Black Tapenade Cherry Tomato Pasta Salad

This Black Tapenade Cherry Tomato Pasta Salad is perhaps one of the laziest pasta salad recipes I have ever made - other than cooking the pasta, the rest was a breeze.

 I had made the black olive tapenade a few days back to go with the homemade sourdough bread.

So was looking for other ways to use it up. So I ended up cooking some penne pasta. I threw in a good handful of red and golden yellow cherry tomatoes and lunch for work was made.

It was both bitter and salty for the black olives, it was sweet from the tomatoes.  It was good enough for a simple lunch. 

For the black olive tapenade, follow this link for the recipe.
The rest is easy.
Cook pasta according to instructions.
Drain and set aside, then stir in tapenade to taste to coat the pasta.
Then add in chopped cherry tomatoes, sliced spring onions and season to taste.

I am sharing this simple Black Tapenade Cherry Tomato Pasta Salad with Souper Sundays hosted by Kahakai Kitchen. I don't always get to join in, but it is a pleasure when I do.  Thanks for hosting Deb. 

Roasted Butternut Squash, Fennel, Orzo Salad

I lose track when exactly I made this Roasted Butternut Squash, Fennel Orzo Salad, but it was around the time I made Beetroot Orzo Pasta and Green Bean Salad for work.  This was made in the same week as I had cooked way too much orzo.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar wither Orzo, Orzo is Italian and translates as barley from which it was originally made.  These days, orzo is made from hard wheat semolina.  For people like me, orzo often means rice-shaped pasta. 

Talking of orzo translating as barley, a few months ago when we went to Swansea VegFest, we went into the city of Swansea and stopped at an Italian eatery for a light snack.  

I had a popular Italian drink known as Caffe d'orzo, an Italian caffeine free Barley drink often drunk as a coffee substitute. 

 It is an acquired taste and made for an interesting change from real coffee. 

Anyway, this  Roasted Butternut Squash, Fennel Orzo Salad is a very simple recipe.  To the cooked orzo pasta, I added roasted butternut squash and fennel, sliced black olives and red onion.  

Other Butternut Squash Salad Recipes
Farro, Feta and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
Spiced Chickpeas and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
Turmeric Pasta with Blood Orange Chilli Oil
Broccoli, Butternut and cranberry Couscous Salad

I am sharing this Orzo Pasta Salad with Soups, Salads and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen.  

Roasted Marrow Salad with Black Olives and Lemon Oil

I thought I had shared all my marrow recipes last month, but must have missed this somehow, saying that though I do still have one marrow remaining in the vegetable basket.

I made this Roasted Marrow Potato Salad with Black Olives a couple of weeks back around the same time I made the Marrow Lemon Conserve.

This Roasted Marrow Potato Salad with Black Olives  wasn't anything special, but it made for a change from the typical pasta salads that I make for work.  It was also a good way to use up some left over potatoes and my marrow aka summer squash harvest from the garden.  The dressing was simple, an oil vinaigrette made with Azada Lemon oil.

I am sharing this with Soups, Salads and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen; and with Eat Your Greens.  

Runner Bean Salad

I have had a lazy weekend.  I have had a lie in which for me is often around 7.30am, then I was up.  I spent a few hours in the back garden, weeding and harvesting and D mowed the front garden. Then I spent a couple of hours in the kitchen - baking but part of it wondering what to do with the purple beans and runner beans harvested from the garden plot. 

I  think I may have mentioned before that I do struggle to know what to do with runner beans.  

Runner beans are often served as a side, and this Runner Bean Salad can also side but can hold its own too; and if you want to make it more substantial stir in some cous cous.

This Runner Bean Salad is made with thinly sliced red onion, black olives and and seasoned olive oil and white wine vinegar dressing, oh yes and runner beans, that have been cooked until they are al dente. 

I am sharing this simple Runner Bean Salad with Soups, Salads and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen.  

Turmeric Risotto with Preserved Lemons and Green Olives

I know what your thinking Olives for dinner , but this Turmeric Risotto has more than just olives, it also has preserved lemons.

The late Karen Hubert Allison, cookbook Author of The Vegetarian Compass was so right when she wrote All roads to Preserved Lemons lead to Paula Wolfert classic cookbook Couscous and Other Good Foods From Morocco (1973) and who am I to disagree.

I sometimes make my own Preserved Lemons, but there is nothing wrong with picking up a jar of ready made, there are quite a few good brands about.  

