Cabbage spaghetti

Got home from a weekend away and looked into the fridge - sighed ... and looked around again.  

OK - half a cabbage, frozen sliced ham from Christmas, a drop of elmlea left from last week, the end of the parmesan ... and some frozen peas  ... voila!  Cabbage carbonara.  

It was surprisingly tasty - and cheap ... needs a good grind of black pepper to give it some zing.

Olive oil
Onion
Garlic

Spaghetti

Savoy cabbage

ham

parmesan

chilli flakes

frozen peas

1.  Sautee chopped onion in olive oil until soft, add crushed garlic and a tablespoon of water, continue to cook slowly.

2.  Shred cabbage and chop ham into small pieces.

3.  Cook pasta according to packet instructions.

4.  Add shredded cabbage to onions, with a little more water, and a handful of frozen peas, a few chili flakes, and steam/fry for a few minutes.

5.  Add ham and cream to heat through.

6.  Drain pasta and add to sauce, with grated cheese.  Stir in

7.  Stir, serve, scoff, seconds ...

Cheap, delicious, uses stuff up.

Pistachio and parmesan crusted trout

I'm sure I nicked this from somewhere, but I can't remember where.  Anyway, Paul the fish is back from his holidays and had some lovely looking trout - so I thought I would ring the changes a bit.  Served with steamed veg, heirloom tomato salad and baby roasties.

Trout
Egg
Parmesan
Pistachio kernals
Bread crumbs
Olive oil


1.  Start the potatoes off roasting in olive oil.
2.  Zizz together pistachio kernals and parmesan - mix with breadcrumbs.
3.  Whisk an egg.  Dip fish into egg, then breadcrumb mix.  Set aside to dry, and after 10 minutes repeat the process.
4.  Steam the veg, chop the tomatoes.
5.  Fry the fish on each side for a few minutes.

It was really tasty.

Aubergine parmagiana

The classic!

Aubergine
Olive oil
Onion
Garlic
Chopped tomatoes
Parmesan
Egg

1.  Slice and griddle the aubergine.
2.  Make the tomato sauce by sautee-ing onion and garlic in olive oil, and adding a tin of chopped tomatoes, simmer to thicken.
3.  Layer aubergine and tomatoes in an oven dish, top with just over half of the grated parmesan.
4.  Whisk an egg and pour over the top, sprinkle on the remaining parmesan and bake for 25 minutes or so.
5.  Serve with whatever - here garlic mushrooms (mushrooms, garlic, olive oil, butter, splash of brandy - covered in foil and baked for 25 minutes or so ... ie, with the parmagiana), green salad and new potatoes.

Mushroom, spinach and tallegio paccheri

I have some fabulous, unusual pasta shapes on the stall, and thought I would try some tonight.  Stuffed pasta seemed a plan, so I chose paccheri - the shorter tubes make it easier to stuff than cannelloni.

So, with tallegio, parmesan and cheddar from The Crumbly Cheese - another mediterranean triumph, all sourced from Todmorden market.

Olive oil
Garlic
Mushrooms
Spinach
Tomatoes
Chili flakes
Paccheri
Cheddar
Parmesan
Salad leaves
Balsamic glaze

1.  Put the water on to boil for the pasta, put the pasta in as soon as it comes to the boil.  Turn the oven on to heat to medium.
2.  In two frying pans heat olive oil - in one, sautee some onions until soft,  then add garlic.  This is the beginning of the tomato topping.  Add chopped tomatoes (or a tin) and a small pinch of chili flakes when the onions are soft, keep over a gentle heat as the tomatoes break down.
3.  In the other frying pan gently fry chopped onions, with plenty of garlic and a good grind of black pepper.  Add chopped mushrooms.  When they are soft, add the spinach to wilt on top.
4. Cut the rind of the tallegio, and break into pieces into the mushroom mix, stir in until it melts.  Turn the heat off under both pans.
5.  Drain the pasta.  Allow to cool, so that you can handle it.
6.  Stuff the pasta tubes with the mushroom mix and layer into an oven dish.
7.  Spread the tomato sauce over the pasta.  Grate over some cheddar and parmesan, and bake for 20 minutes, until the top is golden.
8.  Serve with a simple salad of salad leaves tossed in extra virgin olive oil and balsamic glaze.

