You’ll go nuts for my pasta dish to brighten up the darker days

Sat, 04 Nov, 2023 - 07:00

Di Curtin

I THINK we can officially say the start of winter is upon us!

The gorgeous autumn days of September and October, when we crunched our way through the copper and gold of fallen leaves, picking conkers up on the way, have turned into a never-ending wade through leaf mulch and puddles!

The storm season has arrived and we are already combatting flooding in various parts of Cork, and indeed the country. Hot water bottles are being plucked from under beds and dusted off as we speak.

Suck it up, people, because this is it for the next few months!

So, not to be too negative about it, I’ve gone all in for some classic early winter tastes in my main course this weekend.

The good thing about winter is being able to indulge in more rustic flavours. This simple pasta dish combines two great partners in walnuts and piquant Roquefort cheese. Fresh sage in the mix really adds that seasonal flavour.

This topping makes a great combo to dress either tagliatelle, as I’ve done here, or linguine. Either will look very stylish and could be served as a casual dinner party supper if you’re having some friends round.

As the main course is simple to prepare and cook, I’ve gone for a stylish dessert that needs a bit of time to put together.

I love cheesecake, but only the baked kind rather than those set with gelatine. Baked cheesecake needs time to cool down from the oven, then chilling time before it is served.

My recipe is flavoured with zingy lemon and lime juice, nice and citrussy but with a comforting feel in the creamy texture.

You can serve some pouring cream on the side, and even some fruit if you wish. But I like this as it comes, with a nice cup of coffee at the end of a meal.

Tagliatelle with Walnuts and Roquefort

Ingredients (serves 4) 400g tagliatelle nests Extra virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed 150g walnut pieces, chopped 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves Few sage leaves, finely shredded 100g Roquefort or Crozier Blue cheese, crumbled, plus extra to taste for finishing Method Cook tagliatelle in a large pan of boiling slightly salted water with a dash of olive oil added, till its just al dente.

While pasta is cooking, heat a good splash of extra virgin olive oil in a pan and add garlic and walnuts.

Cook very gently over low heat till walnuts are just lightly brown, stirring. Add herbs and season. Remove from heat and reserve.

When the pasta is ready, drain well. Return to pan.

Add cheese to walnut mix and pour over the hot pasta.

Toss with two forks to coat the pasta in the sauce.

Spoon into warmed bowls and scatter over some extra crumbled Roquefort to finish.

Lemon and Lime Baked Cheesecake

Ingredients (serves 6) 175g digestive biscuits 75g butter, melted For the filling:

500g cream cheese 100g caster sugar (or more to taste) 150mls cream 2 large fresh free range eggs and 1 yolk Grated zest of 2 unwaxed lemons and juice of 1 lemon Grated zest and juice of a lime 1 tbsp flour Sifted icing sugar and extra grated lemon zest to finish Method Whizz biscuits in a processor or crush in a bag with a rolling pin.

Place in a bowl with melted butter and stir to combine.

Press into the base of a 20cm deep sided loose-bottomed greased and lined cake tin in an even layer. Chill to set.

For the cheesecake, beat cream cheese soft with sugar. Stir in the cream, then beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in egg yolk. Add lemon and lime juices and zest and flour and stir to combine.

Spoon mix over the biscuit crumb base. Level the surface and bang the tin to knock out any air bubbles.

Bake in a pre-heated oven, Gas 4, 350F 180C (160C fan assisted) for about 40 minutes or until the cheesecake is set but still wobbly in the centre. Cover the top if it gets too brown Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside to cool.

Remove from oven and chill till ready to serve.

Before serving, transfer cheesecake from the tin onto a serving plate.

Dust with icing sugar and scatter with lemon zest.

Serve slices of cheesecake with whipped cream on the side.

WINE ACCOMPANIMENT

THIS casual dinner needs a lovely Italian red wine to partner it.

I’m looking to the wine sale at Dunnes Stores for the perfect pairing. Legio Octava Chianti is an easy-going Italian red which will match the Roquefort and nuts in this pasta perfectly.

You’ll find lots of bouncy black cherry fruit in the glass to marry with the salty savouriness and piquancy of the cheese. But also, there’s a nutty quality in the background here, coupled with a herbaceous slant on the finish, which echoes the walnuts and fragrant sage in the dish.

Open the bottle and leave it on the table for 20 minutes before you pour, so it warms to room temperature and allows the flavours to develop.

This is a great pasta wine, try it with other autumn pasta toppings like wild mushrooms in creamy sauce. It will also work well with risottos in a similar vein.

Great news as well, Legio Octava Chianti is included in the Dunnes 20% off wine sale running until January, coming in at €8.40 a bottle with the discount.

RECEIPT

Tagliatelle 400g pack, €1.50

Walnut pieces 200g pack, €2.50

Roquefort cheese 150g, €5.50 approx

Thyme pack, €1.19

Sage pack, €1.19

Total: €11.88

Dessert

Cream Cheese 3 x 200g, €2.97

Eggs half dozen, €2.20

Cream 250ml, €1.39

Organic unwaxed lemons x 500g net, €2.49