Spaghetti vongole

I’ve wanted to cook this dish ever since watching Gennaro Contaldo cook his version on YouTube. Jamie has his own version which is exactly the same but with an addition of tomatoes (I went without ala Gennaro).

This is one of the simplest and delicious dishes you could ever make, so no wonder ‘This delicious Venetian clam pasta started life as peasant food, and has become an Italian classic…’ 

The key here is to have everything ready: ingredients out, wine opened, stalks of parsley chopped and leaves set aside. The actual cooking time and method is extremely quick and simple, with many things happening at once in no longer than ten minutes from board to bowl.

If you are looking for a new pasta dish to try at home, pop down to your fish monger, get 400g of clams (that’s enough for two) and give this a go.

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Jamie Oliver’s steak with ratatouille

Jamie Oliver’s brilliant book has a steak and ratatouille recipe.

I made mushroom rice instead of the saffron, but this is a great recipe that has become a favourite of ours. Plus I love basil so pile it on!

Blushing steak, too!

Plus, the ratatouille makes a great lunch to heat up at work the next day!

Jamie Oliver’s chicken Milanese with spaghetti

I’ll start by apologising for taking the cooking of the chicken a bit too far in patches, and for the dreadful plating of the spaghetti.

This is a brilliant meal for two. It’s breaded, crispy chicken, with th tang of parmesan, alongside spaghetti with a tomato sauce which on it’s own or with a garlic bread would be fantastic.

The recipe says it takes 45 minutes, and unlike many recipes, that is true!

One thing (this is for Novice chefs like me!) is that it is vital to bash the chicken properly. Flattening the chicken means that you can cook it through without burning the outside. I just about got away with mine, any fatter and I’d perhaps have been in trouble.

Genuinely this is a delicious dinner, and the recipe can be found on Jamie Oliver’s website.

Antonio Carluccio’s spaghetti carbonara

I used to wonder how best I could get my carbonara not to scramble; then I stumbled across Antonio Carluccio’s guide on YouTube. Follow his simple (and engaging) recipe and you will never cook your carbonara like this for the rest of your life! The residual heat from the saucepan is the key, plus, it means you retain some pasta water in case you want to loosen it all up slightly. Thanks, Antonio…

Jamie Oliver next-level steak and onion sandwich

A blushing steak is a beautiful thing, whack in a nice ciabatta with some caramelised onion, watercress and mustard and you’ve got a proper treat!

This Jamie Oliver sandwich is simple yet delicious. It’s pretty impressive, too, to serve it up open style with the blushing steak for all to see.

Jamie Oliver Smokey mushroom frittata

This was my latest delve in Jamie Oliver’s excellent book ‘Five.’ There’s not much to say about this, other than it’s a true one-pan wonder. If you like bacon and eggs, you’ll like this. Delish!

Super green spaghetti

This has the vibrancy to look at of a pesto, but with a much earthier flavour. The cavolo makes this a lot healthier and it’s a really clever way to cook. The ricotta adds a bit of creaminess to pull everything together.

Another great one from Jamie Oliver in his new book ‘5.’