Friday 16 March 2012

A vegetarian dish to convert the carnivore

I’m finding that having a vegetable box means I’m eating a lot for vegetarian meals.  This one came about from looking at what I had left and in the cupboard and I have to say it has a very good chance of becoming a regular on my dinner list! Crusty white bread to mop up the delicious sauce is obligatory.

Spicy Tomato and Vegetable Pasta
Serves 2

2 tbsp olive oil
6 x handfuls penne pasta
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small courgette, cut in 4 lengthways and then cut into half cm pieces
2 handfuls purple sprouting broccoli
1 400g tin cherry tomatoes (or chopped tomatoes work almost as well)
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
Large pinch of sugar
1 tbsp crème fraiche
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt
Grated parmesan cheese, to serve

1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan to a medium/low heat, add the chopped onion and garlic and sauté until translucent. Add the courgette and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes, oregano, chilli and sugar.  Season to taste. Stir to combine, bring to the boil, put the lid on and reduce the heat to low. Slowly simmer for half and hour (the intention being to create a jammy sumptuous sauce).
2. When the sauce has been cooking for half an hour, cook the penne according to packet instructions.
3. When the pasta has 5 minutes left to cook, add the purple sprouting broccoli to the sauce. Cover and continue cooking.
4. Just before serving, add the crème fraiche to the sauce and stir through. Combine the sauce with the cooked pasta.
5. Spoon on to hot plates and grate over the parmesan cheese.

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