Think pasta dishes – but so much more elevated. Cook and food stylist Kitty Coles shares her recipes for her favourite ragú and the quick-to-make and always delicious charred tomato broth…
CHARRED TOMATO BROTH
This is the fresher, brothy sister to pasta and tomato sauce and it never ever gets old. Charring the tomatoes gives an intense depth to the soup. No one who eats it believes that it is this simple to make.
For 4
Ingredients
• 400 g (14 oz) cherry tomatoes
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon tomato purée (paste)
• 1 litre (34 fl oz/ 4 1/4 cups) water or vegetable stock
• 25 g (1 oz) basil, leaves picked, plus extra to serve
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• 150 g (5 1/2 oz) fregola, rice, orzo, small pasta shapes or tinned beans
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
• Knob of butter or extra virgin
• Olive oil
• Chilli (hot pepper) flakes
• Grated Parmesan
Method
1. Heat a dry, heavy-based frying pan (skillet) over a high heat. Once hot, add the tomatoes and char them all over for 6–10 minutes until blistered and softened (apologies for your smoky kitchen at this point!).
2. A couple of minutes before the end, add the whole garlic cloves and char for 2 minutes, making sure not to burn them as they’ll taste bitter.
3. Transfer the charred tomatoes and garlic to a large saucepan over a medium-high heat and add the olive oil and tomato purée. Fry for 2 minutes until the tomato purée has turned a darker red. Add the water or vegetable stock and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30–45 minutes (or up to 1 hour if you have time!).
4. Taste, then add the basil, lemon juice and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Once you’re happy with the flavour, add the fregola, rice, pasta or beans and boil for 6–7 minutes until tender.
5. Serve with more basil, a knob of butter or a good glug of your best extra virgin olive oil, chilli flakes, Parmesan and a little more seasoning if it needs it.
PORK AND SAGE RAGÚ
This could be one of my favourite things to eat. There’s just something about the silky, scoopable retro-ness of it. As well as eating it with pasta, I also like to serve this on a puddle of quick-cook polenta and crispy sage, or just simply with some greens.
For 4 generously
Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil, plus extra as needed
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 400 g (14 oz) minced (ground) pork or sausage meat
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 6-10 sage leaves, plus extra to serve
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli (hot pepper) flakes, plus extra to serve
• 2 celery sticks, thinly sliced
• 1 large fennel bulb, leek or onion
• 150 ml (5 fl oz/scant 2 / 3 cup) dry white wine
• 400 ml (14 fl oz/generous 1 1/2 cups) whole (full-fat) milk
• 1 x 400 g (14 oz) tin of brown lentils
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 350 g (12 oz) pasta (I like using small pasta shapes for spoonability reasons, but use any you have)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
Grated Parmesan
Lemon zest
Chopped parsley
Method
1. Heat the vegetable or olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium high-heat.
2. Once the oil is shimmering hot, add the fennel seeds and fry for 30 seconds, then add the minced pork, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon.
3. Fry for 6–8 minutes until lightly golden all over and starting to crisp up. Feel free to add a little more oil if needed. Add the garlic, sage leaves and chilli flakes and fry for a further 2 minutes until the garlic is softened and very lightly golden.
4. Scoop out the pork and garlic onto a plate, leaving any excess fat or oil in the pan. If there isn’t any oil left, add another 2 tablespoons, then add the celery and fennel.
5. Fry for 8–10 minutes until soft but not coloured.
6. Return the pork to the pan, then pour in the wine and allow to bubble for 2–3 minutes before adding in the milk. Stir everything together, then cover with a lid and simmer over a low heat for 45 minutes. The milk will split, but this is good – just stir it occasionally.
7. After 45 minutes, add the lentils with their juices, then continue to simmer for a further 10 minutes until the sauce thickens. Taste and season as needed.
8. Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a small frying pan (skillet) over a medium-high heat, then add a small handful of sage leaves, along with a pinch of chilli flakes.
9. Swirl the pan, letting the oil coat the sage leaves, and fry for 1 minute until the sage leaves crisp up. Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl.
10. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water according to the packet instructions.
11. Drain, reserving half a mugful of the pasta water, then stir the pasta and pasta water into the ragu and toss to coat.
12. Serve with a generous grating of Parmesan, the crispy sage leaves, lemon zest and a little chopped parsley.
Recipes from Make More With Less: Foolproof Recipes To Make Your Food Go Further, by Kitty Coles, published by Hardie Grant.