Broad Bean & Tomato Pasta

This is just a basic tomato sauce but with the addition of wonderfully fresh Broad Beans and served with whatever your favourite pasta happens to be. You can of course leave out the beans and simply serve the pasta with the tomato sauce, or substitute a different bean such as Borlotti when they're in season.

I've recently discovered an English cheese made by Twineham Grange Farms in West Sussex. It's an "Italian style premium cheese" or in other words an English Parmesan. It has a distinctive, nutty taste, a bit like Gruyere and it's well worth a go. It's available from Sainsburys.

Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the onion. Fry gently for four or five minutes until the onion has softened then add the crushed garlic and fry for a further minute. Stir in the chopped tomatoes (or the tinned tomatoes) and add the tomato pureé, the Balsamic vinegar and Broad Beans. Simmer gently for ten minutes or until the beans have begun to soften. Reserve one third of the Basil. Roll the remainder into a cigar shape, shred finely and add to the tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

Take your favourite pasta (I like Fusili) and cook as instructed on the packet. It's up to you how you cook it - it's al denté for me but it's your dinner so if you like it softer then feel free.

Drain the pasta and add to the tomato sauce. Stir for a couple of minutes so that the pasta absorbs some of the sauce. Serve with grated cheese and the reminder of the Basil torn and scattered over the top.

Beetroot Chutney

Put the trimmed but unpeeled beet into a large stockpot, cover with water, bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer until the beet is tender. When the beet is cooked allow it to cool enough to handle then peel and dice into chutney sized pieces (I'm sure you know what that means). 

Peel and dice the onions and apples. Crush the pepper corns and coriander seeds.

Put all the ingredients into your pan and heat gently until it simmers, stirring to help dissolve the sugar. Cook for 2 to 3 hours. Keep stirring to stop the chutney sticking to the pan or burning - remember this is slow and gentle cooking - great for a wet and windy Sunday. The chutney is ready when thick and well reduced.

Allow to cool a little then bottle into between 8 or 10 sterilised jam jars. You can eat this fresh and it will taste great but it's much better if left to mature for a couple of months.