A Bit Less of Your Sauce!

Pasta, Fagiolina, Ciliegini, Carne Tritata & Timo
Pasta with Green Beans, Cherry Tomatoes, Ground Meat & Thyme

 

You can't go wrong with pasta- right? But you are in a hurry and you don't have time to make a sauce? Is that what you think? Awww- shucks! That's a shame!

Because, do you know what? You don't need to "make a sauce", you don't need a lot of time and you can make a delicious dish like this in just the time the pasta takes to boil. Word.

 

With just a handful of really simple ingredients and a frying pan at your disposal, you can rustle up a whole lot of flavor to dress that pasta up in- all fresh, all easy and all good!

 

So, literally, I had a handful of tender green beans, a handful of ground pork (this was left over from the other night and just about enough to have made 1 small burger from), 1 Spring onion, 6 cherry tomatoes and a sprig of thyme. Yes- that was all. And the flavor? Was incredible!

 

Yes it is simple- but at the same time, yes it is rich and delicious! Those few ingredients will easily dress up 2 portions of pasta very generously for you. No fuss, low fat and full of good fresh flavor- that's what I like!

 

So- whilst the water boils, chop up your onion, beans and tomato nice and fine.

 

Fry pork, beans and onion together with no added oil, a good pinch of salt and plenty of pepper, until the pork begins to brown nicely.

 

By now, the water will be boiling, so pop in your pasta whilst you pop the tomatoes and the thyme into the frying pan... multi-tasking is fun!

 

Keep stirring and frying for a further 4-5 minutes, until everything has rendered down nicely.

 

After 5 minutes, add the pasta to the frying pan with enough of the cooking water to cover the bottom of the pan and deglaze all of the good flavors from the meat and tomatoes.

Continue cooking , stirring gently, for a further 3-4 minutes, until the pasta has absorbed the water, which along with the tomatoes and all of the good flavors from the herbs and meat will have transformed into a lovely rich coating.

 

Serve with plenty of freshly ground pepper- and I suppose Parmesan or salted Ricotta if you will- and thoroughly enjoy!

Sauce? Who needs it?!?!

 

You can of course add garlic or chili to this, maybe trade the thyme for fennel seeds... or make any other variation you might prefer- but the same method will work every time- with all of the flavors you put into your pan cooking into the pasta and making taste as rich as any sauce... try it! You'll like it!

So- are you going to share? or eat it all by yourself, like I did?

Panning for Gold

Socca di Sedano Rapa & Ceci, con Rosmarino, Timo, Senape & Camembert
Celeriac & Chickpea Socca, with Rosemary, Thyme, Mustard & Camembert

This may not be a traditional French Socca- but then I am neither French, nor that much of a traditionalist! I love traditional foods, but love even more to re-interpret them in new and different ways- hadn't you noticed?

This is a variation on the French chickpea-flour flatbreads that get baked in the pan, just like Italian "Farinata"- and don't get me wrong! Those simple things taste delicious... but... then so does this- and maybe just a little bit more so!

 

My main motivation and inspiration for making this dish was the fact that I had that hunk of celeriac root sitting in my fridge, waiting to be used... and was not sure what to do with it. I love the flavor of roasted chickpeas and farinata or socca is always a treat, even if it is such a simple thing. So hey- it was a perfect opportunity to try having the best of both worlds- doing some sensible house-keeping and making an edible solution!

 

To make my pan-sized Socca, I used up the last 3/4's of the celeriac root (enough to fill your frying pan up to about 1" thick), 1 Spring onion, a half of a small Camembert cheese (just 50g), 1 tablespoon of coarse French mustard, some dried rosemary, some fresh thyme and about 1 coffee cupful of chickpea flour.

 

This is absolutely not the traditional method- it is one that I improvised, based on an Indian method of cooking with chickpea flour actually, where it is first dry-roasted in the pan before having moisture added, to enhance its flavor. It was partly that, partly recklessness and also a little bit of thick-headedness and laziness too... Works well for me!

