Black Pudding Delight

Cooking for large number's of people sometimes has it's benefits. It normally mean's that there are plenty of leftovers after cooking at events, whether it be actual leftovers or surplus ingredients, there is always something left over. The struggle is sometimes what to do with the leftovers. So after a hectic week of secret suppers at The Nursery Festival and with a lovely group of women containing a soon to be bride, I was left with a load of Black Pudding and Salsa Verde. Rather than adding to the ever growing food waste mountain, it only seemed right to try and conjure up a magnificent meal from the leftovers of others.

Now I love a bit of black pudding every now and again, but find that I mainly use it for weekend lazy breakfasts, especially my favourite, Breakfast of champions. After rediscovering Andrew Pern's book Black Pudding and Foie Gras in a recent clean up, I thought it was time to be a bit more adventurous with the black pudding and use it in a Monday night Supper for me and the flatmate.

Black Pudding and Chilli Pasta 

Serves 2

Brown onion finely diced

3 cloves of garlic finely diced 

1 red chilli 

Half a ring of Black pudding thickly sliced

About 5 good tablespoons of Salsa Verde 

200-250g of Spaghetti  (depends how hungry you are feeling, and to be honest I never weigh pasta out I just do it by judgement)

Maldon Sea Salt

Freshly Ground Pepper

Olive oil

1. First start by heating up some olive oil in a heavy based saucepan, once hot add onions and then garlic and let them soften slowly

2. Put another pan on full of salted water and bring to the boil for the pasta 

3. Add finely diced Chilli to the onions and garlic and sweat for a few moments.

4. Place spaghetti into the pan of boiling salted water and cook as directed on the packet, preferably until al dente

5. Once Spaghetti is pan of simmering water, crumble the black pudding in to the onion, garlic and chilli mix and gently fry, until the pasta is cooked .

6. Drain the cooked pasta and return to the pan.

7. Add the pasta to the  black pudding and onion mix  and then combine together.

8. Then spoon in the salsa verde into the pasta, mix thoroughly once again and serve

It was a joy to discover that the dish contain the right balance of heat from the chilli, herby goodness from the Salsa Verde and earthiness from the Black Pudding. We enjoyed the pasta with a bottle of young Portuguese Vino Verde which proved to be the perfect accompaniment for this unusual offally pasta dish

Leftover Delight

After the Secret Supper Club on Saturday night, I found that there was quite a bit of uncooked Purple Sprouting Broccoli left. I must admit after a recent trip to Vinoteca the other week, I have been craving PSB and Anchovy dressing constantly after been served it at Vinoteca with braised shoulder of veal. I even served it at Saturday nights Secret Super with the Mutton Pie.

So returning from work this evening I had a quick scout around in the fridge to see what else was knocking about and found half a pack of fresh lasagna sheets from the local Italian deli and a jar containing four fat Italian anchovies.

Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Anchovy Pasta

Ingredients

2 good handfuls of Purple Sprouting Broccoli, with the outer leaves and tough stalks removed

4 fresh lasagna sheets

4 Anchovies

1 clove of Garlic, finely chopped

1 red Chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped

Grated Parmasan

Maldon

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1.Put two pans of salted water on to boil

2.In a frying pan on a low heat,pour about a tablespoon or so of extra virgin olive oil. Add the garlic and chilli

3. Slice the lasagna sheets into slices and place in one of the pans of salted water

4. Add the prepped Purple Sprouting Broccoli to the other pan

5.Once the pasta and PSB have cooked for a few minutes drain.

6. Add the grated parmasan to the oil, garlic and chilli dressing and keep on the heat foe a few moments until melted in to the dressing

7.Add the PSB and dressing to the pasta, mix together and eat straight away

I must admit, eating this tonight was amazing. Just what I needed on a Monday night after work. It may even become the new Monday night easy comfort food, sadly knocking mushrooms and poached eggs on toast off the top spot. Oh well ........