Parsley, Brussels Sprouts & Feta Pesto with Broccolini Pasta

Warning: Photo taken by iPhone.

In the true spirit of this blog I give you Parsley, Brussels Sprouts & Feta Pesto with Broccolini Pasta . Why? Because I fucked up. I didn't intend to make this dish. Who would think of something so ridiculous?

I fully intended to add the brussels sprouts to the pasta water for the last three minutes of the pasta cooking process but I changed my mind. As I was cooking half of the pine nuts in some olive oil, I thought, 'why not chuck the brussels in there?' caramalise them a little? So I did just that. But THEN I realised that I hadn't washed the sprouts. And me being me... I wasn't entirely happy with that so I pulled them out and quickly rinsed them and threw them into the pasta water anyway for four minutes. But THEN they looked so waterlogged and pathetic I threw them back into the pine nuts pan to get rid of the excess liquid. I added some feta to make it a little creamy and added some white wine too. The sprouts still looked pale and limp so I added some to the parsley pesto I had already prepared. It tasted good so I added more. It tasted better so I added the rest. Oh My God. Some kind of alchemical magic took place... voila - a delicious pesto. With no bitterness. I don't have that brussels loathing gene that some others seem to have... the pesto tastes light, frothy and damned fine. So this happy accident had to go onto the blog. And with it, the resurrection of this blog.

INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch of parsley (italian flat leaf), chop it
feta cheese (about half a cup), break it
1/2 cup pine nuts, toast em, add half, keep half whole for later
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 big clove of garlic, chop it
a little pasta water
12 brussels sprouts (or so?), quartered, boiled for 3 mins, then pan fried
1/2 a cup of white wine
zest of one lemon


INSTRUCTIONS:
Blend.

Add some other veggies to the pasta water during the last three minutes. Anything green - broccoli, peas or broad beans. I added broccolini.

This recipe is very forgiving. My amounts are very vague. Seriously vague. Don't be so uptight about the amounts... it's just pesto... pesto doesn't care, neither should you.

Rebecca's Spaghetti Bollaroo

This a guest blog from my very funny friend and talented cook - Rebecca. It's a kangaroo meat bolognese:


I make a lot and use it for all sorts of things. Shepherd's Pie, lasagne, etc.

Ingredients

I kg minced roo
2 onions (chopped fine)
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 zucchini (grated)
2 carrots (grated)
1 stick celery (chopped fine)
4 rashers bacon (chopped)
800g tin tomatoes (crushed)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
Stock (depending on what you have, beef, chicken, onion or vege all Good - I used ham hock stock the other day.. Yum!)
2 bay leaves
1 sprig thyme
A glass of red or white wine, depending of what you have opened.

Directions

Have a glass of wine, all that chopping is exhausting.. That's more like it. Saute onions and garlic, bung in bacon and stir, stir. Throw in the veges and saute until golden. Do a bit of reminiscing out your golden years. Memories.. That mustn't have been a very big pour... Just a little top up for me.. Add the roo mince in bits, as it doesn't mix in well due to lack of fat. Mush it up with all the veges. Stir, stir, mush, mush. Pretend it is someone who annoyed you this week. Keep on stirring and mushing until the mixture is well combined and the roo is browned. This will take a bit of patience.

My glass is empty again! That reminds me.. Pour as much as you can bear to part with from your opened bottle on the roo mixture. Stir, stir. A little simmer. ..And some for the chef. Lovely. Then tip in the tomatoes, herbs and stock to cover. Give it a bit of a twirl with the old spoon and let it simmer. Top it up with stock from time to time as needed. Go put your feet up and have a glass of wine, you deserve it. What's on the box?

Sporadically stir pot when it comes to mind over the next hour and twenty minutes or so. At some point decide whether you really do want tomato paste or not, and if you do add it in. Toward the end think about salt, but not AFTER you have drunk your entire bottle of wine. This will throw your taste buds out. Let it reduce till it is the consistency you would like for the accompaniment.. If you can still be bothered making it that is.