 

Prep work here is simple... the celeriac needs to be peeled and finely grated and the Spring onion needs to be finely chopped. If you have a funky gadget or machine to help you with the grating- great! I don't and my arm is aching to prove it- haha! But no- this is easy stuff- and if your arm isn't tired from grating, you can get ready to use it for some stirring too!

 

The good news is that the grated celeriac, the flour, the rosemary, onion, a good pinch of salt and plenty of pepper and nutmeg can all go into the frying pan at the same time.

 

The bad news, is that when you turn on the heat and start stirring it, it is soon going to begin turning into a thick, firm paste! But fear not, keep stirring and scraping it up from the base (with a wooden spoon!!!), much as you would if you were making a choux pastry.

At this point, you will notice, despite your distress, a delicious aroma... which will be encouragement enough I hope for you to be brave and persevere!

 

Next, add a little water to the pan, just enough to loosen up the mixture and to dissolve the flour- which will not clump-up as it has been evenly mixed with the grated celeriac root. Just keep stirring and adding just a touch of water at a time and soon, the worst of it will be over... haha!

  

Before you know it, you will have a smooth mixture with the consistency of mashed potato- and at this point, you can add the cheese, cut into small pieces so that it mixes in nice and evenly, the mustard and the thyme.

 

Smooth out the mixture with the back of a wooden spoon, nicely and evenly, making sure to scrape in and press down the outer edges.

 

Absolutely not important- but hey! I had a fork and I was not afraid to use it! And it does makes things a little bit prettier- don't you think?

 

Into a hot oven it went- at 180°C for 45-60 minutes, depending on your oven- but basically until it is deliciously golden brown and wonderfully aromatic.

 

The cheese will be bubbling away when you fetch it out of the oven, which of course will mean that the interior will be soft too- so bare this in mind when you come to serve it! It will become firmer and easier to handle if you allow it to cool for a while first- but you can always scoop it up with a flat serving spoon and enjoy it piping hot too!

 

You don't need to add anything at all to this for it to be delicious- but you may want to add a colorful garnish before serving as I did- I am generous that way.

 

 Crispy outside, moist inside, filled with rich flavors of cheese, mustard, chickpeas, nutmeg and of course, the earthy star of the show celeriac- this is pretty intense stuff! I hope you enjoy it too!

Pot Luck!

Minestra Aromatica in Stile Asiatico, con Polpettini di Maiale & Bok Choi
Aromatic Asian-Styled Hot-Pot, with Pork Meatballs & Bok Choi

 

Day 4 of a cold and still as much in need of warming and comforting food as ever! But then again- aren't we all that way, all Winter, whether we are feeling fit or not?

Right! Warming, comforting dishes like this are perfect for this time of year- especially if they are easy to make and all take place in one pot! I like those kinds of dishes the most!

  

Doesn't that look lovely, flavorful and rich? It is, too! All of that and more... and yet the ingredients are so simple and the flavors are so good, it is amazing how easy it is to make!

 

For those little meatballs, I needed just 125g of ground pork- enough to make a modest burger. To this, I added 2 baby bok choi, 1 small carrot, 1 Spring onion, a stalk of celery and a handful of green beans. The noodles I used were brown rice noodles- but any kind of Asian noodles is fine. And then the important part of this dish- the flavorings!

And they were, 3-4 slices of ginger, 2-3 Kaffir lime leaves, 1 star anise, 1 tablespoon of 5 spice powder and a teaspoon of shrimp-flavored chili flakes. A little Thai fish sauce, a little soy sauce- and yes, all of these ingredients are inexpensive and easy to find at any Asian supermarket.

 

There's a lot of flavor and a lot of comfort in that bowl! How 'bout you try to make some of your own and find out?

 

Chop up the carrot, celery, Spring onion and beans into bite-sized pieces, cut yourself 3-4 thin slices of ginger to flavor the broth with and cut the bok choi in half to make them easier to manage later.

 

To make the meatballs, add the 5-spice powder, the chili flakes and a little of the finely chopped onion tops to the ground pork and mix thoroughly together. Don't be afraid to get in there and you your hand- you want it to be a thorough mix and for the meat to begin to paste together nicely.

 

Roll into little spoon-sized balls and set to one side, ready to add to your vegetable broth in a few minutes.

