Broad Bean Pesto Pasta with Spring Vegetables

Springtime to me speaks fresh crunchy spring vegetables and fresh vibrant green home made pesto. I've tried to make this pesto a little healthier by using less oil and substituting a bit of vodka and a bit of vegetable stock. It's delicious, but a little dryer than if you'd chucked in a cup of olive oil. If you're not too fussed about  superoily pestos, then by all means increase the oil. This would be a great opportunity to use some of your basil pineapple infused vodka, which I did, to give it an even more basil-y kick. 

Ingredients

Pesto
1 cup broad beans, boiled or steamed
1 cup basil leaves, torn
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/2 cup blanched almonds
2 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 measure of vodka (30ml)
1/3 cup vegetable stock
1 tbsp soy sauce

Pasta
400g spiral pasta
2 handfuls green beans, ends trimmed and cut in half
10 asparagus spears, woody ends removed and cut in half
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp capers

To Make
1. If you haven't already cooked the broad beans, do it now. Peel the skins off them and discard (to do this, make a small slit in the skin with a sharp knife and then squeeze gently until the bean inside pops out).
2. Combine all the pesto ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
3. Cook the pasta for a couple of minutes less than in says on the packet (the instructions almost always tell you to cook it for too long). Check to make sure it is just perfectly cooked but with a little bit of bite to it. In the last minute of cooking the pasta add the green beans.
4. Turn off the heat and add the asparagus spears. Cover and leave for about 30 seconds.
5. Strain the pasta and return to the pan. Stir through the olive oil.
6. Add the pesto and capers and stir through. Return to the stove over a low heat and heat gently until it is hot enough to serve. You can season to taste with salt and pepper (although the soy sauce already provides some salt, so go easy).

Serves 4

Love home made pesto? Check out my Homemade Rocket Pesto.

Sweet Potato, Asparagus and Tahini Sushi Rolls

I've been getting back into sushi lately. I tend to have a big huge sushi making glut and then not make it again for months, well that glut is now! I love experimenting with new and interesting fillings for my nori rolls, like my Wasabi Fried Eggplant and Avocado Nori Rolls. These are my new absolute favourite, tahini in sushi rolls may be a bit of an unusual fusion, but trust me on this one it is fantastic! Plus, the Japanese love their sesame seeds, so I'm sure they'd love this! As an aside, I gave some of these to a 3 year old to try and she absolutely loved them, so don't be afraid of giving sushi to your kids!

Sweet Potato, Asparagus and Tahini Sushi Rolls

Ingredients:

1 quantity sushi rice

6 sheets nori seaweed

1 small sweet potato (about 300g)

1 tsp sesame oil

 12 spears asparagus, woody ends removed

Tahini

You will also need:

A sushi rolling mat

Plastic wrap

A bowl of water with a splash of rice vinegar

To Assemble:

1. Peel the sweet potato and cut into strips, about the size of hot potato chips. Toss in the sesame oil and lay out on a baking tray, bake for 1 minutes, or until tender. Blanche the asparagus spears and set aside.

2.  Lay a sheet of nori seaweed on your sushi rolling mat. Wet your hands in the bowl of water (this stops the rice sticking all over your hands) and grab a handful of rice (about 2/3 cup worth, but you don’t need to measure it out). Spread it over the nori sheet evenly, making sure you spread it out to all the edges as well but leaving about an inch or so at one end.

3. Smear a line of tahini over the rice and then add a line of sweet potato and 2 pieces of asparagus.

4. Pick up the edge of the mat and roll it gently over the ingredients, pressing gently on the filling with your fingers as you go to keep them in the centre. Press gently on the roll to mould it together. Be careful not to let the mat get rolled up in the sushi.

6. Once the sushi is rolled into a neat log press gently around it with the matt to make it firm.

7. Repeat steps 2-6 until all the ingredients are used up (approx. 6 thick rolls).

8. Use a very sharp knife to cut each log into eight equal pieces. Serve immediately with soy sauce and wasabi to taste. Tip: dip the knife in the bowl of water between cuts to prevent the rice from sticking to the knife.

Makes 6 thick sushi rolls. 

Easy Asparagus and Garlic Soup

Everywhere in the world we're coming into either Spring or Autumn. Both perfect seasons for light and tasty vegetable soups. Asparagus is either just coming into season or just going out of season wherever you are, and that means it's quite likely to be bagged up and reduced at your local greengrocer. I was lucky enough to pick up 5 bunches of asparagus reduced to a couple of bucks at my local supermarket the other day, which allowed me to indulge in a favourite dish - asparagus soup. 

This soup is as easy and simply as you can imagine, it's just 5 ingredients. In fact, as I'm sure you'll notice, the number 5 is a bit of a theme with this soup!

Ingredients

3 tbsp non dairy margarine

5 bunches asparagus, woody ends removed 

5 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped

5 potatoes, peeled and chopped

5 cups vegetable stock

To Make

1. Break the asparagus up into 3-4 cm lengths.

2. Melt the margarine in a large soup pot. Add the asparagus and cook over a low heat for 5 minutes. The asparagus should go brighter green and start to smell fragrant. 

3. Add the garlic and potato and vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. 

4. Purée in a blender and return to the pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Heat through and serve.

Serves 4, ideal with some crusty bread or some croutons. 

Potato, Asparagus, Broad Bean and Red Lentil Soup

This soup is incredibly quick and easy to make, and the winning combination of potato and red lentils creates a beautiful creamy texture and flavour. And as for the asparagus...need I say more? Lets just say that these tall, slim stalks of supreme deliciousness know how to work it, work it good.

Potato, Asparagus, Broad Bean and Red Lentil Soup

Ingredients:
5 medium pink skinned potatos, cubed
1 bunch of asparagus, chopped, the tips reserved
1/4 cup of fresh broadbeans, peeled
3/4 cup of red lentils, rinsed
1 small brown onion, chopped
1 1/2 litres of vegetable stock
2 Tbsp of olive oil

How to Make:
1. Heat the olive oil in your stockpot and saute the onion on a medium heat until transparent.
2. Add all remaining ingredients other than the asparagus tips, which will be added later.
3. Bring to the boil and simmer, covered, for 30mins.
4. Take the soup of the heat, grab either an electric stick mixer or a potato masher (or something else that enjoys blending innocent yet delicious vegetables) and mix/mash until some whole pieces of vegetables remain, yet the ingredients are well blended. Or shall we say, half blended, half intact...
5. Put the soup back on the stove and add the asparagus tips, simmering for 5 mins.
6. Serve and enjoy!
Serves 4