Mac & Cheesy Greens Filo Pie 

I absolutely love a pie so was immediately grabbed by the idea of this Mac & Cheesy Greens Filo Pie from Anna Shepherd's gorgeous new book Love Vegetables.

Anna writes: "A pasta pie might seem indulgent (bonkers, even?) on paper, but as a Big Fan of Stanley Tucci, this is my homage to the Timpano in his film Big Night. The Big Night pie consists of layers of pasta, meatballs, eggs, salami, tomato sauce and more pasta, but this one is a great deal lighter.

Verdant macaroni and cheese is encased in a delicate filo pastry shell, making this an easy but beautiful crowd-pleaser. Serve with a dressed salad, chipped tomatoes, or roasted root vegetables on the side. 

Timings: 1 hour, plus resting time

Serves 6 

750ml whole milk 

2 bay leaves 

2 garlic cloves 

75g unsalted butter, melted, plus 50g

8 sheets of filo pastry 

250g spinach, chard, or spring greens 

Leaves from a large bunch of parsley 

Leaves from a large bunch of basil 

400g macaroni

50g plain white flour 

100g cheddar, grated 

125g ball mozzarella, torn 

50g parmesan, grated 

1 tbsp dijon mustard 

¼ whole nutmeg

½ tsp nigella seeds 

Salt & pepper 

Preheat the oven to 180℃ / 350℉. 

Pour the milk into a saucepan and add the bay leaves and garlic cloves. Heat the milk over a medium heat, until bubbles appear around the sides of the pan, but watch carefully, ensuring the milk doesn’t come to the boil. Remove the pan from the heat, crack in a generous amount of black pepper, pour into a jug and cover. Set aside to infuse while you get on with the rest. 

Brush the base and sides of a 23cm/ 9 inch round springform tin with melted butter, then line the base with baking parchment. Lay a sheet of filo pastry over the tin, then tuck any overhanging filo into the tin and brush all over with melted butter. Repeat with another 5 sheets of filo pastry, brushing each layer with melted butter, then cover the remaining two sheets of filo pastry with a clean tea towel to prevent them from cracking and drying out. 

Rinse the spinach (or other greens) in a colander, then transfer to a large saucepan and cover with a lid. Wilt over a medium–low heat, using tongs to turn the leaves occasionally. When the greens are deep green and have reduced significantly in volume, transfer to a colander and allow to steam dry. Fill the pan with water (there’s no need to wash it up), and place on the hob to boil. 

Squeeze the greens dry and transfer to the bowl of a food processor with the parsley and basil, then lift out the garlic cloves from the milk and add them to the greens. Pulse to finely chop, and set aside. Alternatively, very finely chop by hand in 2-3 batches. 

When the water in the saucepan has come to the boil, tip the pasta in along with a tablespoon of salt. Cook for two minutes less than packet instructions, then drain in a colander. 

While the pasta is on the boil, make the cheesy sauce. Melt the remaining butter in a large saucepan over a medium–low heat. Add the flour and stir for a couple of minutes to cook out the rawness from the flour. Stirring all the time, slowly pour in the infused milk and continue to cook for about 8 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheeses, mustard and finely grate in the nutmeg. Remove the bay leaves, then add the greens and herbs to the sauce. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you like. 

Use a spatula to pour the cheesy green sauce over the pasta, then stir well to coat every piece of pasta. Spoon the saucy pasta into the partially baked pastry case, then drape a sheet of filo over the top and brush the surface with melted butter. Arrange the final filo sheet in an attractive ruffle and brush again with more melted butter. Sprinkle over the nigella seeds and place the pie on the middle shelf in the oven. 

Bake the pie for 30 minutes, checking after 20 minutes in case your oven has a hot spot, and the pie would benefit from a turn to cook the pastry evenly. Remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 20 minutes. This will ensure the slices don’t collapse as soon as you cut into it, but it will still be meltingly hot. 

Release the pie from the springform tin and transfer to a serving plate. Use a serrated knife to cut the pie into 6 slices. Serve with a dressed salad, chopped tomatoes, or roasted root vegetables on the side. 

Variations: 

• Use the same quantity of curly kale or cavolo nero (remove the tough pale ribs before steaming) instead of the leafy greens 

What to drink: I'd probably go for a smooth dry white wine with this rather than a red. A Soave or a Bianco di Custoza, for instance.

Extracted from Love Vegetables by Anna Shepherd published by White Lion Publishing at £20. Photography by Liz and Max Haarala Hamilton. 

