Penne with Roasted Plum and Herbed Blue Cheese Sauce

Fruit and cheese is a classic combination, and added to a pasta makes for a stunning combination for a meal that feels wonderfully decadent. The brightness of the plums pair well with the unctuous fats of the cheese. The beauty of this dish is that it can be served hot or it makes a great picnic dish, cold on a bed of lettuce.

3 cups Penne pasta (8oz)
18 Italian Prune plums, smallish, quartered (1lb)
pinch of cinnamon powder
a little honey (½ to 1 tsp)
1 Tbsp light oil
1 small onion, finely minced (4oz/115g)
2 to 3 garlic cloves, pressed
¼ cup combined chives + basil + parsley (finely chopped)
3 oz Cambozola cheese, diced (for easy melting)
¼ tsp black pepper powder (coarsely ground)
salt to taste
2 Tbsps toasted nuts (walnuts or pine nuts or pecans)
Optional: lettuce leaves and 5 to 6 tsps extra virgin olive oil

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
2. Set the pasta water to boil.
3. Arrange the quartered plums on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with the cinnamon, drizzle a thin stream of honey on each one, not too much! Roast for about 5 to 7 minutes at 350°F.
4. Cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve about ¼ cup of the pasta water.
5. In a fry pan cook the onion in the Tbsp of oil until completely soft but not browned.
6. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute more.
7. To the onions add the herbs, cheese and pepper. Once the cheese has melted, add the pasta and toss, cooking, adding a few Tbsps of the pasta water. The pasta water will reduce and help create a creamy, more consistent sauce, combining oils with the starch in the water from the pasta. This will only take a couple of minutes. Taste and season with salt
8. Add half the roasted plums and toss.
9. If serving as a cold salad, arrange over lettuce leaves, aesthetically place the remaining plums on top and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. 
10. If serving as a hot dish, arrange remaining plums on top and serve immediately.

Salade de carrottes (Carrot Salad)

This has become one of my go-to salads instead of leaf lettuce. Sometimes I'm looking to pair a different flavor, and sometimes it's for the colour. Seasonally speaking, it's also a way of having a crunch salad when leaf lettuce isn't available.

1 lb carrots, peeled and grated

2 Tbsps minced chives or chopped green onion (15g)

2 Tbsps minced fresh parsley

Dressing

3 Tbsps. (36g) fine olive oil*

2 Tbsps. (27g) lemon juice

2 tsps. (14g) honey or maple syrup

1 tsp (7g) Dijon mustard

½ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp salt

1. In a large bowl combine the carrot, chive or green onion and parsley.
2. To make the dressing, whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until emulsified.
3. Pour the dressing over the carrot mixture and toss until the carrots are evenly coated. 
4. Allow the salad to marinate for at least 20 minutes before serving. Toss again before serving. 

*I don't usually talk about 'using only the best' of anything, but I did bother to point out that a fine extra-virgin olive oil would be choice in this instance. Regular olive oil is mainly for cooking and doesn't have much in the way of flavor. However, in a salad dressing of this kind you want to taste the olive oil, which is why a real cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil, preferably unfiltered, is best for a really tasty dressing but, if you don't have any, it'll be just fine.

Hot Toddy

My darling started a head cold, and so I immediately go for the traditional remedies. He's taken oregano oil, oscillococcinum pellets, vitamin C, (he wasn`t keen on raw garlic but it's what I do). Next is to wrap up in a warm blanket and drink a hot toddy. It's delicious and helps. With the tiny bit I know about Ayurvedic principles, I imagine that these are all Pitta, or fiery foods that will help balance the cool, phlegmy cold. In terms of herbalism, cinnamon helps dry excessive mucous. Ok, that didn't sound delicious. Never mind - just enjoy this comforting drink.

1 oz brandy

1 oz lemon juice

1 Tbsp honey

Hot water (about 1 cup)

1 Cinnamon stick

1. Measure out the brandy, lemon juice and honey in your cup first, and then pour over the hot water. One cup of water should be enough but you can judge how strong you'd like it to be. Stir with the cinnamon stick and leave it in the hot liquid - it will gently flavour the drink.