Ingredients

CupsMetric

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves , minced
• 1 onion , finely chopped
• 500g / 1 lb beef mince (ground beef) , I use lean
• 700g / 24.5 oz tomato passata (tomato puree) (Note 1)
• 3 cups beef broth (or stock cubes + water, Note 2)
• 2 tsp Italian mixed herbs (options, see Note 3)
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp chilli flakes (red pepper flakes) , adjust to taste
• 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3/4 tsp each salt and pepper
• 350g / 12 oz spaghetti , uncooked (other pasta – Note 4)

Instructions

• Saute onion & garlic: Heat oil in a large pot over high heat. Cook garlic and onion for 2 minutes until translucent.
• Cook beef: Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go.
• Add tomato: Once beef has all changed from red to brown, add tomato passata.
• Rinse out bottle: Pour some beef stock into the empty bottle, shake, then pour into the pot.
• Add everything else: Add remaining beef stock and all remaining ingredients except spaghetti. Give it a good stir, then let it come up to the boil.
• Add spaghetti: Add pasta, fanning it out around the pot. Leave for 30 seconds to start softening, then start pushing it in under the liquid.
• Cook pasta: Once fully submerged, cook for 12 minutes, stirring every minute or so, and more towards the end. At about the 8 minute mark, lower the heat to medium otherwise the base might catch (but ensure it is still bubbling gently – you don’t want pasta just bloating in warm water).
• Remove from stove, toss well: Take it off the stove once the pasta is JUST cooked, the tiniest bit firmer than you want, and when still saucy. Toss it for about 30 seconds or so – the sauce will reduce further, the pasta will finish cooking.
• Serve immediately, garnished with parmesan.

Ingredients

• 8 oz / 250g fettuccine , or other long strand pasta of choice
• 30 g / 2 tbsp butter , separated
• 300 g / 10 oz small peeled prawns / shrimp, raw (Note 1)
• 3 garlic cloves , minced
• 1/4 cup / 65 ml dry white wine (Note 2 for sub)
• 1 cup / 250 ml heavy / thickened cream (Note 3)
• 1/2 cup / 125 ml chicken broth (or fish or vegetable broth), preferably low sodium
• 3/4 cup / 50 g finely grated parmesan cheese (1.5 oz) (freshly grated) (Note 4)
• 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• Black pepper
• Parmesan , for serving

Instructions

• Bring to boil a large pot of water. Add pasta and cook per packet MINUS 1 minute. (Note 5).
• Just before draining, scoop out 1 cup of pasta cooking water and set aside. Drain pasta.
• Meanwhile, melt 1 tbsp of butter in a large non stick skillet over medium high heat. Add prawns and cook for 1 1/2 minutes on each side until just cooked through. Remove prawns.
• In the same skillet, add 1 tbsp butter. Once melted, add garlic. Stir for 20 seconds until fragrant.
• Add wine and stir. Simmer for 2 minutes until wine mostly reduces (see video).
• Add cream, broth and parmesan. Stir until the parmesan is melted, then leave to simmer for 1 1/2 minutes until it thickens slightly (will thicken more in next step).
• Add prawns, stir, then add pasta plus about 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water. Toss pasta (still on stove) and the sauce will thicken in about 30 – 45 seconds and start clinging to the pasta.
• Take it off the stove before the sauce is as thick as you want – it will thicken more.
• Sprinkle with most of the parsley and black pepper, check salt (I don’t need more). Toss again until the sauce consistency is to your taste. Add a tiny splash of pasta water if it gets too gluggy.
• Serve immediately, garnished with remaining parsley and parmesan if desired.

Ingredients

• 160g/ 6oz fettuccine or linguine (Note 1)
• 2 tbsp (30g) unsalted butter
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil (Note 2)
• 300g/ 10 oz mushrooms , sliced 1/3 cm / 1/8″ thick (white, cremini/swiss brown)
• 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) white wine , dry (or rose, sub more broth)
• 1/2 cup (125ml) chicken broth/stock , low sodium (or veg)
• 3/4 cup (185ml) cream , heavy / thickened (Note 3)
• 1/3 cup (30g) parmesan , finely grated (Note 4)
• 1/2 tsp salt and pepper , each

Instructions

• Cook pasta in salted water for 1 minute less than time per packet (start this mid mushroom cook). Just before draining, scoop out 1 cup cooking water, then drain.
• Melt butter and heat oil in a large skillet over high heat.
• Add mushrooms and cook, stirring regularly. When they start to sweat, add a pinch of salt and pepper.
• When pretty golden (about 4 – 5 minutes), add garlic and cook until garlic is golden and mushroom is golden.
• Stand back and add wine (it will be steamy!!), stir, scraping the bottom of the skillet. Simmer rapidly until wine is mostly evaporated and winey smell is gone.
• Add broth, cream, parmesan, salt and pepper. Stir to dissolve parmesan and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring regularly.
• Transfer pasta into sauce, toss for 1 – 2 minutes until sauce thickens and coats pasta. If sauce gets too thick (rather than slick, see video), add a splash of reserved pasta cooking water.
• Garnish with parsley and serve immediately with extra parmesan!