Courgette frittata with polenta chips, roast asparagus and a tomato and olive "sauce"

 Another mediterranean feast sourced from Todmorden market.  Absolutely delicious flavours of sun and holidays.

All ingredients can be found within feet of each other, from ....

The Mediterranean Pantry
The Crumbly Cheese
Garry outside, for the veg
Local eggs from various stalls (ours were from our own bantams)

Olive oil
Polenta
Parmesan
Fennel seeds
Chili flakes
Onions
Garlic
Courgette
Eggs
Asparagus
Mixed herbs
Cherry tomatoes
Olives
Oregano
Basil
Mixed salad leaves
Balsamic vinegar

1.  Cut the polenta into chip sizes.  Drizzle some olive oil in on a baking tray, and put it in a hot oven to heat up.
2.  Grate the parmesan and add fennel seeds and chili flakes, mix them together.
3.  Toss the polenta chips in the cheese mixture until every one is coated.
4.  Put the chips onto the hot tray, and drizzle with a little more olive oil.  Bake for about 40 minutes, until golden - turn once in the middle.
5.  While they are baking bung the asparagus in an ove dish, drizzle with oil, season and bung that on the bottom shelf of the oven.
6.  Start the frittata by sauteeing onion and garlic in olive oil.  Add sliced courgette and fry gently.
7.  Gently whisk eggs and add a pinch of mixed herbs.  Pour into the pan with the courgettes.  Transfer the pan to the oven and let bake while everything else finishes.
8.  Fry sliced onion and garlic in another pan, add halved cherry tomatoes, oregano and roughly chopped olives.  This will only take a few minutes.  When it's "done" you can turn off the heat - it's nice warm as well as hot.
9.  45(ish) minutes from starting you should be ready to pull everything out of the oven and serve with salad leaves, lightly dressed with olive oil and balsamic glaze.
10.  Receive rapturous applause.

Fennel, red pepper and lemon risotto

Olive oil
Onion
Celery
Fennel
Red pepper
Garlic
Arborrio rice
White wine
Stock
Parmesan
Frozen peas

1.  Sautee chopped celery and onion in olive oil.
2.  When a little soft, add the chopped fennel and red pepper.
3.  Add rice and stir until each grain is covered in a film of oil.
4.  Add garlic, white wine and stock gradually, stirring frequently.
5.  Keep adding stock, seasoning and stirring until rice is very nearly cooked.
6.  Stir in grated parmesan and a handful of frozen peas.
7.  Serve - garnish with baby kale and parmesan shards.

Smooth, silky and comforting - with a nice fresh edge from the aniseed fennel and lemon.

The best homemade pasta in history

On the veg stall in the market on Friday there was a fabulous selection of mushrooms - field, cep, those little japanesy ones (enoya?), oyster and a few others ... so I bought a big handful.  Then thought they looked so good they needed special treatment, and I fancied playing - so decided to do them with really good olive oil - and fresh tagliatelli.  It was worth it, an hour and a half of playtime, and then the most delicious pasta dish I have had for AGES.