I was inspired to make this Turmeric Risotto with Preserved Lemons and Green Olives a little while back when I had limited fresh vegetables in my home, much of what went into this was store cupboard ingredients or those often found in my fridge.  I had picked up a packet or organic tempeh the last time I went into the city.   The tempeh served almost like crispy croutons and made for an interesting contrast against the soft rice grains. 

Adapted from The Vegetarian Compass by the late Karen Hubert Allison.

Italian Fiorelli Pasta with Fennel and Green Peppers

This Pasta with Fennel and Green Peppers is one I made many years back.  The recipe comes from on of my all-time favourite vegetarian chefs Denis Cotter owner of the best vegetarian restaurant Cafe Paradiso in Ireland, as well as its chef and co-founder.  Denis Cotter was one of the first to deliver contemporary style of vegetarian cuisine. There were not many innovative vegetarian or vegan cookbooks in the mid 1990s found in this part of the English speaking world. I really admire him, unlike other vegetarian and vegan chefs (that came after), he has never ever sought the limelight and has always been humble and modest. never looking for the Michelin Stars or Rosette recognition (although why not, Cafe Paradiso and his team truly deserves that accolade for what its worth). He for me redefined non-meat based cuisine by experimenting with original flavours, brilliant culinary improvisations and modern techniques at the time.  You can see Deni Cotters influences in the way many vegetarian chefs that came after (whether they admit it or not), have been inspired by him or have used many of his recipes as a springboard for their own.  I do sometimes think some people have very short memories as they forget original stars and voices of vegetarian and vegan cuisine in favour of those that crave the limelight and pretend that they have created something original, for example vegetables in cakes, people have you never heard of carrot cake!  

His book 'Paradiso Seasons was named as the best vegetarian cookbook in the world at the Gourmand World Cookbook Fair in 2004. Denis Cotter creates restaurant quality food that I truly want to eat. He is a big influence on the way I cook, he is vegetarian icon and a vegetarian hero of mine, especially when I want to create something a bit more avante garde  or honest and down to earth in my own kitchen, but never pretentious. 

I am patiently waiting for another brilliant and original cookbook from him.  ; and to visit Cafe Paradiso in Cork, Ireland remains on my wish list.  Dear Husband I hope you are reading this, if not I know you already know...

After all that high praise for Denis Cotter, i have to admit for quickness, I have cut lots of corners for this recipe.  For a start, he roasts the garlic in oil until it is tender, soft and sweet and can easily be popped out of its skin.  The garlic enhances fresh parsley and olive oil which forms part of the pasta sauce and much more.  

My Pasta with Fennel and Green Peppers is made with Fiorelli from M&S.  Its described as authentic Italian pasta made and air dried in the Italian Alps, using select Italian wheat and a bronze dye for a rough texture that picks up every drop of sauce.  The fiorelli* shaped pasta is supposed to resemble flower buds.  I loved the intense flavour combination in the final dish, lots of layers of flavours, from the garlic, the parsley, the peppers, the fennel and then piquancy from the sun dried tomatoes and black peppers and the pasta acted as a brilliant foil to hold all those flavours. 

This is my second  contribution to Food 'N' Flix this month  hosted at All Roads Lead To The Kitchen.  The movie chosen this month was French Kiss with Kevin Kline and the infectious Meg Ryan.   

I was fortunate to find the movie on youtube and watched it on a day when I was off work.  Less than 10 minutes into the movie I spotted some fresh vegetables in the kitchen on the table including tomatoes, carrots, fennel and a bowl of mushrooms I think.  This is just before the character Kate receives a phone call from her fiancee Charlie breaking up with her as he has fallen in love with someone he has met in Paris. The feathery fennel inspired me to make this pasta salad.  I am also sharing this Pasta Salad with Soups, Salads and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen;  and finally  Healthy Vegan Fridays hosted by Rock My Vegan Socks and V Nutrition. 

Here is a link to Denis Cotters vegetarian cookbooks, many of which have vegan recipes.
Here are some other Denis Cotter inspired recipes on A2K- A Seasonal Veg Table
Aubergine, Black Eyed Peas Coconut Pot
Aubergine aka Eggplant Tomato Relish Pasta
Pumpkin, Black Beans and Leeks
Turnip Swede Curry
Balsamic Roasted Beetroot Dyed Pasta
Wild Garlic Past and Pesto
Roasted Runner Beans and Couscous
Jerusalem Artichoke Risotto 

In this blog post called Peeking Through Snowy Windows in 2010,  I wrote about 3 of my favourite chefs celebrating vegetables and Denis Cotter was named then and would still be today. 

