Bucatini with tomato, chargrilled aubergine, olives, chilli and garlic pangrattato

Serves 4

This is a real comfort food dish which goes perfectly with a glass or two of Chianti and a DVD boxset. Enjoy x

For the pangrattato:

• 1 ciabatta loaf, crusts removed
• 3 large cloves of garlic, peeled
• 100ml of olive oil
• 
  
• 1 aubergine, cut lengthways into 1cm slices
• 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 3 anchovy fillets
• 1 stick of celery, finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 small leek, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• A few sprigs of rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
• 1 tsp of tomato purée
• 1 glass of red wine
• 1 400g can of chopped tomatoes
• Handful of good black olives, pitted
• Dash of good red wine vinegar
• 2 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley, chopped to serve
• 350g bucatini or spaghetti

Make the Pangrattato. Pulse-chop the ciabatta to coarse breadcrumbs. In a pan, heat the oil, add the cloves of garlic and cook until golden brown then remove with a slotted spoon. Add the breadcrumbs to the garlic-infused oil and cook until golden and crispy. Remove and blot on kitchen paper. The pangrattato will keep for weeks in your cupboard in an air-tight container.

Heat a griddle pan on the stove until smoking. Oil and salt the slices of aubergine and chargrill on the griddle getting plenty of colour on them. When done, cut into 1cm size pieces and set aside.

In a pan heat some oil and on a medium heat cook the anchovy fillets until they break up. Add the garlic, celery, onion, leek, carrot, chilli and rosemary and fry slowly on a low heat for about 40 minutes, stirring and making sure it doesn't burn.

Add the tomato purée and cook for a further 10 minutes. Crank up the heat, add the red wine and reduce until syrupy. Add the can of tomatoes and timer gently for 10 minutes. Stir in the aubergine and the olives and add the red wine vinegar. Season.

Cook the bucatini and when al denté, drain (reserving a little of the water) and add to the sauce. Stir in making sure all the pasta is nicely coated and if necessary 'loosen' it up with the pasta water.

Serve in bowls with the pangrattato spinkled on top, some grated parmesan (although pangrattato was originally used by poorer Italian families as a cheaper alternative to Parmesan) some freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley and as always, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Summer salad of broad beans, peas and pancetta

OK, so it’s been a while. What can I say? I’ve somewhat neglected the blog over the last couple of months. I’ve had quite a few things on but that’s not really an excuse. Lets just agree that I’ve been rubbish but will try much harder from here on in.

Since we last spoke:

I’ve found out I’m going to be a dad, which is pretty monumental — exciting if a little bit frightening.

It has been confirmed that the Savoy Truffle Supperclub are to (I really want to type the word ‘play’ in here as if we’re an indie band announcing we’re doing Glastonbury) put on five nights at a secret north London location as part of the London Restaurant Festival in October — Watch this space. If I get my act together I will be posting a video blog on the website on the planning and preparation up to the launch night on October 13. Also keep an eye here and at http://www.savoytrufflesupperclub.com/ for how to buy tickets in the coming weeks.

Predictably England have once again spectacularly under-achieved at another World Cup and the charmless, bumfluff-chinned dullard that is Andy Murray convinced us that this was his year and then brought us back down to earth by crashing out in straight sets.

To herald my return to the blogosphere (is that what you say?) here is a simple, fabulously fresh and summery recipe to celebrate the season.

As the last asparagus is pulled the broad beans are here!

I’m a huge fan of the humble and underrated broad bean. They are a vegetable all-too-often missing from most supermarkets but with the arrival of more and more farmers’ markets these be-podded jewels are making a welcome comeback.

In this recipe you might think the preparation of the broad beans is a little tedious but I think it’s well worth taking the time to remove the pale green husks (that can be a tad bitter) to reveal the beautiful green beans — it looks amazing.

Summer salad of broad beans, peas and pancetta
Serves 4 as a starter

• 2kg fresh broad beans
  
• 500g podded peas
• A generous handful of freshly grated parmesan
• A few sprigs of mint, leaves picked and finely chopped
• 100ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 12 rashers of pancetta or smoked streaky bacon, cut into lardons

Pod the broad beans and blanch for 1 minute in boiling water. Drain, refresh in ice-water and remove the pale green husks. Cook the peas and refresh as with the broad beans.

Place the beans and peas together in a bowl and set aside.

Make the dressing. In a food processor, whizz the parmesan, mint, garlic, olive oil lemon zest and juice and season.

Fry the pancetta or bacon until crispy, place in bowl with the broad beans and peas and toss with the dressing.

Serve with some freshly picked, torn-up mint leaves a few parmesan shavings and a drizzling of good extra virgin olive oil.