Pasta salad with slow-roasted tomatoes, aubergine and feta cheese

There are several parks where we live, but the finest was an old garden right across the street. Overgrown and scruffy and surrounded by a tall wall.

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It was not a golf garden or pride of the neighbourhood, just a treasure for animals searching for a home or children searching for play. This is where Doris made her first steps outside – and learned to be an outdoor cat.

I would have wanted to know what they know
the leaves hanging there in all their splendour
do they know they soon have to let go
how they are turned to dust in the next chapter?
“Always loved autumn” by Kari Bremnes

Doris came to us when she was three. Fat and idle, the ad described her. Likes to play with hair bands.

She had a few pounds extra, but was not lazy at all. She loved to catch hair bands like a football keeper. She came to us because her former owners were afraid of their new Persian rugs.

She was not very socialized. She did not meow much, never held her tail in the air when she was happy, and she had never been outdoor in her life.

With a collar around her belly and neck I took her to the attic. A big attic, fit for a cat that was about to discover the world. Doris loved the attic from the first moment.

Soon she was ready for something bigger, the old garden. We let her out of the cat carrier, and for the first time she could feel spring beneath her paws.

Doris jumped. She had never before heard the sound of leaves.

The old garden was the perfect place for her. It was a safe haven to explore the world.

But she was not alone in exploring the garden.

One day we stumbled upon five small hedgehogs sleeping in the tall grass. This was one of the hottest summers in Oslo and so we put water in a bowl for them.

The blackbird was singing from the top of the tallest trees in the old garden. Already in February or March its melancholy tune could be heard at dawn.

Turdus merula is its name in latin, and the name itself is like a song.

Magpies also lived in the garden. Always noisy, they chased competitors away and raided the songbirds’ nest. They were also part of the garden.

In the summer when it was time for the juvenile magpies to leave the nest, they sometimes landed on the wrong side of the wall.

From my kitchen window I could see a juvenile magpie standing between the parked cars on its way towards the road. I fetched my umbrella and headed out.

I grabbed the little magpie and ran towards the garden holding the umbrella over my head in case the magpie mother would disapprove. Then I placed the bird on the other side of the wall, next to the garden, hoping for the best.

For years the old garden stood there. Scruffy and loved.

One day men with machines entered the garden. They removed all weed, but worst of all. They started cutting down the old trees.

The old garden with the old municipal building was going to be kindergarten.

The weed was replaced by lawn and play equipment. Luckily the old apple tree and two of the songtrees were saved.

But of the other trees there were only remains left. For more than a week the magpies sat next to the remains, mourning what was left of their home.

I do not know what happened to the hedgehogs. If they managed. If they found a new green patch to call their home. But since that time I have not seen hedgehogs in the neighbourhood.

Kindergarten kids moved into the garden. And we had a kid. A boy who loved the garden, one of several playgrounds in our neighbourhood.

The garden was also stomping ground for me, a place to photograph. It was particularly the apple tree that haunted me – a giant old apple tree holding all the apples of the world.

One late autumn evening Doris and I went foraging in the old garden. Our mission was to make apple trifle with the most locally produced apples we could find. Origin: Right across the street.

I did not know then that the hours and days with Doris this year were the best moments of my life.

Autumn turned into early winter, and the apple tree had completed its duty. This was the last autumn with Doris.

Spring is again upon us, and the apple tree is blossoming.

I wish my son could have shared more moments with Doris. I wish their encounter could have been longer.

But I tell him the stories about her. How she went for walks in a leash. How she went to a coffee shop with us. How she would have loved him taking her for a walk.

I tell him that mommy and Doris, we were here picking apples. And we had to shake the trees for the apples to fall. And there were lots of apples.

– Fall down, he says. Doris eat apples.
– Yes, I reply, Doris is eating apples.

Pasta salad with slow-roasted tomatoes and aubergines

This is one of my lunch salads, photographed in the old garden. The best part about the pasta salad is the tomatoes. They taste like sun-dried tomatoes, only better. You slow-roast or dry the tomatoes in the oven for about 4 hours, and the result is magical. I also bake the aubergines until they are creamy and tender.

About 8 big tomatoes
2 eggplants
2 tbsp olive oil
100 g / 3,5 oz pasta (e.g. fusilli)
1 cucumber
½ red onion
1 piece of feta cheese

Pepper vinaigrette:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice (or red or white vine vinegar)
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
a pinch of salt

1. Preheat the oven to 125C/250F/Gas1/2 and line two large baking trays with parchment paper.
2. Slice the tomatoes. They should be about 1 cm thick (0,4 inches). Place in the tray and season a little bit with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for about 3-4 hours. Have a look at them towards the end, so they do not turn into chips.
3. Cut the eggplant in squares and place in the other baking tray. Add olive oil and seasoning and blend well. Turn on convection and bake in the oven together with the tomatoes for the last hour.
4. Shake all the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a little box (or stir in a glass).
5. Cook the pasta according to package instructions, drain well and place in a bowl with the vinaigrette. Blend well.
6. Slice the red onion and cut the cucumber and feta cheese in pieces.
7. Toss everything (except the tomatoes) together in a bowl with the vinaigrette. Serve with the tomatoes on top.

