- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
- 2 tsp sugar
- 190g jar basil pesto
- few capers or olives (optional)
- 140g white bread - stale or fresh, whizzed into crumbs (or 140g/5oz breadcrumbs)
- 50g pine nuts, roughly chopped
- 4 tbsp grated parmesan, or vegetarian alternative (optional)
- 25g butter
- 350g/12oz-400g/14oz linguine, spaghetti, tagliatelle or whatever you have in the cupboard
- Gently
cook the onion and half the garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil for 10 mins
until soft. Stir in the tomatoes and sugar and simmer for 15-20 mins
until saucy. Stir in half the pesto, some seasoning and a few capers or
olives, if you have them. Cover and keep warm.
- While
the sauce is simmering, heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Toss the
crumbs in a large baking tray with the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, the
rest of the garlic, the pine nuts and Parmesan, if Simple yet special
storecupboard supper using. Bake for 10 mins, stirring a few times,
until golden. Dot over the butter and return to the oven for 2 mins
more.
- Meanwhile,
bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta. Drain,
reserving a little cooking water. Stir through the sauce with a splash
of cooking water to loosen, if you need to, ripple through the remaining
pesto and serve scattered with golden crumbs.
Lets go make the Minestrone soup
- 3 large carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 4 celery sticks, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 large potatoes, cut into small dice
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2l vegetable stock
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 400g can butter or cannellini beans
- 140g spaghetti, snapped into short lengths
- 1⁄2 head Savoy cabbage, shredded
- crusty bread, to serve
- In
a food processor, whizz the carrots, onion and celery into small
pieces. Heat the oil in a pan, add the processed vegetables, garlic and
potatoes, then cook over a high heat for 5 mins until softened.
- Stir in the tomato purée, stock and tomatoes. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 mins.
- Tip
in the beans and pasta, then cook for a further 10 mins, adding the
cabbage for the final 2 mins. Season to taste and serve with crusty
bread.
For the base
- 300g strong bread flour
- 1 tsp instant yeast (from a sachet or a tub)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
For the tomato sauce
- 100ml pasta
- handful fresh basil or 1 tsp dried
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
For the topping
- 125g ball mozzarella, sliced
- handful grated or shaved parmesan
- handful cherry tomatoes, halved
To finish
- handful basil leaves (optional)
- Make
the base: Put the flour into a large bowl, then stir in the yeast and
salt. Make a well, pour in 200ml warm water and the olive oil and bring
together with a wooden spoon until you have a soft, fairly wet dough.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 mins until smooth.
Cover with a tea towel and set aside. You can leave the dough to rise if
you like, but it’s not essential for a thin crust.
- Make
the sauce: Mix the passata, basil and crushed garlic together, then
season to taste. Leave to stand at room temperature while you get on
with shaping the base.
- Roll
out the dough: If you’ve let the dough rise, give it a quick knead,
then split into two balls. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into
large rounds, about 25cm across, using a rolling pin. The dough needs
to be very thin as it will rise in the oven. Lift the rounds onto two
floured baking sheets.
- Top
and bake: Heat oven to 240C/fan 220C /gas 8. Put another baking sheet
or an upturned baking tray in the oven on the top shelf. Smooth sauce
over bases with the back of a spoon. Scatter with cheese and tomatoes,
drizzle with olive oil and season. Put one pizza, still on its baking
sheet, on top of the preheated sheet or tray. Bake for 8-10 mins until
crisp. Serve with a little more olive oil, and basil leaves if using.
Repeat step for remaining pizza.
