Poor poor neglected blog it’s like that pet that you have before you have a child and then completely ignore. Except my blog doesn’t start scratching the furniture and weeing in my shoes, it just sits their forlornly with occasional requests coming to my inbox for updates.
The thing is I still cook so much I just never manage to take a picture of anything and I’m pregnant with number two so that seems the ideal time to try and restart.
Here is dinner from a few days ago, delicious asparagus, broad beans ( from the freezer but fresh will be available soon) and star ingredient Ndjua . I was actually sent some of this a long time ago use the whole lot in one go and have spent years trying to find it again.
Tracked this person down a food festival delicibo though they have a stall in Chesterfield Market
Made from guanciale (pig cheek) and pancetta (bacon), dried Calabrian red chilli and salt. It is a little like a drier sobrasada one of my favourite Majorcan ingredients. A little goes a long way and it keeps forever in the fridge so worth an investment
There days I quite like pasta to be half and half with some vegetables struggling to get that 5 a day ( or is it 7 now) , you could use any green vegetables in season so kale or purple sprouting broccoli would work.
Pasta with Nduja and Green Vegetables
For two people
- 100g of linguini or spaghetti
- 4 handfuls of broad beans
- ½ bunch of asparagus ( 6 spears) – finely sliced lengthways
- 1 heaped tablespoon of Nduja
- 1 handfuls of toasted breadcrumbs
- Boil the pasta with the broad beans for 10 minutes
- Steam the asparagus over the top for a few minutes , it should still snap
- Once cooked mostly drain the pasta, but leave a couple of tablespoons of water ,add the nduja and stir over the heat , this will melt the nduja and allow it to the coat the pasta and beans
- Stir in the asparagus.
- Serve and top with the breadcrumbs
