Lasagne al Forno

Lasagne al Forno, which I make with my own version of Ragu Bolognaise, has developed over the years. The combination of minced beef with a small amount of diced bacon in a rich sauce, layered with sheets of Lasagne pasta, is one of my daughter’s favourites and regularly turns up as the main course on her [...]

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Basic recipe: Ragu Bolognaise

The most well known Ragu takes its name from the Italian town of Bologna.  This rich sauce can be served on a bed of cooked pasta: spaghetti, tagliatelle or one of the many shapes.  It can also be cooked as part of the layered pasta dish Lasagne al Forno (literally lasagne cooked in the oven) or spooned as a filling into [...]

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Salmon Risotto with Cucumber & Fennel

This is a very simple and creamy risotto and the cooked cucumber is a revelation! The recipe breaks the normal rules of risotto making as you can add all the liquid together rather than the usual rule of adding it gradually.  If you want an extra special dish then you could use Carnaroli rice, but I think [...]

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Tuna & Bean Salad

This speedy Italian style salad can be put together in minutes using tinned tuna and, for speed, tinned beans. I used black-eye beans but haricot or cannellini beans could be substituted.  A good mayonnaise, home made if available, could be used as an alternative to the olive oil and lemon juice dressing but the beans should be [...]

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Double Salmon & Avocado Pizza

This pizza topping uses both smoked and fresh salmon, which combines beautifully with the creaminess of the avocado augmented by a few spoonfuls of creme fraiche.  It is very simple to put together, especially if you have some ready made tomato topping in the freezer and, if you are short of time, use the quick to make scone [...]

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Creamy Pasta with Bacon & Courgettes

Ever since I removed this recipe from a magazine it has proved to be one of our most popular family pasta dishes. I have lost count of the number of times I have made it, or variations of it, including on holiday last year in France. It is truly quick and easy - as the family know, [...]

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Sausage & Courgette Pasta

This is such a handy and simple recipe which can be put together in as long as it takes for the sausages and pasta to cook – shorter if you have some leftover pre-cooked sausages available. Choose a good quality sausage – pork and leek or pork and herb are both good choices.  The courgette ribbons are a [...]

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Pizza Florentine

With its sprinkling of crunchy toasted almonds and hint of nutmeg this vegetarian pizza is just a bit special and would make a lovely lunch dish to enjoy with a vegetarian friend.  I like the combination of spinach with cheese (usually in a sauce) that makes any dish ‘Florentine’ style (from Florence in Italy), especially if combined [...]

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Chicken Satay Pizza

Chicken Satay in its spicy peanut butter based sauce is a definite winner in our house and makes a great topping for a pizza.  The original recipe used cooked chicken but you could cook an 8oz chicken breast under the grill or in the microwave, cool and then add to the marinade if you don’t have chicken leftovers.  [...]

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Pizza Marinara

Any mixture of fish can be used to top this seafood pizza.  Bags of mixed frozen seafood are available from the supermarket – usually a mixture of small prawns, calamari/squid and mussels.  You can substitute or augment as you wish, though I am not sure I would use white, smoked or very oily fish, though pilchards might [...]

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