The three quick and easy pasta recipes that are giving mob wife vibes

YOU will know Gennaro Contaldo as the cheeky-chappy Italian mentor of celeb chef Jamie Oliver.

And if you’re a fan of the mob wife aesthetic, his mouth-watering Italian cuisine will bring a taste of la dolce vita.

David Loftus

His latest cookbook, Gennaro’s Verdure: Big And Bold Recipes To Pack Your Plate With Veg (Pavilion), has just come out and it’s putting veggies in the limelight.

From an asparagus twist on a classic carbonara, to wholesome spinach gnocchi and an aubergine pasta bake that will replace your usual moussaka, you’ll find comfort in the many carb-loaded dishes.

Gennaro has been called the “don of Italian cooking” by Mr Oliver himself, and is much-loved by the delectable Stanley Tucci, too.

And now you can try some of his fave recipes right here…

David Loftus

Pasta with asparagus carbonara

Serves: 4

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Cals: 633

Sat fat: 10g

Ingredients:

320g asparagus

320g linguine

3tbsp extra virgin olive oil

60g pancetta, finely chopped

6 egg yolks

80g pecorino, grated, plus extra for sprinkling

Method:

1. Remove any hard stems from the asparagus, then finely chop the remaining stems and keep the asparagus tips intact. Set aside.
2. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and add the woody asparagus stems. When the water begins to boil, discard the asparagus, add the linguine pasta and cook until al dente.
3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the pancetta and sweat for 2-3 minutes until it begins to colour. Stir in the finely chopped asparagus stems and tips and stir-fry for about 3 minutes until the asparagus is cooked.
4. In a bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks, then stir through a little black pepper and the pecorino.
5. Drain the cooked linguine and add to the frying pan with the asparagus. Mix well together, adding a little of the hot pasta water to bind. Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the egg yolk mixture, until everything is well combined and silky.
6. Serve immediately with a sprinkling of black pepper and extra grated pecorino, if desired.

David Loftus

Spinach gnocchi

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Cals: 466

Sat fat: 8g

Ingredients:

250g frozen spinach

250g tub ricotta

1 egg

40g parmesan, grated, plus extra for sprinkling

Pinch grated nutmeg

250g “OO” flour, plus extra for dusting

For the tomato sauce:

2tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely sliced

400g can chopped tomatoes

Method:

1. First make the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium heat and sweat the garlic for a minute or so, then add the tomatoes with a little water (rinsed from the can) and a little salt. Cover with a lid and cook over a medium-low heat for about 25 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make the gnocchi. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the frozen spinach for about 5 minutes until defrosted and cooked through. Drain well, squeezing out the excess liquid with your hands, then place on a chopping board and finely chop.
3. Place the spinach in a large bowl with the ricotta, egg, Parmesan, nutmeg and a little salt, and gradually add in the flour. Mix well until you obtain a smooth, soft dough.
4. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into a long sausage shape. Using a sharp knife, cut into 2.5cm lengths. Continue doing this until all the dough has been used up.
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and drop the gnocchi into the water in batches, simmering for a minute or so until they rise to the top.
6. Using a slotted spoon or a spider strainer, lift the gnocchi out of the water and transfer to a dish. Pour over the tomato sauce and gently mix.
7. Serve immediately with a sprinkling of grated parmesan, if you like.

David Loftus

Aubergine Pasta Bake

Serves: 6

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 2 hours

Cals: 491

Sat fat: 10g

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil, for frying

1 aubergine, thinly sliced lengthways

300g rigatoni

Butter, for greasing

1tbsp dried breadcrumbs, for dusting

50g provolone cheese, cubed

2 cold hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced into rounds

125g mozzarella, drained and roughly chopped

50g mortadella, roughly chopped

30g parmesan, grated

Handful basil leaves, plus extra to garnish

For the ragu:

1tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1/2 celery stalk, finely chopped

1/2 carrot, finely chopped

250g minced beef

2tbsp white wine

350ml tomato passata

Method:

1. First make the ragu. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium heat and sweat the onion, celery and carrot for a couple of minutes until softened. Increase the heat, add the minced beef and seal well all over, then season with salt and pepper. Add the wine and allow to evaporate. Add the tomato passata, lower the heat, partially cover with a lid and cook gently for 11/2 hours. If the sauce gets a little too thick during cooking, add a little hot water.
2. Meanwhile, heat plenty of vegetable oil in a large, deep frying pan until hot, then deep-fry the aubergine slices in batches for 2-3 minutes until golden all over. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to kitchen paper to drain and pat dry with more paper to remove as much excess oil as possible. Set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas mark 6. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the rigatoni until al dente. Drain and combine with a ladleful of the ragu mixture. Lightly grease an ovenproof dish (18cm x 18 cm) with butter and dust with breadcrumbs. Spread about a third of the ragu over the top, followed by half of the cooked pasta.
4. Scatter over half of the provolone, egg slices, mozzarella and mortadella, plus a sprinkling of grated parmesan, then layer half of the aubergine slices on top. Spread half of the remaining ragu on top, with a scatter of some basil leaves and a little black pepper, then add the remaining pasta, provolone, egg slices, mozzarella, mortadella, grated parmesan and aubergine slices as before. Scatter with more basil leaves and finish with a layer of the remaining ragu.
5. Cover the dish with foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and continue to bake for a further 15 minutes, until hot and bubbling. Remove from the oven, leave to rest for 5 minutes, then serve.