Light and Easy

I made this last night for dinner. It is easy, light and delicious. It is also prepared in no time (yesterday was one of those days). I guess the yoghurt is optional. But it does add a certain zingy-ness. Substitute with thick cream if you are feeling that lazy. Serve this spring soup with a plate of prosciutto or Spanish jamon and crusty bread.

Cream of Zucchini (or Courgettes)

Ingredients
30g butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 green onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed (use the mortar and pestle)
1.2 kilos of zucchini, washed and cubed
2 sprigs of fresh basil
2 sprigs of fresh parsley
1 tsp dried greek oregano
About 1 litre of chicken stock (fake is fine)
Salt
Fresh black pepper
Toasted pinenuts, for crunch (optional)

Method
Saute the onions, garlic and coriander seeds in the oil and butter for about 10 minutes, until softened.
Add the zucchini and herbs, pop the lid on and sweat for 10 minutes over a gentle heat.
Add the stock, bring to the simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
Allow to cool and then puree with whatever gadget or machine you have. Reheat and season well.
This will make enough soup for 6 soup bowls. Serve it a sprinkling of pinenuts, a dollop of mint yoghurt and a drizzle of extra virgin.

Note- of course feel free to adjust the texture and thickness of this soup, to suit your taste.

Lemon and Mint Yoghurt

Ingredients
250g sheep milk yoghurt
3 tbsp of finely chopped fresh mint
3 tbsp of finely chopped fresh parsley
3 tbsp of extra virgin
10g green onion, very finely chopped
1 lemon, zest finely chopped
½ lemon, juiced
Salt
Fresh black pepper

Method
Mix all the ingredients to combine. Apart from this soup (which is what I invented it for), serve with grilled audergines (eggplant), lamb and potatoes.

Spagetti with Clams, Garlic Butter & Zucchini

There is one food that I am a total snob and completely fussy about and that is pasta. I must admit that I never order pasta when I eat out because past experiences have almost always been bad. There have been few exceptions to this, (mainly fine Italian restaurants) but these have been few over the years. These days I prefer to cook and eat pasta at home, where I am in control and I can cook it the way I like it.

These are a few points which I think are crucial to creating a good dish:

1. Pasta has to be cooked right. Soft pasta is revolting. It reminds me of food you would serve to an old man with no teeth. The whole point of pasta is the texture. Most cooking times on the packet are too long but not always. I find that taking about 2 minutes of the time specified works about right. But always check- the pasta should be firm, but not chalky to the bite. I can tell if pasta is overcooked just by looking at it. Try it this way. If you think its not cooked enough, your palate will adjust over time and you will realize that pasta isn’t simply a bland carrier for a meat sauce. Al dente pasta (firm pasta) will shine with the simplest of sauces because you haven’t robbed it of its texture.
   
2. As soon as the pasta is ready, drain it immediately. You need to work fast. Pasta keeps cooking as you dress it and if you are slow doing this the pasta will be overcooked by the time you get it to the table. Which is another good reason to cook it a bit firmer than most people are used to. When you drain the pasta in a colander, give it a few firm shakes leaving it a bit moist. If you drain it too dry, the pasta will absorb too much sauce. Put the pasta back into the saucepan you used to cook it and drizzle immediately with olive oil. Tossing it in olive oil will prevent the pasta from sticking together. It will glisten and remain separate, rather than a glutinous mass on the plate. Give it a good toss and then add the sauce. Sometimes it is better to add the pasta to the sauce (i.e aglio olio, vongole etc.)
   
3. Please don’t over sauce the pasta. Toss the pasta with just enough sauce to cling to it. It shouldn’t be swimming in sauce and there should be more pasta than sauce. As I serve the pasta I like to top each dish with a spoonful of sauce. Check for salt before serving, as under seasoned pasta is vile.
   
4. And a final point- Parmesan cheese doesn’t go with all pasta dishes. I don’t like it with oily sauces (it interrupt the slipperiness) or sauces where chilli is a prominent flavour (Parmesan cheese and chilli clash. Pecorino may be a better option here).
   
   

Ingredients
200 g long thin pasta (spaghetti, linguine etc)
100g tiniest zucchini you can find (mine where 5cm long)
1 garlic clove, crushed but whole
2 parsley sprigs
Vegetable oil for deep frying
300g clams
40g butter
40ml extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (extra)
Lots of coarsely chopped parsley
Salt
Fresh white pepper

Method
Heat the vegetable oil in a small saucepan with the whole garlic clove and the parsley sprigs. Do this over a medium heat, rather than a high heat. That way the oil heats evenly. You don’t need a huge quantity of oil. The amount of zucchini is small, so as long as they are submerged it will be fine.
When the oil is hot, discard the garlic and parsley and add the whole zucchini (including the flowers, if they are still attached).
Fry until golden brown. This will only take a few minutes. Drain them on a paper towel and set them aside.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil.
While the water is heating, very gently cook the chopped garlic in the butter and olive oil. Watch the garlic doesn’t burn.
When the water has boiled, salt it well and add your pasta. Cook it as described above.
Now turn the heat up a bit in the pan with the garlic, add your clams and cover. The clams are ready as soon as they open. This will take only a few minutes.
Turn the heat off. If you have timed this right the clams should be ready waiting for the pasta.
Add the drained pasta and the zucchini to the pan and toss it all about. Check the seasoning and add plenty of parsley. Serves 2. And please, no cheese here.