Strangozzi Marinara with Prawns and Monkfish

Seafood pastas are basics of Italian gastronomy, and vary enormously from region to region: Spaghetti Vongole from Naples, Spaghetti al Nero di Sepia from Venice, Pasta con Le Cozze e Patelle from Positano and Pasta con Polpa di Ricci from Puglia. The only culinary credo is using the freshest fish and seafood. Often called the "poor man's lobster", monkfish is also a succulent addition to any seafood pasta. Served with sweet plump prawns and a homemade marinara sauce spiked with a little Pernod, the flavours are a rich and delicious tribute to Neptune's bounty, especially served on a tangled bed of Umbrian strangozzi. Slightly thicker than spaghetti, strangozzi is derived from the verb strangolare which means 'to strangle' in Italian. Legend has it that this was the pasta served to the parish priests when they dined at the homes of the parishioners. They would serve the priests large quantities of strangozzi to strangle their appetite, but then there are several variations of this legend, some a little more macabre!




Strangozzi di Pescatrice e Gamberi

Serves 2

1 monkfish tail, cut into 1-inch medallions then cut in half

12-18 prawns, cleaned, deveined and shelled

2 cups homemade Marinara Sauce, or see recipe below
2 tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper

1 cup red wine

1 tbsp Pernod

3 tbsp chopped parsley 

1 lb Strangozzi or Spaghettoni


Warm the homemade Marinara sauce in a saucepan over medium low, until warmed through then turn to low and cover until needed. Season with monkfish and prawns with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste, and set a pot of water over high heat and bring to the boil. 

Pour some olive oil in a sauté pan with tall sides over medium heat and once warm, add the monkfish and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until they become opaque and partially cooked through, then add the prawns and cook for 3-4 minutes. Spoon about a cup of the marinara sauce into the seafood and turn to coat. Turn the heat to low and splash in a little Pernod and half of the chopped parsley to taste, stirring well. 

When ready, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook al dente, or according to the package instructions. Using tongs, transfer the cooked pasta to the seafood and top with the remaining Marinara sauce, and stir well to combine. Serve in warmed bowls with a garnish of fresh parsley.  

Marinara Sauce

Serves 4

1 tbsp good olive oil

1 cup chopped yellow onion

2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 cup good red wine, such as Chianti

1 28 oz can San Marzano tomatoes, chopped

1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper, then cover and simmer on the lowest heat for 15 minutes.

Beets & Arugula with Walnuts, Chèvre & Chickpeas

Packed with health-boosting nutrients that promote good health, beets are also low in fat, sodium and calories. Added to a summer salad or served over a bed of homemade hummus and a dollop of Greek yogurt, these jewel-toned wonders are as healthy as they are beautiful and delicious. Roasting beets intensifies their natural sweetness, and become the perfect foil with peppery arugula. Topped with plump walnuts, a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, chickpeas and creamy goat cheese, this salad is a nutritional powerhouse that can be a meal on its own.



Roasted Beet & Arugula Salad with Walnuts, Chèvre and Chickpeas
Serves 2

1 red beet
2 cups of arugula
1/4 cups shelled walnuts
1/4 cups cooked chickpeas
2 tbsp crumbled goat cheese
olive oil, for garnish
Maldon salt


Preheat the oven to 475°F. Wrap the beet in aluminum foil and bake for at least an hour, or until a knife passes easily through the centre. Allow to cool, then using plastic gloves, peel the skin off. Cut the beet into small wedges and set aside. To serve, lay the arugula on a large decorative platter and arrange the sliced beet overtop and garnish with walnuts, walnuts and crumbled goat cheese. Drizzle with a little olive oil before serving and a sprinkle of Maldon sea salt.

Lamb Chops with Fingerling Potatoes on Arugula

Inspired by a recipe from Nigella's most recent cookbook Nigellissima, this lovely fresh, lean and tender New Zealand Rack of Lamb, simply seasoned and grilled with a handful of sautéd fingerling potatoes on a bed of bright green arugula is quick, easy and delicious. As she says, "If you put your halved baby potatoes on to steam before you get started on the lamb chops, you can fairly effortlessly rely on a proper meat-and-potato supper in around 20 minutes. Steaming the potatoes is, for me, an important stipulation: a steamed spud is a sweet spud; more than that, cooked this way, rather than by boiling, the potatoes are dry when done, which makes them easy to fry to crisp bronzedness". Bronzedness? I don't know if that's a word, but it's certainly a fabulous recipe, and one that I make over and over again, and sometimes make just the spuds alone!



