Sue's Recipes and Other Stories

Recipes, Travel and other Titbits

Linguini with Mussels and White Wine (6)

Another recipe from the much loved first River Cafe Cookbook.

Linguini with Mussels in Red Sauce (6)

A recipe from the first River Cafe Cookbook.

Spaghetti Scoglio (6)

When I lived in Stoke Newington I would occasionally visit a long established Italian Restaurant on Church Street called Il Bacio. Spaghetti Scoglio, a seafood pasta dish from Sardinia was what i usually ordered. It was a bit messier than this to eat as the seafood was served in its shells, which you can of course do if prefered! This version is from Claudia Roden.

Caponata (6)

A recipe from Calabria in the book ” Italian Regional Cookery” by Valentina Harris 1990.

Pappardelle with Wild Mushrooms and Herbs (2)

Its nearly the season for picking funghi again so here is a new recipe for pasta with wild mushrooms from Rachel Roddy.

Risi e Asparagi (2)

Aubergine Parmigiana (4-6)

This dish from Northern Italy can be served as a vegetarian main course or as a side dish to accompany roasted meat or fish. This is Jamie Oliver’s version from “Jamie’s Italy” published in 2005. I particularly like it because the aubergine is griddled rather than fried resulting in a less greasy dish than some versions. I like to serve it with some oven chips.

Spinach Pudding (4)

Another favourite way with spinach.

Penne with Four Cheeses (4)

Another recipe from ” The Vegetarian Epicure ” by Anna Thomas (1972)

Spaghetti Vesuvius (2)

A recipe for spaghetti with mozzarella cheese. Its worth investing in a good buffalo mozzarella for this one- its a simple recipe but the quality of the ingredients counts. You want a good sized ball of cheese about 125-150g. Ive adapted it from ” The Top 100 Pasta Sauces” by Diana Seed 1987

Pappardelle with Mixed Wild Mushrooms (2)

Over the past few weeks my local greengrocer Pawsons in Bishopston has on several occasions offered wild and/ or exotic mushrooms at a very reasonable price, leading me to purchase them at least once a week while in season. These have included Blewits, Ceps, Chanterelles, Pieds de Moutons and Trompettes de Mort . This is a recipe I keep returning to, from Jamie Olivers first book ” The Naked Chef” published in 1999. I have adapted it here for two people. Simple but delicious.

Penne with Courgettes and Mint (4)

This is a recipe for courgettes from ” River Cafe Cook Book Easy” by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers (2003)

Penne with Ricotta and Tomato Sauce (2)

This is my version of a recipe published in ” The Geometry of Pasta” by Jacob Kenedy. Simple but delicious. I have used Penne but other short pasta could be used.

Polenta with Purple Sprouting Broccoli (2)

I love Purple Sprouting Broccoli especially at this time of year when it is so tender it can be eaten raw if freshly picked. My supplier of choice is Sarah Green’s Organics who has a stall every fortnight at my former local farmers market in Stoke Newington. You can of course use different greens- kale would be a good alternative.

You can add more cream, butter or hot water to the polenta if preferred to make a soupier mix.

Orecchiette with Cherry Tomatoes (2)

For this recipe you need to use ripe cherry tomatoes- preferably home grown or from a farmers market. Use a variety of colours if available. If you like you can add 3-4 drained and finely sliced anchovy fillets to the tomatoes.