Pasta, lamb, marble pestle and mortar

I cannot tell you what a difference having the right kitchen gear can make to your cooking. When you're properly prepared and have the right tools for the job, cooking is an absolute pleasure.

Jamie Oliver

Just a marble pestle and mortar. Not a big one, neither a small.
A non-porous marble pestle and mortar to avoid the strong smell that usually remains.



Jamie Oliver's recipes:

Barbecued lamb lollipops with spiked hummus and nuts

This is perfect summer food when you’ve got a few mates round – just pile it all on a board in the middle of the table and dig in! It’s good fun food and your mates will be blown away by the combination of lemony hummus, spicy harissa and crunchy nuts. This really is summer eating at its best – just don’t forget to serve up a few ice-cold beers on the side! Start by getting your barbecue going – it’ll need about 45 minutes cranking away until the heat has mellowed enough to cook your lamb chops. On a big chopping board roughly chop the thyme leaves. Bash the fennel and cumin seeds in a pestle and mortar with a good pinch of salt and pepper then sprinkle them over your chopped thyme on the board. Rub the lamb on the seasoned board so the spices stick to it. Once the chops are well coated, drizzle each with a little olive oil then pop onto the barbecue, turning every couple of minutes for about 8 to 10 minutes in total. Meanwhile, put your hummus into a bowl with a little squeeze of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of harrissa. Mix well. Bash the toasted nuts and seeds in a pestle and mortar. Put your salad leaves in a bowl and dress with a good squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Toss together. By this time your lamb chops should have had 8 to 10 minutes and be perfectly cooked. Press the meat with your finger - if it gives it’s medium rare, if it doesn’t it’s well done. Get yourself a big board and spoon your lemony hummus on to one side, top with the remaining harrissa and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Pile your salad and bashed nuts in separate plies on the board too, then stack your chops on the board, get your friends round the table and dig in.

Chicken and mushroom pasta bake (spaghetti tetrazzini)

I remember meeting a lovely old couple outside my parents’ pub and when they heard I was going to Italy they told me to make sure I cooked turkey tetrazzini – I hadn’t a clue what they were talking about and then, by chance, I saw a recipe for chicken tetrazzini in an old Italian cookbook and it’s great – really tacky but gorgeous! Here’s my version...

Preheat the oven to 200ºC, 400ºF, gas 6. Put your porcini mushrooms in a bowl and pour over just enough boiling water to cover them (approx. 150ml/5½fl oz). Put to one side to soak for a few minutes. Heat a saucepan big enough to hold all the ingredients, and pour in a splash of olive oil. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and brown them gently in the oil. Strain the porcini, reserving the soaking water, and add them to the pan with the garlic and fresh mushrooms. Add the wine, with the strained porcini soaking water, and turn the heat down. Simmer gently until the chicken pieces are cooked through and the wine has reduced a little.Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in plenty of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions and drain well. Add the cream to the pan of chicken, then bring to the boil and turn the heat off. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the drained spaghetti to the creamy chicken sauce and toss well. Add three-quarters of the Parmesan and all of the basil and stir well.

Transfer to an ovenproof baking dish or non-stick pan, sprinkle with half the remaining cheese and bake in the oven until golden brown, bubbling and crisp. Divide between your plates, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese before serving.