Comments on: Absorption-method wholewheat pasta with tomatoes, french beans and feta

By: Monica

Monica — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 08:13:52 +0000

Beautiful photos and what a delicious recipe. I am going to plant a surplus of cherry tomatoes next year JUST so I can make those oven dried tomatoes. Mmm.

By: PastasticMatt

PastasticMatt — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 12:07:40 +0000

Hi Sophie – how interesting!
I’ve never tried the absorption method of cooking pasta before, but I do believe you’ve convinced me to give it a whirl :-)
And you’re right about just sitting and stirring. I find it bizarrely relaxing (we make quite a lot of bechamel sauce, so there’s plenty of stirring goes on chez nous!).
Bravo!

By: Sophie

Sophie — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 17:58:13 +0000

Kathryn – strangely enough the chooks aren’t all that fussed about the tomatoes. They like a bit of leaf but the fruit itself apparently isn’t that interesting. I tend to wrap a low run of plastic mesh (about a foot high) in front of the plants to protect them while the plants are young. The girls soon lose interest and move on to juicier and easier treats. They could jump up and grab the leaves and fruit if really wanted to but they’re too busy stalking my chard.
Arwen – I remember Nigella’s moonblush tomatoes too! I have made them like that in the past – it’s a good way to save electricity. With these I tend to pop the tomatoes into the oven after I’ve cooked something else rather than heating it up especially.
You’re very kind Wendy. I always go back to that courgette/mint/lemon combo in summer and must confess I nearly did it again with this recipe but thought I’d better branch out!

By: Wendy

Wendy — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 16:36:27 +0000

How did I miss this post? Shall be making this this week. Trust you implicitly since the courgette/lemon recipe a couple of years ago. I make it all the time in summer now.

By: Arwen from Hoglet K

Arwen from Hoglet K — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 11:04:55 +0000

That sounds wonderful for the beans and soft juicy tomatoes that we’re getting at the moment. It’s even nicer that you grew your own, and kept them out of reach of the chooks! I remember reading in a Nigella book about making the sunblush tomatoes by leaving them in the oven overnight, in the residual heat from baking (which she cutely called moonblush tomatoes).

By: kathryn

kathryn — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 07:22:59 +0000

Absolutely gorgeous recipe Sophie and I can imagine making this and adapting it in all kinds of different ways. I was vaguely aware you could cook pasta in this way, but have never tried it. Plus I hadn’t made the connection that it would produce a creamy textured pasta, without the cream. Good stuff.
I also love the little chook, scratching away in the background, going about her business. I’m assuming that the tomatoes are out of reach?

By: Sophie

Sophie — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 18:43:41 +0000

Thanks Elaine, I’m glad you enjoyed this and that you spotted the sneaky chook in the picture there.
We have a very kind friend who works in the wine trade who helped out with the containers!
Sorry about the problems leaving a comment – I’m not sure what’s happening but hopefully it had sorted itself out now.
Apologies to anybody else who has tried to leave a comment too.

By: Elaine

Elaine — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 17:52:50 +0000

Speaking of treats — and we were doing that recently on Kathryn’s blog — re-reading your post this morning has been a triple treat of:
#1) gorgeous photos
#2) evocative, tasty words
#3) thoughts of visiting the kitchen garden I share with Mom & harvesting enough green beans & tomatoes to make this recipe.
If I wasn’t already a gardener and champion of eating in season, fresh & local, this post would convince me.
Lovely work, Sophie. The garden, the chook-tending, the photography, the writing.
And I do love the containers you re-purposed for growing greens.