Angelhair noodles with chicken broth, lemon and chives
A simple chicken broth to restore andrevive.
Serves 4
groundnut oil 1 tbsp
chicken wings 600g, about 8
lemon 1
angelhair noodles 100g
chives 15g
Warm the oil in a large deep pot. Add the chicken wings and brown lightly on both sides. Halve the lemon, addhalf to the pan till the cut side of the lemon colours, then cover the chicken with 1.5 litres of water. Bring to the boil, skim and discard any froth that appears on the surface. Continue to simmer for 45 minutes. Skim once again thoroughly. Season with salt and, generously, with blackpepper.
Drop the angelhair noodles into the pan with the chicken, push it down intothe liquid then add the whole chives and cover with a lid. Switch offthe heat and leave for 4 or 5 minutes. Divide the chicken wings between four shallow bowls, add some of thenoodles and chives then ladle over the broth. Squeeze in the juice from the remaining lemon half and serve at once.
Udon noodles, salmon and prawns
A straightforward, tasty stir fry of seafood and noodles.
Serves 4
udon noodles 200g
salmon fillet 450g
small red chilli 1
groundnut oil 1 tbsp
large prawns 250g, peeled
dark soy sauce 1 tbsp
Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce 1 tbsp
chives 2 tbsp, chopped
coriander leaves a handful
Bring a large pan of water to the boil.Salt the water generously, add theudon and boil for 6 minutes. (Ignore the packet instructions, because the noodles will get a bit morecooking later). Drain and cool under running water.
Cut the salmon fillet into finger-thick strips. Finely slice the red chilli but leave the seeds in. You want a little heat in this dish. Put a large wok over a very hot flame, leave for a second or two, pour in the groundnut oil, swirl itround, then add the salmon strips and the prawns. Add the finely sliced chilli. Drop in the partially cooked noodles, continue to stir and fry. Thesalmon may break up a bit, but nomatter
Add the dark soy, fish sauce, chopped chives and torn coriander, sizzle briefly, and serve.
Orzo with courgettes and grana padano
The chubby rice-shaped orzo is my favourite of all the pasta and noodle family. Here, the grains are held together with grated cheese. I have used the mild and nutty grana padano, but parmesan is fine if you can't find it.
Serves 4
orzo 300g
pancetta 150g in the piece
onion 1 large
olive oil 2 tbsp
white wine 250ml
courgettes 4 medium
grana padano or parmesan 100g, grated
Bring a deep pan of water to the boil, salt generously then add the orzo and boil for 9 minutes or until the pasta is approaching softness. It should retain acertain bite. Drain.
Cut the pancetta into large dice. Peel and chop the onion then fry with the pancetta in 2 tbsp olive oil in a shallow, heavy-based pan over a moderate heat. Stir regularly for 15 minutes or till the onion is soft, translucent and the fat on the pancetta is pale amber.
Pour in the wine, turn up the heat slightly, then bubble till reduced by ahalf. Slice the courgettes lengthways, and then into thick slices and add to the pan. Season with salt and black pepper, and continue cooking for 8-10 minutes. Stir in the drained orzo and grana padano or parmesan. The cheese should melt slightly, bringing the whole dish together.
Asparagus lasagne
A rich dish for part of a light lunch. There is plenty of sauce, so some goodbread will be welcome here to mop it up.
Serves 2
dried lasagne sheets 4 approximately 14x11cm
olive oil or melted butter a little
asparagus 12 spears
béchamel sauce 500ml
grated parmesan 50g
Set the oven at 180C/gas mark 4. Cook the lasagne sheets in plenty of boiling water for 5 minutes, drain and brush with a little olive oil or melted butter and set aside. Place a sheet of lasagne on the work surface, put three asparagus spears on to it, then roll up loosely. Continue with the others, placing them snugly in a baking dish as you go. Pour over the béchamel sauce, nicely seasoned.
Bake for 30 minutes then add the grated parmesan and return to the oven for 10 minutes, till the sauce is bubbling and the parmesan is lightly coloured.
Lamb with marsala and parsley pappardelle
Ask your butcher for leg of lamb steakswith the bone in. If you have no luck, then use a thick chump chop,bone in.
Serves 4
olive oil 2 tbsp
leg of lamb steaks 4, bone in (about 1kg total)
onion 1 large
celery 2 ribs
carrots 2, large
marsala 250ml
pappardelle 250g
parsley 4 tbsp, finely chopped
butter 50g
Heat the oil in a large shallow pan, then brown the four leg of lamb steaks on both sides and remove to aplate.
Chop the onion, celery and carrots into (roughly) 1cm cubes, then add to the pan in which you browned the meat, letting them cook over a moderate heat for at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally till they are approaching softness and are nicely coloured.
Return the lamb to the pan, add the marsala, season and bring to the boil, then lower the heat and continue cooking for 30-40 minutes, over a moderate heat, till the lamb is tender.
Cook the pappardelle in plenty of generously salted water till al dente. Drain. Remove the lamb and vegetables from pan, dividing them between four warm plates, then add the drained pasta and parsley to the lamb cooking pan with the butter and a grinding of black pepper. Let the pasta warm through in the butter and pan juices, then serve with the lamb.
