in a saucepan and IMPORTANT (!) keep it simmering! Have a ladle ready to add the stock to the frying pan when needed.

4. Add the remaining oil to the frying pan which should be on a medium heat. Add the rice and stir until it starts to turn opaque. At that point pour in the glass of white wine and stir.

5. When most of the liquid has been absorbed add the first ladleful of stock. Once again stir until the liquid has almost been absorbed then add another ladleful. The secret of a good risotto is to keep it simmering and stir often. Do not be tempted to add lots of liquid at once or turn up the heat. This results in rice that's soggy outside and hard in the middle. Yuk!

6. After about 12 minutes try some rice to check if it's almost ready. Add salt if needed. 

7. Near the end of the cooking time add the mushroom mixture, parsley and, just as you are ready to serve, add the grated parmesan. The risotto should have a very creamy texture. 

You can garnish with the remaining parsley.

BUON APPETITO!