Displaying items by tag: pasta

Did you know that pasta has been commercially made in Norfolk for over a hundred years? Its pedigree firmly established in the county since 1878. New Norfolk brand Waveney Mill has developed and crafted a beautiful, yet simple range of pasta shapes using bronze dies, creating a product with stunning texture and great flavour. Waveney Mill has stood on the banks of the River Yare in the Waveney Valley for over 140 years, an area rich in wheat cultivation since the Saxon times. Durum wheat, rarely seen milled in the UK, is the essential ingredient in Waveney Mill's pasta and although at the moment sourced from France the makers are determined to source British durum wheat of the quality required. (Come on East Anglian farmers, you can do it! ) Compared to soft wheat flour, hard durum wheat has less elasticity and much more plasticity, and when cut using bronze dies means that thick and rugged pasta shapes not only can soak up rich sauces so wonderfully, but they also don’t lose their extruded shape when being cooked. Of the box that was gifted to SuffolkFoodie HQ to try our favourite was Spatziola served simply with our home made pesto sauce, the curly trumpet like shapes providing pockets to cradle the sauce.Yum!

• the Spatziola trapped the pesto in every little curl
• dollop the pesto on the cooked pasta
• home made pesto sauce (recipe link in blog post)
•  

...look for foodie pictures on the internet.

A quick and easy crab recipe which serves eight as a starter, or four as a large main course.

Ingredients

2 dressed crabs ( I use brown and white meat, some prefer just the white meat)

600g linguine
10 tbsp very good olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp finely chopped fresh red chilli
75ml dry white wine
3 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp chopped basil
Juice and grated zest of ½ lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the linguine for 9-11 minutes, or according to packet instructions, until al dente.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan and add the garlic and chilli.

Fry lightly without colouring for about one minute.

Stir in the crabmeat and heat through for another minute.

Add the wine to the pan and let it bubble and reduce a little.

Drain the linguine and add to the crab mixture.

Stir in the parsley and basil and toss everything together to coat evenly.

Finish with the lemon juice and grated zest.

Season to taste and serve immediately

In ASK for a family celebration at the weekend. Clutching our '2 mains for 1' vouchers we ordered a variety of starters. All arrived hot and at the same time, followed by the main courses, delivered swiftly before impatience could build.

The kids tucked into their staples of garlic bread followed by pizza. I had the Capra Grill (goat's cheese on ciabatta with caramelised onions, tomato, salad and a balsamic dressing). Well presented and delicious. To follow a dish of penne with artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. Very tasty, and filling.

Coffee to finish but others had desserts, with the banoffee pie in particular a high scorer. ASK can be disappointing when busy, with service and portions stretched too thinly, but I couldn't fault any aspects of this meal. The vouchers helped.