Lamb Chops with Fingerling Potatoes on Arugula
Serves 2
Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson - Nigellissima

1 lb fingerling potatoes, washed and halved but not peeled
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried mint
1/2 tsp celery seeds
1 rack of New Zealand lamb, cut into single chops
3 1/2 oz wild arugula
1 tsp Maldon sea salt flakes & black pepper
Shaved parmigiana and fresh mint, for garnish optional


Put the halved fingerling potatoes on to steam. Place the lamb chops in a dish that will fit them all in a single layer and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Turn until well coated, and leave to marinate for 10 minutes. 

Preheat an outdoor grill to medium high and grill the lamb chops about 3 minutes per side for medium rare, or longer for more well done. While the chops cook, check that the potatoes are tender, which they should be by now, in which case, turn the heat off under the steamer. 

Arrange the arugula on a large platter and when lamb is done, but still juicily pink, arrange on top of the greens. Meanwhile, tip the steamed potatoes into a large non stick pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, red pepper flakes, dried mint, celery seeds and salt, and fry for 3-4 minutes, then turn them over and fry for another 3 minutes, shaking the pan every now and again to make them tumble and turn in the hot oil. Using a slotted spatula, transfer the potatoes to the platter and season with a flurry of Maldon salt and pepper.

Lidia's Sausages with Fennel and Olives

We discovered this recipe while watching Lidia's Italy one evening as she made this humble dish of braised sausages with fennel and chopped green Cerignola olives. As we found out, fresh fennel is a natural companion to good Italian sausage. The fennel is cooked in a frying pan, separately then together, with crushed garlic, olives, wine and hot pepperoncino (chili flakes), until the mixture caramelizes and the fennel becomes impossibly sweet and tender. This recipe would also be excellent with pasta, like Lidia's Ziti with Sausage, Onions and Fennel — another one of her easy and satisfying recipes. A celebrated cookbook author, successful restauranteur and one of television's best loved chefs, Lidia Bastianich holds true to her Italian roots, inviting everyone to experience the warmth, hospitality and passion of her simple but delicious cooking.

One large fresh fennel bulb

Two plump pork sausages

Cerignola olives, pitted and halved

The sausage are lightly browned for about 5 minutes and then some white wine is added 

and boiled until reduced by half, then set aside in a bowl

In the same frying pan, the garlic, pepperoncino and chopped fennel are cooked until soft, about 15 minutes, then the sausage and wine mixture is added until warmed through

Sausages with Fennel and Olives
Serves 2
Recipe courtesy of Lidia Matticchio Bastianich

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2-4 sweet Italian sausages
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 plump garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1/8 tsp hot chili flakes (pepperoncino), or to taste 
1/2 cup large green olives, pitted and halved
1 large fennel bulbs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
1/4 tsp coarse sea salt


Trim the stalks and tough bottoms off the fennel bulbs and peel off the outer layer. Cut in half lengthwise and trim out the bits of stalk that go down into the bulb, then cut into 1-inch chunks.

Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a frying pan large enough for the sausages and set over medium-high heat. Lay in the sausages and cook for 5 minutes or more, rolling them over occasionally until nicely browned. Pour in the wine and boil until it is reduced by half. Remove the sausages to a platter and pour the remaining wine sauce over them.

Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the empty skillet. Toss in the garlic cloves and cook for a minute or so over medium heat until they're sizzling, but don't let them burn. Drop in the chili flakes in a hot spot for a few seconds, then scatter the olives in the pan. Toss and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the fennel chunks and stir. Season with 1/4 tsp salt. Cover the skillet and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, tossing and stirring now and then until the fennel softens, shrinks, and begins to color. Add a bit of water to the pan if the fennel remains hard and resistant to the bite.

When the fennel is cooked through, return the sausages and wine to the skillet. Turn the meat and vegetables together, cook uncovered for another 5 minutes or so, until everything is deeply caramelized and glazed. Adjust seasoning to taste. To serve, arrange the sausages in two warmed dinner bowls and spoon the fennel and olive mixture overtop with a garnish of fresh fennel fronds.

