Good old pasta and sauce

 How are you doing? I am still wibbly, frankly. Now I admit it isn't so much global affairs as Nicola and Katya having to leave Strictly before they do a slow dance, but nonetheless, I am on edge. Please don't take away the smidge of normality joy we've had on telly. I'd be cooking comfort risotto, if we weren't down to do that on Saturday (I'll be on #ConfinedCookalong from about 6pm, you're welcome to start earlier. If there's no Strictly, at least we'll be well upholstered). 

Instead, my veganish week has gone carb heavy. First: a German tomato sauce. Yep. Classic pasta, that.

 It's delicious, actually. A spin on my old fave of roasted cherry tomatoes, and one I think would be ideal for cooking ahead when you're doing something else in the oven. All the cherry tomatoes you can muster, loads of cumin seed, garlic, and LOADS of butter. In the oven for 40 minutes. Absolutely evil and delicious - and still possibly with some vitamin, somewhere? It warms up nicely and goes on toast if you can't be bothered with pasta.

 

I forgot to take a photo of it as actual pasta sauce, but I'm sure you can imagine it. Lush.

Then the slightly more virtuous, and ineffably beige, cauliflower pasta. I love a roast cauli, much less keen on boiled. This seemed to be a kind of stovetop roasting, to create a sauce full of toasty notes. It mostly worked, but not entirely. I might just roast cauli in future. 

 First boil the cauliflower in florets:

Then take a really solid pan, add the drained cauliflower florets, oil, and sliced garlic. Cook for 10 mins with the lid on. Then lid off, stir intermittently, and cook at least 15 minutes. You want a little bit of burn, without the garlic going black and bitter. It will continue to look extremely bland.

However! Help is at hand! You're going to chop some capers, parsley and pine nuts (or in this case randomly open almonds), and mix them into the cauliflower. Plus seasoning. Plus lemon. Plus extra oil.

And then mix it with cooked pasta, and parmesan, and you have a very delicious, though still extremely beige, dinner.

It is intensely comforting.

Finally, if you're in need of pudding, consider roasting some pears in sherry syrup. It is very, very good.