‘MY’ SPAGHETTI WITH ZUCCHINI & BASIL
1kg zucchini
Olive oil, for pan-frying and to serve 4 garlic cloves, crushed
½ tsp chilli flakes
1 large bunch of basil, leaves picked
and roughly torn
Sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper
600g spaghetti or linguine
150g parmesan, finely grated, plus
extra to serve
1. Chop the tops and bottoms off the zucchini and separate into 2 equal piles. Cut one pile into rounds about 2mm thick. Grate the rest of the zucchini using the large holes of a box grater
(if you don’t have one, cut into fine matchsticks).
2. Meanwhile, heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a wide frying pan over a medium heat and gently fry the garlic and chilli for a couple of minutes. Once the garlic starts sizzling, add the zucchini discs and toss with the oil and garlic, making sure they are all well coated.
3. Leave the zucchini to fry for 5 minutes before turning to cook on the other side for a further 10 minutes, tossing occasionally. You want the discs to brown. Add the grated zucchini, basil (reserving a little for garnish), another 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Allow to cook for a further 5 minutes, then pour in half a glass of water (about 150ml). Reduce the heat and leave to cook gently while you prepare the pasta.
4. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta, give it a good stir so that it doesn’t stick together, and cook until al dente (about 9 minutes, but check the packet instructions). Halfway through the pasta cooking time, add a couple of ladlefuls of the starchy pasta water to the zucchini mixture; increase the heat slightly to allow the water to amalgamate into the sauce. Stir in the grated parmesan and another half ladle of pasta water.
5. Drain the pasta (reserving a mugful of the cooking water in case you need it) then add to the zucchini sauce with a drizzle of olive oil and toss to combine.
6. Top with extra parmesan, a few grinds of pepper and the reserved basil. Serve immediately. >
“THIS RECIPE WAS inspired BY THE NOW-FAMOUS SPAGHETTI AL NERANO OF RISTORANTE LO SCOGLIO”
AMBER GUINNESS
“THIS IS A LEMON VERSION OF THE famous CHOCOLATE ALMOND TORTE FROM CAPRI. I LOVE ITS NUTTY AND CITRUSY NOTES”
AMBER GUINNESS
Butter, to grease the tin
100g blanched hazelnuts
75g white chocolate, broken
into pieces
25g cornflour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of sea salt
200g caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp, extra 200g ground almonds
4 organic eggs, separated
Grated zest of 5 lemons Juice of ½ lemon
90g unsalted butter, melted
Ganache
100g dark chocolate, broken into
small pieces
150ml double cream
1 tbsp caster sugar
1.Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced. Butter a round 20cm cake tin and line the base with baking paper.
2. In a food processor blitz the hazelnuts, white chocolate, cornflour, baking powder, salt and 1 tablespoon of caster sugar until roughly ground. Tip into a bowl, mix in the ground almonds and set aside. Using handheld electric beaters, whisk the egg yolks, lemon zest and remaining sugar until thick and pale. Mix in the lemon juice and ground almond mixture. Pour over the melted butter to help the mixture come together more easily.
3. Whisk the egg whites until medium stiff peaks form, adding the extra tablespoon of sugar halfway through. Using a clean metal spoon, gently fold the egg whites into the almond mixture, bit by bit. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean(ish). If it comes out covered in batter, bake for another 5 minutes and test again. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 45–60 minutes before turning out onto a serving plate.
4. About 15 minutes before you turn out the cake, make the chocolate ganache. Place the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, gently heat the cream and sugar, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a simmer, then immediately remove from the heat. You don’t want the cream to boil or it will split the ganache. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate in the bowl and leave to sit for 2 minutes, then whisk thoroughly until thick and glossy. Let the ganache cool for 10 minutes – it should be a loose but spoonable consistency that won’t run down the side of the cake.
5. Gradually spoon the ganache into the centre of the cake and smooth it out to the side using a spatula or the back of a spoon.
Cut into slices and serve. The cake will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.