Confessions of a Fundamental Foodie

 Read more from Gerald

I confess! I am a foodie! But before you log off, shaking your head over pretentious people who only eat white caviar and who prefer their yogurt made from the morning milk of free range, truffle-fed Peruvian alpaca, I’m not that sort of foodie. I love food, I enjoy cooking it, reading and talking about it, growing it if I can but above all…I love eating it, preferably in pleasant and like-minded company. Like most people I have to live on a budget and sadly this doesn’t run to the likes of Wagyu beef or fresh crayfish every week so I buy carefully; cook creatively and dine happily. I like my dishes to look good, and to me that means look appetising, not just pretty. I have no time for smears or those dribbles of dressing or sauce that chefs seem to believe magically transform any dish into a work of art. I suppose I would best call myself a Fundamental Foodie. The idea of food fashions interests me…the “in” cooking styles and national cuisines changing at the whims of the pantheon of celebrity chefs that no adays thicken our magazines and fill our televisions…but I don’t feel that I have to follow them. To my mind the Fundamental Foodie adds to, rather than replaces, their existing culinary repertoire, in the same way as they might add an ingredient newly become available or on special in shops to a favourite recipe. I did it with these pasta sauce recipes…don’t forget to cook the pasta!

Artichoke and Olive Pasta Sauce

(Artichokes were on special so I tried them in an 1980’s recipe…it worked!)

1 medium onion – finely chopped
1 red capsicum – seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic – finely chopped
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup dry white wine
2 400g tins chopped tomatoes in juice
1 390g/400g tin of artichoke hearts – drained and quartered
½ cup pitted black olives – pit them yourself, don’t buy ready-pitted ones
½ cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

Pour the oil into a frypan, add the onions and peppers and cook over a moderate heat until the onions soften. Add the garlic and cook for 3o seconds, taking care that neither the onions nor the garlic brown. Add the wine and boil for about 4 minutes or until the wine has nearly evaporated. Add the tomatoes and their juice and continue cooking until the sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Stir in the olives and artichokes and simmer for 5 minutes. Just before serving, stir in the parsley and season to taste with salt and black pepper then spoon over chunky pasta like penne or spirali.

This makes about 4 cups which should be enough for 4 or 5 people.

Perry Broccoli and Garlic Pasta sauce 

(Not high fashion but made to use up market fresh broccoli and some nice anchovies)

500g fresh broccoli – cut into florets, the stalks peeled, cut into 1cm pieces
4 cloves garlic – finely chopped
6 anchovy fillets – or to taste – rinsed, dried and chopped
¼ tsp chilli flakes – chop a small fresh red chilli if you prefer
¼ cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and in it blanch the broccoli until only just tender. Drain the broccoli and refresh it in cold water.

In a frypan heat the oil and cook the garlic, anchovy fillets and chilli until the garlic starts to change colour then stir in the broccoli and parsley and cook until heated through.

Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately on fettuccine or spaghetti with grated Parmesan on the side.

Serves 4 or 5.

(Note: if you like a wetter pasta sauce you can add some cream just before the broccoli)

Walnut sauce for Pasta 

(Fresh walnuts are worth searching for; they do make a difference)

1½ cups walnuts – shelled, toasted and cooled
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp good olive oil
½ cup cream
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
½ cup chopped parsley
1 tsp each of chopped fresh basil and chopped fresh marjoram – don’t use dried!
3 tsp lemon juice

In a food processor blend the walnuts, garlic and butter until it forms a smooth paste then with the machine still running slowly add the oil. Turn the paste into a bowl and beat in the cream, the cheese, the herbs and the lemon juice. Set aside.

When you have cooked the pasta, spaghetti or fettuccine are best, beat about 1 cup of the cooking water into the walnut mix, adding more if required to get a coating consistency. Check the seasoning, adding salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Toss the pasta in the sauce to coat and then serve with extra grated Parmesan.
Serves 4

I am sure there are people in New Zealand who love food as I do, who probably cook better than me, yet still shy from thinking of themselves as Foodies, well, shy no more my Fundamental Foodies; the future of New Zealand’s culinary heritage lies in your kitchens.