This is what love tastes like

A meal for one, sourced from the love of many.

Asparagus and broad beans with olive oil, lemon juice and pecorino.

Pod the broad beans that you bought from the CERES market on an expedition with your brother which culminated in long blacks, a pile of weekend papers and a quarrel about the Family First party. Boil the single-podded broad beans in boiling salted water for about three minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon keeping the saucepan on the stove, rinse under cold water in a sieve, then “double pod” the larger of the beans. With homegrown broad beans, normally only about 30% will need double-podding, with Coles Homebrand Frozen, about 80% will. It won’t kill you not to double-pod – they will just be a bit chewier and more fibrous.

Take 5 or so spears of asparagus from the bag of vegetables grown and delivered by N’s parents. Cook in the boiling salted water for about three minutes until they turn a delicious green. Do not rinse with cold water as this will impact the eventual flavour. This is normally done to stop the cooking process of vegetables (or to cool them down to enable podding, as above), but I don’t think it should be done with asparagus. It is better to allow for some cooking after removal and cook it for a minute or so less than you would otherwise. On this note, drain the asparagus then put it back in the saucepan with the broad beans, on a lower heat than before.

Drizzle with the best olive oil you have (for me, a birthday present from the step-mother), the juice of a lemon (from N’s grandmother’s tree), salt that N hand-ground in the mortar after I gave him a serve for buying salt crystals when we don’t have a salt grinder, and black pepper. Quickly toss, then put in bowl and grate pecorino on top (parmagiano if it's on special or Homebrand tasty if it’s rent week).

You could add the cheese whilst it is in the saucepan but it will set like glue and make for stressful washing.

Sit, eat and feel the love.

Comments

[Mel]

Once again, your wholesome lifestyle makes me hang my head in shame. Last night for dinner I had a Travellers Pie from the Sev, followed by a cup of tea.

[catonthebench]

Wholesome? The rest of the week has pretty much been a tea and toast affair. But N and I call it 'tea and two' like Orwell in Down and Out in Paris and London. It makes you feel like you are part of a grand tradition, rather than a poor and lazy student!

Is a Travellers Pie made from travellers?

[Mel]

Yes, delicious travellers.

It actually comes in a variety of flavours, including beef (with actual chunks of identifiable beef!), peppercorn beef (my favourite as it is 'gore-mett', and chicken. But they only had the plain beef one that night.