500g (1lb 11/2oz) dried short pasta, such as macaroni, penne or rotini
3 knobs of butter
3 heaped tbsp flour
2 mugs of milk
1 good dollop of hot English mustard
11/2 mugs of grated strong Cheddar
1/2 mug of crumbled blue cheese (optional, ask the children)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 mug of grated Parmesan
Preheat the oven to 205°C/400°F/gas 6.
Throw the cauliflower, onions and pasta into a large pot of boiling salted water and cook all together until the pasta is al dente, as per pack instructions.
While this is cooking, melt the butter in a medium or large pan. Stir in the flour to make a roux and cook for a few minutes, stirring over a low heat. Now turn the heat up to medium and slowly add the milk, constantly stirring until it all combines and starts to thicken to a creamy sauce – you may need to add a little more milk if it gets too thick and pasty.
Now stir in the mustard, Cheddar and blue cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. Drain the pasta, onion and cauliflower and tip into a suitable-size baking dish. Pour the sauce over it and top with lots of Parmesan. Bake in the oven for 10–15 minutes or until the top gets nice and crispy, remove from the oven, serve and smile.
Spinach and Walnut Pasta
VEGETARIAN
This is comfort food that you can rustle up in 10 minutes when you get home from work or from something more fun late at night. Combining pasta water with the walnuts makes the sauce, and you end up enjoying the simple but delicious taste of walnuts, olive oil, spinach, Parmesan and seasoning. If comfort sounds like your idea of bland, though, fear not. Just chuck in some capers, sun-dried tomatoes or rocket instead of spinach, and you will be revelling in zingy refreshment instead.
SERVES 4
500g pack of wholewheat fusilli
1/2 mug of walnuts
2 mugs of finely chopped fresh spinach (or chopped wild rocket)
A glug of olive oil
1/2 mug of grated Parmesan
A handful of capers (optional)
A handful of chopped sun-dried tomatoes (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, as per packet instructions.
While this is cooking, blitz the walnuts in a blender or a food processor to a breadcrumb consistency and put aside in a bowl.
Add the spinach or rocket to the pasta pot 2 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Take a few spoonfuls of the cooking water from the pasta and mix it through the walnuts to create a paste. Add more water little by little until you have a sauce of the thickness you like.
When the pasta is cooked al dente, drain well and then pop it back into the pot. Stir through the walnut paste, the olive oil, half the Parmesan, the capers and the sun-dried tomatoes (if using). Season well and serve in hot bowls with the rest of the Parmesan sprinkled over the top.
Spicy Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Sausage Pasta
This pasta topping is great on pizza too! If you don’t have any sausages, you can always add another bunch of purple sprouting broccoli instead.
SERVES 4
400g (140z) chunky pasta, such as farfalle
1 glug of olive oil
2–3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 chilli, deseeded and finely sliced, or 1 tsp red chilli flakes
400g (140z) sausages of your choice, sliced into 1cm (1/2in) pieces
1 bunch purple sprouting broccoli
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 handful fresh basil (optional), torn
Cook the pasta as per instructions on the packet.
Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil, garlic, chilli and sausages and sauté for about 5 minutes.
Roughly chop the broccoli, making sure to include the whole thing as the leaves, florets and stalks are equally tasty! When the sausage is cooked through, add the broccoli to the pan and sauté for another few minutes, until the broccoli is slightly tender, but still crunchy. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Spoon the broccoli and sausage over the pasta, sprinkle with lots of fresh basil on top and serve.
Variation: Try adding a glug or two of red wine to the sausages just before adding the broccoli. Let the wine cook down a little and then proceed as above.
Stuffed Green Pointed Cabbage
Not only are green pointed cabbage leaves the perfect shape for stuffing, they taste wonderful too. These may take a little time to prepare, but once they are in the oven you can chill out and take it easy for an hour or so. You can also try tossing in some dried fruits and any vegetables you have lying around.
SERVES 4
1 green pointed cabbage
1 glug of olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 mug of uncooked white long grain rice
450g (1lb) lamb mince
1/2 tsp dried mint
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 mug of toasted pine nuts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
2–3 mugs of chicken stock
Natural yogurt
Pinch of fresh dill
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5.
Blanch the entire cabbage so the leaves are just tender and peel away easily. Peel