Begin by melting the butter in a solid-based frying pan, then add the onion and sauté over a low heat until soft. This will take about 7 minutes. Now add the crushed garlic and mushrooms and continue to cook for a further 2-3 minutes. 

Next mix the curry powder and flour together and stir these into the butter to soak up all the juices. Then add the wine gradually, stirring briskly after each addition and, when all the wine is added, cook for a further 3 minutes before finally adding the crème fraîche. 

The sauce is now ready and can be made up to this stage in advance, but lay a piece of clingfilm over the surface if you're not using it immediately.

When you're ready to cook the pasta place a large saucepan with plenty of lightly salted water on to boil and cook the pasta for 10 minutes or until it is cooked to your liking, but still retains some bite. Meanwhile, tear little pieces of smoked salmon lengthways into strips, then reheat the sauce and add the salmon at the very last minute, just before serving.

Now drain the pasta, return it to the pan, then quickly stir in the sauce and smoked salmon and serve at once in deep heated bowls.

Start off by bringing a panful of water to the boil, then add the macaroni together with some salt and a few drops of oil. Bring back to the boil then cook for 10 minutes.

While that's happening, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying-pan and, over a medium heat, cook the courgettes and chopped bacon in it to soften and colour the courgettes. 

You need to begin by first browning the meatballs. To do this, add the oil to the casserole and whilst it’s heating coat the meatballs lightly with seasoned flour. When it’s smoking hot, brown them four at a time, then transfer them to a plate.

After that, make the sauce in the same pan. Heat the oil, add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic, cook for another minute, add in the paprika and any remaining seasoned flour, and give it a stir to soak up the juices. Then add the tomatoes, a little salt and bring it up to simmering point, stirring all the time.

Now add the meatballs and bring it back to a gentle simmer, then put a lid on and transfer to the middle shelf of the oven for 1 hour. Then stir in the green pepper, put the lid back on and cook for a further half hour.

Just before serving, cook the pasta in plenty of boiling water for 4 minutes, then drain and return it to the pan and toss with a teaspoon of olive oil and the poppy seeds. Now divide the pasta into warm bowls. Lightly stir
the crème fraîche into the meatballs and sauce to give a marbled effect.

Spoon it onto the fettuccine and sprinkle a dusting of paprika on as a garnish as they go to the table.

Nutrition 642kcals/58.4g carbohydrate/8.1g sugars/32.6g fat/13.1g saturated fat/1.1g salt per serving for 4

Fill the cooking pot with water, cover with a lid, place it over a high heat and bring it up to boil.

When the water is boiling remove the lid and add the salt, then when the water is boiling fiercely, quickly add the pasta and stir it around just once to separate it.

If you’re cooking long pasta, like spaghetti, push it against the base of the pan using the back of a wooden spoon. You don’t need to put a lid on the pan: if it’s really boiling briskly it will come back to the boil in seconds, and if you put a lid on it will boil over.

Put a timer on and give it 10 – 12 minutes for top-quality pasta, but because the timing varies according to the shape and quality, the only real way to test it is to taste it. So do this after 8 minutes, then 9, and 10 and so on.

This only applies when you cook a particular brand for the first time. After that you will always know how long it will take. Sometimes you can give it 1 minute less boiling and than allow it an extra minutes cooking whilst you combine it with the sauce.

Have a colander ready in a sink or a bowl, then as you are draining the water, swirl it around the colander, which will heat it ready for the hot pasta.

Don’t drain it too thoroughly: its good to have a few drops of moisture still clinging as this prevents the pasta from becoming dry. Place the colander over the saucepan to catch any drips.

Always serve it on deep warmed plates to keep the pasta as hot as possible as it goes to the table.

For spaghetti, the very best way to serve it is to use pasta tongs, and always lift it high to quickly separate each portion from the rest.

If the pasta is going to be cooked again, in a baked dish like macaroni cheese, for example, give it half the usual cooking time to allow for the time on the oven.

Presto pronto! In Italian this means soon and quickly.

Always work quickly, as pasta won’t hang around – if it cools it goes sticky and gluey, so drain it quickly, serve it quickly and eat it quickly.

Pasta for all our Cookery School recipes from the Martelli family, air-dried in huge lofts in Lari, Tuscany.