Linguine con Spezzatino di Manzo: Fatto a Mano

A deliciously rich and hearty Italian beef stew of meat and vegetables braised in red wine, Spezzatino di Manzo is a is a truly glorious dish. Similar to Beef Bourguignon, the concept is simple: beef is marinated overnight in red wine and aromatic vegetables and then braised in the oven with the marinade, stock, and vegetables until the meat is succulent and tender. About 15 minutes before serving, tiny pearl or cipollini onions, mushrooms, and bacon are added to the beef and the robust mahogany sauce created during cooking. As the beef stew is bubbling away, a tangle of fresh homemade pasta can be made very easily with a little flour and a few eggs, and simply kneaded until smooth and supple then fed through a pasta machine to your desired thickness. For a rich savoury stew such as Spezzatino di Manzo, a flat pasta such as linguine or fettuccine are ideal, then tutti a tavolo e mangiare!

Smoked side bacon chopped into a small dice

The bacon is sautéed until crisp then drained on paper towel

Beef chuck cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

The beef is then sautéed until browned on all sides

1 cup of diced onion

The chopped onions, salt, pepper and flour are added to the beef and cooked over high heat for 5 minutes

Red wine, beef stock, tomato paste, fresh rosemary and the reserved bacon are added to the beef, brought to a boil, then transferred to a 325°F oven for 2 hours

Meanwhile the pearl onions are trimmed, blanched then rinsed under cold water

The pearl onions are then peeled and set aside 

The crimini mushrooms are cleaned, timed then sliced or quartered, depending on their size

The mushrooms are sautéed in a little butter for 10 minutes then set aside also

Parboiled carrots, pearl onions and sautéed mushrooms are added to the cooked beef and heated through for another 10 minutes, then served garnished with chopped parsley

Flour is mounded in the centre of a clean surface with eggs cracked on top

Using a fork, beat the eggs together and begin to incorporate the flour, 

starting with the inner rim of the well then working your way out 

When the dough begins to come together, start kneading for about 10 minutes then wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes before using

Using a pasta machine, the dough is feedthrough successive settings until the dough is thin enough to pass it through the pasta cutting setting

The pasta can be stored on parchment lined baking sheets until ready to be cooked

The fresh pasta is cooked in boiling water until the strands float to the top

The pasta is drained and set in a large bowl where it's dressed with olive oil

and ready to be served with the Spezzatino di Manzo

Linguine con Spezzatino di Manzo
Serves 6

8 oz pancetta or thick sliced smoked side bacon, cut into small dice
3 lb well-trimmed boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup chopped onions
salt and pepper, to taste
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 cups dry red Italian or Burgundy wine
3 cups beef stock
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
3 to 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch julienne
2 cups white or red pearl onions
8 oz fresh cremini or shiitake mushrooms
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley

Pasta Dough:
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour 
5 large eggs


Preheat the oven to 350F. In a flameproof casserole or Dutch oven, sauté the bacon until crisp, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Pour off all but 1 tbsp of the bacon drippings. Over medium-high heat, sauté the beef a few pieces at a time, until browned on all sides. Add the chopped onions to the beef, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and flour. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Add the wine, stock, tomato paste, reserved bacon and rosemary, and bring to a boil. Cover the casserole and transfer to the oven and bake until the meat is tender, about 2 hours. 

Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables: Bring a small pot of water to boil. Drop in the carrots and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water and drain again, then set aside. Make a small X in the root end of each pearl onion. Drop them into boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water and drain again. Peel and set aside. Slice the mushrooms lengthwise. Melt butter in a skillet, add the mushrooms and sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes, then set aside. When the meat is cooked, transfer the casserole to a stovetop burner and add the carrots, onions and mushrooms. Heat through, about 7 minutes. 

Meanwhile, begin to make the homemade pasta dough. Mound the flour in the center of a large wooden board. Make a well in the centre of the flour and add the eggs, then using a fork, beat the eggs together and begin to incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well. As you expand the well, keep pushing the flour up to retain the well shape. When half of the flour is incorporated, the dough will begin to come together. Start kneading the dough, using primarily the palms of your hands. Once the dough is a cohesive mass, set the dough aside and scrape up and discard any dried bits of dough. Continue kneading for 10 minutes, dusting the board with additional flour as necessary. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature before using.

