SPAGHETTI AL’UBRIACONE (Drunkards spaghetti)  
This is an interesting pasta dish where the spaghetti is cooked in red wine until al dente,something I adapted to something similar I once tasted in a Florentine trattoria. For 4 people 400g-500g good quality spaghetti 50g pancetta (italian bacon) chopped 4 cloves of chopped garlic 2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil a little crushed peperoncino(chilli) sprig of rosemary ½ bottle of decent strong red wine cup of tomato sauce chopped parsley parmesan cheese salt Put a large saucepan of water on to boil,meanwhile in a pan put oil,rosemary,chilli and pancetta and fry until the pancetta is crispy,add chopped garlic,cook for a minute then add half of the red wine,let it boil away for a minute,remove the rosemary,put in your already made tomato sauce and continue to cook slowly. Your water should be boiling by now,add salt to taste and drop in your spaghetti...after about 3-4 minutes drain your spaghetti(it will be very al dente)and drop into your pan containing the sauce,at this point continue adding the remainder of your red wine until the pasta has consumed the alcohol and sauce,it should be a beautiful dark burgundy colour...if the spaghetti is still too hard add a little more wine until properly cooked al dente.Add parmesan and chopped parsley and serve,perhaps with a little garnish of chopped fresh tomato. Buon appetito!

RAVIOLI DI RUCOLA,NOCI E GORGONZOLA ((Home made ravioli filled with rucola,walnuts and gorgonzola with sage and butter)  
2 Pers 150g rucola,50g shelled walnuts,50g gorgonzola,50g ricotta,little grated nutmeg,50g grated parmesan,1 egg yolk,salt,pepper,30g butter and a few sage leaves,little cream(optional)clove of garlic,parmesan for serving. In a blender chop rucola,nuts,gorgonzola add ricotta,parmesan,nutmeg, egg yolk, salt and pepper blend until smooth.Put in fridge or leave aside in a cool place.Meanwhile make pasta dough using the same recipe for Pappardelle ai Funghi.Roll out your dough on a well floured surface making sure the pasta is quite humid and as thin as possible,take your rucola and cheese filling and with a teaspoon put small portions of the filling on the top half of your pasta sheet about 6cm apart until you’ve used up the dough.Working quickly make little parcels by folding the lower half of the sheet over the filling,press around the “parcels” with your hands making sure no air remains trapped in the ravioli(otherwise they will open when cooking) and a cut a square on the three sides using a pastry(ravioli cutter),dust with flour and put on a large tray covered with a teatowel or baking paper so as the ravioli don’t stick,proceed until you have used all the dough,you can always keep the remainding ribbons and dry them to use for another day. Put a large pot of water on to boil, meanwhile melt butter and sage with the clove of garlic in a large pan until butter begins to colour discard garlic clove and add a little cream if you wish.When water begins to boil add salt and drop in ravioli carefully making sure they don’t stick together,they should’nt need more than 5 minutes cooking,when ready drain and add straight to the butter and sage sauce,toss and add extra parmesan cheese.Serve, and if you like add a few leaves of rucola and some crumbled walnuts.Delicious!

SPAGHETTI ALLA ZINGARA (Spaghetti with ginger,tomato and chilli)  
2 Pers 150g Spaghetti,4 cloves of garlic,3 tbs extra virgin olive oil,2 dried chillies(peperoncino),100g fresh ginger,juice of a lemon,150g cherry tomatoes,little tomato sauce,small handful of fresh marjoram(or oregano) freshly grated pecorino or parmesan cheese. Put a large pot of water on to boil,peel,crush and chop the garlic and ginger.Dice the cherry tomatoes,heat the olive oil in a large pan add the crushed chillies add the garlic/ginger mixture being careful not to burn,put in the tomatoes and add a couple of tablespoons of tomato sauce cook for a few minutes add half of the marjoram.Meanwhile add spaghetti to boiling salted water and cook until “al dente” about 7-8 mins,just before the pasta is cooked add lemon juice to sauce,drain spaghetti throw into the sauce toss and add half grated cheese and remaining marjoram.Serve with extra pecorino and buon appetite! This is an exotic even erotic dish with the unusual presence of ginger being used with pasta but it works well and your date will love it!!

CASERECCE CON TONNO E PEPERONI (Pasta with tuna and peppers)  
2 pers 200g Caserecce,1 red and 1 yellow pepper,4 cloves of garlic,4 tbs extra virgin olive oil,peperoncino(chilli),tsp capers,2 anchovy fillets,little tomato sauce,basil and rosemary,parsley and parmesan(optional) If you have the oven on at a high heat 250c put the peppers in a oven proof dish with 2 cloves of garlic and a sprig of rosemary,turn them frequently and when they begin to soften and blacken, remove from oven place in a plastic bag,close and let them cool until they can be handled,remove skin and all seeds,cut into long strips.A good idea would be to ccok several peppers this way so as not to waste precious energy of your oven,you can then marinate peppers with chopped garlic,olive oil some basil or parsley and if you like a little balsamic vinegar. Meanwhile put a large pan of water on to boil,finely chop 2 cloves of garlic,anchovy fillets and some sprigs of parsley,heat olive oil in a large pan add chilli,garlic,anchovies and parsley and sweat over medium heat,add a little tomato sauce you already have made and a teaspoon of capers,let sauce cook for 5 minutes then put in your prepared pepper strips,check for salt remembering capers and anchovies are already quite salty!When water for pasta begins to boil add salt and cook linguine until “al dente” roughly 8 mins,drain pasta add to sauce,mix thoroughly add chopped basil and if you like,grated parmesan.A lovely dish to look at with the colours,red,yellow and green,buon appetito!

PAPPARDELLE AI FUNGHI (Pasta ribbons with wild mushrooms)  
2 Persons 150g Pappardelle(preferably home made),A small onion or leek chopped fine,tbs butter,tbs good olive oil,fresh timian,clove of garlic,50g champignons,15g dried porcini muhrooms,glass of white wine,100ml cream,chopped parsley,salt and pepper. First soak the dried porcini in warm water for at least an hour.Put a large pot of water on to boil,in a pan melt butter with olive oil add chopped onion or leek and sweat slowly over low heat,add chopped garlic and the sliced champignons,then the drained and rinsed dried porcini(reserve some of the liquid they softened in ),when the mushrooms become browned add a glass of white wine,increase the heat then add the cream,season with salt and pepper and add some of the chopped parsley.Meanwhile cook your pappardelle if using fresh will only need 4-5 minutes,dried versions up to 7 minutes.A filling autumn/winter dish with a good bottle of red. Recipe for home made pasta 300g flour “00”,2 whole eggs plus extra yoke,pinch of salt,drop of olive oil.Take your flour make a well add the eggs,drop of oil and pinch of salt,with a fork slowly mix the egg mixture into the flour until you have a “dough”,knead the dough for roughly 5mins until its elasticy and pliable, add more flour if it becomes too sticky.Put the dough in cling film and allow to rest for a couple of hours,when ready to use roll out strips on a pasta machine as thin as possible.