A golden, somewhat languid afternoon in the kitchen. Outside, the leaves are changing from green to shades of rust and ochre. Inside, the smell of garlic, rosemary and roasting peppers. There is no hurry today, just me and some ingredients that feel comfortable in each other’s company – olive oil, tomatoes, thyme, lemon, parmesan, pasta and beans. All feels quietly right.
The peppers I stuff – not with the classic minced lamb or onion-flecked rice, but with haricot beans and aromatics. The peppers are for tomorrow, when they will be warmed in the oven, unscathed by (and all the better for) their night in the fridge. These, and the tomatoes that I cram with rice-sized pasta seasoned with basil and dark, sweet vinegar, will be served warm rather than hot from the oven, the way you see them in Italy or Greece. The temperature, calm rather than fiery, seems to suit the laid-back feel of the recipe and, indeed, the day.
Beefsteak tomato with orzo and basil
I was disappointed by some beefsteak tomatoes I picked up this week. It is not the first time. Once past their glowing skins, they were a little watery, with a hard core, and the only thing to do was cook them. Once they were divested of those tough white cores and watery flesh, stuffed with cherry tomatoes, basil and the tiny, rice-shaped pasta known as orzo, they perked up enormously.
Two points I feel I should mention: the first is to bake them for longer than you think you should – anything from 40 minutes to an hour – until the skins have blackened appetisingly and are on the point of collapse. Second, they seem to welcome a good 10-minute rest before serving, so they are warm rather than piping hot, and somehow juicier.
Serves 2-4
beefsteak tomatoes 4, large
spring onions 6
olive oil 6 tbsp
garlic 3 cloves
orzo 75g
cherry tomatoes 300g
basil leaves 8
balsamic vinegar 2 tsp
Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Cut a thick slice from the top of each of the tomatoes and set aside – these will act as a lid for the stuffed tomatoes. Using a teaspoon, scrape out the inner flesh and seeds into a bowl, discarding the hard, whitish core and saving the more interesting bits, such as the jelly and flesh. Put the tomato shells into a roasting tin.
Put a deep pan of water on to boil for the pasta. Finely slice the spring onions and soften them in the olive oil over a moderate heat. I know this sounds like a lot of oil, but bear with me. Peel and thinly slice the garlic and add to the softening onions. Salt the pasta water generously then add the orzo and cook for 5 or 6 minutes, till almost tender. Drain the pasta.
Cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters and add them to the spring onions, then turn the heat off. They need no extra cooking. Add the drained pasta and season thoroughly with salt, pepper, the basil leaves left whole or shredded (as you wish) and the balsamic vinegar. Add some of the reserved tomato flesh (you will probably only need about half of it). Pile the pasta and tomato stuffing into the hollowed-out tomatoes, pouring in any remaining oil and juices from the pan.
Cover each tomato with its tomato lid, spoon any leftover mixture or extra tomato flesh around the outside, and bake for 35 minutes, until sizzling. Serve warm, with some of the leftover mixture from the baking dish at the side.
Peppers, haricot, lemon and parmesan
Making these last weekend, I succumbed to the knee-jerk scattering of grated parmesan on the surface, but with good reason. The deep savoury quality of the cheese is a perfect fit with the caramelised sweetness of the roasted peppers. The haricot beans are here because that is what I had in the cupboard, but cannellini would work just as well. Butter beans would be a tight fit. The starchy water that surrounds canned beans needs to be rinsed away in most cases, though for this recipe I just drained, but didn’t rinse, the extra liquid, introducing a velvety texture to the stuffing.
Serves 4
onion 1, medium sized
olive oil 3 tbsp
garlic 2 cloves
rosemary 2 bushy sprigs
parsley 2 tbsp, roughly chopped
tomatoes 150g
haricot beans 2 x 400g cans
lemon grated zest of 1
parmesan 85g, grated
peppers 4, medium to large
Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Peel the onion then roughly chop it. Warm the oil in a large high-sided pan over a moderate heat, add the onion and let it soften without too much colour. Peel and finely slice the garlic and add to the onion. Remove the rosemary needles from their stems, finely chop (you need about 1 tbsp) and stir, together with the chopped parsley, into the onions and garlic.
Roughly chop the tomatoes and stir into the onion and aromatics. Let the mixture soften for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then tip in the drained beans, a generous seasoning of both salt and coarsely ground black pepper, the lemon zest and 45g of the grated parmesan, then turn off the heat. Slice the peppers in half from stem to tip and place them snugly, cut-side up, in a roasting tin.
Divide the filling among the peppers, then scatter the remaining parmesan over the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes, till the surface of each has lightly browned.
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