As a hobbyist
cook I'm often on the look out for culinary inspiration and of late it’s been
in extremely short supply. Perhaps it’s something to do with the weather or
late onset of spring depriving me of fresh vibrant ingredients to work with.
So thank the
Deity of your choosing then for Morrisons.
Whoa, wait,
Morrisons, the supermarket right? The very same. I'm not sure if you've been in
lately but some of their stores have had, what I can only describe as a fruit
and Veg make over.
They've started
stocking all kinds of fresh produce both typical and unusual from standard
Carrots to Fresh Turmeric Root, Curry leaves, fresh herbs and several varieties
of tomatoes to name but a few. All displayed well and cooled by some very
futuristic looking dry ice affair. Reminds me of a French Supermarket. Well
worth a look even if to marvel at some of the oddities in there
If you’re local to
the area try Festival Park or Stone to see what I’m on about, it would
appear that Newcastle
So I bought some
fresh Tarragon (for a pie, future post I think) at the weekend plus a medley of
little toms and last night I was wondering what to do with what I had left
Ahhhh, pasta,
good old pasta. So this is what I came up with
Tarragon and
Fresh Tomato Pasta
This just sings
of spring, bright vibrant colours and fresh tastes abound here. The chilli kick
gives it that extra dimension
I did use
Linguine but with hindsight spaghetti would probably work better and the chillies
are optional I just wanted some heat
As usual with my
dished of late this is unbelievably cheap to make, take note, soon to be
student daughter.
Also and quite importantly, this is meat free, so it fulfils my aim of at least one veggie meal per week .. Go Me
Serves Two
Handful of Cherry
tomatoes per person, Halved
3 Cloves of
Garlic finely chopped
½ Stick of Celery
finely chopped
One shallot
finely chopped
Chilli finely
chopped (optional)
Handful of
Tarragon leaves separated from their stalks
Tablespoon of
Tarragon Vinegar
Teaspoon of
Tomato puree
½ Glass of white
wine
Salt and Pepper
Olive oil for
cooking
Olive oil for
dressing
Linguine/Spaghetti
– enough for each person
Put the water on
to boil for your pasta
In a large frying
pan, gently soften the Shallot and Celery season with Salt and Pepper
Once soft add the
Garlic and Chill then fry for a minute
Add the Purée and
cook out for a min or two
Add the vinegar
and reduce
Add the wine and
reduce to about half
Now add the
tomatoes and about 2/3rds of the tarragon, season again, lower to a simmer and
cook for about 15 mins, stirring occasionally season to taste if required
When the water is
boiling, salt well and add your pasta
Once the water
starts to go cloudy add about a ladle of the pasta water to the tomatoes and
stir
Once the Pasta is
cooked spoon into the pan with tomatoes bringing some of the water with you as
you go to loosen the sauce
Toss well and
ensure all the pasta is covered in the sauce
Serve into pasta
bowls
Finish with grind
of pepper, drizzle of good olive oil and finally a few leaves of tarragon on
top
Enjoy