Peas, Pappardelle, Parmesan from Nigel Slater's Greenfeast: spring, summer.

Pasta again, I know. But it is one of my favourite foods of all time so naturally, I am drawn to every pasta recipe ever created. Also, yes I can read. I know that we are currently in winter and this book is named Greenfeast: spring, summer. But when you get sent as lovely a cookbook as this, you can't wait six months to share it and plus, peas are available all year round thanks to Mr McCain and his trusty freezer. So now you can enjoy the taste of spring and summer after the cold, dark commute home from work midweek with me. Thank me later :)

Greenfeast; spring, summer by Nigel Slater is a bit like a handbook for summer and spring vegetables and how to eat them in a non-boring way. I'm surely not the only one who stares at a zucchini for longer than anyone should ever stare at a zucchini for wondering what to do differently with it. Well, this book will give you a whole bunch of new ideas of how to use summer and spring produce and you won't be staring blankly at your zucchini's ever again. It is the first of a duo. Summer, spring is out now, for the UK summer months and then autumn, winter will be released later on in the year for the UK's, well duh! winter months. Backward for us southern hemisphere folk but that didn't stop me from sticking tabs throughout half of the book of things I want to make now. If you are looking for some fresh ideas for your veg, this book would be a winner, plus the way Nigel writes about food is almost romantic and a joy to read. Even something as simple as toast, he can make it sound like it should be on a degustation menu.

Next time you are at the shops, pick your self up a bag of frozen peas, some pappardelle pasta nests, a parmesan block and some fresh goats cheese or ricotta which is what I used. And dinner is done in fifteen minutes, tops! You'll have a bowl full of steamy comforting, yet fresh pasta that will remind you that the clocks do change again and we'll be complaining about how hot it is before we know it.

I know when the warm days start, this book will get a workout. But right now I am enjoying the cooler nights, rugged up in a dressing gown on the couch in uggs with a bowl of steaming pasta. I'm getting my winter warmer coat on you see while eyeing off the mustard guacamole, mozzarella, bagel for lunch this week and the rice, pickles, nori for dinner (need to find tsukemono pickled vegetables) or even the shitake, coconut, soba noodles. YUM! A little taste of summer in the mid-Australian winter.

Peas, Pappardelle, Parmesan

Quiet Flavours.

Recipe from Greenfeast: spring, summer by Nigel Slater
Serves 2

vegetable stock 600ml
peas 300g (podded weight)
pappardelle 300g
parmesan 25g, grated
fresh young sheep's or goats cheese 200g

Put the vegetable stock on to boil (you can use water at a push). Keeping a handful of raw peas to one side, cook the rest in the boiling stock for five to seven minutes, depending on their size. Whilst the peas cook, boil the pappardelle for seven to eight minutes in generously salted water.

Put the peas and 150ml of their cooking liquid into a blender and process till smooth, introducing more stock as necessary to produce a thin, brightly flavoured sauce. Drain the pasta and return to to the pan, pour in the pea sauce, scatter over the Parmesan and fold in. Check the seasoning. Divide between two deep plates.

Break the sheep's cheese into large pieces, scatter over the pasta with the reserved raw peas and serve.

* Start the pea sauce before putting the pasta on. The sauce will hold in good condition whilst the pasta cooks. If you are using fresh peas, check them every minute or so throughout cooking; they can take anything from four minutes to much longer to become tender. Much depends on their age and size. If you are using frozen peas, they should be done in four to five minutes. Process the peas and their stock in two goes rather than risk overfilling the blender. (sorry. Obvious, I know, but it is so easy to.)

* You can make a similar sauce the broad beans. They are more starchy than peas, so be prepared to add a little more vegetable stock during bending.