Gnocchi with mushrooms & sage

For ➍

2 ts ground black pepper 

olive oil 

1-2 tbs white balsamio vinegar 

300 g mixed mushrooms, torn into large pieces 

15 sage leaves 

sea salt 

250 g gnocchi 

100 g Parmigiano, finely grated 

50 g Pecorino, finely grated 

Toast the peppercorns in a large, hot, dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant. Then crush them coarsely in a mortar and set aside. Place the skillet back on the heat and heat a deep layer of olive oil in the skillet. Add the sage leaves and fry for 1 m, until nice and crispy. 

Remove the sage leaves from the pan and add the mushrooms. Fry them for about 5-10 m. Season with salt. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi and cook them for 2-3 m until they float to the surface. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and reserve 10 cl of the cooking water. 

Add the roasted ground peppercorns to the mushrooms. Add the white balsamico vinegar. Also add (part of) the pasta water and let simmer for 2 m, until the liquid has reduced by half. 

Add the drained gnocchi to the pan and toss them in the sauce. Also add the cheeses immediately and mix until the sauce is smooth. Divide the mushroom gnocchi among the plates and finally sprinkle with extra cheese. Serve the mushroom gnocchi with a salad. 

♥︎Roasted pumpkin & fregola

For ➋

2 small round pumpkins* (Hokkaido type) or 1 large one (approximately 1 kg unpeeled weight)

3 white onions

200 g pearl couscous*** or fregola Sarda

100 g Parmigiano

20 sage leaves

olive oil

lemon juice

salt & pepper

chili flakes (optional)***

Preheat the oven to 210°C. Meanwhile, cut the pumpkin(s) into wedges about 2 cm wide, after scooping out the seeds. You don't need to peel the pumpkin; roasting softens the skin, making it perfect to eat.

Toss the pumpkin wedges with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Peel the onions and cut them into six wedges. Toss the onions with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast the onion and pumpkin in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until the pieces are tender and browned at the edges. Place the pumpkin pieces far enough apart in the oven so they roast well (and don't steam through). Keep the onions separate: they can go on the same baking sheet, but don't mix them with the pumpkin; we'll use them separately later.

For the pasta sauce, blend half the roasted pumpkin with 65 g grated Parmigiano. You can do this with an immersion blender or a food processor. Deglaze the empty pumpkin baking sheet with a splash of water and scrape up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Add this juice to the sauce, along with a squeeze of lemon juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Set the other half of the roasted pumpkin pieces aside.

Simmer the pearl couscous in salted water for about 8 minutes, until tender. Taste regularly (and reserve a cup of the cooking liquid when draining the pearl couscous). Meanwhile, heat a generous amount of olive oil in a large pan. Sauté the sage leaves over medium heat (not too hot, otherwise the leaves will brown and become bitter). Turn them over and season with salt. Remove them from the pan and place them on a paper towel to drain and cool.

Mix the pearl couscous into the pumpkin sauce. Add a little more cooking liquid, if necessary, to loosen the sauce. Serve with the remaining roasted pumpkin and the onion on top, and garnish with the sage leaves and the remaining Parmigiano cheese.***

*Don't use butternut squash for this dish; that silky squash is delicious in soups or stews. But for roasting, I prefer a firm, round squash. It holds its shape better and roasts beautifully brown.

**Other small pasta such as shells, spiralized or short macaroni, or nutty whole wheat pasta.

***the sweet, mild flavors of pumpkin and onion are enhanced by a bit of heat. A generous pinch of mild chili flakes (like Aleppo flakes) is also delicious.

Fregola Sarda alla vongele (fregola with clams)

For ➋

200 g fregola Sarda

500 g vongele clams

3 cloves of garlic, pressed or chopped

1 sweet onion, finely chopped

2 stalks of celery, finely chopped

15 cl white wine

100 g Parmigiano

2 tbs mascarpone

zest of 1 lemon

handful of parsley, finely chopped

salt & pepper

olive oil

Fry the onion and garlic in a dash of olive oil over medium heat until they start to colour. Add the celery and let it stew a little. Rinse the clams well under cold water and let them drain. Add them to the pan and deglaze with the white wine. Let them cook for 3-4 m with the lid on until the clams open. Remove them with a slotted spoon, so that the cooking liquid remains in the pan. 

In the meantime, cook the fregola as indicated on the packaging (probably 10 m). 

Let the clam juice in the pan simmer for another 2-3 m for extra flavour. 

Add the cooked fregola to the pan with the reduced clam juice. Stir in the mascarpone, salt and pepper, chopped parsley and grated Parmigiano. Add the clams (either shelled or with shells). Finish with some extra pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and some more parsley.

♥︎Spicy Moroccan carrots

For ➍-➏
500 g carrots

marinade:

juice of ½ lemon (2 tbs)

3 large garlic cloves

¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

¼ cup fresh coriander, finely chopped

4 tb olive oil

1 ts honey

1 ts sweet paprika

½ ts hot paprika

½ ts ground cumin

½ ts salt

Peel carrots. Cut into 1.5cm slices. Cover with hot salted water. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 15m. Drain and steam.

Crush garlic with salt to a paste. Thoroughly mix all marinade ingredients in a bowl.

Add warm carrots to marinade. Toss gently to coat

Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 h, stirring occasionally.

♥︎Spanakorizo ​​(Greek spinach rice).

For ➋

400 g spinach leaves (wild spinach)

150 g onions

20 g dill

4 tbs olive oil

120 g carnaroli rice

5 cl dry white wine

25 cl water

1 lemon

salt & freshly ground black pepper

Check the spinach, wash it several times in plenty of water, drain and chop coarsely. Peel the onions and chop them finely. Remove the dill from the stems, set some tops aside and chop the rest finely.

Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium to high heat. Fry the onions until translucent; stir regularly.

Add the rice and fry briefly. Deglaze with the wine. Reduce the wine almost completely.

Add the chopped spinach and let it shrink. Add 25 cl of water, add some salt and let it simmer without a lid for about 15 m (depending on the type of rice) over low heat, until the rice is al dente; stir occasionally.

The rice should be cooked, but not falling apart. 

Stir in the dill. Season with the finely grated zest of ½ lemon, 1-1½ tbs lemon juice, 1-2 tbs olive oil and black pepper. The rice should taste fresh and lemony.

Divide the spinach rice over two deep plates. If desired, drizzle some olive oil over it and grate over the zest of a few lemon wedges. Sprinkle the dill tops over it.

Poached sole fillets with spinach puree & saffron

For ➍

12 sole fillets

500 g potatoes

350 g spinach

butter*

5 dl fish stock

1 dl cream**

saffron

pepper & salt

for the garnish:

thyme

spring onion

Cook potatoes in salted water, drain and crush.

Stew spinach. Mix into the mashed potatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

Poach the rolled sole rolls in 4 dl fish stock.

Reduce the remaining 1 dl fish stock with 1 dl cream* and a pinch of saffron. Season with salt and pepper.

Decorate with tufts of thyme and spring onion.

*Replace with olive oil

**Replace with oat cream.