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| Recipe of the week... ... Pasta Primavera |
Time
taken: Half an hour or so.
Serves:
One decent portion.
Hi
readers,
How
are we all today? Are you doing okay?? I hope everyone is hanging in there
post-heatwave! I have been loving the
sunshine. Hasn’t it been great? I’ve been sat in the beer garden, and lounging
in the park. I went on a picnic, and bought new sunglasses. I’ve even picked up
a bit of colour! Only on one or two body parts, but still. We’ve stocked the
freezer at work with ice lollies, and had some work done on the office so the
windows NOW OPEN – hallelujah!
How
about you, readers? Have you been making the most of the wonderful weather?
Barbecuing, maybe, or taking a trip to the seaside? Re-familiarising yourself
with your ice cream van’s selection and its route around the neighbourhood!
Whatever you’ve got up to, readers, I hope the sunny weather’s cheered you up
nicely. And let’s hope we get some more of it – eh! TOUCH WOOD… a sunny summer would
be cracking.
I was reading an article on Medium just now – ‘35
Things You Need to Give Up to be Successful’, by Benjamin P. Hardy (which
you can find here). Having failed my driving test this week, readers, I
lingered over the ‘Pursuing “Happiness”’
section of this article. It’s not that I’m an unhappy person, generally. But
failing my driving test hasn’t exactly brought great joy to my week. It was a
stand out unhappy incident. It sucked. But here’s what the article says…
So,
naturally, I read and related this logic with my mission to pass the driving
test. It’s so easy when you first look at this to think – and here’s exactly
what I did think – yes, but I need to HAVE a driving license in order to DO
what I want which is drive to work and BE a driver who doesn’t waste hours
commuting, on foot and on bloody public transport. And, indeed, that is true.
But,
on the flip hand. If I just could BE a good listener then what I could DO is
listen out for great driving tips from friends, family and colleagues, and
before I know it I’ll HAVE a driving license on the back of all their good
advice. That’s better than letting everyone’s well-meaning advice irritate me
and fielding off their tips ninja-style like they’re bullets.
If
I could try and BE cool as a cucumber then what I could DO is manoeuvre well on
the day, staying calm under pressure and getting it right first time, and then
it’s certain I’ll HAVE a driving license as – fact – I can drive fine when I’m
not battling nerves. That’s better than letting my failure the first time put
added pressure on my second attempt. And, thus, fucking up another manoeuvre.
If
I could suck it up and BE confident then what I could DO is take my friend up
on her offer to take me out in her car and practice the dreaded bay park, and
then I’ll HAVE a driving license as I won’t fail on a bodged attempt at parking
in the last minute of the test this time. That’s better than turning down her offer
as I’m too worried I might bump her car. Even though I might.
If
I could endeavour to BE enquiring and interested in other people, then what I
could DO is ask friends/family member/colleague all about their car and its
pros and cons, grill them for info on everything they’ve discovered while
driving it, and then if I do this loads I’ll HAVE an arsenal of car knowledge
ready to go once there’s a driving license in my hand. That’s better than
passing and realising I know nothing about getting set up with a car. Zilch.
Nada.
Plus,
if I could bear down, brave it and BE a responsible credit card user then what
I could DO is build a solid credit rating, and then I’ll HAVE a decent credit
score and I’ll be able to get a car, as people will trust that I’m able to pay
it back. That’s better than steering clear of credit cards or getting one and
going on a spree setting up a fabulous summer wardrobe. Then, languishing in
bad credit or just none at all. Can’t be doing with that.
Fear
not – I’ll stop now – but isn’t all of that clearly way more useful than
wanting to be a person that has a driving license? I’m getting bored of being a
person that wants to have a driving license, jealously watching people hop in
their cars and speed away. Is BORING. There’s nothing I can do to get a driving
license for another four weeks, until test number two, and so it’s a waste of
time obsessively wanting one. Until mid-July, it isn’t achievable and isn’t a
good use of my time.
What
I CAN do in the next few weeks is work towards being a good listener, cool as a
cucumber, confident and brave, enquiring and interested. A far better use of my
time, no? And achievable. I’m thinking that I’ll be a far happier person over
the next four weeks, for sure, if I focus my energies away from wanting to HAVE
a driving license. The article has it right.
Give
this logic a think, readers. I’m sure it applies to you, one way or another.
Can you see how? Can you see how you’re applying a very definite have-do-be logic in one area of your
life? Waiting until you have new
clothes to be well dressed? Waiting
until you have a promotion to be more professional? Waiting until you
have a ring on your finger, to be with someone for better or for worse?
What
about what you could have, what is
within your grasp, if you were just to be
and do? So much, I’m sure. So so
much. Things are there for the taking! If you can just make it happen. And it
won’t, it will not happen, readers, if you use all your time up wanting to have
these things. Tis a poor use of your time and a poor use of mine, too. So..
let’s not! Let’s cut that out, RIGHT NOW.
