Hello everyone!
London is suspended in a never ending grey winter, so I thought it was about time I injected some colour back into my life via this newsletter.
This week I’m keeping it simple with a really nourishing pasta dish, because sometimes you need an idea for a speedy dinner that is going to soothe you, but also inject some nutrients into your life.
I’ll talk a bit about crispy breadcrumbs (or pangrattato if we are going to be Italian about it), and a few of my favourite ones for finishing meals with.
You’ll also get my recommendations for the telly that has been nourishing me this week, as well as the new food spot I’m loving and the podcast I have binge listened to (is that a thing? It is now).
Enjoy!
Sophie x
The Recipe
Kale and Anchovy Pasta with Ricotta and Crumbs
I have a bit of an obsession with sprinkling breadcrumbs on meals I cook. All pastas and salads are improved by that little bit of crunch on top. Pangrattato (as it is called in Italy) is used as an alternative to cheese in poorer parts of the country, to finish off meals with. It’s basically just stale bread turned into crumbs and fried in oil, and you can flavour them with anything you like.
My love of crumbs started when I worked in the kitchen at Quo Vadis, where various dishes were finished with various crumbs (the parsley crumb was the one I made most, but the black olive was my favourite). It’s a great way of adding texture and flavour to a meal in fun garnish form.
The ones I use in this recipe are lemon flavour, but here are other crumbs that are also delightful:
Chilli - add 1/2 tsp chilli flakes to 3 tbsp olive oil at the same time as 40g breadcrumbs. Fry for 3-5 mins until crispy. Alternatively, substitute 1 tbsp of your olive oil with 1 tbsp of your favourite chilli oil.
Garlic and parsley- add 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic to 40g breadcrumbs toasted in 3 tbsp olive oil, for the final 30 seconds of cooking. Toss through with 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley in a bowl.
Rosemary - add 1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary to 3 tbsp olive oil at the same time as 40g breadcrumbs. Fry for 3-5 mins until crispy.
Black olive - Cut 60g bread into croutons, and bake in the oven at 180°C for 10 minutes. Add to a food processor along with 30g pitted black olives, and pulse to form crumbs. Return to a baking tray and pop in the oven for about 30 minutes on 120°C to dry out and become crumby.
If you aren’t an anchovy lover, you could omit them from this recipe entirely. I won’t judge you!
Serves 2