This one was a recommendation from my friend Barbara. A Waitrose recipe it claims to be ‘the culinary equivalent of a laze in front of the fire’. Now I’m not sure I’d go that far, but it was really tasty. And being easy to make certainly made this one a winner in the Greedy household. Indeed with the sage and chestnuts it felt like a last hurrah to the festive season.

Ingredients

250g chestnuts in shells or 100g cooked, peeled chestnuts (I used the cooked and peeled variety)
40ml extra virgin olive oil
1/2 unwaxed lemon
A few sage leaves
¼ tsp crushed chilli flakes
200g Tagliatelle
3-6 slices Parma ham, roughly torn apart (we used all six)
10g Butter

Preparation

If cooking the chestnuts yourself preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Slit the shells with a knife tip and place in a roasting tray. Cook for 20 minutes until soft, then remove from the oven and cool. Peel while still warm; discard the shells.

Put the olive oil in a frying pan. Peel off long, thin strips of the lemon rind and add to the oil along with the sage and chilli flakes. Heat gently for three–four minutes until the oil is infused. Cook the pasta in a large pan of salted, boiling water for eight minutes or until al dente. Add the chestnuts and ham to the infused oil and continue to cook for five minutes until the chestnuts are warmed through and the ham is crisp. Discard the lemon rind; add the butter, squeeze over the juice of the lemon and season. Drain the tagliatelle and return to the pan, toss with the chestnuts, ham and flavoured oil and serve immediately.

Verdict

A resounding success. Quick to throw together and bursting with flavour. Although the husband felt that less chestnuts and more meat would have worked better. 8/10 from both of us.

Serves two.