#85 - The Holiday Special
Roasted Veg Pasta + Sausages with Pepper and Bean Stew + French holiday living
Hello subscribers!
I am writing to you from my summer holidays with my family in Dordogne, the first time we have all been abroad together for 7 years, and it is very nice indeed. The family has grown considerably since our last trip, with partners and babies swelling our gang to 14 people (though we are one member down for this holiday, sorry Harv). We are spending our days chatting, swimming, playing cards, and crucially eating a lot.
This week’s newsletter is going to focus on feeding a big gang whilst you are away, as we are landing in peak summer holiday season, and I imagine some of you will be going away in big groups in the coming weeks, and looking for ideas for what to cook. In my family, there are vegans, veggies, pesces and a lactose intolerant lady, as well as a very greedy toddler, so meals that can be adaptable to dietary requirements is essential.
You’ve got the recipes for a roasted veg and mozzarella pasta and a sausage, pepper and bean stew, as well as my recommendations for the books I’ve read on the trip so far, the best crisps of the trip, and some ideas for big picky lunch spreads you can pull together quickly (my favourite bit of holiday eating).
Enjoy!
Sophie x
The Recipes
Roasted Veg and Mozzarella Pasta
This is the first meal I cooked when we arrived in France, to make the most of the glorious vegetables grown here at this time of year. It’s a simple one, but such a crowd pleaser, involving lots of trays of roasted summer veg, so you can do some prep and then sit with a glass of wine (or Orangina in my case), and have a natter.
The chunks of mozzarella melt in the heat of the pasta and veg to give you delicious stringy bits. For vegans and lactose-intolerant folk, separate some of the pasta before folding through the mozzarella and parmesan.
Serves 8
1.5kg good quality medium sized tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
5 cloves of garlic
3 red peppers
2 aubergines
50g fresh basil
2 x 125g balls of mozzarella
30g parmesan
800g pasta of your choice
salt, pepper and olive oil
Heat your oven to 200°C fan.
Cut your tomatoes into quarters, then add them to a large roasting tray. Add the whole unpeeled cloves of garlic, as well as the dried oregano, about 4 tbsp olive oil and a good pinch of salt. Get them into the oven to roast for 45 mins, until they are concentrated and have darkened a bit.
Dice your peppers and aubergines into 2cm cubes, then spread these across two large roasting dishes. Drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil per tray, and a good pinch of salt, then roast for 40 minutes until tender, tossing halfway through.
Bring a large pan of salted water up to a boil. Once your veg is all cooked, tip your pasta into the pan, and cook it until its al dente.
Remove the skins from your garlic, then add the flesh back into the tomatoes. Mash the tomatoes and garlic up with a fork to form a coarse sauce.
Drain your pasta, reserving some pasta water. Return the pasta to the big pan, then pour in the crushed tomato sauce and roasted veg, as well as the basil leaves and a good splash of pasta water. Give it all a good mix, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Cube up your mozzarella and add this in, then shave in the parmesan with a vegetable peeler. Fold these through, then serve it all up.
Sausages with Pepper and Bean Stew
Another VERY easy one to pull together in an evening. The lemon and rosemary lift it considerably to make it less stodgy, so don’t scrimp on those guys.
The sausages in France even in the supermarkets have been sensational, and we’ve also been really impressed by the veggie ones.
Serve it up with a sharp green salad, and some nice bread and butter to swoosh through the beans.
Serves 12