Fettucine with Mushrooms, Rosemary & Spinach by chef and TV presenter Gino D’Acampo

Fettucine means ‘little ribbons’ in Italian and they are thinner than tagliatelle. Typical of the Roman and Tuscan areas of Italy, fettuccine is one of my favourite pastas. Pecorino is a hard sheep’s cheese and the better quality you can buy the better your dish will be; most pecorino is now produced in Sardinia.

Serves 4

60g salted butter

4 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves

600g mixed wild mushrooms, cleaned and roughly sliced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

100ml dry white wine

500ml double cream

2 large handfuls of spinach leaves, washed

400g fettuccine

30g pecorino cheese, freshly grated

fine salt and ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

•  Fill a large saucepan with 4 litres of water, add 1 tablespoon of fine salt and bring to the boil.

•  Meanwhile, place a large frying pan or a wok on a high heat and add the butter, olive oil and rosemary leaves. Add the mushrooms with 1 teaspoon of salt and fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Add the garlic and fry for a further 8 minutes. Pour over the wine and bring to the boil for 2 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and stir in the cream with  the spinach and black pepper to taste. Cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

•  Cook the pasta in the boiling water. To get the perfect al dente bite, cook the pasta for 1 minute less than instructed on the packet, and always cook it with the lid off. Stir every minute or so.

•  Drain and tip the pasta back into the saucepan. Pour over the mushroom and spinach sauce and then stir it all together for 20 seconds, allowing the flavours to combine.

•  Serve on warm plates and sprinkle the pecorino cheese over the top.