There’s a reason Italian food has an entire nation wrapped around its little finger. It’s rich but not fussy, indulgent but efficient. The best dishes? They’re about big flavour, minimum effort – and usually, plenty of cheese.
The Big Mamma group has mastered the art of quick, knockout Italian cooking, and here are five of their best dishes, all ready in under 30 minutes. There’s a fiery arrabbiata, a vodka-soaked disco of a rigatoni and a four-cheese gnocchi that might just make you weep with joy. There’s also a creamy porcini tagliatelle (because mushrooms are king) and a simple, basil-flecked orecchiette that proves sometimes, less really is more.
Tuck a napkin into your collar, crack open the Parmigiano, and let’s get cooking.
Tagliatelle al funghi porcini
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
420g (1lb) fresh pasta (you could even make this yourself)
300g (11oz) ceps or porcini
100g (3½ oz) button mushrooms
50g (1¾ oz) oyster mushrooms
1 garlic clove, crushed
60g (2oz) butter
½ bunch thyme
4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Method:
1. Let’s start by all agreeing that porcini are the best mushrooms in the world. But it is also important to take advantage of Mother Nature’s bounty and try more flavours, whilst being easy on the wallet. So we have no qualms with mixing it up with different types of shrooms. Variety is the spice of life.
2. Roll out the pasta dough to obtain a sheet 3mm (1/10 in) thick (this thickness is vital for texture and soaking up all the sauce). Fold it over 5 times (always in the same direction) then slice it horizontally with a knife in 1cm (1/3 in) strips to obtain tagliatelle. Set aside.
3. Wipe off any dirt from the mushrooms with a damp cloth (don’t wash them under a tap – they hate that!). Cut them into uniform slices. Heat the butter, thyme and garlic clove in a saucepan. Add the mushrooms and brown them over a high heat. Once they are cooked, remove the garlic.
4. Cook the tagliatelle in salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes (no more). Drain and add straight to the saucepan with the mushrooms and mix in the olive oil. Serve in pretty pasta bowls.
A minute to spare? Our chef Albi absolutely adores Parmigiano. Accordingly, he uses it at every stage: in the recipe itself, as a seasoning, and when he plates. We’ll let you decide whether you want to follow his example – you're the boss.
Rigatoni alla vodka
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
500g (1lb 1½ oz) rigatoni
400ml (1 3/4cups) tomato sauce
200ml (generous cup) single cream
20g (¾ oz) butter
1 shallot (not too small), chopped
½ glass vodka
½ bunch chives, chopped (optional)
Salt
Pepper
Method:
1. Cook the rigatoni in a saucepan of salted boiling water until al dente. In another saucepan, brown the shallot in the melted butter.
2. Deglaze the shallot pan with the vodka. Whilst you wait, pour yourself a shot. Cin cin! Add the tomato sauce and cream, and simmer over a low heat for 5 minutes.
3. Roughly drain the pasta (putting aside a little of the cooking water) and add it to the saucepan with the sauce. If the sauce is too thick, you can add half a ladleful of the cooking water. Grind over a little pepper and, if you’re fond of greenery, sprinkle over some chives, too – this is truly a disco recipe!
Gnocchi al four formaggi
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
For the gnocchi:
1kg (2¼ lb) good-quality potatoes
1 egg
350g (2½ cups) bread flour (Type 1 Italian flour)
Salt
For the seasoning:
400g (1¾ cups) Parmigiano fondue
200g (7oz) gorgonzola
100g (3½ oz) fior di latte (or mozzarella)
150g (½ cup) ricotta
150g (5½ oz) Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
Method:
1. The gnocchi: wash the potatoes, with their skins still intact. Put salted cold water in a saucepan, bring it to the boil and then add the potatoes, simmering them until they are ready (do not allow the water to come to the boil while they are cooking, as their skins could split). Drain the potatoes, then peel and mash them till smooth (don’t swear! And avoid using a fork). Add the egg and flour, and knead the resulting dough by hand. Be fast as lightning here, so the potatoes don’t cool down.
2. Roll this dough into sausages about 40cm (16in) long and 2cm in diameter. Use a knife to cut them into gnocchi around 2cm long. Put them in salted boiling water and cook until they rise to the surface. Drain them with a skimmer (if you don’t have one, use a sieve – just get ’em outta the water) and transfer them to a bowl.
3. Now for the pièce de résistance. Add all the cheeses and the Parmigiano fondue to the gnocchi and mix. Transfer this mixture to an ovenproof dish or casserole and put under a medium grill for 15 minutes. Serve the gnocchi on a large plate, or straight from the dish. Enjoy – this dish is an absolute stunner.
A minute to spare? Did you know that forks almost became obsolete after the fall of the Roman Empire? Legend has it that this piece of cutlery is now used practically all over the world only because Italians clung on to it to eat their pasta. You’re welcome.
Orecchiette al pomodoro
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
500g (1lb 1½ oz) orecchiette
450ml (scant 2 cups) fresh tomato sauce (you can also make your own – it will be even better that way)
1 bunch basil
150g (5½ oz) dry ricotta (ricotta salata) (you will find this in an Italian deli – if not, buffalo mozzarella will do, but try the deli first)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Method:
1. Heat the tomato sauce in a saucepan over a low heat. Cook the orecchiette in salted boiling water until they are al dente. Drain them roughly with a slotted spoon and put them into the saucepan with the tomato sauce. The secret is to finish the pasta in the sauce, stirring all the while so it absorbs all the flavour.
2. Remove from the heat, add the basil leaves and a glug of the olive oil. Stir thoroughly and serve on a pretty plate in the middle of the table. At the last moment, grate the lovely ricotta atop. All hail Santa Ricotta
A minute to spare? Empty the dishwasher. If it’s dirty and full, turn it on; it would be a shame to have to put all your washing up in the sink overnight as there’s no room.
Spaghetti all’ arrabbiata
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
500g (1lb 1½ oz) spaghetti (thick dried spaghetti,as these will suck up the sauce)
1 tin of tomatoes
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 fresh chillies, finely chopped
Black olives (optional)
Capers (optional)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Method:
1. Drizzle some olive oil into a saucepan and saut. The finely chopped chillies, tomatoes (or tomato sauce) and garlic clove and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a saucepan of boiling water until perfectly al dente. Drain the spaghetti and add to the pan with the other ingredients. If a little cooking water goes in as well, that’s all to the good. The sauce, the sauce, my kingdom for a sauce!
3. An optional addition that looks great and tastes great: add a few black olives and capers to the sauce – this will give you the levelled up Pokémon version, the puttanesca! Gather your lovers, best friends, foes and family round the table – it’s time to put your differences aside, and get stuck in.
A minute to spare? Put a slice of bread on side plates and a small bowl of extra-virgin olive oil in the middle of the table. It’ll make the ‘foodies’ happy, and will also cool down the flames for any guest who finds the chilli too hot to handle.
Recipes from www.bigmammagroup.com
