Walnut pesto spaghetti with broad beans and caramelised onions

So it appears we are still reaping the rewards from broad bean season. I spotted some more in the supermarket this week and couldn't help but buy them. I find the peeling process quite theapeautic and a little bit old school as well. We are also running up the first of Gipsy Spread's 40th birthday shenanigans this weekend, so I was looking now to buy and more fresh ingredients until next week.  With the store cupboard, my broad beans and some leftover fresh basil, this delicious dinner was born.

What you will need

Spaghetti for 2

450g Broad Beans in pods

1-2 onions

3-4 sundried tomatoes (optional)

1 large red chilli (optional)

For the Pesto

A handful of walnuts

A handful of fresh basil

2 cloves garlic

A handful of grated parmesan

2-3 table spoons of olive oil

Begin by making the pesto. Blend together all the ingredients to form a rough paste and then top with the olive oil. Set aside until ready to dress the spaghetti.

 

Next, quarter or sixth the onions into large chunks. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and baked in the oven at 200 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

After 30 minutes, place the spaghetti on to cook. After 7 minutes add the shelled broad beans for the final 3 minutes of cooking and then drain.

Next stir in two table spoons of the pesto, the caramelised onion and the chopped sundried tomatoes.

 

Place on a dish and garnish with slices of fresh red chilli and more grated parmesan cheese.

 

Pomegranate relish/salad with grilled halloumi

This is a fabulously fresh and fragrant relish or salad. The wonderful shop up at the Crystal Palace triangle who sells bowls of exotic fruit and vegetables for a £1, had 3 of these on offer for that price. Bargain! So, I get to be frivolous with these beautifully pink and translucent gems. It was a tapas/mezze for dinner tonight and I thought a pomegranate relish would work perfectly with the grilled halloumi I was planning. 

 

 

What you will need

1 pomegranate

½ red onion

A handful of radishes

½ tea spoon chilli flakes

1 clove garlic

½ lemon juice

2 table spoons olive oil

Fresh parsley

Fresh mint
1 packet halloumi

Start by gently extracting the jewels from the flesh. Next, thinly slice the onion and radishes and crush the garlic.

To make the dressing, mix together the oil, lemon juice, chilli and garlic and season with salt.
 

Mix together the pomegranate with the onion, radishes and chopped fresh herbs then pour over the dressing.

 

Serve on salad leaves with grilled halloumi, on meat or folded through couscous.

Patatas Bravas

Tapas is a great idea for dinner when you have various bits and pieces left over that form small dishes, but not whole meals bythemselves. I had some left over new potatoes that needed eating and why should this humble vegetable only be a side dish; on the side of other dishes? I decided that it shouldn’t and that the Spanish classic of patatas bravas would be a great small with my other dishes. Actually, with the addition of grilled halloumi and pomegranate relish, this meal was more like a tapas/mezze fusion.
 

What you will need

2 cloves garlic

Fresh rosemary

Fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

1 tea spoon dried chillies

2 table spoons red wine

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

A pinch of sugar

1 tea spoon paprika

1 bag of new potatoes

Start by quartering the new potatoes. Place in a roasting dish with a generous amount of olive oil and salt liberally. Roast in the oven at 220 degrees for 40-45 minutes until cooked.
 

Meanwhile, chop the garlic, rosemary and thyme. Heat some oil in a pan and add the garlic, all the herbs, the chilli flakes and paprika to the pan and soften slightly.

Next add the wine and chopped tomatoes and season with salt and the sugar. Leave the sauce to reduce for 15-20 minutes.

 

 

Serve the sauce hot on top of the hot potatoes.

 

You could also throw together a homemade alioli for it by mixing together crushed garlic, Dijon mustard and white wine vinegar.

Mushroom stroganoff

I had bought some mushrooms, Gipsy Spread bought more mushrooms, and so it was we had to eat these up before they started to sweat and pass their best. It was with this in mind, I decided on knock up this super easy and robust mushroom dish for dinner. An abundance of fungi is exactly what was called for in this dish. I used a combination of chestnut and the newly discovered forestiere mushrooms. I also add more depth to the gravy with my sectret ingredient of marmite which I often use in place of Worcestershire sauce or where beef stock is traditionally used.

 

What you will need

1 onion

3 cloves garlic

1 table spoon paprika

300g mixed mushrooms

150ml vegetable stock

1 tea spoon lemon juice

½ tea spoon marmite

½ tea spoon Dijon mustard

3 table spoons crème fraiche or yogurt

 

Firstly chop and crush the garlic. Saute these in some oil until translucent. Meanwhile halve or quarter the mushrooms.

When the onions have cooked through, add the paprika and the mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes. Next, add the vegetable stock, lemon juice, marmite and mustard and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Finally stir through the crème fraiche and heat through gently for a further minute before serving. Do not boil the crème fraiche to avoid splitting.

Serve with rice or new potatoes.

Soupe de haricots frais et tomate

Mother in law Spread’s tomato plants are blossoming and delivering fragrant fruit in every size and colour at the moment. There are, in fact too many to keep up with and when it rained this bank holiday Monday, there was nothing for it but to make this deliciously fresh and satisfying tomato and bean soup. I opted for the traditional way of covering the tomatoes with boiling water to peel them fresh, but you could also use the great modern invention of chopped tinned tomatoes if you want a slight cheat.
 

What you will need

1 large onion

4 cloves garlic

2 tins butter beans

700g chopped tomatoes

1.2 litres of vegetable stock

1 tea spoon chilli flakes

2 bay leaves

Fresh thyme

Fresh parsley

Celery leaves (optional)

Fresh basil

Begin by chopping the onion and garlic and soften in a large pan for 5-10 minutes until translucent.

 

When soft, add in the chopped tomatoes, stock, chillies and all the fresh herbs, Finally, add the drained tins of butterbeans.

 

Bring the soup to the boil, before covering and simmering for 40-45 minutes until reduced and thickened. Remove the bay leave and any thyme stalks.

 

Next, using a potato peeler, slightly squash the butterbeans through the soup.

Serve fresh and hot with some crème fraiche and grated cheese, along with some delicious sour dough bread.