Roasted Aubergine and Tomato Pasta

We've been off on our hols - some pictures to follow - but tonight, we had a craving for veggies (not enough eaten last week, and too much alcohol!). The Riverford Organics delivery came up trumps with lovely tomatoes and aubergines, which were slow-roasted and tossed through pasta with basil and a little ricotta. Lovely, light and wholesome.

Braised Peas and Lettuce in the French Style

Okay, so this may not be the best-looking dish in the world, but it sure tastes good. If you have really fresh peas, great, but otherwise froze petit pois will do just fine. I had some 'wet' garlic, so started th braise with a head of this, finely chopped, and a white onion, finely diced. Sweat these gently in a spoonful of olive oil, along with some bacon or prosciutto if you have it/want it. Add a bag of peas, and just a little stock, enough to get the dish cooking well, but not enough to swamp the peas - Marigold is fine. Then, take some little gem lettuce, halve or quarter them, and add to the pot. Spoon in a spoonful of cream or creme fraiche. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes untill all is soft. The peas will lose their vibrant green colour, but will taste mellow and sweet. Adjust seasoning, add fresh parsley and/or mint, and enjoy!

Asparagus and Herb Frittata

I was away over the weekend with little time to shop, so fell back on the veg box (not literally, you understand, else we'd be having smashed vegetables) to supply supper, and it was lovely. I slow-roasted a thinly sliced head of fennel, a couple of orange peppers, onion and tomato wedges, with olive oil and garlic. I hate how most recipes tell you to do this in a fiercely hot oven - you usually end up with charred, dehydrated lumps of carbon. Do it slowly and the veg stays juicy and goes 'jammy' and intense. Some asparagus got the same treatment. The asparagus was then made into a frittata with parsley and chives added to the eggs. The other roasted veg were used to top a platter of the crunchiest and tastiest Little Gem lettuce I've ever had, again, courtesy of Riverford organics. Why do the supermarkets remove so much of the green outer leaves? Anyway, with some crusty sourdough bread, this was a delicious start to the week.

Spaghetti with Pesto and Prawns

Oxford started off a bit grey and chilly this morning, but by late afternoon, the sun was shining, it was warm, and I wanted something sunny and happy for my tea. I had some home-made pesto left over from the bruschetta at the weekend (why do people buy ready-made pesto? It is horrid, and the home-made is soooo much nicer), so simply boiled spaghetti, and in the last couple of minutes, sauteed prawns and a skinned, chopped tomato in olive oil, and stirred the whole lot together, with a little of the pasta cooking water. The tomato dissolved, sadly, but it still contributed to the overall flavour. Next time, I'd add it at the very last second. But, all in all, a lovely light, fragrant dish for our tea.