How pretty is this blazing orange bouquet of cauliflower? I didn’t think twice before grabbing it and conjuring up ways to devour it! Apparently it is a product of natural mutation from a crop field in Canada and with it’s rich colour, means that it is brimming full with Vitamin A (25% more to be exact, thanks Google).
Go to the full recipe…

Aaaaand exhale.

After having three sets of guests over the month of December, all back to back, the need for peace, quiet and marathons of catching up on beloved TV were dire. Along with this came the craving for simple meals – low in fat, calories and portions. I think I’ve had soup for a week straight since the start of the new year, and loved every bowl of it. This recipe in particular was so quick and easy to make, and I just felt good eating it – totally guilt free, (not that that truly ever plays a role in determining what gets shoveled down the gullet).

The soup was emboldened with some of the freshest summer flavors I’ve had combined – Courgettes (or Zucchini’s for my American counterparts), Peas & freshly picked Mint from the garden, drizzled with a squeeze of lemon, a swirl of Bulgarian yoghurt and some bashed pink peppercorns (my new obsession).

Courgette, Pea & Mint Soup

Ingredients

600g Courgettes, sliced into discs 1cm thick
2 cups Peas, frozen
2 Handfuls fresh Mint, torn roughly
4 baby Leeks, finely diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 red Chili, sliced and de-seeded
2 Lemons, juiced
1 tsp Olive oil
300ml boiling water
30ml Nomu Liquid Vegetable Stock
2 tbsp Bulgarian Yoghurt (to serve)
Handful Pink Peppercorns, bashed up (to serve)
Salt

Method

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Dice up all the courgettes and pop them into the boiling water to cook for about 5 minutes. Sieve out the courgettes and set them aside to continue steaming in a dish. Add the frozen peas to the same water, and leave them to cook for about 3 minutes. Strain the peas and discard the water.

Chop up the baby leeks, chili, and garlic and add to the same warm pot, with a bit of olive oil and some salt. Cook for about 5 minutes until they all become soft. Remove from the pot and scrape into a blender. Add to this the courgettes, peas and handfuls of mint. Blitz for about 15 seconds. The soup should instantly turn a beautiful bright green. Boil the kettle and mix 300ml of the hot water, with about 30ml of the vegetable stock to make a light brown stock. Add half of this to the blender, and blitz for about 10 seconds. I don’t normally use all the stock I’ve made, I just add it to the blender until I’m happy with the consistency. Squeeze in the lemon juice, blitz again quickly and now taste. Season to your liking. Add a bit of yoghurt into the blender if you want to make the soup more creamy, if you like. Bash up some pink peppercorns, and sprinkle over the surface of the soup once dished up.

Side note – this soup is delicious served cold too, so is a nice idea as a starter. Bon Appetit!

I’m convinced that come November 1st, the clocks start ticking faster. Weeks fly by, the to-do list multiplies by the second and there never seems to be enough hours in the day. This is when seriously fast food is in dire need – with no fussing about in the shops for ingredients, or the kitchen being desecrated by the end of it. Boxes ticked must be: quick, delicious and moderately healthy (’tis the season after all) – this recipe fulfills in every way.

I adore parmesan cheese and would add it to everything given half the chance – so don’t be shy with your helping of it here as it really pairs so beautifully with the creaminess of the egg yolks and freshness of the herbs. The usual sarky quip received on dishing myself up a bowl of pasta is, “would you like some pasta with your parmesan?” And the answer… “Damn right.”
 
Herby Parmesan Pasta

Serves 4                Takes approx. 20 mins

Ingredients

250g Fresh Pappardelle Pasta (or Tagliatelle)
3 egg yolks
1 clove Garlic, crushed
250g Parmesan cheese, grated
2 large Lemons, juice & zest
3 sprigs fresh Majoram (Origanum)
100g fresh Basil
50g fresh Mint
3 tbsp Pine Nuts, toasted
Olive Oil
S & P

Method

First put a medium pot of salted water on to boil. Now in a clean, dry pan, toast the pine nuts until browned. Set aside.

Get your egg yolks separated from the whites and put into a medium bowl. To this, add the lemon zest, juice and parmesan along with some salt, pepper and about 4 tbsp of olive oil. Mix well with a fork.

With a pestle & mortar, bash up a handful of basil, marjoram & mint until it’s dark and juicy looking. Add this to the bowl of eggs, along with the crushed garlic. Mix well.

By this stage the pot of water should be boiling – so add the pasta, and a splash of olive oil. Cook until al dente. If it is fresh pasta, should take about 2 minutes – if dried, about 9-10 minutes.

Drain the pasta but reserve the water that it cooked in – as you need this to loosen up the sauce. Add the pasta to the bowl of ingredients and toss very well. Add in a ladle of the pasta water and from this point on, it’s up to you how thick or thin you would like the sauce. Thinner – add more pasta water, thicker – leave it as is. Taste the sauce and see if you want to add more lemon or salt.

Once it’s all tossed well, tear in some fresh basil, marjoram and mint – add in the toasted pine nuts and serve steaming hot with a pile of parmesan on top and some freshly cracked black pepper!

A great wine pairing with this velvety dish is something light and refreshing – I love my staple Haute Cabriere Chardonnay Pinot Noir with a few blocks of ice, perfect for a summery lunch or al fresco dinner. Enjoy!