Serves 4

• 1 punnet button mushrooms, finely sliced
• 1 large leek, outer layers removed and roughly chopped
• 8 slices of smoked ham OR normal sandwich ham sliced into strips
• 10 thin slices of spicy picante chorizo
• 1/2 tbs finely minced garlic
• 500ml double cream
• 100gms freshly grated parmigiano
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp harissa paste ( if you dont have harissa paste, then use 1 tbs of tomato puree mixed with 1/4 tsp flaked chilli)
• 1 cup water
• salt and black pepper for seasoning
• 200gms finely grated fontina cheese / your favourite melting cheese
• 250gms fusili or rigatoni pasta
• Oil for shallow frying

Set a large pan of water to boil for the pasta. Add a dash of salt and 1 tbs of oil to the water. Once boiling, add your rigatoni or fusili and cook according to the instructions – but no more than 9 minutes. Drain and set aside as soon as it is cooked.

Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees.

Set a large, wide frying pan to heat on a medium-high heat. Once warmed, add 2 tbs of olive oil.

Start by adding the garlic, letting it fry lightly taking care not to burn it. Add the leek and fry for 2-3 minutes until softened.

Add the mushrooms, ham, oregano and parsley and let this all fry on a low heat for a further 6-7 minutes. If it feels like it is getting a bit dry, you can add another splash of oil at this stage. Cook until the mushrooms are just softened. Take off the heat and set aside.

Now prepare the sauce. In a large jug, combine the cream, the harissa paste (or tomato puree mix), the finely grated parmigiano, 1/2 tsp black pepper and crumble in the chicken stock cube. Add 1 cup of water to this mixture and stir well. Heat this mixture gently over a low heat, ensuring the stock cube has dissolved and all the ingredients are well combined. Let it come to a gentle boil then take it off the heat. Check for seasoning. The cheese and chicken stock cube will have made it fairly salty – so you should not need anything additional.

Now to assemble your dish. Tip all the pasta into a large glass baking dish. Gently fold in the mushroom, leek and ham mixture. Pour over the cream sauce, stirring it through the pasta gently. Distribute the sliced chorizo through the pasta and finish by covering the entire pasta dish with the grated fontina/cheddar cheese.

Cover with foil and bake your dish for 35 minutes. Uncover for the last 6-7 minutes to get all the cheesy topping golden and crispy.

Serve with a Simple Green Salad as shown. Home comfort cooking – nothing can beat it!!