The younger daughter’s appetite for fish has been on the wane of late, which the dog has very much appreciated but has left me a little concerned about her protein intake. Anyway, last week she announced that she could no longer bear the thought of eating fish (this being a child who as a 5 year old would happily tuck into a medium rare slab of rib-eye) and so it is time for me to get more creative with the protein elements of our meals.
My first recipe attempt was going to include broad beans, but as it was half term and I was hard pressed for time, I saw some soya beans nestled next to the broad beans in the supermarket freezer and thought they looked perfectly pleasant, with the added advantage that they didn’t need skinning to achieve an appetising green sheen. Now, I have never cooked with soya beans before and they proved to have a much more distinctive taste than anticipated, which completely obliterated the more delicate flavours of the asparagus, lemon and tarragon which made up the other main ingredients of the pasta sauce I made. Suffice to say, we ended up having pasta and pesto for tea and I will not be sharing the recipe with you!
After a mad week of dance rehearsals, frenetic teenage socialising and late night pickups, Sunday was a mercifully taxi duty free day as both girls waded through their mountains of half-term homework. And I had time to skin 320 grammes of frozen baby broad beans ready for this recipe, which was a big hit with everyone. The older daughter reckoned it would have been better with prawns but I think she was just being obtuse, which is part of her job description as big sister and teenager.
- 450 ml vegetable stock made up as per instructions of your chosen brand
- 320 grammes frozen baby broad beans skins removed after cooking if time allows
- 2 bunches spring onions trimmed and sliced
- 160 grammes cherry tomatoes halved
- 300 ml half fat creme fraiche
- 4 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh sage finely chopped
- 30 grammes Pecorino cheese finely grated
- 400 grammes wholewheat spaghetti
- Cook the broad beans for 3 minutes in boiling salted water, drain, refresh in cold water and drain again. Skin if you have time, by nicking one end with your thumb nail and gently squeezing out the bean from its outer shell.
- Pop a large pan of salted water onto boil, ready for the spaghetti and cover another large pan with frylight, before heating and adding the spring onions.
- Stir fry the spring onions on a medium heat for 2 minutes and add the stock. Bring to a rapid boil for about 4 minutes until well reduced and syrupy. During this time, pop the spaghetti into the boiling water.
- Once sauce base is reduced, turn the heat back down to low and add the cherry tomato halves to heat through.
- Stir in the creme fraiche, herbs and half the Pecorino. Once combined, tip in the beans and mix gently until everything has heated through, Keep warm until spaghetti is cooked, drained and returned to its pan.
- Add the creamy bean mixture to the pasta and toss gently until all the strands are coated.
- Serve with the remaining Pecorino cheese and black pepper for those who like.
It is also traditional in Italy to use leftover pasta to make a pasta frittata . I like to take these with me on picnics, or when I go foraging into the woods; they make a wonderful, nutritious meal when you’re out and about, and taste lovely cold, too.