Posts Tagged ‘Theo Randall’

Learn how to make pasta dough from the master of pasta – Theo Randall! Theo kindly let us give you a preview of this easy to follow guide from his new cookbook “Pasta”.

Serves 4

150g tipo 00 flour
50g fine semolina, plus extra for dusting
1 large organic egg
3 large organic egg yolks

Place  all  the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until they form a yellow ball of dough. At this point, the dough should have a smooth, firm but slightly sticky texture, almost like plasticine. If it seems wet, add an extra teaspoon or two of flour. Divide the dough into 2 equal balls and immediately wrap them in cling film to prevent drying out. The dough will keep in the fridge for up to 10 days. You can freeze it but I wouldn’t recommend it, since it can discolour and lose a lot of moisture on thawing.

With the rollers of your pasta machine on their widest setting, pass a piece of dough through, then fold into 3. Give it a quarter turn and pass it through the machine again. Repeat this 5 or 6 times so the gluten in the pasta is thoroughly worked, then pass it through the machine to roll out, progressively narrowing the rollers by one notch each time. Make this as thin as you feel comfortable with. The more the pasta has been worked initially, the thinner you will be able to roll it. Make sure the pasta sheet is no more than 60cm long, otherwise it will be difficult to handle and it may break.

Now cut into your favourite shape, dust with semolina and leave covered in the fridge overnight.

This recipe has been taken from Theo Randall’s “Pasta”, a fantastic cookbook on all things pasta!

To celebrate the launch of Theo Randall’s “Pasta”, we are giving you the chance to win one of 10 exclusive signed copies! Click here for more information and to enter.

“This is one of my favourite books of the year, and a must-have for any pasta lover. Theo’s cooking is sublime” – Jamie Oliver.

“This restaurant served me the best meal I have eaten all year” – Jay Rayner, The Observer

We also have another exclusive recipe preview, from the ‘Tomato’ section of the book. It uses our deliciously sweet Datterini tomatoes. You can make this recipe with the very same tomatoes that Theo uses by ordering online with Natoora!

Pappardelle with Roasted Datterini Tomatoes, Taggiasche Olives and Basil

500g Datterini tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
75g Taggiasche olives, stoned
a small bunch of basil
3 tablespoons olive oil
250g fresh pappardelle (or dried egg pappardelle)
75g young pecorino cheese, grated
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cut the tomatoes in half widthways and squeeze out the seeds. Put the tomatoes in a bowl and toss with the garlic, olives, half the basil, torn into small pieces, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and some salt and pepper. Transfer to a roasting tin or an ovenproof dish and place in an oven preheated to 190C/Gas Mark 5. Roast for 20 minutes; the tomatoes will break up slightly but this is a good thing. Most importantly, their flavour will be concentrated. Remove from the oven and leave to stand for a few minutes.

Cook the pappardelle in a large pan of boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes, until al dente (or cook according to the packet instructions for dried pappardelle). Drain and add to the tomato mixture. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, then rip up the remaining basil and add that too. Toss together until the pasta is coated in the tomato juices. Serve immediately, with the grated pecorino and some black pepper.

(Taken from Theo Randall, “Pasta“.)

Love Pasta?

You can buy fresh pasta online from the best pasta maker in London at Natoora. VIMA makes their pasta by hand, especially for your order and it is the same fresh pasta supplied to top London restaurants.

Or try making your own fresh pasta with our pasta dough kit.

Find more amazing pasta recipes in Theo’s new cookbook – you can win a signed copy if you enter our competition!

Celebrate the launch of Theo Randall’s “Pasta”

This month, Theo Randall launched his first cookbook, “Pasta“. Theo Randall was head chef at River Cafe for 10 years and now runs his own award-winning restaurant, Theo Randall at the Intercontinental. This friendly, accessible and stylish cookbook will prove will prove indispensable for all who love unfussy yet delicious food.

Simplicity and the quality of the ingredients are the keynotes to Theo’s cooking. Shop at natoora and you’ll be getting the same quality seasonal foods as supplied to Theo Randall both at home, and at his restaurant.

Thanks to our close friendship we Theo, we are able to provide this exclusive sneak preview of one of the mouthwatering recipes featured in Theo’s book…

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Spaghetti with Lobster, Fennel, Tomatoes and Zucchini

“Lobster is considered the king of shellfish but it can be disappointing when you buy it pre-cooked. In my experience, the best lobsters are the native Scottish ones or the Dorset Blue lobster, which is an almost electric blue before it is cooked. When I buy a lobster I always ask for some seaweed, which is put on top of the lobster in its polystyrene box. The seaweed tends to keep the lobster clam while it is stored in the fridge.”

1 600g lobster, cooked
2 small zucchini, cut into slices 5mm thick
1 fennel bulb, cut into slices 5mm thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
400g can of chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
400g spaghetti
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the lobster down with the tail flat on the board and, with a sharp, heavy knife, cut lengthwise through the middle of the tail to make 2 half tails. Pull off the head and claws. Crack the claws with a  heavy knife and remove the meat, then remove any meat from the head (the head and claws can be kept to make soup or stock). Cut each half tail into 3 pieces – leaving the tail in the shell in this way will add flavour to the sauce.

Cook the zucchini and fennel in a pan of boiling salted water until tender but not mushy, then drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the garlic and cook gently until soft. Add the tomatoes and cook slowly for 10 minutes. Add the lobster, zucchini, fennel and chopped parsley, season well and add a dash of good olive oil.

Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling salted water until al dente, then drain. Add to the lobster sauce, toss well and cook gently for a couple of minutes. Serve with black pepper.

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Don’t forget, you can buy the same ingredients as used by Theo Randall at www.natoora.co.uk!

Watch this space for more exclusive previews of Theo Randall recipes.