It has been a great few weeks filming my Ulster Food Tour series, and I want to thank all of the team. It was a lot of work and a lot of fun.
We finished up filming back home in Blacklion. Since we built it a few years ago, our outdoor area has proved very popular with customers, but I had never filmed there.
This time, we used it to film several recipes and it worked really well with both the restaurant and the cookery school kitchens very close by (it also helped that the weather was perfect).
This week, I have two lovely pasta-based meals that are ideal for midweek, particularly as the evenings are getting that bit cooler.
It is amazing to see how the range of pastas in our shops has grown over the years. It comes in all shapes and sizes. Some have eggs in the recipe and others don’t.
The bronze-dyed technique, where the pasta goes though metal plates, provides a variety of shapes and makes a more porous noodle – an ideal surface for catching the sauce. I notice that even the Italians are only using fresh pasta once a week now, as it is more expensive.
Just like pasta, there are also so many different chorizos to choose from, with a range of flavours and textures available. A favourite of mine comes from Corndale Farm in Northern Ireland, where it is made from their own free-range Saddleback pigs.
Something else to try is nduja, which is a spicy spreadable sausage that I love on pizza.
This chicken, rocket and pine nut pasta has been my go-to recipe for years. You can make the sauce in the same time it takes for the pasta to cook. The key is to have the pine nuts toasted and crunchy. I sometimes make this with the leftovers from a roast chicken dinner.
Not everyone likes mustard, so it is not essential; feel free to leave it out if it’s not to your taste.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Chorizo and spinach pasta
Ingredients: Serves 6
450g chorizo sausage, cut into 2.5cm pieces on the diagonal
2 onions, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh basil, shredded
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
1 tsp light brown sugar
500g penne pasta
100g baby spinach leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan, to serve
Method
1 Heat a sauté pan on medium high, then tip in the chorizo sausage pieces and cook for two minutes, tossing the pan occasionally to ensure they cook evenly.
2 Add the onions and garlic and cook for another five minutes, until the onions are golden, stirring occasionally.
3 Stir in the chilli and basil and cook for one minute. Pour in the tomatoes, add the sugar and season to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, until slightly reduced and thickened, stirring occasionally.
4 Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water for 8–10 minutes or according to the packet instructions, until al dente (tender but still firm to the bite). Drain well and return to the pan.
5 Stir in the chorizo sauce with the spinach and mix well to combine. It may seem like a lot of spinach but the heat of the pasta and sauce should cook it instantly and it will wilt down.
6 Divide the chorizo and spinach pasta among warmed bowls and scatter over the freshly grated Parmesan, then add a good grinding of black pepper to serve.
Chicken, rocket and pine nut pasta
Neven's chicken, rocket and pine nut pasta \ Philip Doyle
Ingredients: Serves 4-6
450g penne pasta
6 tbsp pine nuts
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
4 large boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets, sliced
lengthways into thin strips (about 450g)
4 tbsp crème fraîche
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
100g rocket or watercress, tough stalks removed
4 tsp chilli oil (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan shavings, to garnish
Method
1 Plunge the penne into a large pan of boiling salted water and cook for 8–10 minutes or according to the packet instructions, until al dente (tender but firm to the bite).
2 Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and add the pine nuts. Cook for a few minutes, until lightly toasted, tossing occasionally to prevent them from burning. Tip into a bowl and set aside.
3 Add one tablespoon of the oil to the frying pan and
sauté the onion, garlic and thyme for 2–3 minutes, until softened and just beginning to colour. Tip into a bowl and set side.
4 Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the frying pan, then add the chicken strips. Cook for 2–3 minutes and season lightly, then turn over and cook for another 2–3 minutes, until cooked through and lightly golden.
5 Return the onion mixture to the frying pan, stirring until well combined. Stir in the crème fraîche and mustard, then bring to a gentle simmer but do not allow the mixture to boil.
6 Drain the pasta and return it to the pan. Pour in the creamy chicken mixture and add the rocket or watercress. Toss lightly together to combine and season to taste.
7 Divide among warmed bowls and sprinkle over the toasted pine nuts. Drizzle over the chilli oil, if using, and garnish with the Parmesan shavings to serve.
