Builders Breakfast Pasta

One day I came home from work to find the sorry looking remains of a fry up in the fridge.  Leftover, uncooked sausages, black pudding, bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms were scattered haphazardly across the shelves, whilst a sheepish looking Steve sat on the sofa.

"I got hungry".

The problem was, we didn't have enough leftover bits and pieces for two complete grill ups (always a grill up when I'm cooking it) and I didn't want to waste anything.

That's when it hit me.  Builders Breakfast Pasta - a pasta sauce made out of all the fry up ingredients.  We were both rather sceptical about it, but thought we should at least give it a go for dinner the following evening.

This is the surprisingly delicious result of that experiment.

So, for a pasta dish fit to grace the hallowed tables of any honest corner cafe frequented by builders, students, emergency service workers at the end of their shift and anyone in need of a strong hangover fix, you will need (for 2-3 people):

The leftovers from a fry up the previous day (or just get some sausages (about 3), 2-3 rashers of unsmoked streaky bacon, a handful of (about 6 medium) button mushrooms, some slices of black pudding and a couple of peeled tomatoes, all chopped into bite size pieces)
1 tin of tinned chopped tomatoes
125g dried pasta (I used penne as it is what I had to hand)
1 tablespoon dried or frozen basil, or a couple of shredded leaves of fresh basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon tomato puree (optional)
1 teaspoon garlic oil OR
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 crushed clove of garlic
Tabasco (it is me, after all)

Heat the garlic oil or the vegetable oil in a pan and add the crushed garlic clove to the oil if you are using it.

Add choppped sausage, bacon and black pudding to the pan and fry until lightly browned
Add the mushrooms to the pan and fry for 3-5 minutes

Add the chopped tomato and the tin of chopped tomatoes to the pan and stir to form a sauce

Add the herbs, sugar and tomato puree to the pan, bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer.  Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper as required.  Cover and leave to simmer while you cook the pasta

Put the penne in a pan of lightly salted boiling water and cook according to the packet instructions

Drain, reserving a half ladle of the starchy cooking water.  Add the water to the pasta sauce and stir through until the sauce becomes a bit more glossy. 

Pour the drained pasta into the sauce and stir it all together then leave to simmer for 2 more minutes.

Serve - tabasco optional (and in my case, essential)!

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Pinocchio's

Anyone who has a sensitive tummy when it comes to shellfish and table manners - you may wish to not read any further.   Things are about to get rather grubby.

This is Pinocchio's.  It's one of the best Italian restaurants in town.  You need to book, it is always rammed and the food is brilliant.  It's tucked away from the high street down one of the side alleys (Castle Street to be exact).  I've eaten here a number of times and have stayed so late I have actually had the door locked behind me as I exited. 

As nice as dining out it is, it's a lot of effort and faff to get ready, get out, get parked and get sat at your table.  Some nights it is just far too much hassle and I'd much rather be in the comfort of my own home, slobbing on the sofa in my PJ's with no makeup on watching crap TV (i.e. Made in Chelsea).  If, like me, you just can't be bothered with all that getting ready to go out malarkey but still really want amazing Italian food then I have a little surprise for you.

Pinocchio's delivers.  You can call them up, order your food and they will either deliver it to your door (over £15 I think) or you can go in and collect it.

So far, so ordinary for an Italian with a delivery service.  However this place doesn't just deliver pizza.

It delivers pasta. 

Wait for it.  There's more.

It delivers lobster.  My Achilles heel.

Now it's not on the menu; you need to call them up and ask for it but they never say no (at least we've never had a problem and we order it so frequently they now recognise us when we go in to collect it).

Steve and I discovered this purely by accident when he went to collect our takeaway one evening.  He saw it on the specials board whilst waiting for the food to be bought from the kitchen and asked about it.  The second they said they could do it as a takeaway he ordered a portion to bring home for us to try.  It was an absolute hit.  Now every time we call them up this is what we order.

 You get a huge amount for your money.

However I always feel that, no matter how much food there is on your plate, there is still room for cheesy garlic bread that has been stone-baked in a pizza oven.

The first half of the lobster is easy enough to eat in a fairly ladylike manner.  You can manage with just a fork.

Then it gets messy.  Very, very messy.  You need to get into all the nooks and crannies, crack the legs open and make sure you get into the claw where, in my opinion, the best meat is.  Don't be afraid to go all caveman on the lobster and rip the shell with your teeth to get to hidden bits.  This is not a meal that works well with table manners.  If you don't have crackers then a skewer is very useful to have on hand.  My hands are testimony to how mucky this actually gets.  The mess is worth it though!

Not a seafood fan?  No worries, there are plenty of other options to choose from.  The pizza, risotto and other dishes are also out of this world.  You can tuck into antipasto or gamberoni, pollo Milanese or Neapolitan meatballs.  It's one of the best and broadest Italian takeaway menus I have ever seen.

If you are in Canterbury and fancy an Italian I cannot recommend this place highly enough.  You don't even need to leave your house to enjoy it.

Vine Tomato, Chilli and Bacon Pasta

I have to say, I do like my pasta.  I am also incapable of making a tomato based sauce without putting chilli in it.  If I have none in the house (unlikely) then the tabasco comes out.  Normally I use both together to be honest.

I'm not sure why I require my tomato to pack a punch; it is a partnership thing.  You wouldn't have Laurel without Hardy, Ying without Yang or Bubble without Squeak and likewise I would never have tomato without chilli.

If you are not a chilli fan, just leave it out. I will be looking at you strangely though.

This is ridiculously quick and easy to make.  There are a million and one ways to make a basic tomato pasta sauce and I'm sure everyone has their own version; this is my go to for a fast, vitamin packed meal without opening a single tin.

5 large vine tomatoes
4 rashers streaky un-smoked bacon
1 large red chilli
1 clove garlic, crushed
Extra virgin olive oil
Tomato Puree
Dried Basil
Dried Oregano
Sugar
Pepper

Chop the tomatoes into small pieces and pan fry in a dry saucepan for a couple of minutes until the tomatoes start to break down.  I don't bother with peeling the tomatoes as I quite like the skin.  If this bothers you, dunk the tomatoes into a large bowl of boiling water before cutting them.  This makes the skin loose and easy to slide off.   It takes about 30 seconds or until the skin splits.

Add the bacon and crushed garlic to the tomato.  Sizzle for 2 minutes then add a good slog of olive oil.

Chop the chilli and add to the tomato mix.  Take the seeds and the membrane out if you don't like heat.  These big fat ones I don't find hot but have a lovely earthy rich flavour.

Add a good squeeze of tomato puree to the tomato sauce

Add a good shake of the dried herbs, pinch of sugar and decent amount of black pepper.  Fresh herbs are better if you have them. I don't really use measurements - just season to taste.  You shouldn't need to add extra salt as the bacon compensates for this.

When your sauce is simmering nicely, add a slosh of water and turn down to leave to simmer.  Stick your pasta onto boil.  Don't salt the water - you will see why below.

Cook according to the packet instructions.  When you drain your pasta, keep back a little of the cooking liqueur and add it to the sauce - this thickens it and makes it a little creamier.  If you have salted the water, don't bother with this stage.

Combine, serve and guzzle.  Makes enough for 2 people to have a generous lunch.  The below wasn't all for me, I promise!