 

Start the carrot, celery, beans and ginger boiling in plenty of water, along with the star anise, the kaffir lime leaves and a good splash of soy sauce.

Gently drop in the meatballs and let them cook away on a low simmer for 10 minutes or so.

 

After the vegetables and meatballs have boiled for 10 minutes or so, there will be a lovely citrus aroma from the lime leaves with that exotic hint of star anise coming through- mmm! Combined with the richness of the pork and 5-spice, it is a wonderful combination indeed!

Time to add the bok choi and Spring onion now- and not much longer to wait!

 

Push your ingredients to one side and add the noodles- gently stir them and loosen them up a little, bring the broth back up to the boil and then turn off the heat and let it sit for a further 5 minutes just so. This will give the noodles to to cook through, but not overcook, and for all of the wonderful flavors and aromas be absorbed.

 

I served mine up by first lifting out the noodles with tongs and then spooning out the other ingredients on top, before adding plenty of that aromatic broth... absolutely delicious!

 

Now, that's a veritable feast if you ask me my friends! Made from such humble ingredients and yet so rich and tasty- this is un-pretentious, honest, good food and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

 

 And one more for the road...

Getting Your Oats... Twice!

Crostatina con Crosta di Fiocchi d'Avena, & Biscotti, Ripiena di Mirtilli, Mela & Banana
Little Blueberry, Banana & Apple Pie in Oatmeal/Cookie Crust

 

Left over oatmeal... it can happen! Ask Goldilocks- haha! And what do you do with it? Throw it away? Shame on you!

I never throw anything away that isn't wasted- because apart from finding that morally unacceptable in a world where so many people go hungry... it also means a wasted chance to be able to make something new!

 

Same thing goes for old cookies that are past their crunchy prime... again- why on Earth would you let them go to waste, when you could easily transform them into something delicious and new?!

 

So, I had a very small serving of oatmeal left over- as you can see, just enough to fill a coffee mug. To transform this into a lovely little pie, I added just 4 cookies (Spekulatius in this case), a half of a banana, a small apple, a handful of blueberries and a little cinnamon, butter for greasing the baking dish and honey. The rest was just nature, taking it's course!

 

How's that look? A little more inviting than a bowl of oatmeal with berries on top, no?  

 

To make the crust, I simply crumbled the cookies into the oatmeal, along with 1/4 of the banana cut into a relatively fine dice.

 

Simply mash the ingredients together with a wooden spoon into a relatively even paste- no need to fuss too much!

This is where that little bit of butter comes into play- you need it to cover the surface of your little baking dish with, before you press the oatmeal mix into shape. This can now go into a hot oven, at 180°C, for a good 20 minutes or so, whilst you prepare the filling.

 

For the filling, pop the finely chopped apple into a saucepan with a pat of butter and plenty of cinnamon.

 

Once the apple has begun to soften a little, you can go ahead and add the other 1/4 of finely diced banana and the berries. You may note, I have added no sugar at all... I'm funny like that! Haha! But the fact of the matter is that it is sweet and delicious already as it is- so why mess with what's already good?

 

By now that crust should be nicely golden brown. It won't be baked all the way through- but that's okay as it is going back into the oven for another 20-25 minutes or so. But it will have begun to get firm and will resist soaking in moisture from the topping much better.

 

As soon as those berries begin to look nice and shiny and the first one or two begin to pop and spill their juice, you are ready to turn off the heat and ready to begin filling your crust.

 

Layer out the filling nicely and evenly and return to the hot oven to continue baking for another 20-25 minutes.

 

After around 20 minutes, remove the pie from the oven and drizzle it ever-so-lightly with honey- just to give things a slight glaze.. and 5 minutes later, the crust will be a deep golden brown and the berries and apple chunks will be juicy and delicious. The banana bits will help thicken the filling and you are basically ready to eat! Hot from the pot- or left to cool and served on a plate later.

 

There ya go! And isn't it pretty? But no- it is not too pretty to eat- it is delicious and that is exactly what you are meant to do with it!

 

And you would rather throw out old oatmeal and cookies than make this with them? Hmmm? Sorry. but you really need to re-think those kinds of decisions!