Sorry, Veggies, We Did Try

Our diet of late, I reflected, had been fairly meat heavy. Chicken is always a staple here, and it's hard to resist the deer blandishments available from our chums at Castle Game. When the young came up for the rugby I reprised the Caribbean Jerk Chicken. I also made for the first time in ages a Beef Rendang using ox cheeks. It worked very well.

But, I determined, a period of time meat free was called for. A big shop and the fridge was crammed with peppers, aubergines, Hispi cabbage (which Sainsbury's still label as Sweetheart), celery, spinach, you name it, as well as the usual ingins and tatties. I also made sure our store of pulses was full.

For years I would spy likely recipes in newspapers and magazines - then promptly lose them. Now in retirement, not only do I have a large folder with about 300, I even have them in a neat list of contents on a spreadsheet. What a dork. Anyway, beginning with A, I found a recipe for aubergine curry with tamarind. I had some left over from making the rendang. Perfect.

So on Saturday a curry night it was to be. Spinach, potatoes and onions were transformed into a big pan of sag aloo, always a crowd pleaser. On to the aubergine. Moderately disgusting, so I melted another curry from the freezer. Chicken. Oops!

I try again the following day. When L returns from singing in St Giles Cathedral on the Sabbath, she is normally chilled to the marrow. (Another carnivorous word. Damn!) Soup is always welcome. A little-thumbed book on the kitchen shelf is Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Much More Veg. I find a recipe for a hearty sounding soup with red pepper and chickpeas. It didn't look promising. I tried blending it. I then had what resembled a pan of vomit. On the evidence of this, I don't think Hugh's going to be thumbed more in the near future.

Sod it, I said, and used the rest of the aubergines to make a moussaka. But then I felt slightly contrite and decided to give you a few superfast veggie dishes. When you're looking for speed and comfort, surely the first word which comes to mind is pasta? Here are some meat free recipes.

Ravioli with Sage Butter

Speed, I hear you scream. Making fresh ravioli takes ages!

Certainly a while if you're not used to it, and I've provided a few recipes over the years. But for today, I'm suggesting you buy it in. Here in Edinburgh, we have Aemilia in Portobello, The Artisan Pasta Maker in Dundas Street, and, of course, Valvona & Crolla in Leith Walk. I don't know the first two, but I've heard decent reports. If these aren't convenient for you, there are now numerous online suppliers.

All you have to do is cook your pasta and make the sage butter. At its simplest, melt cubes of butter over a medium heat. Purists will tell you to use unsalted, but I don't think it matters much. When the butter begins to foam, chuck in a good handful of sage leaves and cook for a few minutes. It can go from brown to black very quickly, so be careful. Remove from the heat. A squeeze of lemon will stop the browning process

Some recipes will tell you to crisp up the sage. I prefer to do that separately and just let the sage flavour your butter. For a crispy topping, deep fry some sage leaves in hot oil, drain and add as a garnish.

Now that's basic. If you like, fry a little garlic in the butter, being very careful not to burn. You could add a few thyme leaves. I saw one recipe which suggested a few finely chopped pecans.

And, of course, a generous grating of Parmesan over the top.

Rigatoni with Garlic Crumbs and Tomato

Use any pasta you like with this. Breadcrumbs feature a lot in Italian cooking. A fundamental of the cucina povera from the south is to make sure nothing goes to waste. Breadcrumbs which are a few days old are better, as they are dryer.

Ingredients (serves 4 - 6)

450g dried rigatoni; 1 medium onion, chopped;  1 - 2 pinches of chilli flakes (more if you like); 400g chopped tomatoes; pinch of dried thyme; pinch of dried oregano; 200g breadcrumbs; 110g butter; olive oil; s & p.

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Cook the onion gently in olive oil until soft. Add the chilli flakes, thyme and oregano, then stir in the tomatoes with some s & p. Simmer for about 20 minutes until the sauce thickens. While the sauce is cooking prepare the breadcrumbs. Heat the butter in a separate pan and stir fry the breadcrumbs and garlic until golden brown and crisp. Be careful not to let them burn.

Cook and drain the pasta. Toss with the tomato sauce and plate up. Top each plate with some breadcrumbs and serve immediately.

I've seen a Jamie Oliver recipe where horseradish is mixed through the breadcrumbs. No tomato, but the dish is loosened with some of the pasta water.

Spaghetti with Pesto

This is laughably simple, even the pesto itself. Once you've made your own, you'll never go back to a jar. Some recipes will tell you to toast the pine nuts. Not necessary.

Ingredients

For the pesto

For the pesto (this is enough for 4- 6 portions, possibly more)

1 mug (capacity about 300ml) of fresh basil leaves; 2 cloves of garlic; 55g pine nuts; 55g freshly grated Parmesan OR equal quantities of Parmesan and pecorino; 150ml extra virgin olive oil (use your good stuff); salt.

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Blitz the basil and garlic together. Then add the nuts, cheese, oil, and a little salt. (bearing in mind that the cheese is quite salty.  Blitz until smooth. Taste You will probably need more salt.

Store any unused pesto in a sealed jar in the fridge with a little film of oil on top. Don't keep it too long as the bright colour will fade to sludge.

For the spaghetti

Spaghetti; butter.

Cook the spaghetti - al dente, of course. Drain. Put in a pan with lots of butter. Season generously with pepper. When the butter has melted, stir in the pesto. If feeling particularly hedonistic, grate extra Parmesan on top.

So, my apologies for not having been a better veggie. I hope these make it up to you.

 

Tom Cooks! will be back in a fortnight