We’re on a food theme at the moment. Actually this is fairly normal for us over Easter; it seems to be a time for experimenting weith good gfood.

Waitrose’s Food magazine a while back had a recipe of Herby Crab & Tomato Spaghetti. I thought it looked worth trying if one wanted to push the boat out a bit and buy crab – although to be honest it isn’t that expensive.

As Waitrose don’t seem to put all their recipes online, here first is the original recipe.

Herby Crab & Tomato Spaghetti

Serves 2
Prepare 10 minutes
Cook 15 minutes

Ingredients
2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs
2 tbsp olive oil
180g dried spaghetti
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
12 cherry vine tomatoes, quartered
100g “Seafood & Eat It” Fifty Fifty Crab
¼x 20g pack tarragon, leaves only, roughly chopped
1 lemon, zest and juice

Method
1. Toast the breadcrumbs in 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat until golden brown (about 3-4 minutes). Transfer to a plate. Bring a large pan of salted water to a rolling boil, then cook the spaghetti according to pack instructions.
2. Meanwhile, put the remaining 1 tbsp oil in the frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic and chilli; cook for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Scoop the brown crabmeat into the pan. Transfer the pasta and 2 ladles of its cooking water to the pan. Toss vigorously for 1-2 minutes, until well coated. Add the white crab, tarragon, lemon juice and ½ the zest. Season, mix, then divide between warm plates. Top with the remaining zest and the breadcrumbs.

Well OK. That didn’t quite work for us so, as usual, I adapted it! This is what I did …

Linguine with Crab, Tomato & Herbs

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
165g dried linguine
2 large shallots, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
16 cherry tomatoes, left whole
2 tbsp tomato paste
2x 100g tubs white crabmeat
¼x 20g pack tarragon, leaves only, left whole
juice & zest of a lemon
black pepper

Method

1. Cook the linguine according to pack instructions.
2. Sweat the onion, garlic and chilli in a pan with the olive oil until going translucent (about 2-3 minutes).
3. Add the tomatoes and cook for another couple of minutes.
4. Add the crabmeat, followed by the drained pasta and 2 ladles of its cooking water. Toss/mix vigorously for a minute or so, until well coated.
5. Now add the tomato paste, tarragon and lemon. Season with black pepper, mix well and warm through for another 1-2 minutes.
6. Divide between two plates and enjoy with a glass of robust white wine.

Notes

• I can’t be doing with faffing around with breadcrumbs – not just for the two of us anyway.
• We used linguine, as it was to hand; I actually prefer it to spaghetti.
• Before this version, we’d tried using 50/50 brown & white crabmeat, but it didn’t quite work for us.
• 200g crabmeat is probably a bit too much, but 100g feels a bit too little as a single course (or the first of just two).
• Chilli flakes are fine; you want only a hint of chilli in the background. Our alternative would have been to excavate a Scotch Bonnet from the freezer and even a small one may have been too much.
• If you quarter the cherry tomatoes and cook them for 5 minutes they’ll just go to mush. We prefer them whole and not falling apart.
• In our view this needed some onion; and no shortage of garlic.

My version worked very well indeed. It was truly delicious. The tarragon and lemon came through nicely without being overpowering and there was just a hint of chilli. We accompanied it with a bottle of robust Italian Falanghina.

Oh, and no picture – you all know what a bowl of pasta looks like!

Over the years I’ve written a number of times about our exploits making terrine – most notably what we’ve dubbed Ennismore Terrine. That post is some 8 years old, but our first rendition of the recipe goes back more like 35 years.

While it takes a bit of time to put together, it is very forgiving and can be varied almost infinitely to suit. Just to show the versatility here’s what we did a couple of days ago.

Ennismore Terrine, 2022 Variation
This makes enough to fill a large oval Le Creuset casserole (as above).

Ingredients
200g smoked bacon lardons
400g pork mince
800g chicken livers
400g plain pork sausages, skinned
300g bread without crusts
1 large leek, finely chopped
3 small red onions, finely chopped
7 large mushrooms, finely chopped
6 cloves of garlic, peeled
Generous wineglass of brandy
Half a glass of white wine
2 tablespoons garlic purée
4 tablespoons tomato paste
Large bunch of tarragon, leaves only
1 large egg
Pinch of salt and a generous grind of black pepper
2 tablespoon Worcs. sauce
Olive oil
Knob of butter

