Month: June 2025

Pasta, peas, tarragon, mushrooms

I sometimes buy very freshly picked vegetables from the Tagsa Horticulture Project, a local charity working to improve our food security. It includes community gardens, polytunnels, and it is inclusive, working with groups and volunteers of all ages. 

Anyay, I digress. I got some mange tout peas, and I made this pasta dish. 

INGREDIENTS PER PERSON:

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil 
  • 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
  • 75 to 100g mange tout, chopped into large pieces
  • 75 to 100g mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 100g pancetta or bacon, in small cubes
  • 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
  • 1 tsp thick cream
  • salt and pepper
  • A grating of nutmeg
  • 75g pasta such as spaghetti or linguini
  • 25g grated parmesan

METHOD:

  • Boil a pan of salted water, and cook the pasta for around 8 to 9 minutes, according to the instructions on the packet. 
  • While the pasta is boiling, start cooking the rest of the dish. Over a medium heat, fry the garlic in the oil, then as it starts to colour a little, add the bacon. When the bacon fat begins to run, add the mushrooms. When the mushrooms begin to brown, add the peas.
  • Add the cream to the vegetables, along with salt, black pepper and a grating of nutmeg and the tarragon. Keep warm while the pasta finishes cooking.  
  • When the pasta is done, drain it and add it back to the pan with a spoonful of pasta water. 
  • Stir the vegetables through the pasta, then stir the cheese in. Really delicious. 

 

Frangipane tart

This recipe came to me from my aunt Gill, and I am passing it on at the request of the knitting crew. I am going to have another go at it soon, as I don’t think I have got a proper grip of my current (and new to me) oven. 

You can vary the jam to taste, something slightly tangy works well, such as apricot, raspberry and lemon, rhubarb and fig, cherry, blackberry and apple etcetera. 

PASTRY INGREDIENTS:

  • 60g icing sugar
  • 270g plain flour
  • 135g soft butter
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 to 2 tbsp cream

FRANGIPANE AND JAM FILLING

  • 240g soft butter
  • 240g caster sugar
  • 240g ground almonds
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1 tbsp + cream
  • 200g jam of your choice
  • flaked almonds
  • icing sugar to dust at the end. 

METHOD

  • Preheat the oven to 200C
  • Mix the flour and icing sugar together and rub in the butter, OR put these ingredients into a food processer and whiz until you have fine breadcrumb texture. Mix in the egg yolk and enough cream to make a very soft dough. Do not over-work, as this will affect the texture of the pastry. 
  • On a well-floured board, roll the dough out to around 1/2 cm thick. Use this to line a 27cm flan dish. The pastry will tear, but it is so soft you can just squish it back together again. 
  • Bake blind: Prick the base with a fork, and then weigh it down with baking beans on a layer of baking paper. Bake for 20 minutes, until the pastry is crisp. I took the beans out after 15 minutes. (I wish I had the silicon bag that I have seen on the television, but not available when I look online).
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool. The base should be dry and the edges almost crisp. 
  • Make the frangipane filling. Start by whisking the soft butter and the sugar together, then add the ground almonds and the beaten eggs and stir well to combine. 
  • Turn the oven down to 190C. Spread the jam over the pastry case, then pour the frangipane mixture over the jam. Sprinkle with plenty of flaked almonds, and bake for 25 minutes. The filling should be firm and golden brown and the nuts should look slightly toasted. 
  • Cool the tart, and dust with a little icing sugar. 

This is best served with cream. 

Butternut squash, lentil and rice salad

I made this for a meal with my daughters, and then made it again for a party, with variations, partly because I couldn’t remember what I did the first time. Essentially, it is a triple-decker salad with toppings and a dressing, so there are many ways you can play with the ingredients, flavours and textures. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • One butternut squash, peeled and de-seeded, cut into 2 cm cubes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • A pinch of chilli flakes, e.g. Aleppo pepper
  • 300g green lentils, such as puy lentils
  • 300g brown rice
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 bunch of mint, finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp toasted nuts, such as almonds, or walnuts, or pine-nuts
  • Green salad leaves, such as lettuce, rocket, baby spinach, nasturtiums
  • Dressing – 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp vinegar
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard (optional)
  • 3 tbsp pomegranate molasses
  • Salt and pepper
  • Non-vegan option – a pack of feta cheese

METHOD:

  • Set the oven to a high temperature, 200C
  • Mix the squash with olive oil, chilli flakes, ground pepper and a little salt. Put this into a large baking tray, and bake for around 30 minutes. 
  • Meanwhile, soak the brown rice and the lentils for around 30 minutes in cold water, to hydrate a little, and to rinse off any extra starch. 
  • Drain the lentils and brown rice, and then cook in salted water for around 30 minutes. I mixed them together to reduce washing up, but ideally you should cook them separately as the rice might need a little longer than the lentils. Drain when cooked. You can add herbs to the water if you like, for example mint. 
  • Make the dressing. In a jar with a lid, mix together the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, molasses and salt and pepper, and shake well. 
  • Assemble the salad:
    • Wash the salad leaves and make this the bottom layer. I like my lettuce very slightly salted, so you might want to try this yourself. 
    • Chop the red onion and mint and mix with the lentils and rice. Spread this over the salad leaves, leaving a border of leaves showing. 
    • Add the roasted butternut squash to the top, then sprinkle with the toasted nuts. 
    • Pour the well-shaken dressing over the top just before serving.

We had this at a barbeque and it went down very well. 

 

 

Courgette omelette with pinenuts, herbs and sumac

This is a recipe from the Moro cookbook, cooked as part of a plan to use up a lot of lovely fresh local eggs. I made this for two, and I think I need a bit of practice to get it perfect. I used herbs from the garden, which was a big bonus. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 courgettes (small to medium)
  • olive oil
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 6 eggs
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 100g butter
  • a bunch of parsley
  • a bunch of mint
  • a bunch of dill
  • 1 tbsp or slightly more of toasted pinenuts
  • salt and pepper
  • sumac powder

METHOD: 

  • Slice the courgettes thinly, and then sprinkle them with a teaspoon of salt, toss and leave to sit in a colander to drain for at least half an hour.
  • Meanwhile, prepare other ingredients:
    • Beat the eggs with the milk
    • Chop the garlic finely
    • Chop the herbs together
    • Toast the pinenuts
  • Squeeze out the excess liquid from the courgettes and pat dry. 
  • Heat some olive oil in a laarge pan and fry the garlic until it begins to turn a little brown at the edges.
  • Add the courgettes and cook until softening. Season with salt and pepper and set aside in the pan. 
  • In an omelette pan around 20cm across, heat a little olive oil with a little butter on a high heat until it starts to foam. Add about a quarter of the egg mixture, swirl and poke it around until it forms a thin layer at the bottom. 
  • Add a quarter of the courgettes, herbs, and pinenuts. Fold the omelette to keep all the filling inside, and serve on a warm plate, garnished with a sprinkle of sumac
  • Repeat for the next three omelettes. 

I served with new potatoes.