Read more
Neven Maguire: pack a punch with lunch
Neven Maguire: beef up your Friday fakeaways
It has been a great few weeks filming my Ulster Food Tour series, and I want to thank all of the team. It was a lot of work and a lot of fun.
We finished up filming back home in Blacklion. Since we built it a few years ago, our outdoor area has proved very popular with customers, but I had never filmed there.
This time, we used it to film several recipes and it worked really well with both the restaurant and the cookery school kitchens very close by (it also helped that the weather was perfect).
This week, I have two lovely pasta-based meals that are ideal for midweek, particularly as the evenings are getting that bit cooler.
It is amazing to see how the range of pastas in our shops has grown over the years. It comes in all shapes and sizes. Some have eggs in the recipe and others don’t.
The bronze-dyed technique, where the pasta goes though metal plates, provides a variety of shapes and makes a more porous noodle – an ideal surface for catching the sauce. I notice that even the Italians are only using fresh pasta once a week now, as it is more expensive.
Just like pasta, there are also so many different chorizos to choose from, with a range of flavours and textures available. A favourite of mine comes from Corndale Farm in Northern Ireland, where it is made from their own free-range Saddleback pigs.
Something else to try is nduja, which is a spicy spreadable sausage that I love on pizza.
This chicken, rocket and pine nut pasta has been my go-to recipe for years. You can make the sauce in the same time it takes for the pasta to cook. The key is to have the pine nuts toasted and crunchy. I sometimes make this with the leftovers from a roast chicken dinner.
Not everyone likes mustard, so it is not essential; feel free to leave it out if it’s not to your taste.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Chorizo and spinach pasta
Ingredients: Serves 6
450g chorizo sausage, cut into 2.5cm pieces on the diagonal
2 onions, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh basil, shredded
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
1 tsp light brown sugar
500g penne pasta
100g baby spinach leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan, to serve
Method
1 Heat a sauté pan on medium high, then tip in the chorizo sausage pieces and cook for two minutes, tossing the pan occasionally to ensure they cook evenly.
2 Add the onions and garlic and cook for another five minutes, until the onions are golden, stirring occasionally.
3 Stir in the chilli and basil and cook for one minute. Pour in the tomatoes, add the sugar and season to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, until slightly reduced and thickened, stirring occasionally.
4 Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water for 8–10 minutes or according to the packet instructions, until al dente (tender but still firm to the bite). Drain well and return to the pan.
5 Stir in the chorizo sauce with the spinach and mix well to combine. It may seem like a lot of spinach but the heat of the pasta and sauce should cook it instantly and it will wilt down.
6 Divide the chorizo and spinach pasta among warmed bowls and scatter over the freshly grated Parmesan, then add a good grinding of black pepper to serve.
Chicken, rocket and pine nut pasta
Neven's chicken, rocket and pine nut pasta \ Philip Doyle
Ingredients: Serves 4-6
450g penne pasta
6 tbsp pine nuts
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
4 large boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets, sliced
lengthways into thin strips (about 450g)
4 tbsp crème fraîche
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
100g rocket or watercress, tough stalks removed
4 tsp chilli oil (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan shavings, to garnish
Method
1 Plunge the penne into a large pan of boiling salted water and cook for 8–10 minutes or according to the packet instructions, until al dente (tender but firm to the bite).
2 Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and add the pine nuts. Cook for a few minutes, until lightly toasted, tossing occasionally to prevent them from burning. Tip into a bowl and set aside.
3 Add one tablespoon of the oil to the frying pan and
sauté the onion, garlic and thyme for 2–3 minutes, until softened and just beginning to colour. Tip into a bowl and set side.
4 Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the frying pan, then add the chicken strips. Cook for 2–3 minutes and season lightly, then turn over and cook for another 2–3 minutes, until cooked through and lightly golden.
5 Return the onion mixture to the frying pan, stirring until well combined. Stir in the crème fraîche and mustard, then bring to a gentle simmer but do not allow the mixture to boil.
6 Drain the pasta and return it to the pan. Pour in the creamy chicken mixture and add the rocket or watercress. Toss lightly together to combine and season to taste.
7 Divide among warmed bowls and sprinkle over the toasted pine nuts. Drizzle over the chilli oil, if using, and garnish with the Parmesan shavings to serve.
Read more
Neven Maguire: pack a punch with lunch
Neven Maguire: beef up your Friday fakeaways
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