Method

1. Put the bread, tarragon, salt and pepper, garlic cloves in a food processor and whizz to a crumb. Transfer to a very large mixing bowl (actually we used a roasting tin!)
2. Add the sausage meat, half a glass of the brandy, Worcs. sauce and the egg to the food processor and whizz again to a smooth paste. Transfer this to a large mixing bowl.
3. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan and sweat the leek until going translucent. Add to the mix along with the mushrooms.
4. With a bit more olive oil fry the onion until translucent. Tip this out into the food processor with the garlic purée and tomato paste.
5. With a little more oil if needed fry the bacon until the outside is seared and browning but still undercooked inside. Add this to the food processor and whizz lightly; do not purée. Add this to the mix.
6. Now fry the chicken livers for a few minutes again until the outside is beginning to brown but not cooked through. (As the livers aren’t fully cooked don’t go tasting the mix!) Add this to the food processor and whizz; it will make a slurry. Add this to the meat mix.
7. Finally fry the pork mince until lightly browned but also not cooked through, and put this in the food processor.
8. Deglaze the pan with the rest of the brandy and the white wine. Add this to the food processor and whizz to a rough paste; don’t worry if it looks grainy. Add this to the meat mix.
9. Mix everything together thoroughly; don’t be afraid to use your hands.
10. Butter the casserole generously.
11. Pour the meat mix into the casserole and firm it down well. Cover with foil and if possible a tight fitting lid. It is wise to put this on a baking sheet as a full casserole may bubble juices over the edge – as in the above photo!
12. Cook in the oven at 170°C/fan 160°C/ gas 3 for 1½-2 hours. It is done when a knife stuck in the terrine for a few seconds comes out very hot (or a meat thermometer at 80°C).
13. Remove from the oven and if possible weight the terrine to press it (something flat with tins of beans or a brick on it works; heavier is better).
14. Allow to cool for a couple of hours and transfer to the fridge overnight, still with the weights.
15. Serve with crusty bread and a glass of robust red wine.

This variation turned out quite liver-y; if this isn’t to your taste adjust the proportions of pork and liver. The leek and mushroom made a nice background, and the tarragon came through well. All round it is extremely more-ish, and has the seal of approval from the Rosie cat.

Here’s another variation on the flat tart theme – alternatively it’s a variation on pizza as it uses a base of tomato sauce and cheese.

Cheese, Ham & Veggie Tart Thing

Serves: 4 as a main course, or 6-8 as a starter or finger food

For Quick Tomato Sauce
100g Double Concentrate Tomato Paste
2tbs Garlic Puree
1tbsp Worcs Sauce
1tbsp Olive Oil
½tsp Porcini Powder
Black Pepper

For the Topping
lots of grated Cheddar Cheese
4 or 5 Tomatoes, thickly sliced
1 large Shallot, or a small Red Onion, finely sliced
80g Ham, sliced into 1cm pieces
Vegetable topping of your choice**
bunch Fresh Herbs of your choice (optional)
freshly ground Black Pepper

For the Base
500g pack Puff Pastry
Milk to glaze

** I used a few spears of purple sprouting broccoli (‘cos that’s what I had to hand) but you could use asparagus, sliced pepper, mushrooms or whatever you choose. And then add olives, anchovies, capers if such is your predilection. If you want a veggie option, leave out the ham.

This is What You Do

1. Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/Gas 7.
2. In a small bowl, mix together all the tomato sauce ingredients until well blended.
3. Prepare a 30cm square baking sheet (or similar). I always line the baking sheet with a piece of baking parchment, stuck down with 4 or 5 tiny dabs of butter: the butter stops the parchment sliding around, makes removing the tart easier, and the baking sheet easier to wash.
4. Roll out the pastry to a size slightly larger than the baking sheet.
5. Put the pastry on the baking sheet, dampen the edges with milk and roll them over to make an edge.
6. Spread the tomato sauce over the pastry, followed by a layer of cheese.
7. Then the onion, ham and herbs; followed by more cheese, the tomatoes and the veg.
8. Season with black pepper and brush the edges of the tart with milk to glaze.
9. Bake, covered with foil for about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and give it another 10 minutes or so until cooked and golden brown – you want the pastry and veg cooked.
10. Serve hot or warm as a starter, main course, or supper with a glass of red wine. Or cold for a buffet. Any leftovers make a tasty lunch (or breakfast).

Sorry, no photo because we ate it!

Yes, red bananas. They do seem to be a thing. Although I think I’d heard of them they recently came to my consciousness as our local supermarket was stocking them. In the interests of experimentation, I tried them so you don’t have to.

So what are they like?

Well, the clue is in the name. They are bananas, and they’re a red/brown colour: not really properly red, more a dark maroon. The flesh is pale on the outside, but once bitten into is noticeably darker yellow inside.

The ones I got were rather too ripe for my particular taste (I like fruit on the under ripe side) and as a result they were soft with a floury texture, a bit like … well … a ripe banana.

The taste was slightly odd. Clearly banana but with a much more pronounced banana flavour – basically from isoamyl acetate – compared with normal yellow bananas. But also somewhat more fruity.

Overall, for me, this gave a rather unpleasant mouthfeel. They may be better if under ripe, but I won’t be hurrying to repeat the experiment.

Overall Verdict: ★☆☆☆☆ Meh. Don’t bother.