Easy entertaining dishes to feed big or little crowds.
These easy but impressive dishes are great for gatherings big or small
I don’t often trust myself to cook pasta for more than four people, because the timings are too delicate. As they say in Naples: “People wait for pasta, not the other way round.”
Overcooked pasta is a cook’s worst nightmare, while pasta eaten cold when it should be hot is not much better. But this recipe – like eating a bowl of sunshine – is so simple that even I can happily chat and bring it together at the same time. I prepare the sauce and leave it on the hob then, while the pasta is bubbling, slice the lemon, shuffle everyone to the table and assemble the dish once they are sitting down, so they eat it hot.
2 lemons
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 220ml single cream
1 egg yolk
350g spaghetti
A small bunch of thyme
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Meanwhile, finely zest both the lemons and toss the zest into a deep frying pan, then add the olive oil and set it over a medium heat. Gently fry the zest for a few minutes until it begins to take on a deep, vibrant yellow colour.
Pour in the cream and the egg yolk, mix well with a wooden spoon, then reduce the heat and leave to gently cook for 5–10 minutes, giving it a stir every now and then.
Add a generous pinch of salt to the boiling water and, when it begins to gallop, add the spaghetti and cook until al dente according to the packet instructions. Finely slice one third of a lemon.
When the pasta is cooked, drain in a colander, reserving a little of the cooking water (roughly ¼ cup). Squeeze the juice of the remaining lemons into the sauce, add salt and pepper to taste, then toss the pasta into the frying pan.
Add the reserved cooking water, throw in the lemon slices and toss everything together so the pasta is well covered with sauce. Tear up the thyme sprigs, sprinkle generously over, season and serve immediately. Serves 4
Tagliatelle with Gorgonzola, Pear & Walnut
This dish breaks all my rules of stress-free cooking for friends, as it can in no way be prepared in advance. But it’s so simple to make that I feel comfortable and happy serving it to company, though I would baulk at cooking it for more than six, because the delicate timings of the pasta become too unwieldy.
The chunks of fruit add a delicate sweetness that cuts through the intense richness of the sauce. 350g tagliatelle
80ml single cream
450g Gorgonzola cheese, chopped 1 large or 2 small pears
A handful of whole walnuts
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Fill a large saucepan with water, add a generous pinch of salt and bring to the boil. When the water is galloping, add the pasta and cook until al dente according to the packet instructions.
Meanwhile, pour the cream into a small saucepan and add the cheese, then set over a medium-low heat and stir occasionally until the cheese has almost completely melted.
Core the pear(s) and slice finely, then roughly chop the walnuts.
Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water (roughly ¼ cup), toss in the cheese sauce and reserved cooking water, then, just before serving, toss through the pear and walnut pieces. Add pepper, if you like, and serve immediately. Serves 4
Panzanella with Garden Peas & Baby Artichokes
Panzanella, in most of its incarnations, is a riot of colour but this variation is an ode to the verdant plenty of spring: a sumptuous green salad, only amplified. I use those tender baby artichokes that are so small and sweet you can eat the core, or else the chargrilled kind you find packed in glossy olive oil in jars.
Feel free to add to the mix as you please: a few stems of slender asparagus either raw or lightly chargrilled, shavings of fennel, or just-blanched, podded broad beans. You could also slip in a few anchovies. Whereas most panzanella will keep – indeed improve in flavour – with time, lettuce tends to wilt if left sitting around for more than 30 minutes. If you want to prepare this in advance, leave out the leaves and soft herbs, then throw them in just before serving.
200g stale crusty bread, such as baguette or
ciabatta
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
150g shelled (or frozen) sweet garden peas 6–8 baby artichokes, or chargrilled artichokes in
a jar, finely sliced
2 spring onions, finely chopped
2 baby gem lettuces
A handful of mint leaves
A handful of basil leaves
Sea salt flakes
Roughly tear the bread into pieces and throw it into a large bowl. In a second bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice and a generous pinch of salt, whisk vigorously with a fork, then drizzle over the bread. Now add the peas, artichokes and spring onions, then toss together well with the rest of the ingredients. Serves 4
Wild Rice & Lentil Salad
This light, nutty recipe works equally well as a centrepiece or a side dish. I like it best with wild rice, which you often find sold as part of a mix with basmati or brown rice and that works too – just adjust the cooking times accordingly.
You can cook the components – rice, lentils and crisp fried onion – ahead of time in stages, if that makes life easier, then simply assemble everything on the day you want to eat it.
Once assembled, it will sit happily in the fridge for a day or two. Better still, you can buy the lentils (and rice, if you like) in sachets ready-cooked, so all you need do is toss it all together and dress.
200g wild long-grain rice, rinsed and drained 1 litre water
120g Puy lentils, rinsed and drained 500ml vegetable stock
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for
seasoning
1 onion, finely sliced
120g pomegranate seeds
A small bunch of mint, leaves picked
Sea salt flakes
Toss the wild rice into a saucepan. Cover with the measured water and add ½ teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil over a high heat.
When the water begins to gallop, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook over a gentle heat for 25–30 minutes. The rice should be chewy and some grains may burst open like exotic flowers in bloom. Drain off any
liquid, then tip into a large bowl, seasoning generously with olive oil and a little salt while the rice is warm.
While the rice cooks, toss the lentils into a separate saucepan. Cover with the stock and bring to the boil over a high heat. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for 25–30 minutes until just cooked: you want them to hold their shape nicely and have a little bite to them. Drain away any liquid and add to the bowl with the rice.
Fluff together with a fork and season with a little more olive oil.
Lastly, cook the onion: heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the onion and fry until very crisp and dark. Combine the onion and pomegranate in a serving dish with the grains and pulses.
Before serving, tear in the mint leaves, toss, check for seasoning and serve. Serves 4-6