*Here is a guide from the BBC of pasta shapes of Italy

Italian Fiorelli with Fennel and Green Peppers
Serves 3 - 4
Ingredients
250g Fiorelli Pasta, or other pasta shape.  
Cook according to packet instructions, drain and set aside

1 fennel, sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 green pepper, sliced
12 black olives
2 tablespoons sun dried tomato, sliced
Fresh parsley, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
In a wide pan, heat the oil and then stir in the fennel and cook for five minutes, then stir in the garlic and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. then stir in the olives and sun dried tomatoes for a minute, then stir in the pasta, parsley and season to taste
Adapted from Denis Cotters The Cafe Paradiso Cookbook

Cauliflower Cheese Gratin with Black Olives

I know it don't look much, but this Cauliflower Cheese Gratin with Black Olives made for an interesting change.  

The onions were soft and caramelised, the cauliflower was blistered gold here and there as if it were sprayed lustre gold and then studded with black pearls of sliced black olives.  It was surprisingly quite good and this is a compliment from someone who still snugs her nose at cauliflower dishes.   I must say though, this is not a creamy gratin.  The cream clings onto the cauliflower florets or  sinks into the gaps.

I served the gratin with some crusty crisp bread, but you could happily have it with sauteed new potatoes if you wish. 

vegan Halloween Creepy Black Olive Spider Potato Gratin

We don't do Halloween in our home, but with the weather turning all miserable and cold in the last week, I have been making hearty dishes like potato gratin.  Potato gratin has been on the menu a few times and this time I just could not resist adorning this vegan Potato Gratin with some creepy black olive spiders

I know I am childish, but there is a kid in all of us - right?! 

I was actually inspired to top the gratin with the spiders from a recipe I had seen last year  (see here) where bread is topped with flavoured cream cheese and topped of with black olive spiders, it had obviously impressed me as I had it lodged in the back of my head to try.

I am sharing this recipe with Healthy Vegan Fridays hosted by Rock My Vegan Socks and V Nutrition.

Other Halloween Recipes to inspire you. Those that are vegan are marked with a v, otherwise everything is suitable for vegetarians.  

Bloody Massacred Beetroot Men Pies  v
Black Sesame Seed Butter v
Pumpkins are not Just for Halloween Chilli v
Beetroot Gratin
Beetroot Cauliflower 'Brain' Salad with Feta Cheese
Halloween Inspiration
Red GHOULash v
Blood Beetroot and Raspberry Jelly v 
Vampire Beetroot Scotch Eggs 
Zombie Pies v

Gothic Black Olive Tapenade

Yesterday morning thunder and lightning at woke me up.  The day began overcast and drizzly, but by the afternoon the sunshine was out and it was lovely and relatively dry.  

I picked up some bread from the farmers market - my fortnightly foodie treat, so not to waste it and enjoy it whilst still fresh.  It was suggested to me by D to make some spreads and dips.  I've shared the recipe for chickpea hummus (and different ingredient combinations  such as wild garlic, courgette and beetroot before), but never olive tapenade.  I am not sure why not, as I've made both green and black tapenade a number of times, since starting this blog. 

I first had tapenade when I went to Turkey with my in-laws and their friends.  It was often offered as a complimentary dish, a bit like bread sticks.  I remember sitting at a Turkish restaurant and someone said 'I don't like olives'.  I responded 'do you know that the tapenade your tucking into is made from olives'.  His response with a big smile right back at me ' Oh, then I guess I must like olives then'.   I understand where he was coming from, because the first time an olive passed my teenage lips I spat it right out and never tried it again until my adult days, when my tastes were becoming more adventurous.  Between the two though, I have to admit green olives are my preference.  

Anyway, back to the black olive tapenade.  A jar of black olives was lurking at the back of my fridge, opened a few weeks back when I made D a pasta dish with black olives for his working lunch. Unsure what else to do with it, I was prompted by D to make tapenade.  Tapenade - green or black costs a fair bit if picked up from the deli or shop, so why not make your own at home.  This one is vegetarian and vegan too, many of the shop bought ones contain anchovies.  It will keep in the fridge for two weeks.  Its quite versatile too, not just for spreading on fresh bread, try it on toasted bread too; or even with pasta.