250(ish)g type OO flour
3 large free range eggs

3 big cloves garlic, crushed
lots of good olive oil
handful mixed mushrooms, brushed clean and torn, chopped into bite sized pieces
glug of brandy
black pepper
parsley
freshly grated parmesan

1.  Make pasta - take your time and do it properly.  This was extremely fine sheets cut into wide-ish tagliatelli strips.  Toss in as little flour as possible to keep the strands separate.
2.  Put a large pot of salted water on to boil, and start the sauce.
3.  Heat good glug of good olive oil, when warm (NOT spitting hot) add mushrooms and garlic.  Cook gently for about 5 minutes, adding more oil when the mushrooms have released their water, just to loosen the sauce.  Season thoughtfully.
4.  Cook tagliatelli in water for a brief time (about a minute in this case).
5.  Meanwhile chuck brandy into mushrooms and flame. Once flame has gone turn off heat and stir in chopped parsley.
6.  Drain pasta and chuck into sauce.  Toss, serve with black pepper and freshly grated parmesan.  A little green salad goes well.
7.  Sit back and receive much praise.

Asparagus and pea risotto

Not feeling too great at the moment, and craving a bit of comfort food... what better than risotto? - and asparagus in the bargain shelf (£2.55 - not so much of a bargain, but it is a treat).

I happened to have thai jasmine rice handy, and not risotto rice, so some authenticity lost, but still works.

I didn't sautee the celery quite long enough, so it kept a bit of crunch... I think it would be better all soft, but it was tasty.

Serves 4.  Takes about 30 minutes.  Approx calories:  365 per portion  Approx price:  £1.86.

Recipe

Tablespoon of olive oil
5 spring onions
1 clove crushed garlic
1 red pepper
Handful of chopped celery
White rice - about 200g
About 2 pints of stock
Bunch of asparagus
Handful of frozen peas
Half a tub of low fat cream cheese
Handful of grated parmesan

1.  Chop celery, red pepper and spring onion.   Sautee in olive oil for a few minutes.  Add crushed garlic and stir around.
2.  Add rice and stir to make sure that every grain has a film of oil on it.
3. Add stock, a ladle at a time, allowing it to cook into the rice... keep stirring and adding - it'll take about 15 minutes.
4.  Add chopped asparagus stems after about 5 minutes of adding stock.  After another 5ish minutes add frozen peas and asparagus tips.  Keep adding stock and stirring.
5.  When rice is soft, take it off the heat and allow to stand.
6.  Stir in cream cheese and parmesan, season and scoff.

Spaghetti carbonara (with peas)

Cook spaghetti.  Chop bacon into small pieces (I used unsmoked because it was what we had, but smoked would add a nice smokey sweetness).  Fry bacon with chopped mushrooms and garlic in olive oil.  Add frozen peas (not authentic, but the neither are mushrooms, and I do insist on adding veg when possible), stir until heated through.  Grate parmesan, whisk 4 small eggs.  When pasta is cooked drain and toss with bacon mixture.  Leave to stand for a couple of minutes then chuck in eggs and cheese and toss togther well.  Serve, with lots of black pepper, and more parmensan.  Easy, quick, yum.  Victim didn't say much - but finished it.

leek and mushroom risotto

Proper risotto - not the usual "ricey stuff", but proper risotto with arborio rice and everything!

So, sautee chopped leeks in olive oil.  When a little bit soft add chopped celery, courgette and garlic.  Turn over in the oil a couple of times (quite gently to not separate the leeks too much) and add risotto rice (or other rice - will still be nice, just not so risotto squishy).  Turn in the oil so that each grain is covered - add glass of white wine.  Simmer for a couple of minutes, when the wine is almost gone add chopped mushrooms, some herbs and chicken stock -a ladle at a time (mine took just under 2 pints).  Add more stock and keep stirring it in and letting it soak in until rice is just cooked.  It should then stand and soak in remaining stock for a few minutes, so stop the cooking with a tiny bit more "wetness" than you think should be in the finished dish. (I wasn't quite brave enough this time and it was just ever so slightly, a bit, dry).  Season well, and stir in.  Take off the heat and stir in handful of grated parmesan.  Leave to stand for 3 minutes (ish).  Serve, grind black pepper on the top, with a drizzle of truffle oil (OK, that's optional - but we have some in the cupboard and it does add a touch of yum).  Victim had seconds.