Molly says: “The reason this pasta dish is over-the-top fantastic is because you go a tiny final step to crisp up the cooked orecchiette before it goes swimming in its spicy sausage ragù. A few minutes, one measly extra skillet—that’s all it takes. I repeat, YOUR PASTA WILL BE CRISPY. You’ll use only a half pound of pasta for this dish because it’s loaded with greens and sausage and burrata, but I promise it will be enough to fill four bellies.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

Produce:

• 3 large shallots (about 6 ounces≈170g)
• 1 bunch of collard greens (about 8 ounces≈226g)
• 1 lemon

Dairy:

• 2 ounces grated Parmigiano Reggiano (about ½ cup), plus more for serving (≈56g)
• 5 ounces burrata cheese (optional) (=141g)

Protein:

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed (≈454g)

Pantry:

• Kosher salt
• 8 ounces orecchiette (≈226g)
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped jarred Calabrian chiles

Method

Do some prep:

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. (Big handful of salt in there, please!) Thinly slice 3 large shallots.

Strip the leaves off 1 bunch of collard greens and slice crosswise into 1-inch-wide strips. Discard the stems.

Cook the pasta:

Drop 8 ounces orecchiette into the boiling water, give it a stir, and cook until al dente according to the package directions. Scoop out a few cups of pasta water before draining it (you’ll need quite a bit to help cook down the greens). Drizzle the drained pasta lightly with olive oil so it doesn’t clump together as it sits.

Meanwhile, start the ragu:

In a large Dutch oven, heat several tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is very hot, add 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, breaking it into large, golf ball-size chunks as you add it. Cook, undisturbed, until well browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Using tongs, flip the sausage pieces and brown on the second side, 1 to 2 minutes. 1 Transfer to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the shallots and a big pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until jammy and cooked down, 4 minutes.

Stir in ¼ cup tomato paste and 4 tablespoons chopped Calabrian chillies (hold some back if you’re spice-averse) and stir to evenly coat the aromatics. Continue to cook, stirring, until the tomato paste begins to stick to the pot, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the collard greens and a few big splashes of the reserved pasta water (this will help to steam and wilt the greens). Stir well, cover the pot, and cook until the greens are cooked down and tender (taste one, you’ll know!), 4 to 5 minutes. Add more pasta water as needed if the pot gets dry. The ragù should be nice and saucy at the end. Remove from the heat and keep covered.

Crisp the pasta:

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add about half of the cooked pasta to the skillet and cook, undisturbed, until the bottom is golden brown and crisp at the edges, 3 to 4 minutes. Add to the pot of ragù and repeat with the remaining pasta. When in doubt, refry.

Finish:

Return the pot to medium heat. Add the sausage back in, breaking it into smaller pieces as you do, along with a big splash of the reserved pasta water and a few big handfuls of grated Parm. Cook, stirring vigorously, until a thick sauce coats the pasta, 30 seconds.

Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon into the pasta and stir to combine.

Divide the pasta among serving bowls. Tear 5 ounces burrata (if using) into small pieces and top each bowl with a few. Drizzle with more olive oil, sprinkle with more Parm, and serve.

The sausage will still be slightly undercooked, which is OK, because it will finish cooking later.

Molly says: “The vision was clear: to fuse two of the greatest pizza dough spin-offs, calzone and focaccia, into one epic creation. The journey was long and windy, with lots of flops along the way, but we finally did it. World, please meet Stuffed Focaccia. This one is loaded with spicy sautéed greens and not one, not two, but three cheeses, and then absolutely smothered in sesame seeds, because the only thing I’ve ever loved more than crusty, tender, springy fresh focaccia is crusty, tender, springy fresh sesame focaccia. This recipe requires a little forethought, so make sure to plan to make it twenty-four hours in advance. Most of those hours are inactive ones, but you’ll have to plan for them nonetheless.”

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

Produce:

• 1 large white or yellow onion
• 7 garlic cloves
• 1 lemon

Dairy:

• 1½ ounces grated Parmigiano Reggiano (about ⅓ cup)
• 8 ounces fresh whole-milk mozzarella cheese (≈226g)
• 8 ounces fresh whole-milk ricotta cheese (≈226g)

Frozen:

• 1 (16-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach or kale, thawed (≈453g)

Pantry:

• 3½ cups (420g) all-purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon active dry yeast
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 large oil-packed anchovy fillets
• Red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup sesame seeds
• Flaky sea salt

Method

The day before you’d like to eat the focaccia, start the dough:

In a large bowl, whisk together 3½ cups (420g) all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon active dry yeast, and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Fill a measuring cup with 2 cups warm water and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Gradually add the water mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring with a wooden spoon until a shaggy and very wet dough forms. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, cover with plastic wrap, and transfer to the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to overnight.

Proof the dough:

The next day, about 5 hours before you want to eat, remove the dough from the fridge. Set the oven to 350°F (180ºC) and let it heat up for 1 to 2 minutes, until just warm. No longer! Don’t walk away! We aren’t cooking anything, just warming the oven to encourage faster dough rising. Turn off the oven and place the dough in the bowl (still covered) inside to rise until puffy, bubbling, and doubled in size, about 3 hours.

As the dough rises, do some prep:

Chop 1 large onion.

Peel 7 garlic cloves. Thinly slice 5 of them. Reserve the other 2 for grating later.

Drain 1 (16-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach in a colander. Squeeze and squeeze with all your might to expel as much water as possible

Make the filling:

In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and 4 large oil-packed anchovy fillets, season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and just beginning to turn golden brown, about 8 minutes.

