Pasta e Fagioli

This was one of those rather excellent 'stick your hand in the cupboard and see what you come out with' recipes. Happily my hand rested on a tin of Borlotti beans and pasta; just glad it wasn't custard and hemp seeds (don't ask!). It is great to have some standby tins at times just so you can rustle up some great wholesome meals. Match the beans with some great local produce from our local 'Country Market' and you have a great supper dish.

Serves 3 to 4

Tin of borlotti beans
Good handful of swiss chard leaves, roughly sliced
Courgette, cut in chunks
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
Onion, halved and sliced thinly
Pasta (I used penne but any shape like this would be good)
Roughly shredded basil

1. Fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil gently over a low heat.
2. Add the swiss chard and about 5 minutes later the courgette. Stir and cook for about 10 minutes.
3. Drain the borlotti beans and add to the pan. Cook for about 5/10 minutes.
4. Cook the pasta as to the instructions.
5. Drain the pasta and add the basil to the vegetable and borlotti bean mixture.
6. Serve the pasta and vegetable mixture with a sprig of basil and/ or a scraping of parmesan.

Plum Cheese

I wasn't really sure what I had here..... some said they were damsons... others said they were unripe plums.... but it did lead to a quandary as to what to do with them. Having recently been interested in preserving I thought some sort of jelly or jam. After a little investigation I came across a recipe for damson cheese; a rather odd named preserve for a denser, more fruity jelly. Find the recipe on The Cottage Smallholder.




A satisfying accompaniment to cheese (in this case with some rather pungent Stinking Bishop - phewww!)

Worcester Pearmain

Now that the apple season is well under way I thought I would sing the praises of this wonderful variety of apple: Worcester Pearmain. Worcester Pearmain is an early season English apple, originating from Worcester in the 1870s. Apparently it is renowned for it's strawberry flavour. I could not really vouch for that quality - these apples were sweet but not cloying and were wonderfully perfumed but strawberry tasting?. They made the best juice - blushing and quite unlike the poor imitations of apple juice you get in the supermarkets.

Apparently it is coming back into favour and is being stocked by the supermarkets. Quite rightly so but really if you are honest there is nothing better than some apples from your own garden or of a generous provider. This along with a russet would be my apple of choice.

Highly recommended!

Risotto Con Piselli e Zucchini

That is pea and courgette risotto..... well a little tainted by some beetroot which I made as a starter but it is risotto none the less. Now, as you might be able to tell I love Italian food and particularly risotto. Italian food is so rich with vegetables that for an almost vegetarian like myself it is a must. Risotto rice just about goes with any vegetable or even fruit (see my entry on strawberry risotto) and always, always is satisfying. This is an excellent dish when you have that summer glut of courgettes and peas.

Basically follow the recipe for asparagus risotto but add the peas right at the end. If they are fresh and sweet they hardly need any cooking. Variations on this: you can add french beans or broad beans and maybe a touch of saffron.

Aphrodite

Talking of food with a friend recently I remembered reading Isabel Allende's book about food : 'Aphrodite'. A sublime book full of insights into food and love. Mixing personal stories with fragments from history explaining the amorous nature of food. Did you know that when tomatoes were first introduced to Europe they were called the love apples for their apparent aphrodisiac qualities?

It is an extremely sensual book full of frank memories and tidbits of information all invaluable to the interested cook. I particularly liked her recipe for reconciliation soup.

A sensual delight.

Summer Roasted Vegetables

Glorious summer veg from the local farmers' market

This is such a great time of year for vegetables. At the height of summer we can get courgettes, peppers, fennel and some fantastic summer squash. This is a family favourite; just cut up all the vegetables and bung in the oven for an hour. Simple! This is a rough estimate of the quantities and of course you can always add another vegetable or leave out another dependent on what you can get. Try adding aubergine (if you can get it locally!), or different types of squash - it is great with all these combinations. If you do have any left over boil up some pasta the next day and use as a pasta sauce.

Serves 4-6

1-2 leeks
1 fennel bulb sliced
2-3 courgettes cut into chunks
1-2 peppers cut into chunks
1 white custard squash peeled and cut into chunks
4-5 mini patty pan topped and tailed
Handful thyme

1-2 peaches peeled and sliced
1/2 leek finely chopped
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
6-8 tomatoes de-seeded and chopped
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2-3 tbsp olive oil

1. Cut all the vegetables to be roasted into bite size chunks; the peppers, leeks, squash, patty pan, courgettes (whatever you are using).
2. Place in a roasting dish and drizzle over some olive oil and mix some fresh thyme.
   

3. Cover the dish with aluminium foil or cover and roast in the oven for about 1 hour.
   
4. In the meantime prepare your tomato sauce. Take the finely chopped leek and garlic and mix with a good glug of olive oil and the chopped tomatoes. Mix in the balsamic vinegar. Tear up a good handful of basil leaves and mix.
5. Peel and slice the peach.
6. Check on your roasting vegetables and and scatter the peach amongst the vegetables. You can return the dish to roast a little more - say 10-15 minutes to bring out that rich peach taste or just remove from the oven straightaway.
   
7. Pour the sauce over roasted vegetables and serve. This goes well with most dishes or just serve with some crusty bread for a light dinner/supper.