Tagliatelle with dill & mushrooms

For ➋ 

25 g dill 

125 g grated Parmigiano 

25 cl whipped cream 

200 g king oyster mushroom* 

150 g brown shimeji or other small mushrooms* 

30 g chanterelles or other wild mushrooms* 

30 g butter 

3 tbs olive oil 

250 g tagliatelle or fettucine 

Chop the dill and Parmigiano into a fine crumb in a blender or food processor. Pour into a pan, add the cream and bring to the boil while stirring until the cheese has melted. Cover the pan, remove from heat and set aside. 

Cut the oyster mushrooms into 3 mm thick pieces. Clean the other mushrooms and remove the feet. Melt the butter in a shallow pan over medium heat. Fry the king oyster mushroom in 3-4 m until done, add the remaining mushrooms and fry for another 3 m. 

Bring a deep pan of water to the boil, add generous salt and cook the pasta al dente. Drain and return to the pan and toss in the cream, herbs and cheese mixture, followed by the fried mushrooms. 

Divide the dish between two plates. 

* Use any kind of mushrooms you have on hand. Chestnut and small white mushrooms are also fine. Divide the dish between two plates.

Tagliatelle frisinsal (Venetian tagliatelle with roasted chicken, fennel & pine nuts)

For ➍-➏
2 fennel bulbs, with fronds attached
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 chicken, neck reserved if possible
3 lemons
2 stalks fresh rosemary
1 ts minced fresh rosemary leaves
40 g golden raisins
50 g pine nuts
2 glasses white wine
40 cl (plus extra) good chicken stock, preferably homemade
500 g tagliatelle or pappardelle
a good handful of flat parsley leaves if your fennel didn't have its fronds attached

Preheat the oven to 220°C.
Remove the fronds from the fennel stalks and reserve.
Trim the stalks from the fennel bulbs and reserve.
Trim the root ends from the fennel bulbs, slice the bulbs in half, slice into thin wedges*
Place the fennel in a good sized, heavy-bottomed roasting tin (stove top safe), along with the chicken neck if they’ve included it with your chicken, and toss with a generous glug of olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper.
Clear an area in the center of the pan for the chicken. Pat dry the chicken with paper towels and use a sharp knife to slice through the thigh and leg meat in 3-4 places on each side. Season the cavity generously with salt and pepper. Quarter one on the lemons and place in the cavity along with the fennel stalks and 2 stalks of rosemary. Rub the skin with olive oil and season with plenty of salt and pepper, being sure to rub some into the cuts you’ve made in the thighs and legs.
Place the pan in the center of the oven. After 15 m, reduce the heat to 180°C. Roast for 1.15 h or until the legs move freely in their joints and the juices run clear.
Meanwhile, boil some water and pour it over the raisins. Allow them to soak for 30 m.**
Place a small sauté pan over very low heat and toast the pine nuts, stirring often.
Lift the chicken from the pan and allow to rest and cool at least 15 m on a plate to catch the juices. Use a slotted spoon to lift the fennel out and reserve in a bowl. Leave the chicken neck in the pan and set it on the stove top.
Add the wine, and turn the heat to high. Allow the wine to reduce by half, using a spoon or metal spatula to help loosen the fond.
Drain the raisins and add along with the minced rosemary, along with any juices that have collected in the plate the chicken is resting on.
Then add 40 cl chicken stock. Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow to reduce by half again. Remove the chicken neck and discard. Check the seasoning with more salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and reserve.
Meanwhile, shred all of the chicken flesh and skin into bite-sized pieces. Be sure not to let any of the juices escape. Add to the juices in the pan.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil and salt generously. Add the pasta to the water and cook until just al dente and then drain.
Heat the chicken sauce in a large pan if it’s cooled. Be careful not to bubble too long and lose too much liquid. You can always top it up with more hot chicken stock if the sauce gets too dry. Meanwhile mince the fennel fronds or parsley.
When the pasta is done, add the juice of 1 lemon to the chicken, check the seasoning one more time with more salt, pepper, or lemon juice if necessary, and add the pasta to the chicken, tossing to combine. Add half the pine nuts and most of the minced herbs. Plate immediately. Garnish with the remaining pine nuts and herbs. Serve immediately.

*Thin enough to caramelize and be tossed with the pasta later.
**Alternatively, braise the chicken on stovetop until done. Remove the chickened use the same for the fennel sauce.
**The sauce can hold up to 3 days. Meat braises tend to develop better flavor overnight.

