Italian meatballs

Polpette, Italian meatballs

Polpette – made from meat, fish or vegetables – can either be prepared from leftovers or made with fresh ingredients. Mario Matassa shares this classic dish… Serves 4 Preparation time 15 minutes Cooking time 15 minutes Ingredients: • 350g leftover boiled or roast meat (chicken, turkey or beef) • 2 slices of day-old bread • a few tablespoons […]

Frittata

Frittata

This Italian omelette recipe from Mario Matassa uses asparagus, potatoes and cheese, but the beauty of the dish is that you can include pretty much any ingredients you fancy… Serves 2 Preparation time 10 minutes Cooking time 10 minutes Ingredients: • 2 free-range eggs • a handful of cooked asparagus stalks, roughly chopped • a few cooked roast […]

Spinach lasagne

Spinach lasagne

Green spinach pasta is probably the most popular and widely used flavoured pasta and this lasagne from Mario Matassa is a great way to showcase its charms… Serves 4 Preparation time 45 minutes, plus resting Cooking time 25 minutes Ingredients: • 350g plain flour • 3 medium free-range eggs • 100g fresh spinach For the sauce • 500ml […]

Cuttlefish tagliatelle with spicy squid sauce

Cuttlefish pasta with squid

Cuttlefish (seppia) is very popular in Italian cuisine and its ink can be bought in small packets in supermarkets or Italian speciality stores – here’s a great recipe to showcase its flavour Serves 4 Preparation time 45 minutes, plus resting Cooking time 10 minutes Ingredients: • 400g plain flour • 4 medium free-range eggs • 1 sachet of cuttlefish ink […]

Chocolate pappardelle with wild boar ragù

Love pasta? Adore chocolate? It turns out that the two can be deliciously combined – Mario Matassa shows us how in this meaty recipe that’s bursting with flavour Serves 4 Preparation time 50 minutes, plus resting Cooking time 2 hours 45 minutes Ingredients: • 400g plain flour • 4 medium free-range eggs • 1 tbsp bitter cocoa powder For […]

Basic egg pasta

fresh egg pasta

Make your own pasta all’uovo – egg pasta – with Mario Matassa’s recipe. It’s the ideal starting point for cooking numerous delicious pasta dishes… Serves 4 Preparation time 30 minutes, plus resting Ingredients: • 400g plain flour • 4 medium free-range eggs Instructions: 1 Place the flour on a large worksurface and make a well in the […]

Tomato spaghetti with tomato and mozzarella sauce

Give pasta a glorious colour and add a Mediterranean kick to the flavour using tomato purée… Mario Matassa’s spaghetti recipe shows you how! Serves 4 Preparation time 40 minutes, plus resting Cooking time 10 minutes Ingredients: • 400g plain flour, plus a few extra tablespoons if necessary • 4 medium free-range eggs • 1 tbsp tomato purée […]

Mascarpone and lemon cake

mascarpone and lemon cake

If you’re seeking an Italian-inspired sweet treat, this cake recipe from Mario Matassa could be exactly what you’ve been looking for… Makes one 26cm cake Preparation time 5 minutes Cooking time 40-45 minutes Ingredients: • 250g mascarpone • 3 medium free-range eggs • 180g white caster sugar • 50g unsalted butter, melted • 200ml milk • zest of […]

Spaghetti with pecorino and pepper

spaghetti with pecorino and peppers

The classic dish of spaghetti cacio e pepe makes a perfect midweek meal and is a perfect recipe for showcasing delicious pecorino cheese… Serves 4 Preparation time 5 minutes Cooking time 8 minutes Ingredients: • 320g spaghetti • 250g semi-mature pecorino cheese • 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil • freshly ground black pepper   Instructions: 1 This […]

Cheese-Filled Courgettes

Cheese-filled courgettes

Mario Matassa has created a wonderful take on zucchine ripiene – a truly delicious partnership of courgettes and parmesan! Serves 4 Preparation time 10 minutes Cooking time 25 minutes Ingredients: • 4 medium courgettes • 200g fresh breadcrumbs • 2 medium free-range eggs • 60g cooked ham in one thick slice • 80g freshly grated parmesan • […]