My Favourite Recipes
I've been banging on about my love of food and cooking recently - and I thought I'd share one or two of my favourite recipes.
So here's the first in what might become an occasional series - Pasta Puttanesca - a strongly flavoured dish from the sunny Mediterranean - any leftovers make a great pasta salad the next day.
My theory is that if more people took up cooking - there'd be less looting and rioting on our city streets.
Maybe I'll send my suggestion to ACPO and Sir Hugh Orde - as it's not an American recipe it might have a chance of featuring in their new strategy - for getting to grips with Britain's gang culture.
I hope so - because there's not much more rewarding or satisfying - than making people a lovely home-cooked meal.
Pasta Puttanesca
Ingredients
Olive oil
1 large onion
2/3 cloves of garlic
Fresh or dried chillies - for a spicy sauce
1 small tin or jar of anchovies
1 small jar of capers
1 tin of black olives (stoned)
1 large tin of tomatoes or jar of passata - or some fresh tomatoes
Salt,pepper and - if required - a pinch of sugar
Couple of handfuls of chopped fresh basil and/or parsley
Dried pasta - enough for four people
Method
Put 2 or 3 tablespoons of oil into a hot pan
Add the finely chopped onion and cook gently for 5 minutes
Add the garlic and chili and continue cooking for just 1 minute or so
Add the anchovies - then all of the capers and olives
Stir until the anchovies break down - a couple of minutes only
Add the tomatoes and some water or stock - to loosen the mixture if necessary
Simmer gently for 10 or 15 minutes
Check the seasoning - add salt (carefully as the anchovies are salty), pepper and a little sugar (if your tomatoes are not fresh they might need a little lift)
Cook the pasta
Add the fresh herbs to the pasta sauce
Take to the table and enjoy with some crusty bread - and a glass or two of wine.
So here's the first in what might become an occasional series - Pasta Puttanesca - a strongly flavoured dish from the sunny Mediterranean - any leftovers make a great pasta salad the next day.
My theory is that if more people took up cooking - there'd be less looting and rioting on our city streets.
Maybe I'll send my suggestion to ACPO and Sir Hugh Orde - as it's not an American recipe it might have a chance of featuring in their new strategy - for getting to grips with Britain's gang culture.
I hope so - because there's not much more rewarding or satisfying - than making people a lovely home-cooked meal.
Pasta Puttanesca
Ingredients
Olive oil
1 large onion
2/3 cloves of garlic
Fresh or dried chillies - for a spicy sauce
1 small tin or jar of anchovies
1 small jar of capers
1 tin of black olives (stoned)
1 large tin of tomatoes or jar of passata - or some fresh tomatoes
Salt,pepper and - if required - a pinch of sugar
Couple of handfuls of chopped fresh basil and/or parsley
Dried pasta - enough for four people
Method
Put 2 or 3 tablespoons of oil into a hot pan
Add the finely chopped onion and cook gently for 5 minutes
Add the garlic and chili and continue cooking for just 1 minute or so
Add the anchovies - then all of the capers and olives
Stir until the anchovies break down - a couple of minutes only
Add the tomatoes and some water or stock - to loosen the mixture if necessary
Simmer gently for 10 or 15 minutes
Check the seasoning - add salt (carefully as the anchovies are salty), pepper and a little sugar (if your tomatoes are not fresh they might need a little lift)
Cook the pasta
Add the fresh herbs to the pasta sauce
Take to the table and enjoy with some crusty bread - and a glass or two of wine.