Pasta with mushrooms, kosho and toasted parmesan rind

This recipe is from a new book called Wasted by chef Conor Spacey which is published by the Irish publisher Blasta Books as part of a charmingly illustrated series of single subject books

I made a couple of changes to the ingredients and method when I road tested it but absolutely loved the recipe. (Maximumrespect to Conor for coming up with the best ever way to use parmesan rinds which is basically catnip for humans

Conor writes: It’s definitely not traditional, but I love to use kosho, a Japanese condiment (see recipe below) with pasta. Mushrooms and the crispy parmesan rind give it an extra umami boost.

CONOR SPACEY’S PASTA WITH MUSHROOMS, KOSHO & TOASTED PARMESAN RINDSERVES

20g parmesan rind

240g shop-bought fresh pasta - spaghetti is perfect for this. (I used 150g dried bucatini which was what I happened to have in the cupboard)

40g butter

a splash of rapeseed oil

160g mixed fresh mushrooms, thickly sliced

3 tsp kosho (see below)

fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ handful of fresh coriander, chopped

Preheat your grill. Put the parmesan rinds on a baking tray, skin side up, and put the tray under your grill. Keep a close eye on them and wait until they start to bubble and colour, then remove them straightaway. Put them on a chopping board. Using a sharp knife, chop the rinds into small cubes.

Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions but reduce the cooking time by 2 minutes to keep it al dente. When the pasta is cooked, keep a mugful of the cooking water from the pot before straining the pasta.

Put the pot that you used to cook the pasta back on the hob on a medium heat. Add the butter and a splash of rapeseed oil. When the butter has melted, add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes, until they begin to soften. Stir in the kosho and the mugful of pasta water (I didn’t use that much - about 4 tbsp I’d guess) then add the drained pasta, stirring to make sure the pasta is all coated in the sauce.

Check the seasoning – the kosho is quite salty and spicy so I don’t add any salt throughout the cooking process, but you may like to season it to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, divide the pasta between two wide, shallow bowls. Top with the toasted Parmesan rinds and chopped fresh coriander (I added the coriander to the mushrooms when I added the pasta)

KOSHO (see also my note below)

Kosho is a Japanese seasoning with a umami explosion. The word ‘kosho’ means ‘pepper’ in Japanese, referring to the chilli pepper it’s made with. Traditionally it’s made using yuzu, a citrus fruit found in East Asia that’s hard to get here, so I swap it out for lemons, limes or grapefruit. Once you make this and have it in your fridge, you’ll become addicted to it. Kosho is a great way to cut through the richness of many dishes, from meat to noodles and everything in between

To make kosho, halve 6 red chillies lengthways and remove the seeds. Cut them into chunks, put them in a blender or food processer and pulse until they are finely chopped. Zest the citrus fruit you need to use up (either 4 lemons, 3 oranges or 1 grapefruit) and add it to the blender or food processor. Pulse until it’s well mixed with the chillies, then add 16g flaky sea salt and pulse again until it forms a paste.

This is ready to use straightaway, but I like to put it into an airtight jar and leave it at room temperature for one week to slightly ferment and take on more flavour. Store the kosho in a sealed jar in your fridge, where it will keep for up to three months.

It’s not entirely clear from the illustration whether you should pare or grate the zest. Most recipes suggest equal quantities of chillies and citrus zest. I made about half the quantity suggested - 40g of each - and used a grapefruit, 3 limes and 5 limes so maybe paring it would be more economical though it would be harder to break down the citrus peel. Experiment anyway - it’s delicious. Oh, and my chillies were large ones not birds eye chillies which I think would be too hot!)

From WASTED by Conor Spacey (Blasta Books, £13) Illustrations: Nicky Hooper

What to drink: the pasta sauce is quite punchy and citrussy so am not sure it needs more citrus. A dry white wine like a Picpoul de Pinet or a pinot grigio would work best if you wanted a glass of wine though I drank a kombucha with it which was excellent.

Harak Osbao (lentils and pasta with tamarind, sumac and pomegranate)

This is one of Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi's contributions to Cook for Syria a brilliant fund-raising book of middle-eastern inspired recipes from top food writers which was conceived and curated last year by instagrammer Clerkenwell Boy*.

Apparently the name of the recipe means 'he burnt his finger', a reference to it being so irresistible that you can't help but get stuck in.

According to Ottolenghi "It is a dish fit for a feast but extremely comforting and delicious with all the toppings mixed in."

