Persian-Inspired Noodle Soup (based on Ash Reshteh)

I've played fast and loose with this recipe, I think, substituting all sorts of things for other things, so that I'm using things from my own backyard. The herb mix in particular honours the Persian use of lots of herbs, but the herbs I use are my own blend, and while I use nasturtium leaves for that almost floral note they bring, I recognize that it is a more rare ingredient to have on had, and spinach makes a fine substitution and is closer to the original anyway.

2 Tbsps. olive oil

1 onion (6oz/170g) thinly sliced

1 long red chili OR green serrano chile, finely chopped

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

100g/3.5oz French lentils, green lentils, yellow split peas or brown lentils

8 1/2 cups vegetable stock/broth or water

400g/14oz cooked chickpeas

350g cooked cranberry beans or borlotti beans

2 tsps. salt, to taste

120 g thin egg noodles, linguine, or spaghetti, fresh or dried

3 1/2 oz/100g nasturtium leaves (or spinach, trimmed) finely shredded

⅓ cup (20g) parsley, finely chopped

2 Tbsps. (8g) fresh dill, finely chopped

1 Tbsp (2–3g) fresh tarragon, finely chopped

juice of one lime, plus more to taste

Toppings:

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp butter

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup sour cream, creme fraiche, full fat yogurt or liquid kashk

50 g / scant 2 ounces of toasted, chopped walnuts

1. Heat the oil in a large, thick-bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and the chilli and cook until they soften, 8 minutes or so. 
2. Add the spices and cook for another thirty seconds, just long enough for them to toast a bit and release their aromas, then stir in the lentils (or split peas) to toast for a couple minutes.
3. Add the broth and bring to a boil cook the lentils until they are just tender, about 25 minutes. 
4. Stir in the cooked chickpeas and cranberry (or borlotti) beans and the salt. Return to a simmer.
5. In the meantime, prepare the toppings. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium heat along with a couple big pinches of salt. 
6. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until golden and deeply caramelized, 8 - 10+ minutes. Set aside with the sour cream and chopped walnuts.
7. A few minutes before you're ready to eat, add the noodles to the simmering soup and cook until al dente, usually about 5 minutes. 
8. Stir in the greens and the chopped herbs and the lime juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking, adding more salt if needed.
9. Serve right away, each bowl topped with a big spoonful of caramelized onions, some sour cream, and a sprinkling of walnuts.

Leftover Pasta Casserole

Whenever I can, since this recipe has come into my life, I try to make too much pasta when cooking other recipes. So far, no matter what I make, the Herbes de Provence just elevate the whole thing. Such a creamy, unctuous, delicious concoction that helps reduce waste. I keep a container in my freezer I add little bits of leftover pasta and blam! When I have 32oz, into the oven it goes to make this little wonder. There may be combinations of pasta recipes that won't work together, but I haven't found it yet. If the leftover pasta is overly milk, like a Pasta con Aglio et Olio, you can add a TBSP or 2 of marinara sauce or of pesto and that should do the trick.

Number of portions: 6 servings
Serving size: ~310 g
Calories per serving: ~490 kcal
Speed: Everyday Dish
Experienced cook (active time): 25–30 min
Novice cook (active time): 35–45 min
Total elapsed time: 55–65 min
LHSS Score: 3.7 / 10

32oz/900g leftover pasta (if using dry pasta, dry-to-cooked is roughly 1:2) 

1/4 cup (2oz/58gr) butter

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup (30g) flour

1 cup chicken broth

1 1/2 cups milk

2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided (80+80)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided (20+20g)

1 tsp herbs de Provence

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp Salt 

1/2 tsp pepper 

(if using plain pasta, add 2 Tbsps. to 1/4 cup tomato sauce or something else)

Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease a gratin dish.
2. Cook the pasta; drain and set aside. If you have leftover pasta to use, see NOTE
3. Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the flour until smooth.
4. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth and milk, stirring until smooth. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes, or until sauce has thickened. Reduce heat and add half of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Season with herbs de Provence, nutmeg, salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Combine the sauce with the cooked linguine and toss to coat well. Transfer the pasta to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheeses.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with fresh parsley for garnish.
7. Serve with a green salad.

NOTE: If you have leftover pasta, weigh it to subtract that amount from the dry pasta you'll cook to make up the difference, if needed. 1lb dry pasta = 455g, while 114g pasta = 4oz. Once cooked, this amount of pasta turns into 910g (2lbs), 228g (8oz).

Onion, Cheddar and Bacon Pasta

This is more of a cold weather dish, with the warmth of the browned onions and smoky bacon. Wonderfully warming and creamy. 

5 servings 

6 to 8oz bacon, cut into lardons

(reserve ¼ cup bacon fat)

4 medium onions (24oz/680g) thinly sliced

¼ cup white wine

1 lb spaghetti, linguini or fettucine etc.

1½ cups whipping (heavy) cream

6oz shredded Cheddar cheese 

Salt, to taste

1. Cook the bacon until just before it crisps, or until it is of a light golden colour. Remove it from the fat and set aside, keeping about ¼ cup of fat (if there isn't enough fat, add butter). 
2. To the hot bacon fat add the onion to caramelize. To properly caramelize, cook the onions over med-low heat, preferably using a diffuser, stirring often; this can take a half hour+, be patient. It's worth it. 
3. When the onions are of a delicious brown and very soft, the sugars will have stuck to the bottom of the pan creating the fond and a lot of the flavor. Deglazed with the wine. Add as much wine as you need to get that lovely fond moving... (within reason. If you want more white wine, pour some in a glass and drink it).
4. Put the pasta on to boil.
5. Add the cream to the onions and bring to the boiling point. Turn off the heat. Mix in the cheese and the bacon.
6. Pour over the noodles; toss to coat. Test the seasoning and add salt to your liking, a pinch at a time.
7. Serve with a good grind of black pepper.

Garlic Pasta Boiled in its own Sauce

This is a magical little number, where the pasta is cooked in the milk broth, releases is starches and thickens the sauce. All in a single saucepan. It's easily doubled. If you want to control the amount of garlic flavour in the sauce, I recommend weighing the garlic - stores rarely care which varietal they sell, some cloves are huge, others quite small.

Servings: 2

2 Tbsps (1oz/28gr) butter

2 cloves garlic (8gr), minced

2 cups mild broth such as chicken 

1 cup milk, or more, as needed

8 oz uncooked fettuccine or spaghetti

Salt and pepper, to taste

OPTIONAL: 4–5 oz (115–140 g) Swiss chard leaves, ribs removed, sliced into strips

1 oz (28g) Parmesan cheese, grated, + 1 oz (28g) for garnishing

2 Tbsps fresh parsley leaves, chopped 

1. Have your broth at the ready to stop the browning of the garlic.
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Just as the butter melts, put in the garlic. This next part is really quick, just a minute or so. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and just starting to lightly brown.
3. Immediately stir in the broth, milk and pasta. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
4. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, stirring frequently, until the pasta is cooked through, about 18 to 20 minutes. 
5. If using Swiss chard, stir in a couple minutes before it's done.
6. Stir in the Parmesan. 
7. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk as needed until the desired consistency is obtained.
8. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley.