Life

James Street South Cookery School: Pasta with beans and pesto; Monkfish and butterbean stew

Niall's mouthwatering lasagnette pasta with beans and pesto
Niall's mouthwatering lasagnette pasta with beans and pesto Niall's mouthwatering lasagnette pasta with beans and pesto

AS WE know and are regularly reminded by healthy-eating experts, readymade food, meals or sauces are full of preservatives and sugar in order to stay tasting fresh and it really is one of the curses of modern-day living.

We all live very hectic lives and it can be difficult to start cooking from scratch once you get home from work but it is possible to produce mouthwatering dishes if you buy the right store-cupboard ingredients and can perfect a few dishes to have in your arsenal. It always amazes me, and pleases me no end, how many people come to our Cookery School wanting to learn more recipes and even basic skills when it comes to the kitchen.

With that in mind, this week’s recipes are about cooking great meals quickly – and both dishes really do take under 30 minutes. They are so fresh and packed full of goodness that the delicious flavours have such a different effect on your tastebuds, and the easy processes mean that your kids can get to see everything that is going into their food.

The monkfish dish is a great way to introduce more fish into our diets and once you try the fresh pesto you will find it hard to buy shop bought. Buy a couple of basil plants and keep them alive on your windowsill. When you try these dishes at home, send me a picture of them via email or social media on our ‘James Street South’ Facebook page and we will pick the best-looking dish to bring you to one of our upcoming cookery classes – just go easy on the filters!

I want to say huge congratulations to the James St South team who were finalists for this year’s Belfast Chamber Award for Best Customer Service yet also picked up the award for Best Café/Eatery at the same event last week. Well done to the whole team.

LASAGNETTE PASTA WITH BEANS AND PESTO

(Serves 4)

1 potato, peeled and cubed

400g lasagnette

300g green beans, chopped

200ml pesto

50g parmesan grated

Start by cooking the potato in boiling water for four minutes until al dente. Remove the potato and add the pasta to the water; cook according to the instructions, adding the beans at the end. Remove from the water and place back into the pot.

Add the pesto which is:

50g pine nuts cooked in dry pan on a high heat until golden

2 garlic cloves, crushed

80g fresh basil

50g Parmesan

150ml olive oil

Add all these ingredients to a food blender and blend until thoroughly mixed. Once blended, add to your pasta and beans; add the potatoes and serve with grated Parmesan.

MONKFISH AND BUTTERBEAN STEW

(Serves 4)

4 tblsp olive oil

2 onions, finely diced

3 peppers, any color, sliced lengthways

2 cloves garlic

1 chilli, deseeded and finely diced

½ tsp smoked paprika

2 tblsp tomato puree

1 tin tomatoes

150g cherry tomatoes, halved

1 tblsp caster sugar

25g capers

2 tins butter beans or 600g if fresh but cooked

4 fillets of monkfish, cubed

1 sprig parsley, destalked

Start by making up the sauce as the monkfish will not take long to cook – you can use any white meaty fish for this dish. In a large pan, add the olive oil and cook off the onions and add the peppers, garlic, chilli, smoked paprika and cook until soft. Add the puree, tinned tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, sugar and capers. Mix well and add the beans, making sure they are already cooked. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a separate pan cook off the monkfish with a table spoon of olive oil and turn to cook on all sides. Place on top of the stew and serve at the table. You can garnish with a little of the torn parsley.