Begin by placing the porcini (broken into pieces) in a small saucepan, add the Marsala, bring up to simmering point, then take it off the heat and put on a timer for the porcini to soak for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and chop the onion and the same with the garlic.

Then heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a wide shallow pan, add the onions and let them cook over a lowish heat for about 10 minutes.

While that’s happening, chop the chestnut mushrooms (through the stalk) into quarters and the larger mushrooms into six. After that add the garlic to the onion and cook, stirring it around, for a minute or two before adding the prepared fresh mushrooms.

Stir and toss them around until they start to shrink, add some seasoning and let them cook very gently. Then, when the 30 minutes’ soaking time is up, add the porcini and Marsala and do some more tossing and stirring.

Continue to cook with the heat at medium for about 30–40 minutes, or until all the juices (of which there will be quite a lot) have evaporated. It could take a bit longer, but this will concentrate the flavour of the mushrooms beautifully.

Put a large pan of water on to boil and preheat the oven to 200°C.  Gas mark 6.

Meanwhile, make an all-in-one béchamel sauce by placing the milk, butter and flour in a saucepan, then whisking over a medium heat until you have a smooth, thick sauce. Then turn the heat to its lowest and cook for 5 minutes, adding some seasoning and the nutmeg. At the end whisk in 2 tablespoons of double cream.

When the mushrooms are ready, cook the pasta in the boiling water for 8 minutes, then drain it in a colander.

Return it to the saucepan, add two-thirds of the sauce, along with the mushrooms and cubes of Taleggio. Now pile the whole lot into the baking dish, cover the pasta with the rest of the sauce and finally sprinkle with the Parmesan and drizzle with a little olive oil.

Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes until golden brown.

This can all be prepared in advance, but in that case it will need 30–40 minutes in the oven.

Either way, when it is removed from the oven, allow it to settle for 10 minutes before serving on hot pasta dishes.

First of all take a large frying pan and heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over a medium heat and gently fry the onion for about 10 minutes, moving it around from time to time.

While the onion is softening, chop the pancetta: the best way to do this after opening the pack is to roll the contents into a sausage shape, then using a sharp knife, slice it lengthways into 4, then slice the lengths across as finely as possible.

After 10 minutes, add this to the pan to join the onion, add the garlic and continue cooking the whole lot for about 5 minutes.

Now transfer this mixture to the casserole.

Then add ¾ tablespoon of olive oil to the frying pan, turn up the heat to it highest then add the half of the minced beef and brown it, breaking it up and moving it round in the pan. Either with a wooden fork or a balloon whisk is really helpful here.

When the beef is browned, tip it into the casserole to join the onions, then heat another ¾ tablespoon of olive oil and do exactly the same with the remaining minced beef followed by the minced pork, again in two batches. Transferring the browned meat to the casserole as you go.

Pre-heat the oven to 140°C, gas mark 1.

Next place the casserole over the direct heat and give everything a really good stir, then add the tomatoes, sundried tomato paste, red wine and a really good seasoning of salt, pepper and a good grating of nutmeg and finally two rounded tablespoons of chopped basil.

More stirring now, then allow this to come up to simmering point.

Then cover with a tight fitting lid and place the casserole in the centre of the oven and leave it to cook for 3 hours, removing the lid halfway through. What you should end up with is a thick, reduced concentrated sauce with only a trace of liquid left in it, taste to check the seasoning then stir in the remaining basil.

When it’s completely cold divide it evenly into eight small polythene freezer bags.
 

Start by bringing a large saucepan of water to simmering point, add some salt, a few drops of olive oil and the pasta, then bring back to the boil and cook for 10 minutes exactly.

Then turn the pasta into a colander and, to prevent it cooking any further, rinse it under the cold tap.

While the pasta's cooking, melt the butter in a pan and soften the leeks and bacon over a low heat and, in another pan, make the white sauce with the butter, flour and milk and leave it to simmer very gently. Now turn the pasta, leeks and bacon into the prepared pie dish and mix them well together.

Next stir the grated cheese into the sauce, season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg and, finally, add the cream.

Then pour the sauce over the ingredients in the pie dish, sprinkle the top with the Parmesan, breadcrumbs and cayenne pepper.

