Chard & Borlotti Bean Soup
400g/14ounces dried borlotti beans soaked overnight and simmered till al dente,
or 1 400g/14 ounce can of cooked borlotti beans
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 large bunch chard, washed
900 ml stock or water
100g/3 1/2 ounces pancetta or streaky smoked bacon, diced
200g/7 ounces penne or rigatoni or similar pasta
1 teaspoon anchovy paste or salt to taste if preferred
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
chunk of Parmesan cheese
Wash the chard thoroughly. Strip the green from the stalks, pile up the leaves, roll them up, then julienne them across in thin strips. Roughly chop the stems. Cover the base of a heavy bottomed pan with olive oil and set over medium heat. Add the pancetta or bacon and stir, then add the onions and the garlic and stir. Cook till the bacon and onion are opaque then add the chard stalks and stir. If using, stir in the anchovy paste. Add the stock and tomatoes and bring to a simmer over medium heat then add the borlotti beans and cook till soft but not breaking up. Add the pasta and the chard greens and simmer till the pasta is cooked al dente. Taste and add salt if necessary. To serve, grind plenty of black pepper over, add a dribble of olive oil to each bowl and offer a chunk of Parmesan to grate over. It's even better the day after you've made it, when the flavours have mellowed.
or 1 400g/14 ounce can of cooked borlotti beans
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 large bunch chard, washed
900 ml stock or water
100g/3 1/2 ounces pancetta or streaky smoked bacon, diced
200g/7 ounces penne or rigatoni or similar pasta
1 teaspoon anchovy paste or salt to taste if preferred
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
chunk of Parmesan cheese
Wash the chard thoroughly. Strip the green from the stalks, pile up the leaves, roll them up, then julienne them across in thin strips. Roughly chop the stems. Cover the base of a heavy bottomed pan with olive oil and set over medium heat. Add the pancetta or bacon and stir, then add the onions and the garlic and stir. Cook till the bacon and onion are opaque then add the chard stalks and stir. If using, stir in the anchovy paste. Add the stock and tomatoes and bring to a simmer over medium heat then add the borlotti beans and cook till soft but not breaking up. Add the pasta and the chard greens and simmer till the pasta is cooked al dente. Taste and add salt if necessary. To serve, grind plenty of black pepper over, add a dribble of olive oil to each bowl and offer a chunk of Parmesan to grate over. It's even better the day after you've made it, when the flavours have mellowed.
herb roasted chicken
Cooking by candlelight makes everything taste better even before you've got to the knife-and-fork stage. Here's half a chicken, stuffed under the skin with tarragon picked in the summer and stored in the freezer. Also about to go under that skin is the glass of green stuff which is some left-over salsa verde (finely chopped herbs and capers in olive oil). The chicken will be set on a bed of chopped onions, sliced carrots, and garlic, moistened with a rub of olive oil (less than usual because of the oily salsa verde ), a squeeze of half a lemon, a generous glass of white white poured over, seasoned with freshly ground black pepper and some rubs of Maldon salt, then roasted at 200C/400F. It'll only take an hour at most to develop a crispy skin.