Hi, my lovely, hungry friends, here are the recipes from our fifth episode of Wok X Pot , starring Marion Grasby and myself. The show is currently streaming on my (and on Marion’s) YouTube channel!! Please subscribe so we can keep producing more!!! Share the love, and leave us a comment, we love to hear from you!

Have you ever wondered how to make traditional Bolognese sauce, just like Nonna’s make it in Bologna? Or have you always wanted to make the ultimate, most authentic Pad Thai? Watch our episode here

xxx

Marion and Silvia

Traditional Bolognese and Classic Pad Thai Video here!!

Classic Bolognese, serves 6-8

80 gr of thinly sliced and chopped pancetta

500 gr of mixed pork and beef mince

1 clove garlic, skin on, bashed with the back of a knife

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 carrot, chopped

1 brown onion, chopped

1 celery stick, chopped

200 ml red wine

2 teaspoons of tomato paste

400 g tin chopped tomatoes

2 cups (500 ml) good-quality beef or chicken stock

1–2 bay leaves

150 ml of milk

500g fresh tagliatelle pasta

salt flakes and freshly ground white pepper

freshly grated pecorino, to serve

METHOD

Heat up the olive oil in a heavy based pot, add pancetta and cook gently for 10-2 minutes then add carrot, onion, celery, garlic,  and cook over medium heat until the onion is soft and translucent.

Drop in the beef and pork mince and brown over high heat for 5 minutes, breaking up any lumps as you go. Deglaze the pan with the wine and simmer away until the alcohol has evaporated (this should take about 2 minutes). Pour in the tomatoes (and tomato paste) and stock, bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Add the bay leaves, season with salt and cover with a lid. Cook slowly for 4–6 hours, stirring occasionally. If it starts to dry out, add a little water.

Towards the end of the cooking time, add the milk and cook over medium heat for a further 20 minutes. Taste for salt and adjust accordingly, and season with white or black pepper.

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, drop in the tagliatelle and cook for 2 minutes or until al dente. Drain well, but be sure to reserve a couple of tablespoons of the pasta cooking water to add to the ragu’. This little trick will help bind the sauce and create a richer, creamier texture. Toss the pasta in the sauce to coat it well, top with parmigiana and serve hot.

Traditional Prawn Pad Thai

Serves 2

1 tbsp dried shrimp

100g thin dried rice noodles

50g tamarind concentrate

60g palm sugar (use a knife to finely shave)

50g fish sauce

¼ tsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 Asian red shallot, sliced

100g tiger prawns, peeled and deveined

2 tsp finely chopped pickled radish

50g firm yellow bean curd, diced

2 eggs, lightly whisked

¼ cup Chinese chives cut into roughly 2cm batons

¼ cup bean shoots, plus extra to serve

1 tbsp crushed peanuts

lime wedges to serve

chilli powder to serve

spring onion stems to serve

Soak dried shrimp in water for 15 minutes to soften slightly. Drain and discard the water.

Soak rice stick noodles in room temperature water for 30 minutes or until softened but still firm. Then cook them in boiling water for 3-4 minutes or until just tender but not too soft. Drain and set aside for later.

For the sauce, combine the tamarind, palm sugar, fish sauce and dark soy sauce in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside for later.

Heat oil in a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Add the shallot and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the prawns and stir-fry until almost cooked. Add the softened dried shrimp, the pickled radish and tofu and stir-fry for another 30 seconds. Move everything to one side of the pan and add the egg into the empty side. Spread the egg around and allow it to set and get golden on the bottom. Then break up the egg and mix through the other ingredients. Add the noodles and the sauce. Stir- fry until well combined then toss through the garlic chives and bean shoots. Remove the pan from heat and divide noodles among serving plates. Top with peanuts and serve with lime, a spoonful of chilli powder and spring onion.

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