Instead,
let’s apply some of Benjamin P. Hardy’s wonderful logic to turn things on their
head, readers. And also… let’s cook some great food! Whooo! We love the great
food, don’t we! That’s for sure. And, even though we’ve technically sizzled
into Summer this week, they’re still selling asparagus at the shops and I think
this calls for one last asparagus-inspired Spring recipe.
My
recipe of the week, this week, is one for Pasta Primavera – ‘primavera’ meaning
Spring! The recipe comes from the BBC Good Food website (you can read the
original here) and is a created by celebrity chef Simon Rimmer, from Sunday
Brunch. One of my favourite stars of Sunday morning television, there’s nothing
Simon Rimmer can’t knock together live on TV in about five minutes flat, to the
delight of his guest celebrities.
He really IS cool as a cucumber, this guy, and here's the recipe in
just 15 simple steps…
Recipe: Pasta Primavera
Recipe: Pasta Primavera
1. Pour yourself a chilled
drink, throw the windows open, and set some summery music playing.
ChefBeHere Top Tip: This week I’ve
been tapping my toe to ‘HAIM – Want You Back’. It’s a real summery song, great
for singing along.
2. Fill the kettle and set the
oven heating to 180C. Tip your pasta into a small saucepan.
3. Chop your hazelnuts up into
pieces and pop onto a baking tray or in a small ovenproof dish.
4. Once the kettle boils, fill
your pasta pan with water and set boiling for ten minutes. Safely transport
your hazelnuts into the oven to toast for ten minutes.
ChefBeHere Top Tip: For my pasta, I
used an organic spinach trottole that I found in Aldi. Most tasty. You can sub
this for any pasta you like, though, anything your heart desires!
5. While you have ten minutes
to kill, you can get some prep done! Use this time to: chop your fresh herbs,
defrost your soya beans (if using) in the microwave, drain your tinned peas
(and butterbeans, if using), crush your clove of garlic, grate the zest of your
half lemon into a bowl, and then squeeze the lemon juice into a second bowl.
ChefBeHere Top Tip: Keep an eye on
your nuts to make sure they don’t burn in the oven!
6. Once your ten minutes are
up, remove your toasted nuts from the oven and turn this off. Set the nuts
aside to cool. Remove your pasta from the heat and turn this off. Reserve a few
tablespoons of the cooking water in a mug and then drain your cooked pasta.
7. Now it’s time to prepare the
asparagus. Get the kettle boiling again and rinse out your saucepan. Cut your
asparagus into bite-sized pieces and add to the saucepan, along with a teaspoon
of salt.
8. Once the kettle boils, fill
your pan with water and set boiling for 3 minutes.
ChefBeHere Top Tip: You have 3 minutes
to whizz around setting the table and topping up your drink… go go go!
9. Test an asparagus spear for
doneness - it should still be crispy, not limp. If this is the case, drain your
pan and refill with cold water. Chuck in a handful of ice cubes – this is a
cooking technique called blanching and it’s designed to shock your asparagus!
Why?
10. As your asparagus cools,
heat the butter in a frying pan or wok. Add the garlic and fry for one minute.
11. Drain your asparagus and add
to the pan, along with the peas, soya/butter beans and spinach leaves. Stir fry
for a couple of minutes, until the spinach has wilted slightly.
ChefBeHere Top Tip: Now would be a
good time to stick a plate in the microwave to warm for a couple of minutes.
12. Add the cooked pasta and a
little of the cooking water to the pan and stir to combine.
13. Stir in the lemon juice and
zest and the fresh herbs and season, to taste, with salt and ground black
pepper.
14. Once heated through and well
mixed, remove from the heat and plate up your pasta.
15. Sprinkle over the hazelnuts
and parmesan, and drizzle with olive oil. You can tuck in!
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| What a plateful! |
And
that’s all there is to it, readers! What do you make of this recipe? And of
pasta primevara?? I thought this was a really tasty tea! I know this is
something I say ALL THE TIME but when you make the effort to properly use herbs
and seasoning and whatnot, instead of reaching for a shop bought sauce, food
does taste loads better.
This
recipe required more effort than I’d normally put in on a weekday night –
grating and crushing and blanching – but it was all worth it when I sat down
with a big plateful of tasty, green goodness. Can I tempt you, readers? Might
you give this past a try? If you do – please let me know how you get on! IS the
recipe easy to follow? Does everything go to plan in the kitchen? Do you like the food? Let me know! As ever,
readers, all feedback is WELCOMED.
Take
care of yourselves on these bright summer nights, readers, and remember… do-be-have. Not 'do behave'. Never behave, readers. But
Blanch
safely,
Hayley
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