What does Sunday look like in your kitchen?
Sunday is family day, so it varies. My wife makes a menu for our weekly dinner and lunch box for [our son] Cole as it is all go during the week. She will organise the ingredients on Sunday, and I will spend an hour prepping furiously, labelling and organising so that during the week dinner is a quick, but healthy meal.
Apart from that one hour, my kitchen time is non-existent. We spend a lot of time with family at my sister's kitchen, which is a hub of activity, and there are plenty of chefs and I am a kitchen steward.
Why have you chosen this dish?
Because it is something that is quick to pull off, it requires very little prep and is cooked in three to five minutes. I am a seafood lover, but the seafood can be easily replaced with other ingredients: leftover steak or pork, smoked salmon etc. Also, the pasta can be handmade or store-bought dry pasta, so it suits every budget. It's versatile and easy but packs a punch with flavour.
Seafood pasta
Serves 4
150ml olive oil
12 mussels
200g squid, sliced
12 clams or cockles
10 prawns (optional)
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 red chilli, thinly sliced
50g butter
500g cooked pasta (see below for a fresh pasta recipe, if desired, or use store-bought)
100g coriander, stalks and leaves, chopped
50g chives, chopped (optional)
50g parmesan, grated
1 lime, zest and juice
1. In a large-based pot, heat olive oil on high. Once hot, add mussels and clams/cockles, let sit for 20 seconds then add squid and prawns, followed closely by garlic and chilli and let cook for a further 20 seconds.
2. Add butter followed by the cooked pasta and fold through, keeping it moving to ensure no sticking to the base of the pot but also to let the pasta soak up the juices and flavours from the seafood.
3. Finally, add chopped coriander and chives and continue to fold for another 20 seconds.
4. Transfer to a bowl and finish with grated parmesan, and lime zest and squeeze lime juice over.
Note: the cooking time requires the pot to be on maximum heat for the best result and quick cooking, so it's best to have all the ingredients ready prior to the cooking process.
Fresh pasta
250g semolina
250g standard flour
½ tsp salt
5 free-range eggs
1. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, add eggs and mix until forming a dough. Turn out the dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Cover the dough with a damp kitchen cloth and let rest for 30 minutes.
2. Place a medium-sized pot of water on high heat. Cut the dough into 4. Using a pasta roller, roll into sheets until setting 5; using the fettuccine attachment, roll through sheets or alternatively hand cut to your desired size.
3. Place pasta into boiling water for 2 minutes, drain, and place into ice water for a further 30 seconds, drain and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and set aside.
