Trapani-Style Tortiglioni

What a day!


After spending a lovely morning with my gorgeous friend Suzy, I got a phone call from my boys school telling me that my son Linus had a suspected fractured arm. Ahhhhhhhh!! He had been playing soccer at lunchtime and, being the goalkeeper, had fended-off a shot at goal and broken his arm in the process.


The day didn't start out so drama-filled. Suzy and I had gone to see "The Descendent". Did I like the movie? Are you kidding? A movie with George Clooney in nearly every shot and the Hawaiian Islands as the backdrop, what's not to like?  But seriously, I did like it, a lot, and it made me want to go back to Hawaii - today! We then went to lunch and I had a delicous Calamari Salad. We talked and talked about...STUFF and were having a lovely time, then I got the call.


From then on it was Doctors, Nurses, Radiographers, more Doctors, more Nurses, plaster and slings.


After all that, I bought my sweet, brave boy and his concerned little brother home and made them one of their favourite meals for dinner - Pasta with Pesto.This version is the blonde sister of the more well-known Genovese Pesto.


A little slice of comforting Flourless Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake to help ease the pain.


(Oh, and for the record, Linus said that he successfully saved the goal! That's important you know.)


Trapani-Style Tortiglioni
from Jamie Oliver's 30 Minute Meals
serves 4


500g Tortiglioni
40 g parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
100g whole blanched almonds
2 cloves of garlic  
1 fresh chilli
2 large bunches of basil
4 anchovy fillets
400g cherry tomatoes 
about 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and pepper

Cook Tortiglioni according to packet instructions. Drain, reserving a cup of the pasta cooking water. Return the pasta to the hot pan


Meanwhile, blitz the Parmesan cheese, almonds, garlic and chilli in a food processor. Then add basil, reserving a few leaves for garnish. Add the anchovies and about 3/4 of the cherry tomatoes. Blitz again and when it turns into paste, add a few dashes of olive oil to loosen the mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the pasta and mix well. Add some the reserved pasta water and toss so that you have a lovely moist sauce that coats the pasta. Serve on a big platter topped with reserve, halved, cherry tomatoes and the reserved basil leaves. Drizzle with olive oil and shave over some more parmesan.