Add the sliced garlic and a big pinch of red pepper flakes. Continue to cook, stirring, until the garlic is softened, about 2 minutes.

Add the spinach and cook, stirring, to marry the flavours and cook off any remaining water, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Stir in 1½ ounces grated Parm, then grate in the remaining 2 garlic cloves and the zest of 1 lemon. Mix to combine and taste and adjust the seasoning with kosher salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Let cool.

Stuff the focaccia:

When the dough has finished rising, lightly coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with olive oil. Line the baking dish with parchment paper and then generously oil the parchment with a few glugs of olive oil.

Smear a large rubber spatula with olive oil and, in one confident movement, scrape around the bowl, tipping it over the baking dish to release the dough into the pan. Try not to disturb any bubbles that have formed in the dough.

Dip your fingers in the oil that has accumulated in the baking dish and carefully dimple and stretch the dough to meet the outer edges. The dough will naturally relax and spread into the corners on its own, so don’t worry if it doesn’t reach the edges at this point.

Using your fingers, gently pile and scatter the spinach filling over the dough, all the way to the edges.

Slice 8 ounces of mozzarella cheese as thinly as possible. Distribute the mozzarella over the filling.

With the oiled fingers of both hands, and working from the short end of the baking dish, confidently creep your fingers under one-half of the dough, taking hold of the underside. Lift the dough, folding it over into the centre. Re-oil your fingers and repeat on the other short side, being sure to bring this second half to the middle of the dish to meet the other half of the dough, edge to edge. The dough will be sticky enough to hold together, but feel free to pinch, seal, and poke any rogue filling back into the centre or into the openings on the sides.

Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and let rise on your countertop for 30 minutes, until the dough is a bit more puffed and the indentation from an oiled fingertip springs back ever so slightly.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 450°F.

Top and bake:

Drizzle the top of the dough generously with olive oil, sprinkle with ¼cup sesame seeds, dollop with 8 ounces of ricotta cheese, and season with flaky sea salt.

Transfer to the oven and bake, rotating it halfway through, until the focaccia is deeply golden on the top and bottom (if your baking dish is glass, you’ll be able to check this easily), 50 to 60 minutes.

Let cool for 10 minutes. Run a metal spatula around the edges and under the focaccia to free it from the dish. Transfer to a wire rack, slide the parchment paper out from under it, and let the focaccia sit until just cool enough to handle.

This indicates that when the dough hits the hot oven, she’ll still have it in her to rise and puff a bit more. This is called oven spring, and it’s a good thing! If the indentation of your finger seems to deflate the dough, the dough has over-proofed. Use this as a learning moment and don’t stress – it happens. Just remember to decrease your rising time a bit the next time you make this recipe.

Molly says: “If the name didn’t already make it clear, this is what happens when you marry a classic carrot cake (my all-time favourite) with a St. Louis-style ooey-gooey butter cake. It’s got a tender, moist, lightly spiced crumb and a ridiculously gooey brown sugar and butter topping in place of cream cheese frosting, which I guarantee you won’t miss. This is for those of you who eat raw cookie dough out of the fridge and prefer desserts underbaked in a good way.”

Makes one 9x13-inch cake

Ingredients

Produce:

• 1 pound carrots (6 to 8 medium≈453g)

Dairy:

• 1¼ cups (284g) sour cream
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1½ tablespoons whole milk
• Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Protein:

4 large eggs

Pantry:

• ¾ cup (149g) vegetable oil, plus more for the pan
• 8 ounces Medjool dates (½ cup)
• 3¼ cups (390g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• Kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1½ cups (298g) granulated sugar
• 1¼ cups packed (267g) dark brown sugar
• 3½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1½ cups (192g) walnuts

Method

Do some prep:

Position a rack in the centre of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with vegetable oil.

Coarsely grate 1 pound carrots. Pit 8 ounces Medjool dates and slice crosswise roughly into thirds.

Make the cake batter:

In a medium bowl, whisk together 2½cups (300g) all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1½teaspoons salt, ½teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, and ¼teaspoon ground cloves.

In a large bowl, add ¾ cup (149g) vegetable oil, ¾ cup (149g) granulated sugar, and ¾c up packed (160g) dark brown sugar. Add 3 large eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and whisk to combine.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with 1¼cups (284g) sour cream, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

Add the grated carrots. Using your hands, coarsely crush 1½ cups (192g) walnuts directly into the bowl. Stir to incorporate.

Transfer the batter to the prepared baking dish and smooth the top with an offset spatula.

Make the ooey-gooey and bake:

In a medium pot over medium-high heat, melt 8 tablespoons unsalted butter. Remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining ¾ cup (149g) granulated sugar and remaining ½ cup (107g) brown sugar. Add the remaining ¾ cup (90g) flour. Stir to combine. Add 1½ tablespoons milk, 1 teaspoon salt, and the remaining 1½teaspoons vanilla extract. Stir to combine. Add the remaining 1 egg and the sliced dates and stir to distribute.

While still warm, spread the ooey-gooey over the top of the batter.

Bake until the cake is golden brown on the edges and a toothpick inserted into the lower, cakey part of the baking dish comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. The ooey-gooey toward the top should remain slightly, uhhh, ooey-gooey.

Let cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes. Cut the cake into squares and serve topped with vanilla ice cream.

More Is More: Get Loose in the Kitchen by Molly Baz (£26, Murdoch Books) is out now