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Archive for July, 2024

Pasta e fagioli

Posted in Food, Italian, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on 10 July 2024| Leave a Comment »

We picked up some pretty dried borlotti beans when travelling earlier this year and this rustic pasta dish was the perfect dish for them.

Wine Suggestion: There’s an honesty and an earthiness to this dish that we can’t ignore, and just love. To be sympathetic we chose La Pruina’s Salice Salentino, a blend of Negroamaro and Malvasia Negra from Puglia. Gentle layers of spice, equally soft and intense, surrounding a mid-weight core of earthy plums and wild red fruits.

Pasta e fagioli – serves 4

  • 250g dried borlotti beans
  • 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
  • a big sprig of fresh rosemary
  • 200g fresh tomatoes, peeld and crushed
  • 220g conchiglie, or other tubular pasta (we used a mix of packet ends)
  • olive oil, red chilli flakes and grated pecorino cheese, to serve

Soak the beans overnight, then drain and cover with enough cold water to cover them by at least 10cm. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook until tender, usually about an hour and a half. Leave to cool in the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, gently warm the olive oil in a large deep sauté pan, then add the garlic and rosemary and gently fry until they smell good. Discard the garlic and add the tomatoes to the pan. Turn the heat up a little and cook for about 10 minutes or until looking saucey. Add the cooked beans and a couple of ladlefuls of their cooking liquid, then leave to bubble for 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt.

Add another couple of ladlefuls of liquid and then add the pasta and continue cooking, stirring regularly, until the pasta is tender. You might need a bit more liquid. Serve in warm bowls with some olive oil, chilli flakes and grated pecorino cheese.

(Original recipe from An A-Z of Pasta by Rachel Roddy, Penguin:Fig Tree, 2021.)

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Sardines and Peperonata on Toast

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 8 July 2024| Leave a Comment »

The perfect lunch for a sunny day. Get yourself a tin of sardines so you’re ready for the next one.

Sardines and peperonata on toast – serves 1

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 large roasted pepper from a jar, thinly sliced
  • 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
  • ½ tbsp capers
  • ½ small garlic clove, finely sliced
  • a smal handful of basil, shredded
  • 2 slices of sourdough
  • 120g tin sardines of olive oil, drained

Whisk the olive oil and vinegar together in a small bowl. Add the pepper, shallot, capers and garlic. Toss with half the basil and season to taste.

Toast the bread, then top with the peperonata and large chunks of the sardines. Finish with the rest of the basil and a grind of black pepper.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Gildas

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Healthy, Spanish, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 7 July 2024| Leave a Comment »

They serve these in all the tapas bars in San Sebastian and all you need to make them at home are top quality ingredients.

Wine Suggestion: Drinking Txakoli made from Hondarrabi Zuri, the local grape and wine for the Basque region, is our suggestion if you can get it. A favourite is the Bodegas Katxina Txakoli which is light, dry and slightly effervescent. It makes us think of fun times and holdays!

Gildas – make as many as you need to serve as a starter

Thread big green olives, top quality anchovies (semi-preserved from the fridge if possible), roasted peppers (we like the Navaricco brand) and guindillas. Serve with crusty bread.

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Baked Sausages and Lentils

Posted in Food, tagged , , , , , , , on 2 July 2024| 3 Comments »

A nice dish for spring/summer in Ireland when many days still feel like the depths of winter! Are you all addicted to the recipetineats website yet? You soon will be.

Wine Suggestion: Still on our Grenache kick we opened a bottle we bought in Pamplona earlier this year, the Viña Zorzal Crianza from Navarra which has a lovely red fruited earthiness and gentle spice along with a fresh elegance. Perfect.

Baked sausages & lentils – serves 4

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 shallots, finely sliced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 375ml of green or brown lentils
  • 4 small carrots, peeled, quartered and diced
  • 1 tsp cooking salt
  • ¾ tsp black pepper
  • 750ml chicken stock
  • 8 x top-quality pork sausages

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan.

Use a large metal roasting tin. Fold a sheet of baking parchment, large enough to cover the pan, in half and cut 4 slits to let out steam.

Put the roasting tin directly onto the hob and heat the olive oil over a medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté for a few minutes or until soft. Add the cumin seeds and stir for another minute.

Add the lentils, carrot, salt, pepper and stock, then bring to a simmer.

Gently place the sausages on top but don’t press them down into the lentils. Cover with the baking paper and gently press down so it sticks to the stock.

Bake for 25 minutes on the middle shelf, then remove the baking parchment and bake for another 20 minutes to brown the sausages.

Remove the pan from the oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes, then serve.

(Original recipe from recipetineats)

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Lemon & Spinach Linguine

Posted in Food, Italian, Pasta, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , on 1 July 2024| Leave a Comment »

We make an easy pasta dish about once a week and it’s one of the best days of the week.

Wine Suggestion: we think this goes great with Ribolla Gialla, a grape native to the north-east of Italy and Slovenia that can be made in a few styles. We prefer the ones that feature joyful primary fruits with a hint of nutty minerality like the one made by Perusini in Friuli. Light bodied and fruity-floral we think the best are super attractive and we’re surprised we don’t see more around.

Lemon & Spinach Linguine – serves 2

  • 100g spinach, remove any thick stalks but don’t be too fussy
  • 1 large lemon, zested
  • 250g linguine
  • 1 large clove of garlic
  • 50g butter
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 40g Parmesan, grated

Get a bowl of iced water ready.

Wash the spinach, then put the wet leaves into a shallow pan over a medium-high heat, cover tightly and cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove the lid and turn the spinach over with a wooden spoon, then cover again and cook for 2 minutes.

Use tongs to lift the spinach and drop it into the iced water. As soon as it is cold, squeeze out as much water as possible, then roughly chop.

Cook the linguine in lots of very salty water for whatever time the packet says.

Lightly crush the garlic with the flat side of a knife, without peeling it.

Warm the butter, squashed garlic, and olive oil in a shallow pan over a medium heat for a few minutes, then remove and discard the garlic clove. Add the lemon zest and spinach to the pan.

Drain the pasta and toss in the warm butter. Squeeze some lemon juice over and sprinkle with Parmesan.

(Original recipe by Nigel Slater in the Guardian)

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