#80 - Salami, Tomato and Lemon Pasta + Roasted Peppers with Gorgonzola and ‘Nduja
Hello all,
There are lots of things that pregnant women are told they cannot eat. No sushi! No rare steak! No runny eggs! No charcuterie! No stinky, soft cheeses! No wine too, of course. As a very greedy person, I have found these restrictions to be pretty trying, and find myself thinking about saucisson and a large glass of buttery Chardonnay several times a day.
I’ve read Emily Oster’s book Expecting Better, which unpacks lots of different scientific studies to help you make informed decisions about the commonly reported pregnancy eating guidelines (she says raw fish is largely okay! Runny eggs are also fine in her books, just as they are in NHS guidelines). I’ve been following NHS guidelines too, which thankfully say that eating cured meats and unpasteurised cheese is fine if they are piping hot. I’ve been taking advantage of the hot-meat-and-cheese loophole to satisfy some of my cravings.
So, this week’s newsletter brings you a few dishes that hack the system, and allow you to eat foods that you might not traditionally think you can when pregnant. I’m serving you up BLUE CHEESE in the form of roasted peppers with gorgonzola and ‘nduja, as well as SALAMI in the form of salami, tomato and lemon pasta for my paid subscribers.
Paid subs will also get my recommendations for a TV show I can’t get enough of, what I’m listening to and my favourite new crisp flavour.
(Also, just a note to say that I am following UK guidelines, but different countries have their own. It also goes without saying that it is your body, your choice, and different women feel comfortable eating different things during pregnancy. If you still don’t feel great about eating piping hot blue cheese, that is your prerogative.)
It goes without saying that these recipes are still very lovely whether you have a person growing in your tummy or not, so don’t worry about my preamble if this is you.
Sophie x
The Recipes
Roasted Peppers with Gorgonzola and ‘Nduja
There is a Diana Henry recipe that my mum cooks sometimes involving roasting peppers, and finishing them with ‘nduja and burrata. This recipe is very much inspired by that one, but uses my favourite of the blue cheeses (gorgonzola) to get my stinky fix. If you are pregnant, it is apparently fine to eat blue cheese and cured meats if it is piping hot, so gobble these up straight from the oven.
I love when a recipe using only 3 ingredients recipe is packed with so much flavour.
This would be great as part of a summery spread, with good bread to mop up the juices, roast chicken or sausages, and some simple potatoes.
Serves 4 as a side
3 red peppers
100g gorgonzola dolce
50g nduja
salt, pepper and olive oil
Heat your oven to 200°C fan.
Halve your peppers through their stalk, then cut out any seeds and pith with a paring knife. Add your peppers to a baking tray, and rib with 1 tbsp olive oil and a little salt. Arrange them cut side down, then roast for 25 minutes.
Flip the peppers over, and roast for another 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven, then arrange your gorgonzola and nduja in the centre of each pepper. Return to the oven, and roast for another 10 minutes.
Serve whilst still hot and gooey.
Salami, Tomato and Lemon Pasta
My charcuterie cravings have really caught me by surprise in the last few months, but bodies are mysterious things. Eating salami raw is not recommended to pregnant women, but I found that crisping it up in a pan and transforming it into a pasta sauce still gave me that fatty, salty fix. The lemon here is essential to cut through the richness, so don’t scrimp on it.
Serves 2