CRACKER RECIPES RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
  2. To make your filling, wash the squash, carefully cut it in half lengthways and remove the seeds, then chop into eight big chunks and place in a large roasting tray.
  3. Add the whole ricotta, sprinkle over the chilli flakes and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then finely grate over half the nutmeg. Drizzle with oil and gently toss together. Roast for 1 hour.
  4. Crumble up the chestnuts, pick the sage leaves, toss both in a little oil, then sprinkle into the tray. Roast for another 15 minutes, or until the squash is tender and golden, and the ricotta is gnarly-looking.
  5. Finely grate the Parmesan into the tray, season and mash it all together, as chunky or smooth as you like. Leave to cool completely.
  6. Make the pasta dough in a food processor, blitzing the spinach and egg yolks together before adding the dry ingredients. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and pop into the fridge for 30 minutes.
  7. Divide the pasta in half, saving one half for another day. Cut the remaining piece in two (wrapping one piece back up momentarily), and roll out into sheets that are just 2mm thick – use a pasta machine, or do it by hand with a rolling pin.
  8. Cut into rectangles 15cm x 12cm. Spoon 2 tablespoons of filling along the length of each one, near the bottom edge, leaving 1.5cm at either end.
  9. Brush the exposed pasta with a damp brush, then roll up and pinch in the sides to seal and create cracker shapes.
  10. Repeat with the remaining pasta and filling to make 24 crackers in total. Transfer to semolina-dusted greaseproof paper as you go.
  11. For the sauce, melt the butter in a large frying pan, then, once foamy and starting to darken, squeeze in the clementine juice and swirl to create a creamy butter sauce. Season with pepper and keep warm over a very low heat until needed.
  12. Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water for 3 to 4 minutes, transferring it to the buttery sauce when cooked, with a splash of cooking water. Work in batches (the first will happily sit in the sauce while you cook the rest).
  13. Finish with a grating of nutmeg and Parmesan, and a scattering of toasted, crushed almonds.

Steps:

• Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, milk, and oil, blending well, and turn out on to a floured surface. Knead four or five times. Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thick and cut into 1 x 1 1/2-inch dumplings.
• In a large saucepan, combine the water and bouillon cubes/soup base. Boil until the bouillon cubes/soup base dissolve. Cook the dumplings until just about done; dumplings are done when they float up towards the top of the pot. Use a strainer to remove them to a bowl and set aside. Reserve the cooking liquid.
• While the dumplings are cooking, you can start to prepare the sauce. Melt the butter in medium saucepan. Add salt and flour; stir until thick. Mix the sugar with the milk and add to flour mixture a little at a time, stirring constantly with a whisk until thick and smooth. Remove from heat. Add the cooked dumplings to the sauce.
• Reserve 3/4-1 cup of the cooking liquid and stir gently into the sauce and dumplings. Return to low heat and simmer until blended. If the sauce seems too thick, gently stir in a little more cooking liquid. Add pepper to taste.