Farnese Merlot 2004

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Most of the ingredients for this recipe can be kept in your storecupboard, making it the perfect stand-by dish for unexpected visitors. The Italian word 'puttanesca' means 'lady of the night' – which is why this sauce is a little on the fiery side!

Serves 4

Total time: 30 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins

Ingredients

40ml olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small red chilli, deseeded if wished, finely chopped
75g stoned green olives, sliced
75g stoned black olives, sliced
6 sun-dried tomatoes, sliced into thin strips
2½ tbsp salted capers, rinsed
800g canned chopped tomatoes
400g spaghetti
40g fresh basil leaves, torn
grated Parmesan, to serve

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Fry the garlic and chilli over medium heat for 1 minute.
2. Stir in the olives, sun-dried tomatoes, capers and chopped tomatoes. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until thick. Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste – you shouldn’t need any salt, as the capers and olives are quite salty.
3. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Drain and return to the hot pan. Add the sauce and basil and toss together roughly. Serve sprinkled with the Parmesan.

Variation

For a sauce that really packs a punch, replace the black and green olives with 150g Spanish green olives stuffed with anchovies.

Top tip

Use good-quality dried pasta made with plenty of eggs to complement the richness of the sauce.

Perfect partner

Domaine Pardon Vieilles Vignes 2007 - Keep some of this Beaujolais handy, as it's a heady combination when paired with pasta puttanesca.

Rocket and Ricotta Spaghetti

This elegant supper dish has to be the ultimate in fast food. Blend together creamy ricotta, basil and rocket for an almost-instant sauce.

Serves 4

Total time: 25 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients

200g rocket
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
60g fresh basil leaves
200g ricotta cheese
400g spaghetti
100g grated Parmesan cheese

1. Roughly chop half the rocket. In a frying pan, heat 2 tbsp oil. Fry the garlic and chilli for 1 minute.
2. Add the basil and chopped rocket. Toss together and cook for 2–3 minutes, or until wilted. Transfer to a food processor along with the ricotta, remaining oil and half the remaining rocket. Process to combine and season well.
3. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water according to packet instructions. Drain well, add the sauce, remaining rocket and half the Parmesan and toss well. Serve at once, topped with the remaining Parmesan.

Top tip

Ricotta cheese is ideal if you are counting calories. It has a fat content of around 10%, while most cheeses have about 35%. Although it is available pre-packaged, buying it fresh from an Italian grocery or the supermarket deli section tends to be best. Store in an airtight container in the fridge and use within 2 days.

Perfect partner

White River Chenin Blanc 2009 - This has been a Laithwaites runaway favourite for some time now. You’re only going to like it more if you combine it with this creamy pasta dish.

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This hearty bake using leftover chicken can be assembled a few hours ahead of cooking or even the day before. Chill, then reheat at 180ºC/Gas 4 for 45 minutes, or until piping hot. If using dried lasagne sheets (the kind that don't need precooking), add 15 minutes more to the cooking time.

Serves 6

Total time: 1¾ hours, plus cooling
Cooking time: 1¼ hours

Ingredients

1kg butternut squash, peeled and cut into 4cm pieces
80ml olive oil
leaves of 2 rosemary sprigs
30g butter
2 leeks, thinly sliced
300g baby spinach leaves
2 garlic cloves, crushed
500g cooked chicken, roughly chopped
400ml passata
3 sheets of fresh lasagne measuring about 23cm x 15cm
150g soft goat's cheese, crumbled
40g freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/Gas 6. Arrange the squash in a roasting tin and drizzle with half the oil.
2. Chop half the rosemary leaves, sprinkle over the squash and season well. Roast for 30 minutes, or until tender. Transfer to a bowl, mash and set aside to cool.
3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil and the butter in a frying pan over low heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the spinach and garlic and cook for a further 1–2 minutes, or until the spinach wilts. Set aside to cool, then stir in the cooked chicken.
4. Grease a 23cm x 15cm ovenproof dish. Spoon a third of the passata into the base and season well. Top with a sheet of lasagne and spread with the mashed squash. Add another sheet of lasagne, pressing down well, then another third of the passata and then a layer of the leek and spinach mixture. Finally, add another sheet of lasagne and spread with the remaining passata.
5. Mix together the goat’s cheese, Parmesan and remaining rosemary and sprinkle over the top. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and the pasta is tender. Remove from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes to firm up before slicing into portions.

Top tip

Smooth or chunky passata (puréed and sieved ripe tomatoes) is sold in jars. Use it in soups, sauces, pasta dishes, casseroles or any recipe that requires a concentrated tomato flavour. It’s also great for use in drinks with a tomato base, such as Bloody Mary, and will keep in the fridge for up to a week once opened.

