BMF'S FOOD COLUMN

26 October 2009

HALLOWEEN THEME!

It's that time of year again, when you see the evil, orange faces of hand carved pumpkins, party goers dressed in ridiculous outfits and little children running from house to house with pots of goodies ( or homemade pumpkin biscuits if they came from BMF'S house!). Yes, Halloween is fastly approaching and what better way to celebrate this time of year, than with a freaky main course, deigned to shock and delight those that are brave enough to try it! Ok it just looks freaky, it doesn't taste it! Firstly I would like to share with you my favourite Halloween outfit….lets just say I am not one of those girls that dress as "sexy devils" or "slutty nurses"( dear god can you imagine Marian as sexy devil??!! I think I would pass out)

I wanted to talk about my love affair with the pumpkin. I have always felt at ease with a pumpkin in the kitchen. It brightens up the fridge with its smooth orange skin, gives off a wonderful sweet scent and not only that, Starbucks make it in to the best drink of all time...pumpkin spiced latte! If I could bathe in one liquid, it would be that latte, with whipped cream and sprinkles. Ok on a more practical note, pumpkins are not just good for carving/bathing in/drooling over and are extremely versatile in the kitchen. You can roast thick wedges with garlic, rosemary and olive oil, make a velvety cream of pumpkin soup with chestnuts, add chunks to stews, risottos , or even puree to make a sweet mash. My personal favourite is pumpkin ravioli with sage butter, it is heaven on a plate.

So, I think you have all gathered that I am a tad obsessed with pumpkins, just like azwombat is obsessed with shower gel, Booker is with Scoopy, Piper is with the Phillies...... BUT pumpkins are not as exciting as this AWESOME dish. When I think about this dish, my palms begin to sweat, my heart rate goes up, goose pimples form on my skin and shock waves travel up and down my spine. Oh no wait, that's what happens when I watch the frisking scene in the garage, sorry I got confused.
By the way, this is the easiest dish ever!

Eyeball pasta
Ingredients
100g cherry tomatoes

150g pack mini mozzarella balls, drained
handful basil
400g green tagliatelle
350g jar tomato sauce
4 tbsp fresh pesto

Halve the cherry tomatoes and use a small, sharp knife or a teaspoon to remove the seeds. Cut the mozzarella balls in half( this is easier to do if you imagine they are "el gordos" or Alex Pina's). Place one half inside each tomato, trimming the edges if necessary to fit it in. Either cut the smallest circles you can from a basil leaf or finely chop the leaves and scrunch into small circles. Place one at the centre of each mozzarella ball.

Boil the pasta. Meanwhile, heat through the tomato sauce. When the tagliatelle is cooked, drain and stir through the pesto and any remaining basil, chopped finely. Divide between 4-6 serving bowls. Spoon over some tomato sauce, then arrange the stuffed tomato eyeballs on top.