Serves 8-10

40g tamarind, soaked with 200ml boiling water

250g fettuccini, broken up roughly

60ml olive oil

2 red onions, thinly sliced (350g)

350g brown lentils

1.5 litres chicken stock

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

6 garlic cloves, crushed

30g coriander, roughly chopped

20g parsley, roughly chopped

90g pomegranate seeds

2 tsp sumac

2 lemons cut into wedges

Flaky sea salt and black pepper

Mix the tamarind with the water well to separate the pips. Strain the liquid into a small bowl discarding the pips and set aside.

Place a large saucepan on a medium-high heat and once hot add the broken up fettucini. Toast for 1-2 minutes until the pasta starts to brown, then remove from the pan and set aside.

Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into the pan and return to a medium-high heat. Add the onion and fry for 8 minutes, stirring frequently until golden and soft. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the chicken stock to the pan and place on a high heat.Once boiling, add the lentils, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes or until soft.

Add the toasted fettucine, tamarind water, 150ml water, pomegranate molasses, 4 teaspoons of salt and lots of pepper. Continue to cook for 8-9 minutes until the pasta is soft and almost all of the liquid has been absorbed and set aside for 10 minutes. The liquid will continue to be absorbed, but the lentils and pasta should remain moist.

Place a small saucepan on a medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the garlic and fry for 1-2 minutes until just golden brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the coriander.

Spoon the lentils and pasta into a large shallow serving bowl. Top with the garlic and coriander, parsley, pomegranate seeds, sumac and serve with the lemon wedges

What to drink: I would chose a light, fruity young red from Syria's neighbour the Lebanon like the Domaine des Tourelles red which is currently selling for £9.50 from D & D Wine and around £10 from other indies.

From Cook for Syria (£25 Suitcase) Profits from the book are donated to aid children affected by the crisis in Syria. There are a whole load of delicious recipes in it from some of Britain's top food writers. Do buy a copy.

Creamy cannellini and fennel pasta

A clever little recipe from Jack Monroe's brilliant new book Cooking on a Bootstrap which would be perfect for a shared student house or anyone on a tight budget.

Jack - a celebrated anti-poverty campaigner has first hand experience of living on the breadline but she also has the ingenuity to create delicious food out of simple, cheap ingredients - this one is particularly impressive as it makes a creamy carbonara-style sauce out of a can of cannellini beans.

Jack writes: This pasta dish is packed with protein, but also a very good healthy substitute for cream-packed pasta dishes. As with all bean-based dishes, they benefit from a long, slow cook, so the more time you have to give this, the better the results.

Creamy cannellini and fennel pasta

Serves 3-4

1 large onion (about 200g), finely sliced

2–4 fat garlic cloves (depending on how much of a fan you are), minced or finely chopped

2 tbsp oil

a pinch of salt

¼ tsp fennel seeds

1 x 400g tin of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (240g drained weight)

2 tbsp lemon juice

a few sprigs of parsley or herb of your choice, to finish

cooked pasta of your choice, to serve (I'd suggest about 300g dried weight)

1 Pop the onion and garlic into a large saucepan with the oil. Bring to gentle heat, add a pinch of salt and the fennel seeds and stir lovingly. There’s a lot of love going into this dish along the way, it’s got the subtle soothing nature of a risotto, so clear the decks and use it as a de-stresser while you stand and stir.

2 Toss the cannellini beans into the pan, squeeze the lemon juice over the top, and cook on low heat for 10 minutes to soften the onions.

3 Add 200ml cold water, then turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, stir, and leave to cook for another 10 minutes. The cannellinis should start to break down and self-purée, thickening the sauce. Stir well and gradually add another 200ml water (you might not need all of it) until most of the beans have broken down and you’re left with a soft, creamy, sweet, garlicky, comforting gorgeous sauce. Stir through the herbs.

4 Stir through your pasta, or allow to cool, spoon into jars or other containers, label and pop in the fridge until dinner time.

TIP

• Fennel seeds are not essential if they aren’t the sort of thing you have lying around but I’m a Big Fan of them – as a store-cupboard spice, a couple of little fennel seeds go a long, long way.

What to drink: Keeping to the budget theme get in the habit of replacing white wine with dry cider. Much cheaper and better than most cheap whites on the market.

Extracted from Cooking on a Bootstrap by Jack Monroe published by Bluebird Books at £15.99. You can get 40% off this price if you order it through her blog and/or order one for a foodbank (again with a 40% discount) by entering the code FBNK2808 on this site.