Cooking: Pasta on the run

By the end of summer, some of us prefer to remove meat from our diet. And as wonderful as Australian seafood is, the tastebuds invariably ask for something a little different.

The following pasta recipes are meat-free, easy to cook and absolutely delicious. The quantities shown will serve four.

Baked Gnocchi

I have suggested cheeses such as romano to be used in this recipe for the flavour, but please feel free to substitute your own choice of strong-flavoured cheese.

Ricotta and mozzarella are also available in low-fat, if you are thinking of your waistline.

A little olive oil for drizzling

500g dried gnocchi

250g ricotta cheese

1 egg yolk

1 cup grated romano cheese

A generous pinch of nutmeg

A handful of parsley sprigs, chopped

Freshly ground salt and pepper

2 cups tomato passata or paste

250g mozzarella cheese

Preheat your oven to 180°C (375°F). Lightly grease a baking dish with some of the olive oil.

Meanwhile, bring a generous amount of salted water to the boil and cook the dried gnocchi according to the directions on the packet. When the gnocchi is cooked, remove from the heat and drain. Return the gnocchi to the pot in which it was boiled.

Combine the ricotta, egg yolk, half the romano cheese, and the nutmeg and parsley in a separate bowl. Season the ricotta mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Add the ricotta mixture to the pasta and mix thoroughly.

Pour the tomato passata over the top of the ricotta/gnocchi mixture, add the mozzarella cheese and stir well to combine.

Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the rest of the romano cheese over the top. Put the baking dish into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until heated through, with the cheese bubbling.

Allow the baked gnocchi to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Pasta with Tomato and Basil

What a wonderful burst of flavour there is in this recipe. As with the previous dish, it is possible to purchase a low-fat mascarpone.

300g dried pasta of your choice

500g ripe tomatoes (or one tin of chopped tomatoes)

1 tbsp butter

1 clove garlic, crushed

2-3 tbsp tomato sauce

1 small red chilli, seeded and finely chopped

6 tbsp mascarpone

A handful of basil leaves, torn

6 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the dried pasta according to the packet. When the pasta is cooked, drain well. If you are using fresh tomatoes, peel them, then roughly chop.

Heat the butter in a heavy base frying pan and add the garlic to the pan. Cook the garlic for a minute and then add the tomatoes.

Cook for a few minutes to reduce the liquid in the pan.

Add the tomato sauce to the pan with the chopped chilli, stir well and cook for a couple of minutes. Stir in the mascarpone and bring to the boil.

Transfer the sauce to a large bowl, add the torn basil and the cooked pasta and toss well to combine. To serve, sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the top of the pasta, and enjoy.

Pasta with Asparagus and Mushrooms

I have used dried mushrooms in this recipe because they are easy to carry as a staple while travelling. There is a large variety of dried mushrooms available in the marketplace these days so why not try some of the different varieties in this recipe.

1 bunch asparagus spears

6-8 dried mushrooms

300g dried pasta of your

choice

4 tbsp olive oil

2 spring onions, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

½ cup vegetable stock or water

½ tsp fresh thyme leaves or

small pinch of dried thyme

3 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

(Italian parsley if possible)

Grated romano or parmesan

for sprinkling

Snap the tough ends off the asparagus spears and then cut the spears into half-inch lengths. Soak the dried mushrooms in some hot water to rehydrate them.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil. We are going to use the same water for blanching the asparagus and for cooking it. Plunge the asparagus into the boiling water and blanch for a couple of minutes. Using a colander or skimmer, transfer the blanched asparagus to a bowl of cold water to refresh it.

This will keep the asparagus a nice green colour. Drain the asparagus and set to one side.

Cook the pasta of your choice in the boiling water in which you blanched the asparagus, according to the directions on the packet.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the spring onions and cook until they soften and start to turn gold. Drain the dried mushrooms and add them to the pan with the spring onions along with the garlic and asparagus.

Cook for a few minutes and then add the vegetable stock (or water). Simmer until the asparagus is tender. Add the thyme to the pan with the vegetables and stir well.

Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the vegetables. Add the parsley and toss the ingredients in the pan to mix them together.

To serve, place a generous portion of the pasta in individual serving bowls and sprinkle with the grated romano or parmesan cheese.