Pasta with passion - recipes

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Internationally acclaimed chef Antonio Carluccio will be at the Good Food and Wine show which runs at the Durban Exhibition Centre from August 23 to 26.

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Durban - Internationally acclaimed chef Antonio Carluccio will be at the Good Food and Wine show which runs at the Durban Exhibition Centre from August 23 to 26. Carluccio, of Two Greedy Italians fame, shares two of his favourite recipes with Mercury readers.

RISOTTO CON FUNGHI MISTI

Risotto with mixed mushrooms

Serves 4

They say that a risotto made with just porcini represents the height of gustatory pleasure (only beaten by one served with truffles). But the satisfaction of coming back from a fungi hunt in the woods and mountains with lots of different mushrooms with their colours, textures and tastes, is just as exhilarating.

1.5 litres chicken or vegetable stock

400g exotic mushrooms

1 small onion, finely chopped

3tbsp olive oil

100g unsalted butter

350g Carnaroli risotto rice

l60g Parmesan, finely grated

salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Put the stock in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Leave over a low heat.

Gently clean mushrooms using a sharp knife and a brush (avoid washing them whenever possible).

If you are using dried porcini, put them to soak in a small bowl of water for 15 minutes. Slice the fresh mushrooms, putting a few good slices aside for decoration.

Fry the onion in the oil and half of the butter. When the onion begins to colour, add the sliced mushrooms and continue to fry over a moderate flame for a couple of minutes.

If using dried porcini, chop them into small pieces and add to the mushrooms, keeping the water they soaked in to add to the risotto later with the stock.

Add the rice and stir for a minute, until all the grains are coated in the fat. Start to add the hot stock, ladle by ladle. Wait until each ladleful is absorbed before adding the next. Add the porcini water if you have some. When the rice is al dente, remove from the heat, season and stir in the remaining butter and the Parmesan cheese. Serve hot, decorating each portion with a slice or two of raw mushroom.

TAJARIN CON FEGATINI

Thin pasta ribbons with chicken liver sauce

Serves 4

Tajarin is the Piedmontese dialect name for tagliolini or tagliarini (thin ribbons of pasta). They are particularly connected with the town of Alba – where this dish, with its sauce of chicken livers, is also known as tajarin all’albese when a topping of the famous local white truffle is added. Tajarin are served with many sauces, and one famed for its simplicity is sugo di arrosto, the drippings left over in the pan from a Sunday roast.

fresh pasta recipe, or 300g dried tagliatelle

250g Italian ‘00’ flour, plus extra for dusting

1 egg, plus 3 egg yolks

2tbsp olive oil

salt

2tsp truffle oil

50-100g Parmesan

freshly grated slices of white truffle (optional)

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season

Sauce:

50g unsalted butter

1 small onion, cubed

400g chicken livers, cleaned and cut into small cubes

30g dried porcini (ceps), soaked for 20 minutes, then drained (reserving the water)

1tbsp tomato purée

50ml Marsala or dry white wine

To make the pasta, place the flour in a bowl or on a wok surface and make a well in the centre.

Add the egg, yolks, half of the olive oil and a pinch of salt.

Firstly with a fork and then with your hands, gradually mix the flour with the eggs and oil until you obtain a rough paste.

If necessary, add a splash of water. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes until smooth, not sticky. Cover with a cloth and leave to rest for 15-30 minutes.

Roll your fresh pasta into a very thin flat sheet and then into a loose sausage shape. Cut across the sausage with a sharp knife to make thin strands, about 3-4mm wide, and leave to rest on a clean cloth.

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a pan, add the onion and cook for about 5-7 minutes, until it starts to turn golden.

Add the chicken livers, stir them around in the hot butter and fry for 3-4 minutes.

Add the drained porcini, tomato purée and Marsala; stir to combine and season to taste. If the sauce appears too thick, add up to 4tbsp of the porcini-soaked water.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of lightly salted boiling water until al dente, then drain and mix with the sauce.

Stir in the truffle oil and sprinkle each serving with freshly grated Parmesan and the truffle slices, if using. - The Mercury

Tajarin con fegatini from Two Greedy Italians Eat Italy by Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo, published by Quadrille.

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