There is a fashion in the secular world for something called “Dry January”. Just 31 days without alcohol, in part to make up for all the excesses of the Christmas season. Well, the Christmas Octave lasts into January, and Christmastide can be said to last until Candlemas on 2 February, so that simply won’t do.
Three weeks into February, however, Lent arrives with all its fasting and abstinence – perhaps 40 days without alcohol, and 40 days without meat, if you’re keeping it keenly. So here is a dish inspired by Dry January which, with one or two small edits, will work just as well for the occasional feast along the way. You will need some dry stuff, as follows:
Dried pasta, in whatever shape tickles your fancy, and in whatever quantity seems right for the number of mouths you propose to feed. Some “experts” say 75 grams per person, but go with how hungry people seem.
Dried tomatoes, which are available in many supermarkets, but have a look online where you might find quite large quantities at more reasonable cost. They keep!
Dried red peppers are harder to find, but well worth the effort.
Dried mushrooms, for which not so long ago one had to go on a day trip to Calais to find, but are now more or less everywhere.
That seems more than enough of a nod to dryness, so we can turn to ingredients which aren’t. Onion, garlic, shallots, fresh herbs, passata, tomato purée, oil and parmesan cheese.
Start by soaking the dried tomatoes and red peppers in a suitable container with sufficient water just off the boil to cover them. A couple of tomatoes and about half a red pepper per person should be about right. Next, take a few dried mushrooms – half a dozen per person – and grind to a fine powder in a suitable electric gadget.
In a sensible pan, heat a little oil and gently fry some chopped onion, shallot and garlic until soft and lightly coloured. You will have to use your discretion to decide how much of these to use. Meanwhile, drain the tomatoes and peppers, chop roughly and add to the pan. Add a generous squirt of tomato purée, if from a tube – from a jar, a generous spoonful. Now lower the heat and add the ground mushroom powder, stirring it in to soak up the oil and other juices.
Next, add some suitable liquid in order to form a sauce. In Lent, perhaps a vegetable stock cube dissolved in boiling water. Perhaps a chicken stock cube before then, or a generous glug of wine as well if you can find a feast day that suits.
Finally, add the passata and chopped fresh herbs to taste, or dried if you must. Parsley, thyme, oregano and/or basil would be good. Season to taste. Bring to the boil and then simmer for a while, until you have a luscious, fasting sauce with which to coat the pasta, which you put on to cook some 10 minutes earlier, of course. Serve with some grated parmesan.
All well and good for a fast, I hear you say – but what to do for a feast? Well, try adding meat, preferably minced and formed into balls, such as you will find, ready rolled, in most supermarkets. Pork, beef or venison are good, chicken is not impossible, veal is better. Lamb, I fear, is out of the question. Best of all, though, are the ones you make yourself, thus:
Trim the crusts off a slice of bread, and place the slice in a dish. Pour a little milk over it and leave it to soak. Chop a shallot very fine and place in a bowl along with some grated lemon zest, a little grated parmesan, a little crushed garlic and a few chopped herbs. Now add the meat, having regard to the strictures listed and allowing around 50 grams per person. If you like, try a mixture of a couple of meats – pork and veal work well together.
Take the soaked bread, squeeze it out thoroughly and add to the bowl, tearing it into very small fragments as you do. If you have any to hand, a sprinkling of dry breadcrumbs as well will not go amiss. Mix all the ingredients together well, preferably utilising your hands rather than a spoon or other appliances. Season generously and form into small, round balls; I always aim for a size no bigger than a mouthful.
Heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry the meatballs gently until they are nicely browned all over. Add them and their juices to your pasta sauce and poach for something like half an hour or so, before cooking your pasta and serving.
Cheese and fruit to finish the meal, I think, perhaps varied according to the day – for some cheeses are more penitential than others.
Accompany with something liquid and delicious, according to taste and season. So, just as above, think water for the fast, with some added extra treat for the feast.
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