Sausage Pasta, Broccoli, Chilli & Sweet Tomatoes

I had a lot of fun with this dish. Given our very busy lives, I don't get to try something new, but we do love our life, and we take what the universe gives us. This felt like a dish I could return to, something that's easy for weeknight dinner. It didn't take very long to put together, and hey, if you do follow the recipe, there's not a lot to wash at the end either! Family classics indeed! I very much love Jamie Oliver, who has been an inspiration for me, reminding me that food does make us happy and brings us together. I can't wait to try another recipe from this book (which you can pick up via SocialBookCo)!

Giving Monday night a boost with #broccoli via @jamieoliver's #superfoods! The #pork #leek and #chilli #sausages from @SpaCentreMeats were a great touch! #sausage #pasta #tomatoes #tagliatelle #parmesan #weeknightmeal #mondaynights #spacentremeats #butcher #lovemyhome #lifeisbeautiful #Daylesford

A photo posted by Jeffrey Chua (@justchuffedmtfranklin) on Sep 5, 2016 at 3:40am PDT

350g broccoli
4 chipolata sausages
1-2 fresh red chillies
olive oil
2tsp fennel seeds
4 cloves of garlic
2 onions
1/2 bunch of fresh oregano (15g)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 x 400g tin of plum tomatoes
300g dried wholewheat tagliatelle
40g Parmesan cheese

Chop the broccoli florets off the stalk. Cut the woody end off the stalk, halve the stalk lengthways and put into a large pan of boiling salted water with the sausages and whole chilli(es). Pop the lid on, boil for 5 minutes, then remove, leaving the water on the lowest heat.

Meanwhile, chop the broccoli florets into nice bite-sized chunks and put aside for later. Once cool enough to handle, finely slice the sausages, broccoli stalk and chilli and place in a large frying pan in a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil, the fennel seeds and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Stir and fry while you peel and finely slice the garlic and onions. Once the sausage is lightly golden, stir in the garlic, followed a minute later by the onions, then pick in the oregano leaves. Cook for 15 minutes, or until softened, stirring occasionally. Add the vinegar and cook completely away, then pour in the tomatoes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon. Half-fill the tin with water, swirl around and pour into the pan. Simmer for 15 more minutes, or until thickened, then taste and season to perfection.

Meanwhile, bring the pan of water back up to boil, and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, adding the broccoli florets for the last 4 minutes. Drain the pasta and broccoli, reserving a mugful of cooking water. Toss through the sauce, loosening with a little reserved water if needed. Finely grate in most of the Parmesan and toss together, then serve with the rest of the Parmesan grated over the top.

Serves 4

Salt & Pepper Tofu with Lemon Soy Dipping Sauce

I'm always up for trying a new dish, but there's just too much to be done around the house on my days off, so finding the headspace to be inspired can be a challenge. I came across this when I was searching for a dish to complement the Thai Chicken Risotto for dinner with friends. I bought ingredients that day, but didn't get round to it (making dessert just seemed more of a priority!).

I hardly use silken tofu, so it was a bit of a learning curve for me. They're very delicate, so take care when you roll them through the seasoned flour. I'm also very fortunate to have a deep fryer (which I inherited from my yoga teacher, but that's another story), so it was a relatively easy summer dinner to put together. Just remember to have everything ready so you don't have early batches going soggy by the time you serve everything!

4 tablespoons plain flour
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
500g silken tofu
600ml light flavoured oil, for frying
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 red chilli, sliced
lemon soy dipping sauce (see recipe below)
small handful coriander leaves

Season the flour generously with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and the five spice powder. Cut the moist tofu into thick fingers and roll in the seasoned flour to coat.

Heat the oil in a deep saucepan over medium-high heat until hot. Drop the tofu into the oil and fry for 3-4 minutes, tossing regularly, until golden all over. Remove and drain on paper towel. Fry the spring onion and chilli for 2-3 minutes or until starting to turn golden. Remove and drain on paper towel.

Serve the tofu with the dipping sauce and dress with the coriander leaves and spring onion and chiili. Serves 4.

LEMON SOY DIPPING SAUCE
1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons light soy sauce

Put the lime and lemon juices and the mirin in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil then remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Stir in the soy sauce.