We will eat pasta any time of year, but winter pasta dishes are especially satisfying.
In honour of this great staple of the winter kitchen, a favourite of professional chefs and culinary novices alike, we present three of our favourite hearty pasta dishes to warm you up on cold days.
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
Ingredients
400g-500g dried spaghetti
2 red chillies, de-seeded and cut at a 45° angle
1 large clove of garlic, very thinly sliced
10g parsley, very finely chopped
30g grated Parmesan cheese
45ml olive oil
Method
Get a pot of water on the boil and add some salt (it must taste like the ocean).
It all happens very quickly, so make sure you have all your ingredients ready.
In a frying pan, add 40ml olive oil and the garlic, heat the pan slowly to allow the garlic to toast in the olive oil and become a light golden-brown colour. Add ¾ of your sliced red chillies and fry them off. Add the pasta to the water and boil until al dente. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the frying pan, along with about 20ml of the pasta water, and toss. Add half the Parmesan cheese and ¾ of the chopped parsley, taste, and check to season, adding salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with remaining, chilli, Parmesan cheese, and chopped parsley.
Recipe by chef Bradley Wright.
Fettuccine Napoletana
Serves: 4
Ingredients
500g fresh or dried fettuccine
800g whole peeled tomatoes in tomato juice
3 leeks, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
5 garlic cloves, crushed
2 red chillies, seeded and chopped
3tsp olive oil
3tsp butter
Salt to taste
440g-500g pasta, cooked al dente
Parmesan cheese, grated
Green peppercorns, to taste
Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C. Place the tomatoes, leeks, onion, garlic, and chillies in a large roasting pan, and top with olive oil, butter, and salt. Roast until the tomatoes start to brown around the edges. Stir and roast for a further 10 minutes. Toss with the pasta and sprinkle over the Parmesan and peppercorns.
Recipe by chef Charne Wylie.
Bacon and mushroom penne
Ingredients
400g cooked penne
½ red onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic (made into a paste)
250g mushroom, roughly chopped
250ml cream
100ml white wine
150g bacon, diced
50g grated Parmesan cheese
A handful of chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
Method
Bring a pan up to high heat and add the chopped bacon. Allow the fat to render and the bacon to brown slightly. Next, add the onions and garlic, and sauté until golden.
Once golden, add the mushrooms and cook until most of the moisture is out.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine, and cook until the wine has evaporated.
Turn the heat down to medium and add the cream.
Bring the cream up to a slight rumble, then add the cooked pasta and fold it in.
Add the Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley, and fold in evenly.
Plate and enjo,y while watching a game of cricket on the television.
Recipe by chef Kyle Marshall