Warning: a lot of this recipe is guesswork/tasting so make sure you check you’re happy with amounts

Serves 2 people

Ingredients

• 2x sausages per person so 4 for this 2 person recipe but you can scale up (I loves using those Jolly Hog sage ones or butcher’s farmhouse)
• 1x medium white onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1x 400g tin of plum or chopped tomatoes (this goes up to 2 tins from 3 people)
• Sprinkle of dried oregano
• Sprinkle of dried chilli flakes (up to you how spicy to make it)
• Half a bunch of fresh basil, chopped
• Salt and pepper for seasoning
• A dash of double cream – maybe 2tbsp
• Optional extras – bit of puree if you want it more tomatoey, or a dash of worcestershire sauce for tang

Method

1. Remove the skin from your sausages and break the meat into small chunks.
2. Slice your onion and chop the garlic
3. Heat a large pot on the hob on a fairly high heat (on an induction hob I’d go for 6. out of 9), once hot add a small splash of oil
4. Add the meat to the pan, breaking it up with a wooden spoon
5. Once the meat is browned all over, use a slotted spoon (keep the fat in the pan) and transfer it to a frying pan on a high heat (7 out of 9) to crisp it up.
6. Turn the heat down to medium on your big empty pot.
7. Add the onion and cook for 5-10 minutes or until soft
8. Add the garlic and cook for a minute until fragrant
9. Add the crispy meat back in along with any fat that cooked from it and give it all a good stir
10. Add the tin of tomatoes, oregano and chilli flakes. You can add the optional bits here as well, but make sure you taste it!
11. Season well with salt and pepper and let it simmer on a low heat (4/5 out of 9) for a good half an hour to develop the flavours
12. Check the flavour in case it needs more salt/pepper.
13. Get your pasta cooking – I like to do this one with rigatoni so the sausage gets inside the tubes
14. When there’s 4-5mins left on the pasta, add your fresh basil and cream to the sauce. Check again for seasoning as cream can sometimes dilute salt flavour.
15. Drain your pasta and chuck it all in the sauce, give it a good mix and serve!

P.S. Goes great with a nice garlic bread to dip 🙂

Serves 2 people

Ingredients

• 180g dry spaghetti
• 2 tbsp ‘nduja
• 3x garlic cloves (whole)
• 3x egg yolks
• 40g parmesan (plus some for serving)
• 1/2 tsp white truffle oil
• Salt and pepper

Method

• Bring a large saucepan of salted water
• Cook the spaghetti until al dente
• While the spaghetti is cooking, heat a large frying pan on a medium-high heat and add the ‘nduja and break it up for a few minutes.
• Add the garlic to the pan and stir for a few minutes while the pasta cooks
• Mix the egg yolks, parmesan, truffle oil and seasoning in a small bowl
• Drain the pasta and retain the water
• Add a splash of the water to the frying pan and turn the heat down to low-medium
• Add the spaghetti and stir
• Stir in the egg mixture smoothly so it doesn’t scramble 🙂 and add more water to loosen the sauce
• Serve with parmesan on top

Serves 4 

Ingredients

• 500g pumpkin or butternut squash, cut into wedges
• 100-150g smoked pancetta, cubed or chopped
• 2 large shallots or a medium onion, finely sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 10-15 sage leaves, chopped
• 150ml white wine
• 350g risotto rice
• 1l vegetable stock
• 50g parmesan

Method

• Preheat your oven to 200C / 180 Fan
• Place the pumpkin wedges on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper
• Roast in the oven until golden (roughly 20mins)
• Meanwhile, add the pancetta to a cold, wide based pan and put on a medium heat on the hob
• When the fat has rendered out and the pancetta is crispy, transfer it to a bowl and set aside. Keep the fat on the heat.
• Add the shallots and cook for a few minutes until soft and turning brown
• Simmer the stock slowly in a saucepan so it’s ready to use
• Add the garlic and saage to the shallots and cook for a minute until fragrant
• Add the rice and stir well so it’s all coated
• Add the wine and cook until it’s mostly gone
• Add the stock one ladle at a time, constantly stirring the rice so it doesn’t stick
• Take the pumpkin out of the oven when it’s done and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Mash it up and set aside.
• Keep adding the stock and stirring until the rice is cooked with a bit of bite left to it. You can add more stock or water as needed.
• Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the pumpkin, pancetta and parmesan. Add a generous amount of fresh ground black pepper and taste for salt.
• Serve with extra parmesan on top, and if you’re feeling adventurous, some fried crispy sage.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 250-300g giuanciale or smoked bacon lardons
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1tsp ground black pepper
• 150-180g spaghetti
• 4 egg yolks
• 20g parmesan + some for serving

Method

• Add the bacon to a large cold frying pan and then put it on a medium-high heat to render out the fat
• Boil your water and add the spaghetti, cook al dente (don’t remove it from the water, you’ll use it straight away!)
• Bash the garlic clove to break it open and add to the hot pan with the bacon, stirring occasionally
• Add the black pepper
• In the mean time, whisk the egg yolks in a bowl with 20g of parmesan and add a splash of cold water to loosen it up
• The bacon should be dark and crispy when the pasta is done.
• Scoop the spaghetti straight from the water into the pan and transfer splashes of water to stop the frying process.
• When it’s gone quiet, remove from the heat and toss in the egg mixture – be quick so it doesn’t scramble on the bottom of the pan
• Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan on top

Serves 4

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 500g beef or pork mince (or a mix)
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 egg
• 75g breadcrumbs

Sauce

• 1 medium onion, finely sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or put through a press
• Bunch of fresh basil – pick all the big leaves and leave a few small ones for garnish
• Half a red chilli, finely chopped
• 2x 400g tins of plum tomatoes
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Method

• Mix all of the meatball ingredients in a blender or scrunch by hand
• Make golf ball sized meatballs and set aside
• Add a large wide frying pan to the hob on a medium heat
• Cook the onion for 5-7mins until golden and soft
• Add the garlic and chill, and as soon as they pick up a bit of colour, add the big basil leaves
• Add the tomatoes and break them up with a wooden spoon
• Add the balsamic vinegar
• Season to taste
• Bring to the boil and let simmer until needed
• In a new pan, fry off the meatballs until browned on all sides, and then add them to simmer in the sauce until cooked through (min 15mins).
• Cook your preferred pasta and serve with mini basil on top

Serves 4. Great with garlic bread on the side.

Ingredients

• 350g macaroni pasta
• 2tbsp butter
• 1 garlic clove
• 1tsp English mustard
• 3tbsp plain flour
• 500ml milk
• 250g mature cheddar
• 50g parmesan

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180C
• Boil the pasta for 2mins less than the cooking time, and drain
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan (slightly bigger than the pan to fit the pasta)
• Add the garlic and mustard, and cook for 1 minute
• Stir in the plain flour
• Cook for 1 more minute, then slowly add the milk, whisking the whole time
• Simmer for 5 minutes, whisking the whole time until the sauce thickens
• Take it off the heat and stir in most of the cheddar, and half of the parmesan
• Taste and season the sauce
• Stir in the pasta and tip into an ovenproof dish
• Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and bake for 20mins or until golden on top