Perfect partner

Campanula Pinot Grigio 2008 - The zesty, refreshing notes of this moreish wine make a brilliant contrast to the tempting creamy flavours of this bake.

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This inexpensive dish is perfect for a family supper. Chorizo is a pork and paprika sausage that is enjoyed all over Spain. Portuguese linguica sausage has a similar flavour and can be used instead.

Serves 6

Total time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 40 mins

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
50g fresh basil leaves, torn
400g canned chopped tomatoes
1 red pepper, halved and deseeded
1 aubergine, thickly sliced lengthways
350g dried penne
125g mozzarella cheese, torn into pieces
250g chorizo, thickly sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/Gas 6. Heat half the oil in a saucepan. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened, then stir in the garlic and half the basil and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Season well.
2. While the sauce is cooking, brush the pepper and aubergine with the remaining oil. Fry in a non-stick griddle pan for 10 minutes, turning once, until charred and cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to packet instructions, drain thoroughly and combine with the tomato sauce. Slice the cooked pepper and aubergine into strips and stir into the mixture. Spoon into a 2-litre ovenproof dish.
4. Scatter the mozzarella and remaining basil over the pasta and vegetable mixture. Scatter the chorizo over the top and bake for 15–20 minutes, or until golden. Serve at once.

Variation

For a no-bake veggie alternative, serve the pasta with the vegetable sauce and omit the mozzarella and chorizo topping. Instead, simply scatter with torn basil leaves.

Perfect partner

Villa Cerna 2006 - Cherry-red Chianti is a wonderful choice with chorizo.

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Impress your friends with luxurious pan-fried prawns and salmon in a special sauce of garlic, petit pois, cream and wine. Noodle nests make the perfect accompaniment.

Serves 4

Total time: 35 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients

300g dried tagliatelle
50g butter
225g raw peeled tiger prawns
225g salmon fillet, skinned and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
125g frozen petit pois, defrosted
3 tbsp dry white wine
300ml double cream
chopped fresh dill, to garnish

1. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to packet instructions. Drain well.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan. Stir-fry the prawns and salmon for 2–3 minutes, or until they are just cooked through. (Be careful not to overcook, or the prawns will become tough and the salmon will dry out.) Add the garlic and petit pois and cook for 2–3 minutes.
3. Add the wine and bring to the boil, then boil until it is almost evaporated. Stir in the cream, heat through until just bubbling and season well. Pour the sauce over the drained pasta and toss lightly to coat. Garnish with dill and serve at once.

Variation

To increase the quantities to serve 6 people, add 225g fresh scallops at the same time as the prawns (your fishmonger can prepare these for you) and use 450g tagliatelle. If you are feeling really decadent, use Champagne or sparkling Cava in place of the wine.

Perfect partner

Edward’s Lake Unoaked Chardonnay 2007 - Prepare to be impressed with this pairing!

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Red mullet, fennel, anchovies and linguine, dressed in extra virgin olive oil and lemon zest and juice, then topped with chilli slices. Perfect for a romantic dinner.

Serves 2

Total time: 35 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients

200g fresh linguine or spaghetti
olive oil, for frying
1 red onion, coarsely grated
1 fennel bulb, coarsely grated
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 canned anchovies, drained
2 red mullet fillets, about 125g each
juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
splash of white wine
½ red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced
extra virgin olive oil, to serve
chopped fresh parsley, to garnish

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions.
2. Meanwhile, heat a splash of olive oil in a large, deep frying pan. Fry the grated onion, fennel and garlic over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the anchovies and a pinch of salt. Fry for a few more minutes, until the anchovies dissolve.
3. Add the red mullet fillets and lemon zest, then the wine, and bring to the boil. Drizzle with a little olive oil, season to taste with freshly ground black pepper (the anchovies are quite salty, so you shouldn’t need to add any salt) and add the chilli (reserving a little to garnish). Cover and leave the fish to steam for 5 minutes, or until just cooked.
4. Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the fish. Toss gently so the fish breaks up into chunks. Divide between 2 bowls, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with lemon juice. Scatter the remaining chilli slices on top with the parsley. Serve.

Variation

For a fusion-style alternative, replace the lemon with the grated zest and juice of 1 lime. Use coriander in place of the parsley and Asian glass noodles instead of the pasta. Serve with chopsticks.

Perfect partner

Black Stump Verdelho – Chardonnay – Pinot Grigio
This dish has lots of flair and originality, so it's great with an original but well-balanced white.