I recently brought Hubby, Jamie Oliver’s 30 Minute Meals Cookery Book and he loves it, so much so that he has decided to do a Julie & Julia and cook his way through the book. As we progress I will post our favourite recipes. It’s just what a busy family like ours needs, quick, wholesome food and all the thought done for us.
 
Now that aside, I would like to draw your attention to the lovely photograph above. This is my gorgeous 15 year old Son Olly and his lovely girlfriend of nearly a year Becky.
 
Poor Becky decided to stay for dinner last night, just as we were embarking on our first recipe from Jamie’s book, luckily she loved it !
 
I am so proud of Olly, such a gentleman and last week his school rang me to tell me that Olly had achieved an ‘A’ in the higher science paper, proud was not the word to describe how I felt, so well done Olly.
 
Well we had a lovely evening, sat round the table was Myself, Hubby, Olly & Becky, conversation flowed and laughter was abundant, so all good in the Staveley household.
 
Buon appetito
Serves 6
 
Broccoli Orecchiette
 
125g Parmesan cheese
1 large head of broccoli
200g purple sprouting broccoli
1 x 30g tin of anchovies in oil
1 heaped tablespoon of capers
1 small dried chilli
3 gloves garlic
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
500g orecchiette
 
Trim the rind off of the Parmesan and set aside. Grate the chunk of Parmesan either in the food processor or with a hand grater, then tip into a bowl. Slice all the florets off the stalk of the large head of broccoli. Trim off the florets from the purple sprouting broccoli and chop up just the tender stalks. Put all the broccoli to one side.
 
Fit the standard blade attachment to the processor. Halve the large broccoli stalk and put into the empty processor with the anchovies and their oil, and the drained capers. Crumble in the dried chilli. Peel and add the three garlic cloves, then pulse it all to a paste. Pour the boiled water into a large deep saucepan on a high heat.
 
Put about 3 teaspoons of olive oil into a large frying pan and spoon in the broccoli paste. Stir, then pick and tear in some thyme leaves, discarding the woody stalks. Pour a wineglass of water into the pan and add the reserved Parmesan rind. Give it a good stir and turn the heat up to medium. Keep an eye on it, stirring every now and then. Half fill the kettle and reboil.
 
Add the orecchiette to the saucepan of boiling water with a pinch of salt and cook accordingly to packet instructions, with the lid askew.
 
Give the pasta the occasional stir and top up with more water from the kettle, if needed. After 5 minutes add all the other reserved broccoli florets and the chopped purple sprouting broccoli stalks to the pasta with a splash of water from the kettle.
 
When cooked drain the pasta and broccoli in a colander, reserving some of the cooking water, and add to the fry pan of paste. Fish out the Parmesan rind and discard. Add a big handful or two of grated Parmesan and a ladle or two of the cooking water. Carefully and quickly stir around and keep it moving until you achieve shiny, loose, lovely pasta. Taste and correct the seasoning, then tip on to a serving platter and sprinkle over a handful of Parmesan. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and scatter the rest of the small reserved basil leaves. Take to the table with the rest of the Parmesan to serve.
 
Courgette & Bocconcini Salad
 
I must admit I didn’t think this would work, or that I would like this salad, but its surprisingly gorgeous and I loved it so much that I had the leftovers for my lunch the next day.
 
3 large sprigs of fresh mint
1/2 a fresh red chilli
1 lemon
200g baby courgettes, mixed colours if you can get hold of them
1 x 125g tub of bocconcini di mozzarella (baby mozzarella balls)
 
Pick the mints leaves over a chopping board. Add 1/2 a red chilli. Zest over 1/2 the lemon zest, then chop the chilli and mint together until really fine. Spoon into the middle of a serving platter, drizzle over about 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and squeeze in the juice of 1/2 the lemon. Add a pinch of salt & pepper, then taste and adjust the flavours if necessary. Speed-peel the courgettes in ribbons over the dressing. Drain the tub of baby mozzarella, then tip over the courgettes and take to the table to toss and dress at the last minute.
 
Prosciutto & Melon Salad
 
a small bunch fresh basil
1/2 a lemon
2 x 115g packs of prosciutto
1 cantaloupe melon
balsamic vinegar
 
Pick the leaves from the basil, setting the smaller ones aside for later. Put the big leaves into a pestle and mortar with a pinch of salt and bash to a paste. Add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin loive oil , plus a good squeeze of lemon juice. Lay 12 slices of prosciutto on a platter, leaving a space in the middle. Halve the middle, spoon out the seeds, then use a spoon to quickly scoop chunks of flesh into the middle of the platter. Drizzle over a little balsamic, then scatter over the reserved small basil leaves. Squeeze the juices from the melon halves (hope yours are riper than mine were, squeezing was not easy, got Hubby to do it as he is a bit of an expert at melon squeezing!!!) into the dressing and stir in, then take the platter to the table, with the mortar and a spoon for drizzling over the dressing.
 
I would make these salads separately as well, or in larger portions for sides for a BBQ or party, so yummy.
 
The perfect 30 minute meal, so looking forward to the next one.