Some spring in your step
Pasta dishes are a perfect compromise between winter comfort food and summer salads.
Spring is sprung, the grass is riz, I wonder what tonight’s dinner is? This time of year is challenging for the cook. It’s too light outside for winter’s heavy brown braises, but often too chilly for salad-y dinners. Don’t even think about mentioning the barbecue unless you want to guarantee icy winds and horizontal rain for nights to come.
Let pasta solve your dinner dilemmas at this tricky time of year. These recipes, which feature lots of spring-ish greens, are a good place to start.
Linguine with butter-fried brussels sprouts, breadcrumbs and walnuts
Serves 2 Preparation time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes
Strictly speaking this is more of a winter-spring crossover, but since there are plenty of brussels sprouts still around and lots of cold days where you need something sustaining to eat, I think it fits the brief. If you can cope with having two pots on the go at once, you can make the sauce while the pasta cooks. 1 1⁄2 tablespoons butter 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
8 brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut into quarters
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
1 thick slice of stale sourdough or rustic-style wholemeal bread, crumbled (to make about a generous 1⁄2 cup of crumbs)
1⁄3 cup walnut halves, roughly chopped
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
150g linguine, cooked to packet instructions
Finely grated parmesan cheese, to serve
Heat the butter and oil in a medium-sized frying pan set over medium heat. Add the garlic and brussels sprouts and saute for five minutes. Add the breadcrumbs and nuts and cook for another three minutes, stirring to ensure they are evenly toasted. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice and zest.
Toss through the hot, drained pasta – drizzle over a little more extra virgin olive oil if desired. Divide between two warmed bowls and top with a shower of finely grated parmesan. Serve immediately.
Eggy spaghetti with parsley pesto
Serves 2 Preparation time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes (includes pasta cooking time)
I initially dreamed this dish up while thinking of how to tackle the lush field of self-sown parsley at the bottom of my garden. I didn’t factor in that my husband would go the way of all men in the spring and decimate it with a weed whacker while my back was turned. Lunch was nearly lost until we unearthed a jar of pesto in the cupboard, which is certainly an easier (and less conflict-inducing) way to make this dish.
2 fresh free-range eggs, at room temperature
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons best-quality pesto (or homemade)
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil 150g spaghetti, cooked according to packet instructions
Set a small pot of water on the stove to boil. When it is simmering, add the salt and gently lower in the eggs. Cook for six minutes, then drain and refresh under cold water. Carefully crack and peel away the shells. Set the eggs aside.
When the pasta is cooked, drain it well. Toss through the pesto until the strands are wellcoated. Divide between two warmed bowls and gently nestle the egg on top, then drizzle over a little of the olive oil. Encourage diners to ‘‘crack’’ the naked egg open so the runny yolk becomes a second sauce for the spaghetti.
Penne with spinach, yoghurt and tuna sauce
Serves 3-4 Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time:
11 minutes (for the pasta)
Pasta salads have become a bit uncool in the paleo-eating era, but they are a great asset to the hungry worker (especially when the dressing is protein-rich). Add a couple of handfuls of baby cherry tomatoes to the mix when they’re in season.
250g penne pasta
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
250g baby4spinach, teaspoon washedsalt 1 large clove garlic, smashed to a pulp with 1⁄
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon
3⁄4 cup Greek yoghurt
1 x 180g tin best-quality tuna in oil
cup roasted almonds, roughly chopped
Cook the penne in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain well and tip into a large bowl. Add the olive oil and stir well. Set aside.
Put the spinach in the empty pot you used to cook the pasta. Cover with boiling water and let stand for a couple of minutes, then drain well.
Squeeze out any excess water and put the spinach in a food processor with the garlic paste, lemon juice and zest, and Greek yoghurt. Whiz to a smooth-ish puree, then add the tuna along with its oil. Whiz again, then taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper, along with a little more lemon juice and olive oil to taste.
Pour this mixture over the pasta, add the almonds and toss well. Let stand at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before serving.
This can be made ahead of time and stored, covered, in the fridge, but bring it to room temperature before serving.
More of Lucy’s recipes at thekitchenmaid.com. To see what she’s cooking daily, find her on Instagram or Facebook.