Some days laziness pays off. It was late, I was tired, Sharon was tired, the fridge was basically empty except for a few slightly mouldy looking vegetables and the cupboard was bare ( and so the poor dog had none ).
So I starting my normal routine of sifting through the usable ingredients from those that would be best confined to a hazardous materials containment area. What I came up with was.
Ingredients
- Pumpkin (over 75% of usableness)
- Spices (lots of, to roast the pumpkin with)
- Basil (wilting, but still flavoursome)
- Pasta (dried :( )
- Chorizo (didn’t know I had any, but cured, so should still be good)
- Cherry tomatoes (the ones at the bottom were all smooshed, but the ones on top were still good)
- Olive oil (I have lots of it now… which i’ll be writing about soon)
- Garlic (enough to scare off a coven of persistent vampires, always handy)
Directions
I started by peeling and chopping the pumpkin, then covering it will all the spices I could find (ok, not all of them, but a few), which was coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, dried chilli, salt, pepper. Then drizziling them in olive oil and roasting them on a tray in the oven for 15-20 minutes or so.
I then chopped the cherry tomatoes, chopped some garlic, mixed the garlic and tomatoes together with lots of olive oil and the chopped basil, started frying to chopped up chorizo, and then added the tomato mixture. Let that all soften up a little and then threw in the pasta (which had been secretly boiling in a large pot with a little salt and olive oil the whole time). Stir it all around, add lots more olive oil, some crushed garlic, the roast pumpkin, and some more olive oil for good luck.
What you get is fancy aglio olio (garlic & oil) :)
Just the thing to hit the spot after a hard night of lying of the couch, playing video games, watching downloaded episodes of Little Britain (Computer says no…), and generally mooching about. Sharon gave it the thumbs up and so I have another quickie to throw into the repetoire.
5 things to always have in the cupboard for gourmet emergencies
- Dried Pasta
- Canned Tomatos
- Risotto Rice
- Sea Salt and Black Peppercorns
- Liquid chicken stock
5 things to always have in the fridge for gourmet emergencies
- Milk
- Fresh basil and spinach (if not in the garden)
- Chorizo (Or equivalent pork based sausage product)
- Onions & Garlic (my garlic actually lives on my bench)
- Fresh Parmesan Cheese
Let me know if you can think of anything to add to those lists.
I’d add to the fridge list: Black olives, salted baby capers and a pack of Ortiz anchovies; and to the cupboard list: a can of Sirena tuna in oil with chilli, and best EV olive oil. Whaddaya reckon?
Hrmm, definitely with you on the Olive Oil… i think i almost take it for granted that I will have lots of it on hand. Black olives I’ll admit I don’t use on a regular basis…but whenever they are around they go pretty quickly. Sharon and I are converted olive lovers, so a nice stuffed Kalamata goes down well too.
I like your additions, will have to put them on the list. Love anchovies for that added little taste of Italy in any dish :)