Dreamy Pasta - Marie Murphy

Pasta as shown to be by Italians one dreamy night on a rooftop in Milano...

Serves at least 6.

Cover a bowl of cherry tomatoes, or if large, halved or quartered, but GOOD toms,

with a full bottle of extra virgin olive oil, add some chillis (flakes or fresh) if you wish, and

some ground black pepper and bit of salt.

Cook a big pot of linguine (or spaghetti) - drain.

Chop at least ten cloves of garlic and fry quickly til they are almost burned.

Toss the pasta into the bowl and mix through, sprinkle the smoked garlic

on top - serve with large chunks of ciabatta and crispy green salad with juice

of fresh lemons for dressing.

MAMA MIA... I CAN TASTE IT NOW!!!!!!!

Mussels in tomato and saffron sauce with Catalan tomato bread - Mike Gorman

Ingredients:
For main dish:
500g live mussels
250g white fish (eg cod, haddock, black halibut, plaice) with skin on
1 onion
1 shallot
2 large cloves of garlic
1 small red chilli
1/2 tsp saffron
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 green pepper
1/2 glass red wine (preferably rioja)
3/4 pint of fish stock
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 bunch flat leaf parsley
1 small slice of butter
3 tblsp olive oil

For Tomato Bread:
1 fresh french stick or similar bread
4-5 fresh vine tomatoes
extra virgin olive oil
2-3 large cloves of garlic

Method:
For main dish:
Heat olive oil and butter in a heavy lidded pot. Chop onion, shallot, garlic and red chilli, and fry in oil and butter until soft. Add saffron, salt and pepper and fry for 2 more minutes. Add the green pepper and the red wine, cook for 5 minutes. Add fish stock and tomatoes, place lid on pot and simmer for 30-40 mins. Prepare mussels by washing and removing beards. Discard any that do not shut when tapped sharply on the kitchen sink. After sauce has simmered for 30-40 mins add white fish, replace lid, and simmer for a further 20 mins. The fish will disintegrate and add flavour and body to the sauce. Add mussels and parsley, chopped, replace lid and cook for a further 5-10 mins. The mussels will open when cooked.
Discard any mussels that have not opened after about 5 mins. Serve with Catalan tomato bread (below).

For Tomato Bread:
First slice the tomatoes in half, and cut the garlic cloves in half, across the grain (no need to peel them).
Then (and in this order), rub a slice of the bread with the exposed surface of the garlic, followed by one of the tomato halves, and drizzle with olive oil. Simple as that!