This is a dish which can be prepared well beforehand then, when it's needed, put into an oven pre-heated to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C) for 30-40 minutes till the top is nicely browned and the sauce bubbling.

First make the filling by placing all the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and blending everything on a low speed until thoroughly combined. If you don't have a processor, chop everything as finely as possible with a sharp knife and blend it with a fork.

Wrap in clingfilm and chill for about 30 minutes to firm up.

Next make the sauce by placing the milk, butter, flour, bay leaf, nutmeg and seasonings into a medium-sized saucepan over a medium heat, then, whisking all the time, slowly bring it up to simmering point until the sauce has thickened.

Then turn the heat down to its lowest setting and let the sauce simmer for about 5 minutes, then remove the bay leaf, stir in the cream, taste to check the seasoning, cover and leave aside. 

Now pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C), then cut the lasagne sheets in half so that you have 16 pieces.

Next divide the meat mixture in half and then each half into 8, then lightly roll each of these into a sausage shape about 3 inches (7.5 cm) long. Place each one on to a piece of lasagne and roll it up, starting from one of the shorter edges.

As you do this, arrange them in the baking dish with the join underneath – what you should have is two rows neatly fitting together lengthways in the dish. 

Now pour the sauce over and scatter the Mozzarella cubes here and there.

Finally, scatter the Parmesan over the top and place the dish on the centre shelf of the oven to bake for 40 minutes, by which time it should be golden brown and bubbling. 

Then remove it from the oven and let it settle for about 10 minutes before serving. 

Finally, sprinkle a little extra Parmesan over.

Start off by preparing the courgettes and aubergine an hour ahead of time: chop them into 1½ inch (4 cm) chunks, leaving the skins on, and layer them in a colander with a sprinkling of salt between each layer.

Then put a plate on top and weight it down with something heavy, which will draw out any excess moisture from the vegetables.

After an hour, squeeze then dry them in a clean tea cloth, then pre-heat the oven to its highest setting.

Now quarter the tomatoes and chop the onion and peppers into 1½ inch (4 cm) chunks. Next, arrange all the vegetables on the baking tray and sprinkle with the olive oil and chopped garlic. Give everything a good mix to coat all the pieces with the oil, then spread them out as much as possible.

Season with salt and freshly milled black pepper, then roast on a high shelf in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until browned and charred at the edges.

Now make the cheese sauce – place the milk, flour, butter and cayenne pepper into a medium saucepan and place it over a gentle heat. Then, using a balloon whisk, begin to whisk while bringing it to a gentle simmer. Whisk continually until you have a smooth glossy sauce, and simmer very gently for 5 minutes.

Then add the cheese and whisk again, allowing it to melt. Then season with salt, freshly milled black pepper and some freshly grated nutmeg.

Meanwhile, put a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta.  About 5 minutes before the vegetables are ready, cook the rigatoni in the boiling water for exactly 6 minutes – no longer. Drain the pasta in a colander, transfer it to a large mixing bowl and combine it with the roasted vegetables, olives, anchovies, capers and cheese sauce.

At this point turn the heat down to gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C), leaving the door open to let it cool down a bit quicker.

Now layer the mixture into the gratin dish, a third at a time, sprinkling the Mozzarella over each layer and finishing with Mozzarella. Finally, sprinkle the mixture with the heaped tablespoon of Parmesan.

Bake in the oven for another 6 minutes, and serve very hot with just a leafy salad and a sharp dressing to accompany it.

If you want to make this ahead of time, it will need 35-40 minutes in the oven at gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C) to heat it through from cold.

Begin by heating four pasta bowls ready for serving.

Then, in a large saucepan, heat up 8 pints (4.7 litres) water with 1 level tablespoon sea salt and bring it up to a good, fierce boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water and stir once, then let it boil briskly for 10 minutes.

All that happens now is that while the pasta is cooking, the rest of the ingredients are piled into a processor with a teaspoon of salt, then one big whiz till the herbs are chopped and that’s it.

Now drain the pasta and return it quickly to the saucepan with the sauce and toss the two together.

Serve in the warm bowls with a little extra zest sprinkled over each one.

First heat some pasta bowls ready for serving.