Baked tiger prawns & green tagliatelle

For ➍
20 tiger prawns
soft spices (paprika & curry)
olive oil
salt & pepper
200 g green tagliatelle
1 dl cream
2 glasses of white wine
1 shallot
2 cloves garlic
fresh parsley

Cut the shallots into brunoise. Add the wine. Boil and reduce to ¼.
Add the cream. Reduce until you got a thick sauce, thicken with a few cubes of cold butter, season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cook the tagliatelle in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and finish with some olive oil.
Bake the tiger shrimp in a pan with olive oil and crushed garlic. Season with salt, pepper and sweet spices. When they are cooked, garnish with chopped parsley.
Serve the tagliatelle with tiger prawns and sauce.

Fettuccine primavera (pasta with spring vegetables)

For ➍
½ small yellow onion
1 large carrot
1 medium celery stalk
4 tbs butter
500 g asparagus
¾ red bell pepper
1½ medium zucchini
20 cl heavy cream
4-5 sprigs flat-leaf Italian parsley
salt & freshly ground black pepper
75 g freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
250 g dried egg fettuccine or tagliatelle

Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel the carrot and cut into 1 cm dice. Wash the celery, trim the top and bottom, and peel the back to remove the tough strings. Cut it into 0.5 cm dice.
Put the butter in a 25 cm skillet and place over medium-high heat. Once the butter begins to melt, add the onion, carrot, and celery and sauté until the vegetables begin to brown, about 5 m.
While the vegetables are sautéing, fill a 25 cm skillet with water and place over high heat. Cut off the white, woody bottom part of the asparagus spears, then peel the remaining bottom third. Add 1 ts  to the boiling water, then gently slide in the asparagus. Cook for 5 to 6 m or until the asparagus is tender, then lift them out and set aside. [Read tip].
Fill a pot for the pasta with about 2 l of water, place over high heat, and bring to a boil.
Wash the zucchini, trim the ends, and cut into 1 cm dice. Peel the pepper, core it and remove the seeds. Cut away any white pith inside the pepper and cut into 2 cm squares.
When the onion, carrot, and celery are ready, add the zucchini and peppers. Season generously with salt and pepper and continue sautéing until the zucchini and peppers are quite tender and lightly browned, about 15 m.
While the zucchini and peppers are cooking, finely chop enough parsley to measure 1½ tablespoons. Cut the cooked asparagus into pieces about 2-2.5 cm long. When the zucchini and peppers are ready, add the asparagus and sauté for about another m. Add the cream and parsley and continue cooking until the cream has thickened and reduced by almost half.
While the cream is reducing, cook the pasta. Add about 2 tbs salt to the boiling pasta water, add the fettuccine, and stir until all the strands are submerged. Cook until al dente.
When the pasta is done, drain it well, toss with the sauce and the freshly grated Parmigiano, and serve at once.

Tagliatelle agli scampi (pasta with shrimps)

For ➍
500 g tagliatelle (or another thin pasta)
20 large (frozen) shrimps
10 tomatoes
4 shallots
2 cloves garlic
5 cl white wine
½ ts harissa
a large handful fresh green herbs (thyme, basil, tarragon, parsley)
olive oil
pepper & salt

Defrost the shrimps.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cut a cross in the top of each tomato. Immerse tomatoes in hot water (count to 15).
Rinse off with cold water. Remove the peel. Cut each tomato into four, remove the seeds and cut the flesh into tiny cubes. Put the chopped tomatoes in a bow.
Chop the peeled shallots very fine.
Crush the garlic to a pulp.
Put a deep pot over medium heat. Heat a dash of olive oil. Add the shallots and garlic in oil a few m. When the shallots turn translucent, add the tomatoes. Stir and let the tomatoes melt for 15 m over medium heat. Add a dash of white wine. Let the sauce simmer for a few m. Add a touch of harissa. Taste the sauce and use a quantity to taste.
Clean the shrimps.
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add a generous pinch of salt and cook the tagliatelle al dente.
Heat a splash of olive oil in a pan. When the oil is very hot, fry the prawns. Add salt and pepper. Fry the shrimp in a few m.
Pick a selection of fresh green herbs. Use either thyme, basil, tarragon, parsley, chervil.
Tear the rinsed herbs into large pieces. Remove the tough stems.
Add the fried prawns in tomato sauce.
Drain the tagliatelle in a bowl and pour over the tomato sauce with prawns. Finally, sprinkle fresh herbs over the dish.
Stir the ingredients. Decorate with a bit of spicy green.

This classic Italian dish might be made with a tiny shredded pepper instead of the arissa, a small glass of brandy added to the sauce and a pinch of sugar. Try some other pasta with prawns recipes: scampi Fra Diavolo, shrimps & Brie linguine, shrimps scampi, cavatelli with prawns, samphire & garlic, pasta with prawns & basil.