Divide dough into 4 pieces and keep 3 pieces covered with a slightly damp kitchen towel. Flatten the dough to a shape somewhat narrower than the pasta machine opening then feed it through the machine's widest setting. As the pasta emerges, gently support it with your palm and guide it onto the work surface. Fold the dough in thirds and roll out again. Repeat the process 5 times. Pass the pasta through the next finer setting, repeating the folding and rolling process 6 times. At the third setting, repeat process only 3 times. If the pasta sheet becomes too long to work with easily, cut it into 2 pieces. Roll the dough through progressively thinner settings, without folding, until you have reached the thinnest or next-to-thinnest setting. Using the widest-cut attachment of the pasta machine, cut the pasta sheets into 1/4-inch wide strips and set on a floured parchment lined baking sheet until all the pasta has been made. 

Set a large pot of water to boil and when bubbling, cook the pasta until it floats to the surface, about 2-3 minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander and then return to the pot and drizzle with a little olive oil. To serve, spoon some of the beef stew into warmed bowls with some pasta and garnish with fresh parsley.

Smoked Salmon Crostini with Yogurt & Sesame Seeds

Necessity is sometimes the mother of invention, especially when guests are due to arrive in minutes and there's little time to prepare elegant hors d'oeuvres. With a generous mound of smoked salmon leftover from an earlier cocktail party, a fresh loaf of rye bread, a pot of thick and creamy Greek yogurt and handful of juicy lemons, appetizers can be set into motion at the last minute. Garnished with black sesame seeds, a grind of white pepper, sprig of parsley and some slices of lemon, even the simplest Smoked Salmon Crostini on toasted rye looks delicious when plated on a dramatic serving board, for good presentation hides a multitude of sins! Uncork a bottle of wine and all is well. 



Smoked Salmon Crostini with Yogurt & Sesame Seeds
Serves 4

1/2 cup Greek yogurt 
Small pinch of Maldon sea salt & freshly ground white pepper
1 lemon, sliced
Ciabatta or Rye Loaf cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
8 oz Smoked Salmon 
Fresh parsley or dill 
1 tbsp sesame seeds


Toast or grill slices of rye bread then cut each piece of toast into 3 smaller pieces and lightly butter. Place slices of smoked salmon on top of each piece of toast and garnish with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt, a sprig of parsley or dill, a sprinkle of sesame seeds, and finished with a dash of Maldon salt, a grind of fresh white pepper with some sliced lemon for decoration for panache. To serve, arrange the smoked salmon hors d'oeuvres on an attractive serving platter and squeeze a little lemon juice over top of all the salmon just before serving guests.

Maccheroni al Ferro with Porcini & Sausage Ragù

Inspired by a recipe for handmade Maccheroni al Ferro by Toronto chef Massimo Bruno, and excited about an upcoming trip to Umbria in a few weeks, trying our hand at making some pasta 'fatto a mano' seemed like it would be good practice for our 'vacanza italiana'. Ferri means 'irons' and refers to the thin metal rod around which small pieces of dough are rolled in order to create this unique shape of pasta. Originating from the southern Calabrian region of Italy, Maccheroni al Ferro is made using semola di grano duro rimaninata, a remilled durum wheat semolina, mixed with a little warm water and olive oil then kneaded until smooth and elastic, a process which takes about 15-20 minutes. Cut into five or six smaller pieces, the dough is hand rolled into long snake-like coils then sliced into 1/2 to 1-inch long pieces, then shaped into maccherone using a wooden or metal skewer. One places the skewer on the centre of each piece of dough, and pressing it lightly to make it stable, one then starts rolling the dough to make a cylinder. Removing them carefully, the pasta are laid onto a parchment lined baking sheet until all the maccherone are complete. If one or two don't work out, simply roll them back into a small ball and try again. They don't need to be perfect, just made with love! Other pasta shapes could also be made using this recipe such as strascinati and orecchiette and served with this gorgeous Porcini Mushroom, Sausage & 'Nduja Ragù — deliziosa!

Semola Di Grano Duro Rimaninata - remilled durum wheat semolina

One ounce of dried porcini mushrooms soaking in warm water

One cup of flour with 1/2 cup warm water and tablespoon of olive oil

Using a fork, the flour mixture is whisked until it balls up, then it is shaped into a ball

The dough is then stretched and kneaded until very soft and elastic, about 10-20 minutes

(my husband took over the kneading "to show me how it is done"!)