Then in a large saucepan heat 2.25 litres of salted water and bring it up to a good fierce boil. Add the pasta, stir once and let it boil briskly for 10 minutes without a lid.

Meanwhile make the pesto, place the basil, garlic, pine nuts and olive oil together with some salt in a mini-chopper and whizz, then push any unblended basil leaves down with a spatula and whizz again until you have a smooth purée.

Then transfer the purée to a bowl and stir in the grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

Next trim the beans and cut each one into three. Wash and slice the potatoes next leaving the skins on, they need to be about 3-4mm thick.

After the pasta has been cooking for 10 minutes, throw in the beans and potatoes. Now give the ingredients another stir and bring the water back to boil, then set the timer for 8 minutes.

After that drain the pasta, potatoes and beans in a colander, not completely as they need a little water still clinging to them. Then tip everything back into the saucepan, add the pesto sauce, and stir it pretty niftily to give everything a good coating.

Serve in the hot pasta bowls with the extra Pecorino Romano in a bowl to sprinkle over.

A good accompaniment would be some salad leaves sprinkled with a little extra virgin olive oil and some freshly squeezed lemon juice.

If you want to make pesto a few days ahead - cover the surface with some cling film, making sure the cling film actually touches the surface of the sauce. You can keep it in the fridge for a week.
 

First of all, put a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta.

Then put the sultanas in a small bowl, cover with cold water and leave them to soak for 5 minutes so they plump up.

Meanwhile, trim the tough, fibrous ends off the sprouting broccoli and then slice the stems into short, ½ inch (1 cm) lengths, dividing up some of the larger heads of broccoli as you want them to be the same size as the pasta.

Transfer the sprouting broccoli to a steamer, sprinkle with salt and cover and steam for 7 minutes.

Then remove the steamer from the pan and leave aside, covered. Now quickly add the water from the steamer pan to the pasta pan and bring it back to boiling point to cook the pasta.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the sliced onion for 3 or 4 minutes.

Then throw in the pine nuts and sultanas (drain them first) and continue to cook gently until the onion is softened and the pine nuts lightly browned.

Now add the chopped anchovy fillets, and as soon as they have melted into the mix, the sauce is ready.

Add the steamed broccoli and briefly toss everything together. Then drain the pasta, return it to the hot, dry pan you cooked it in and toss it with the broccoli mixture.

Season to taste and serve immediately with plenty of freshly grated Pecorino Romano.

First heat some pasta bowls ready for serving.

Then in a large saucepan heat 2.25 litres of salted water and bring it up to a good fierce boil, then add the pasta and boil briskly, uncovered for 9-10 minutes until al dente.

Meanwhile, heat a frying pan and fry the pancetta without any extra oil until it’s crisp and golden, about 5 minutes.

Next, whisk the eggs, yolks and cream in a jug with a generous seasoning of black pepper then whisk in the cheese. When the pasta is cooked, drain it quickly in a colander, leaving a little of the moisture still clinging. 



Now quickly return it to the saucepan and add the pancetta and any oil in the pan, along with the egg and cream mixture.

Stir very thoroughly, so that everything gets a good coating – what happens is that the liquid egg cooks briefly as it comes into contact with the hot pasta.

Serve the pasta on really hot deep plates with some extra grated Pecorino Romano.
 

Begin this by making the sauce, which can be done using the all-in-one method.

This means placing the milk, butter, flour and bay leaf together in a saucepan, giving it a good seasoning, then, over a medium heat, whisking the whole lot together continually until it comes to simmering point and has thickened. Now turn the heat down to its lowest possible setting and allow the sauce to cook gently for 5 minutes.

After that, stir in 2 oz (50 g) of the Parmesan, then remove it from the heat, discard the bay leaf and place some clingfilm over the surface to prevent a skin from forming.

Now you need to deal with the spinach. First of all remove and discard the stalks, then wash the leaves really thoroughly in 2 or 3 changes of cold water and shake them dry. Next, take your largest saucepan, pop the knob of butter in it, then pile the spinach leaves in on top, sprinkling them with a little salt as you go. Now place the pan over a medium heat, put a lid on and cook the spinach for about 2 minutes, turning the leaves over halfway through. After that, the leaves will have collapsed down and become tender.

