Vegetable Bolognese Bucatini, Sausage Gnochetti, Chicken Liver Pasta Ribbon: Phil Howard's Winter Pasta Recipes

Sausage, White Wine, Chilli, Fennel and Garlic Gnocchetti

A wonderful, comforting bowl of pasta with the comfort and familiarity that comes from sausage and just enough spicy pepper and white wine to lift it.

Preparation 15 minCooking 1 h 20 min For 4 to 6 people as a main dish or starter

500g good sausage meat 1 tbsp olive oil 30 g unsalted butter 100 g shallots, peeled and finely chopped 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely minced Salt and black pepper ¼ tsp. chili flakes ½ tsp. or other small fresh pasta such as orecchiette or conchiglie), or 300g of dried gnocchettiGrated Parmesan, to finish

Half an hour before you want to cook, take the sausage meat out of the fridge , to bring it to room temperature.

Place oil in a large, shallow, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and sausage meat, then cook, stirring constantly to crush and crumble as much of the sausage as possible. After about five minutes, once it has achieved a minced meat-like consistency, add the shallots, garlic, salt, pepper, chili flakes and fennel seeds, lower slightly the heat and cook, stirring frequently, for four or five minutes, until the shallots are softened and translucent; a little color is fine, but keep the heat low to avoid scorching.

Pour in wine, boil until reduced by half, then stir in the celeriac and cook for five to 10 minutes, to soften. Add the broth, raise the heat and bring to a boil, then cover, lower the heat and simmer for an hour. Season again to taste. The sauce should taste like all of its key ingredients - sausage, white wine, fennel and chilli. Keep warm while the pasta cooks (or let cool and reheat gently later).

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to package instructions then drain, reserving 150 ml of the cooking water. Put the pasta and reserved water in the pot and cook, stirring and stirring, for a minute or two, until the sauce coats the pasta in a rich, shiny way; if desired, add an extra knob of butter to get things going. Transfer to warmed pasta bowls and serve topped with grated parmesan.

Bucatini with a bolognese of fall vegetables, mushrooms and chestnuts

The combination of all the vegetables from season gives this delicious and deep flavor that works so well at this time of year.

Preparation 20 mins Cooking 2 hrs 30 For 4 to 6 people as a main course or starter

150g peeled onions2 cloves of peeled garlic50g peeled celeriac1 medium carrot (about 100g)1 medium parsnip (about 100g)1 small turnip (about 100g)1 beetroot medium (about 150g)200g peeled butternut squash75g chestnuts3 field mushrooms100ml olive oil2 tbsp vegetable oilSalt and black pepper500g canned tomatoes (1¼ cans)1 bay leaf1 sprig of fresh rosemary2 sage leaves1 pinch of sugar (optional)700g fresh bucatini without egg (or other fresh tubular pasta such as macaroni s or penne), or 300g dried, eggless bucatiniGrated vegan cheese or nutritional yeast, to finish (optional)

Thinly chop the onion and grate the garlic, ideally in the microplane. Celeriac, carrot, parsnip, turnip, beetroot, squash, chestnuts and mushrooms are best coarsely chopped in a meat grinder; if you don't have any, grate them finely on a square grater or blend them into a coarse puree in a food processor. The goal here is to end up with a rich sauce of ground vegetables bound in the sauce, rather than finely chopped vegetables swimming in liquid.

Preheat oven to 140C (120C fan)/275F/Gas 1. In a wide, shallow, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, sweat the onion and garlic in half the olive oil and all the vegetable oil, until tender, adding a good pinch of salt and a little ground pepper. Add all the minced vegetables and another good pinch of salt, and cook over high heat, stirring constantly...