James Life has felt quite full recently. It’s summer, we are making the most of seeing friends, family and having plans after what feels like a decade of lockdown. Our children are both under school age which means that often just surviving the week feels like a win. When we get to a Thursday night we can see the weekend ahead of us like a carrot on a stick. But we are tired, stretched and the tank is getting low. Last night I cooked us a Mediterranean pasta dish that’s perfect for busy people, mid-summer. Let me tell you why.
We are very fortunate to have a little growing patch at the bottom of our garden and the courgettes are giving us a great little harvest. Summer is prime time for courgettes. We have made biscuits, courgetti, orzo dishes, etc with Jim’s growing efforts. But the thing that makes this dish sing is the minced anchovy just below the surface giving a richness and a taste of the sea. The flavours in this pasta dish make me think of the Mediterranean. Simple ingredients like tomato, garlic and oregano really don’t need much cooking to taste great. This Mediterranean summer pasta dish is just that.
This week has been one task after another for me. On the days I haven’t worked we have been out and about. Of the evenings we have been deep in life admin, decorating and sorting laundry that still lingers from our trip to Cornwall in July. I will never overcome my inefficiency with laundry and I’m somewhat coming to terms with that.
I went to IKEA twice in one day this week, because I went with two children under 4 and missed one of the five boxes from the modular chest of drawers we went to collect. Jim noticed at 8:30 pm when he started building it. I subsequently drove back to IKEA leaving Jim to assemble the rest of it. It’s been one of those weeks. I’m tired and I haven’t got much energy to ‘cook up a storm’ on a Thursday night.
This is a very real reflection of the way we cook at home. I don’t like to eat processed food much. That’s not to say I don’t ever but cooking and eating fresh food energises me and makes me feel happy. Some people hate cooking, but I don’t. So even when I’m shattered, even when I’ve had two outfit changes from a toddler projectile vomiting on me because he ate a cork coaster. Even when there’s not much in the fridge, I still want to cook my family a simple little dish that grounds me and gives me the encouragement to push through to the weekend.
Have a good one,
Gem
Get in touch to share your recipes and ideas with the Family Feed community and follow us on Instagram @familyfeedinsta
Mediterranean Pasta
Ingredients
- onion finely diced
- 4 cloves of garlic finely sliced
- 3 tomatoes finely diced
- 1 courgette halved and then slliced into crescents
- handful of pitted black olives, halved
- 3 anchovy fillets
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- olive oil
- 1 tbsp oregano
- pasta of your choice
- 2 ladles of pasta water
- small handful of Caper berries
- Pecorino to taste
- salt for the pasta water
Instructions
- Get a pan of water on to boil for your pasta.
- Add olive oil to a heavy-based pan on a medium heat followed by your onions and garlic. Gently fry for 3-4 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Add your minced anchovy, stir and continue to fry until the onions are starting to turn golden. Add more oil if needed to ensure your onions don’t stick.
- Once the onions are golden add your tomatoes and give them a good stir then leave them to simmer for a few minutes. Meanwhile cook your pasta in the pan of boiling, salted water.
- Add a ladle of pasta water to your onions and tomatoes. Give it a good mix. Add the oregano and tomato purée followed by the second ladle of pasta water. Give everything a good mix.
- When your sauce reduces to a silky consistency add your courgette and olives. Cover and leave to cook for 2-3 minutes. You want your courgette to have a little bite when you serve so keep an eye on it, this last bit comes together quickly.
- Drain your pasta, remove the lid from the sauce and fold the pasta through.
- Serve with grated pecorino and a sprinkle of caper berries.
