Category: Bready Recipes

Have old bread to use up?  The one I am using for this recipe is a white sourdough that was baked 6 days ago.  It’s still good enough to eat, but hey, I get bored, so I like to move on to the next loaf if I can, after all, I’ve quite a few to choose from every week (#bakersperks).

Anyway, this is my recipe and is a great way of using up stuff in the fridge.  It’s gotta feed the 3 of us.

Old veg (choose from Fennel, broccoli, rocket, french green beans, savoy cabbage) – chop it up a bit
1 lemon (need the zest and a little bit of juice)
Some REAL bread (v v important) made into crumbs – you prob only need about 50-100g
1/2 to 1 Jar of sun-dried tomatoes – minced
Tin of Sardines or anchovies (in oil) mushed up a bit
2-3 teaspoons of capers (optional)
teeny tiny bit of chilli flakes (optional)
Some Rapeseed oil (I like Mrs Middletons Garlic for this)
Pasta – I am using linguine but conchiglie (shells) would be better. 

Put the water on for the pasta – (you don’t need me to tell you how to do this do you)?  
Take a wok, put the oil in, heat to hot and then toss the veg around for literally a couple of minutes but don’t add rocket till the very end if you have this. 
Add all the other ingredients – lemon juice to taste.  Make sure all combined and heated through for another couple of mins, stir in rocket if using and serve over the hot pasta.   

You could chuck on some Parmesan cheese to serve too.  Bon apettit!

Handy hint: If you think it doesn’t look “wet” enough, then add a little of the pasta water in to losen.

for Pasta, Pizza, Bolognese, for soups, make dips – endless!!  Double or treble and freeze in small batches for convenience.

1-2 tablespoons of good oil (I use Mrs Middletons Rapeseed Oil but Olive oil is fine)
1 small onion finely diced
1 clove garlic finely diced or grated or minced
1 tin of tomatoes
Herbs, choose option:
      a) Fresh oregano, basil or majoram (about a heaped tablespoon when chopped)
      b) Fresh Rosemary few sprigs – you will need to remove at the end of cooking
      c) Dried heaped teaspoon of italian herb seasoning or oregano
1 Bay Leaf (will need removing at the end
Medium carrot, peeled and grated
Small glass of red wine
Dash of Worcester sauce (leave out if Vegetarian)
Small tin of anchovies, chopped  (leave out if Vegetarian)
A few chopped black olives (optional)
A small pinch of chilli flakes (optional – it’s not supposed to give too much heat)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Heat the oil, gently fry the onion for a couple of mins and then add the garlic and carrots and continue to cook for a further minute – add the wine, let it heat up and boil for 30 seconds then add everything else, give a good stir and leave at a very gentle simmer for at least an hour, 2 is better. It is not supposed to dry out, but as it cooks, it will reduce and get thicker.   You could even just bung everything in the slow cooker and do a big batch and leave it for several hours. think long and slow, just like my bread fermentation.  Take out the stalks/bay leaf out at the end and then blend with a stick blender or food processor.  Or not, if you prefer.