Ingredients

CupsMetric

CHOOSE pasta

• 200g / 7 oz short pasta like orecchiette, penne, macaroni (Note 1)
• 160g/6 oz long pasta – spaghetti, fettucine (Note 1)

Garlic Butter Mushrooms for pasta

• 400g / 14 oz mushrooms , sliced 1/2 cm / 1/5″ thick (Note 2)
• 50g / 3 tbsp unsalted butter , separated
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
• 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (or 1/4 cup store bought grated)

Instructions

Pasta

• Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta into the pot when you start cooking the mushrooms.
• Cook pasta per packet instructions minus 1 minute. RESERVE 1 mugful of pasta cooking liquid, then drain pasta.

Mushrooms

• Melt half butter and all oil in a large skillet over heat.
• Add mushrooms and cook until water has leeched then evaporated, and the mushrooms start to turn golden around edges – around 5 minutes.
• Halfway through cooking, add salt & pepper.
• Add garlic and remaining butter, cook for 2 minutes until mushrooms and garlic are golden.
• Add pasta, about 3/4 cup of reserved pasta water and parmesan. Toss gently or until water reduces and thickens into a saucy glaze that coats the pasta. If the pasta dries out, add more pasta water.
• Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
• Remove from stove and serve immediately, garnished with fresh parsley and parmesan cheese.

Ingredients

• 300g/10 oz spaghetti
• 2 tbsp / 30g unsalted butter
• 3 garlic cloves , minced
• ½ onion , finely chopped
• 1 cup / 250 ml tomato passata / tomato puree (Note 1)
• 3/4 cup / 185 ml heavy / thickened cream (Note 2 for subs)
• 1/2 cup / 125 ml milk , low fat
• 3/4 cup / 30g parmesan , finely freshly grated (Note 3)
• 1 tsp dried basil, or other herb of choice
• 1 tsp chicken or vegetable stock powder , or 1 bouillon cube, crumbled (Note 4)
• Finely ground pepper + salt

Instructions

• Cook pasta in a big pot of boiling water for time per packet MINUS 2 minutes. Just before draining, scoop out a mugful of pasta cooking water.
• Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, cook until translucent – about 2 minutes.
• Add remaining ingredients. Stir until parmesan is melted. Turn heat up slightly and simmer for 2 minutes. Adjust salt to taste.
• Add pasta. Toss for 1 to 2 minutes or until sauce thickens and is clinging to pasta instead of swimming on the base of the skillet (video shows this well). Use reserved pasta cooking water if required to thin the sauce out if it gets too thick.
• Serve immediately, garnished with more parmesan and parsley if desired.

Ingredients

• 8 oz / 250g dried fettuccine
• 3 tbsp / 50g unsalted butter
• 1 small shallot (US) / eschallot (Australia), very finely minced (Note 1)
• ½ cup / 125 ml heavy cream (Note 2)
• ¾ cup / 185 ml freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or parmesan (Notes 3 and 4)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Good grind of black pepper
• 6-7 oz / 180 – 200g hot smoked salmon fillet , flaked (Note 5)

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the fettuccine and cook until al dente (still firm but just cooked through). (Note 6)
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a deep fry pan over medium high heat. (Note 7)
• Add the shallots and sauté for 2 minutes or until tender.
• Add the cream and bring to boil. Turn heat down to medium low and simmer for 3 minutes.
• Remove the fry pan from the heat and stir through the Parmigiano Reggiano, salt and pepper until the sauce is smooth.
• TAKE OUT 1/2 cup of pasta water PLUS scoop out an extra mug (extra, just in case). Then drain the pasta in a colander.
• Transfer the pasta and 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water into the fry pan with the sauce. Add salmon. Return the fry pan to the stove over medium heat. Toss very gently to coat the pasta in the sauce and allow the sauce to emulsify (Note 6) for 1 1/2 – 2 minutes, until the sauce coats the pasta – there should be no sauce pooled at the bottom of the skillet. (Note 7)
• Remove from the stove and serve immediately, garnished with extra Parmigiano Reggiano and fresh parsley, if using.