Fusilli with mushrooms

Fusilli Ai Funghi. This dish works best if you use a mix of different types of mushrooms. To all my Czech wild mushroom hunter friends – this is the perfect recipe . It works with any type however, and on this occasion I cooked it with standard field mushrooms. Serves 4.

• 320g fusilli
• 800g mushrooms (as many different types as possible), chopped
• 250g tomatoes (tinned, pasatta or fresh – skinned seeded and chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 sprig parsley, chopped
• parmesan cheese, optional
• 1 knob butter, optional
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

 

1. Wash and chop the mushrooms. How finely you chop them depends on taste and the varieties you are using. I could only get standard field mushrooms, so I chopped them quite finely.
2. Fry the onion and mushrooms in olive oil until the mushrooms start to release their liquid.
3. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, cover and cook over a low heat for 45 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and add the parsley.
5. Cook the fusilli in plenty of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and toss with a knob of butter (optional).
6. Mix the pasta with the mushroom sauce and serve with parmesan cheese on the side.

 

 

 

 

Fusilli with white ragu

This is a lighter alternative to ragu bolognese, ragu bianco. It doesn’t include any tomatoes. Serves 6

White ragu ingredients

•   500 grams  fusilli
•   400 grams  minced beef
•   3      medium  carrots — finely chopped
•   2      medium  onions — finely chopped
•   1      stick  celery — finely chopped
•   1      tablespoon  fresh marjoram — chopped or 1 teaspoon dried
•   1      glass  white wine
•           olive oil
•           meat stock
•           salt and pepper

1. Fry the celery, onions and carrots until softened.
2. Add the wine and let it reduce to almost nothing
3. Add the meat and enough stock to cover
4. Cook uncovered, slowly, for at least an hour, adding more stock from time
   to time when it starts to dry out.
5. Serve with the cooked fusilli and parmesan cheese.

White ragu finished dish

Fusilli with artichokes

 Artichokes are just coming into season here. They’ll be a quarter of the price in a couple of weeks but I just couldn’t wait If you’d like to know how to prepare an artichoke, look here.

Serves 4

  320   grams  fusilli (spirals)
  3        whole  globe artichokes — prepared and thinly sliced
  1        small  onion — Finely chopped
  1        clove  garlic — chopped
  1        tablespoon  olive oil
  200   grams  Passata
  100   milliliters  dry white wine
            a sprig of parsley
            a lemon
            salt

• When you’ve prepared the artichokes, soak then in cold water, to which you’ve added the juice of the lemon, for a few minutes.
  
• Fry the onion and garlic together until they start to colour
• Add the drained artichokes, season with salt  and cook for about 10
  minutes
• Add the wine and let it reduce a little
• Add the tomatoes and cook over a low heat for another 20 minutes
• 5 minutes before the end, add the parsley
• Mix with the cooked fusilli and serve

Fusilli with Gorgonzola and walnuts

This is another dish which is popular throught Italy. As it contains Gorgonzola, I assume that it came from the north originally. A lot of versions include cream, but I think it’s rich enough without.

Serves 4

 

  320    grams  fusilli (spirals)
  100    grams  Gorgonzola Dolce – or any other soft blue cheese
  60      grams  walnuts — chopped
  1         tablespoon parsley — chopped
  1         tablespoon  butter

• Melt the butter in a non stick pan. Add the Gorgonzola, cut into small pieces
• Stir well until you obtain obtain a smooth creamy sauce
• Add the nuts and stir again
• Add to the cooked pasta, mix well, sprinkle with parsley and serve.