Next drain the spinach in a colander and, when it's cool enough to handle, squeeze it in your hands to get rid of every last drop of liquid. Then place it on a chopping board and chop it finely. Now put it into a bowl, add the ricotta, then approximately 5 fl oz (150 ml) of the sauce. Give it a good seasoning of salt and pepper and add the grated nutmeg. Then mix everything together really thoroughly and, finally, fold in the crumbled Gorgonzola.

Now you need to place a small frying pan over a medium heat, add the pine nuts and dry-fry them for about 1 minute, tossing them around to get them nicely toasted but being careful that they don't burn. Then remove the pan from the heat and assemble the lasagne.

To do this, spread a quarter of the sauce into the bottom of the dish and, on top of that, a third of the spinach mixture, followed by a scattering of toasted pine nuts. Now place sheets of pasta on top of this – you may need to tear some of them in half with your hands to make them fit.

Now repeat the whole process, this time adding a third of the grated Mozzarella along with the pine nuts, then the lasagne sheets. Repeat again, finishing with a layer of pasta, the rest of the sauce and the remaining Parmesan and Mozzarella.

When you are ready to cook the lasagne, place it on the middle shelf of the pre-heated oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, until the top is golden and bubbling.

Then remove it from the oven and let it settle for about 10 minutes before serving.

Start this by gently re-heating the tomato sauce and putting the pasta on to cook.

When you are almost ready to eat, stir the cubes of Mozzarella into the warm sauce and let it simmer gently for 2-3 minutes, by which time the cheese will have softened and begun to melt but still retain its identity. Serve the sauce spooned over the drained pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan and add a few fresh basil leaves as a garnish.

Begin by making the sauce: place the butter, flour and milk in a small saucepan over a medium heat, and whisk continuously until it has become smooth and thickened.

Season with salt, freshly milled pepper, a good pinch of cayenne and a few gratings of nutmeg then turn the heat down to its very lowest and leave it for about five minutes.

Now put a large saucepan containing 3 pints of water on to boil for the pasta. Place the broad beans, peas and dwarf beans (cut into 1-inch, 2.5-cm, lengths) in another saucepan, add some salt, pour boiling water from the kettle on them and simmer gently for 2 minutes.

Then strain off the water and sluice the vegetables under a cold tap. When the pasta water is boiling, add the macaroni and a seasoning of salt and time it for 6 minutes. While that’s happening chop the spring onions (including the green parts) and add them along with the cheddar cheese to the sauce. Taste to check the seasoning and, lastly, cut the mozzarella into small cubes. 

When the pasta is cooked, strain it and place it in the baking dish, toss in the vegetables and half the mozzarella cubes, then pour in the sauce and give it all a good stir.

After that top with the rest of the mozzarella and the grated pecorino, scatter a few sage leaves over and bake on a high shelf in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden-brown and the sauce bubbling. (Note: if you want to make this in advance and it goes into the oven completely cold, give it up to 35 minutes).

First of all place the aubergine cubes in a colander, sprinkle them with salt and leave them to stand for half an hour, weighed down with something heavy to squeeze out the excess juices.

Meanwhile, skin the tomatoes by pouring boiling water over them and leaving them for 1 minute, then drain off the water and, as soon as they are cool enough to handle, slip off the skins.

Cut each tomato in half and place the halves on one of the baking trays (cut side uppermost), then season with salt and freshly milled black pepper. Sprinkle over the chopped garlic, distributing it evenly between the tomatoes, and follow this with a few drops of olive oil in each one.

Top each tomato half with half a basil leaf, turning each piece of leaf over to give it a good coating of oil.

Now place the baking tray on the middle shelf of the oven and roast the tomatoes for 50-60 minutes or until the edges are slightly blackened.

Meanwhile, drain the aubergines and squeeze out as much excess juice as possible, then dry them thoroughly with a clean cloth and place them in the other baking tray.

Then drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil all over them and place them on the top shelf of the oven, above the tomatoes, giving them half an hour.

Towards the end of the cooking time, cook the pasta (see How to cook perfect pasta). When the tomatoes and aubergines are ready, scrape them, along with all their lovely cooking juices, into a saucepan and place it over a low heat, then add the cubed Mozzarella and stir gently.