The finished kneaded dough is soft and smooth, then sliced into 5-6 pieces

Each piece of dough is hand-rolled out into thin cigarette-thick cylinders then sprinkled with flour to prevent the dough from sticking together  

The pasta is then cut up into 1/2-inch pieces, then using a wooden skewer, 

the pasta is gently rolled into small 'maccheroni ai ferri'

After about 20 minutes the maccheroni have all been rolled out and placed on a parchment lined baking sheet to dry while the sauce is started

Garlic and chopped parsley stems are sautéed in a little olive oil until fragrant, 

then the squeeze dried porcini mushrooms are added to the pan

'Nduja, a spicy Calabrian salumi, is one of the special ingredients in the pasta sauce

Pork sausage and 'nduja are then added and sautéed until the meat has browned and is cooked through

Tomato paste is added once the sausage is cooked though, followed by some white wine, 

chopped parsley then 1/2 cup of the porcini broth

The pasta is cooked in boiling water until the maccheroni all float to the top, 

then are added to the sauce along with any pasta water that clings onto the noodles

The pan is removed from the heat and the pasta is sprinkled with a cup of grated parmigiana 

and some chopped parsley for garnish

Maccheroni al Ferro with Porcini Mushroom & Sausage Ragù
Serves 2-4

1 cup Semola Di Grano Duro Rimaninata (remilled durum wheat semolina)

1/2 cup warm water
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
Sea salt, for adding to boiling the pasta

Ragù:
3/4 cup white wine 
1 tbsp tomato paste 
2 fresh pork sausages, removed from the casing 
2 tbsp ‘nduja - Olliffe Butcher Shop, Toronto
1 oz dried porcini mushrooms 
2 garlic cloves, chopped 
1/2 bunch Italian parsley, washed and dried
1/2 cup grated Parmigiana 
Extra virgin olive oil 


Place the flour in a large bowl and make a hole in the centre. Pour in some warm water and olive oil and mix together slowly with a fork until the dough comes together, is no longer sticky and becomes hard to mix with the fork. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a clean surface. Massage the dough by pulling and stretching it out until it becomes soft, smooth and elastic, about 10-20 minutes. Slice into 6 pieces and using your hands, roll each piece into long snake-like cylinders about the thickness of a cigarette. Once all the dough has been rolled out, sprinkle some semolina onto a clean surface, and coat all of the pasta so it won't stick together. Slice each roll into 1/2" pieces. Using a 'ferri' or thin wooden skewer, place it in the middle of each small piece of dough, and using a little pressure, roll the rod back and forth until the dough is wrapped completely around the rod, then slide the pasta off and arrange on a parchment lined baking tray in a single layer, and dust with some flour to keep the past from sticking together if necessary. The pasta doesn’t need to dry for long and can be thrown into boiling water shortly after being made and will be finished cooking in a few short minutes when they float to the top of the water.

Alternately, the pasta can be dried more completely and stored in baggies in the freezer for later use — place the trays of pasta, arranged in single layers, in the freezer for a few minutes before putting them in bags to keep them from sticking together.

To make the ragù, begin by placing the dried mushrooms in a cup of warm water and allow to to soak for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile finely chop the garlic and the stems of 3 or 4 pieces of parsley. Pour enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a sauté pan placed over medium heat, then add the garlic and a teaspoon of finely chopped parsley stems and sauté until fragrant, about a minute. Using your hands remove the mushrooms from the water, squeezing out as much water as possible, and add them to the pan. Once they've browned 2 or 3 minutes, add the sausage meat and using a wooden spoon, break it up so it browns evenly. Scoop out some of the ‘nduja and add to the pan along with the tomato paste. Cook while stirring for about 5 minutes so the sauce comes together. Add the wine and some chopped parsley. Then add 1/2 cup of the porcini broth avoiding any gritty sediment on the bottom from the mushrooms. Add a tablespoon or two of minced parsley. 

While the sauce is coking, add the fresh pasta a pot of boiling water and cook for only about 5 minutes — the pasta will be done when it float to the top. Using a large slotted spoon, transfer the pasta, along with any pasta water that's attached, to the sauce. Using a wooden spoon, gently toss the pasta and sauce so the mixture becomes well incorporated. At the end, remove the pasta from the heat and add the cheese, and mix in. Finish with some roughly chopped parsley and serve.