This is a really really bastardized version of a Jamie Oliver recipe - basically so I could use up left over roast chicken from Sunday without making curry again.

You will need:

• left over roast chicken meat
• half a box of mushrooms
• 250ml double cream or just over
• garlic
• 150g parmesan cheese
• 250g or more of linguine or spaghetti
• a glass of white wine or Noilly Prat vermouth
• basil

(Made enough for 2 adults and 3 small children).

Cook the pasta. Put the grill on.

Thinly slice the mushrooms and fry in a little oil with the chopped garlic. Add the cooked, diced chicken and fry for a bit to warm it through. Turn up the heat and throw on the wine or vermouth. Inhale deeply. Reduce the wine a bit then pour on the cream and brink to the boil. Add some salt and a lot of freshly ground pepper.

Take the pan off the heat. Stir in most of the grated cheese and the chopped basil. Mix in with the pasta in an oven dish sprinkling some parmesan on top. Zap under the grill until golden brown on top.

2 out of 3 of my children wanted seconds.

I’ll always remember a colleague of mine throwing a colour supplement across the newsroom in disgust.
“Anyone can make fine food with expensive ingredients. I want ALCHEMY!”
Well, this recipe is alchemy - it tastes better than the sum of its parts. And it’s for you, Frank. (Adapted from Jamie Oliver).

- Farfalle
- Anchovies
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Chili flakes
- Broccoli - chopped finely, stalks and all
- Pine nuts

Fry the garlic, a few anchovies, chili flakes and broccoli in some olive oil in a pan with the lid on. Add water from the farfalle pan as needed to stop it burning. Cook until the broccoli is soft and the farfalle cooked. Drain farfalle and combine with the sauce. Throw some toasted pine nuts on top. Delicious.

Simplified from Delia and Jamie - pasta puttanesca - a regular fave.
- spaghetti
- tin of tomatoes or roast tomato sauce
- fresh basil
- olive oil
- garlic
- tinned or jarred anchovies
- capers
- small tin of sliced black olives
Fry the garlic, basil and anchovies in a little olive oil. Add tin of tomatoes, small tin of sliced pitted black olives and some capers. Simmer on low heat until nice and thick. Dollop over freshly cooked spaghetti and add black pepper and parmesan to taste.