Now drain the pasta, pile it into a warm bowl, spoon the tomato and aubergine mixture over the top and scatter over a few basil leaves.

First of all place the milk, flour and butter in a saucepan and whisk together over a gentle heat until the sauce begins to simmer and thicken. Then season with salt and pepper and a good grating of nutmeg.

After that turn the heat down to its lowest setting and let the sauce cook for 3 minutes, then stir in the grated Parmesan, remove from the heat, cover with a lid and leave on one side while you prepare the other ingredients.

Prepare the asparagus by cutting the stalks diagonally into pieces roughly the same size as the rigatoni.

Then take a 9 inch (23 cm) frying pan, heat up the oil in it and sauté the asparagus pieces for about 5 minutes, tossing them around the pan and keeping the heat fairly high so that they colour at the edges.

Then add the tomatoes to the pan, and let them bubble and reduce for about 1 minute. Watch How To Skin Tomatoes here.

Then turn the heat off.

Next cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water for 6 minutes only; then drain it in a colander.

Return it to the saucepan, add the sauce and the asparagus mixture and mix thoroughly. Taste to check the seasoning, pour the whole lot into the gratin dish, sprinkle with the shavings of Pecorino cheese and bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes.

Serve straight away.

Prepare the aubergine and courgettes ahead of time by cutting them into 1 inch (2.5 cm) dice, leaving the skins on. Then toss the dice in about a level dessertspoon of salt and pack them into a colander with a plate on top and a heavy weight on top of the plate.

Leave them on one side for an hour so that some of the bitter juices drain out.

After that, squeeze out any juices left, and dry the dice thoroughly in a clean cloth. Now arrange the tomatoes, aubergine, courgettes, peppers and onion in the roasting tin, sprinkle with the chopped garlic, basil and olive oil, toss everything around in the oil to get a good coating, and season with salt and pepper.

Now place the tin on the highest shelf of the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the vegetables are toasted brown at the edges.

Meanwhile make the sauce by placing all the ingredients (except the cheese) in a small saucepan and whisking continuously over a medium heat until the sauce boils and thickens. Then turn the heat down to its lowest and let the sauce cook for 2 minutes.

Now add the grated Parmesan.

When the vegetables are done, remove them from the oven and stir in the chopped olives and the capers. Turn the oven down to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C).

Now, into the baking dish pour one quarter of the sauce, followed by one third of the vegetable mixture.

Then sprinkle in a third of the Mozzarella and follow this with a single layer of lasagne sheets. Repeat this process, ending up with a final layer of sauce and a good sprinkling of grated Parmesan.

Now place the dish in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is crusty and golden.

All this needs is a plain lettuce salad with a lemony dressing as an accompaniment.

Begin by having all your ingredients weighed out and the cheeses grated. Fill a large saucepan with 4 pints (2.25 litres) of water containing a level dessertspoon of salt and put it on the heat to bring it up to the boil. Then, in a small saucepan, melt the butter over a gentle heat, add the onions and let them soften, without browning and uncovered, for 5 minutes.

Then add the flour to the pan, stir it in to make a smooth paste, then gradually add the milk, a little at a time, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Then switch to a balloon whisk and keep whisking so you have a smooth sauce.

Then add some salt and freshly milled black pepper, as well as the nutmeg, and leave the sauce to cook gently for 5 minutes. After that, turn off the heat and whisk in the mascarpone and egg yolks, followed by the Gruyère and half the Parmesan.Next place the baking dish in the oven to heat through, then drop the macaroni into the boiling water and, as soon as the water returns to a simmer, give it 4-6 minutes, until al dente (it's going to get a second cooking in the oven).

When it has about 1 minute's cooking time left, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. Drain the pasta in a colander, give it a quick shake to get rid of the water, then tip it back into the pan and stir in the cheese sauce, turning the pasta over in it so it is evenly coated. Then lightly fold in the egg whites, using a cutting and folding movement so as to retain as much air as possible. Remove the warm dish from the oven, pour the pasta mixture into it, give it a gentle shake to even the top, then scatter the reserved Parmesan over and return the dish to the oven on a high shelf for 12 minutes or until the top is puffy and lightly browned.

Serve it, as they say in Italy, presto pronto.