The Lunchbox #25: The Savoury Bit
Happy anniversary to the The Lunchbox 🥂🎉!
Hello and welcome to The Lunchbox. This one is particularly special as it marks the first anniversary of this newsletter. I’d like to say thank you to everyone who has accompanied me on this lunch-leaning journey and for all the lovely words of feedback and recipes cooked by you. What a year it’s been! Over 50 seasonal recipes, 40 edible and practical kitchen products for you to try and 10 TV programmes for you to discover. And of course, diatribes on everything from complaining in restaurants to the bizarre world of Huel consumers. I hope it has brought a nice distraction to those long Friday afternoons. I’ve absolutely loved writing this and have loads of ideas for future newsletters.
This one is also special one because I will be pausing my writing for a while during my maternity leave to have my twins - due in just under two weeks. Wish me double luck! I’ll definitely be back, but am going to leave the when open as not sure how long it will take me to find my feet and get back to developing and writing. All paid subscriptions will be paused during this period so you won’t be charged.
OK, now onto the fun stuff!
x Georgia
*And a big thank you to the wonderful Safia Shakarchi for the beautiful food photography. Find her work here.
What I’m currently consuming
The Sauces that Can: Potts’
Like the idea of a pre-made sauce, without a load of additives, that also avoids single-use plastic? Here we go, kids! The people of Potts’ have extended their line of stock-in-a-beer can to these beautifully designed, recyclable sauces-in-a-beer can. They’re the perfect thing to have stashed in your cupboard for those What Am I Going To Cook! days, as all you need to bring to the party is a protein and a carb. The Mexican range is particularly useful as these sauces take many steps to put together, whereas this is just a case of pulling on a tab. I’m a big fan of their puttanesca and ragu alla Calabrese too, which only need a small helping hand to get you to a proper, authentic sauce. And how great will these look on your shelves?? Get them online and at Tesco.
The Dish: Whole Lobster Linguine at Pastaio
(*This was a free meal but I wasn’t obliged to write about it)
To say that Pastaio’s Whole Lobster Linguine is delicious feels like too much of an understatement. It’s so preposterously delicious that I texted FIVE people after to tell them to book a table immediately. It’s a real treat dish, a grand - almost intimidating -portion presented in your own Le Creuset that the waiter whips off like a cloche. It’s the kind of dish you might have on holiday in Italy and talk about for years after. Indeed, sitting on a side street off Carnaby Street with people walking past and the sun shining, it definitely felt like we somewhere other than sweaty Central London on a Saturday.
The dish itself is spectacular due to its simplicity: linguine in generous amounts of fresh tomato sauce, perfectly-cooked lobster and just a tickle of the holy triumvirate of garlic, white wine and parsley. It managed to be surprisingly light too, which I discovered as I slowly but surely managed to finish off the whole thing much to my boyfriend’s astonishment. ⚠️WARNING⚠️ it is messy though: please don’t wear white or neglect to wear your napkin like a bib (the ONLY way to wear it). A truly special dish that I will be returning for very soon.
Something to fill you up
Roast Ratatouille Pasta
Think it’s too warm for pasta? Think again. This is one of those pastas that is both comforting and light, thanks in part to the high ratio of veg to pasta. It’s also fabulously easy: chop up your veg, chuck ‘em in the oven, then stir them through pasta. It’s also eminently adaptable - throw in some chopped olives, anchovies or sundried tomatoes or any fresh herb you wish. I ate this three meals in a row and I don’t regret a thing.
See my how-to video here
Serves 4
1 aubergine, cut into 2-3cm cubes
2 small red or yellow peppers, deseeded and cut into 2-3cm cubes
600g tomatoes, any shape and size, cut into 2-3cm piece
2 courgettes, cut into 2-3cm cubes
2 small red onions, cut into 2-3cm cubes
8 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
75ml olive oil, plus extra, to serve
5 tbsp sherry vinegar
2 tsp dried oregano
400g penne, rigatoni or conchiglie
2 big handfuls of basil, roughly torn, to serve
A big handful of fresh oregano, to serve
Parmesan, to serve
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Transfer all the vegetables including the onions and garlic to a large baking tray and drizzle over the oil, vinegar and oregano. Season generously, toss so everything is coated and place in the oven for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, everything should be beginning to steam and colour, so give it a good stir and return to the oven for another 20-30 minutes until everything is tender, juicy and coloured on the edges. Cover in foil to keep warm.
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta to al dente. Drain, keeping a cup of the pasta water. Transfer the pasta to the vegetable tray along with the herbs, or tip everything into the pasta pan, adding splashes of pasta water and a few tablespoons of oil if you feel it needs it. Transfer to plates, grate over some Parmesan, and serve.