Recipes with a story?

Creamy rice porridge “Suzette”
Rhubarb tart 1938
Rhubarb lemonade

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Quick pasta with spinach and quinoa.

This quick pasta dish only takes 15 minutes, is fit for both midweek and weekend dinners and contains two super ingredients, spinach and quinoa.

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Spinach – the green knight from Persia

Spinach is one of the quickest and healthiest vegetables you can use in your kitchen. If you buy packages of prewashed spinach, it takes only two minutes to prepare. The spinach originates from ancient Persia (today’s Iran), and was brought to India and China by Arabic traders in the 7th century. Hence the Chinese called it “Persian vegetable”. The Arabs also brought it to Europe in the 9th century, to Sicily which at that time was ruled by the Arabs.

Quinoa – the secret from the Andes

On the other side of the earth a distant relative of the spinach thrives in a harsh climate. Quinoa has been cultivated for 3 000 years in South America. It is very nutritious and even gluten-free. The Incas held quinoa into high esteem, using the seeds in religious rituals.

Although the Inca population never exceeded more than 100,000, they have put their everlasting mark on history. Their empire stretched 2,500 miles through some of the world’s most mountainous terrain from today’s southern Columbia to central Chile. They built Machu Picchu as a royal retreat for one of their emperors. The Incas have been called the Romans of the New World. Their reign ended with the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century. The Spaniards forbid the cultivation of quinoa, forcing the Incas to grow wheat instead. The last Inca emperor, Túpac Amaru, was killed by the Spanish in 1572.

There is a good reason quinoa was revered by the Incas. Compared to wheat quinoa is more nutritious containing a high amount of protein, magnesium and iron. It endures extreme conditions and is cultivated at an altitude of 4 000 meters above sea level defying temperatures ranging from -8 degrees to 38 degrees Celsius. Because it is so hardy and nutritious, the United Nations has put quinoa to the fore under the slogan “A future sown thousands of years ago”.

The Spanish did not bring the quinoa back to The Old World. Quinoa remained an edible treasure hidden by the Andes range. Instead Columbus and the Spaniards brought the pepper (Capsicum annuum) home to Europe. And back in Old Spain pepper were to become one of the key ingredients in modern Spanish kitchen.

Pimentón dulce.

Red is for pimentón

Which colour do you associate with the Spanish kitchen? Maybe your answer is yellow and saffron, but there is another colour more integral to Spain’s food. Red. Red is for pimentón. Pimentón is a spice made from peppers (chili peppers or bell peppers) first dried and then ground to a fine powder. Pimentón is what gives chorizo its characteristic red colour. Pimentón comes in tree versions: mild (dulce), bittersweet (agridulce) og hot (picante). The spice is only produced in the region of Murcia and La Vera in Extremadura. In La Vera the peppers are smoke-dried on chunks of wild oak producing a smoky flavour and intense red colour.

Quick pasta with spinach and quinoa (makes 2–3):

In this pasta dish it is important to use raw sausages because they impart more flavour. You can use a common type of sausage like bratwurst, but then do add a garlic clove when you fry to spice up the sausage.

A bag of prewashed spinach (about 300 g)
2–3 raw sausages
1 tbsp pimentón (preferably Pimentón de la Vera)
200–300 ml heavy cream
a handful of parmesan
salt and pepper
rapeseed oil
quinoa pasta

1. First, start boiling the pasta water. You do not want to wait for it to boil after the sauce is finished.

2. Add a lug of oil to a frying pan and fry the spinach in two batches on medium heat until wilted. I takes about 1 minute. Place the spinach on a plate and squeeze out the water with your hands.

3. Add another lug of oil to the frying pan. Slit the sausages and squeeze small meatballs with your hand into the pan. Fry the sausage meatballs with the pimentón until golden, about 5–10 minutes.

4. Finally add the cream and cook until the sauce has thickened a bit.

5. Put the spinach back into the pan. Season with salt and pepper and serve with a generous amount of parmesan.

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Smoothies with mango, lingonberry and spinach
Summer pasta with slow-roasted vegetables
Pasta Bolognese for non-Italians

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Pasta with slow-roasted vegetables.

I have always loved pasta. Spaghetti was the first dinner I made myself from scratch. The dish was something I had learned at school: spaghetti with minced beef in a sauce made of onions and tomato paste. Pasta is truly easy food. It is food kids can make. And do not care about making your own pasta – even Italians think it is ok to use dry pasta.

In this dish I serve pasta with typical Italian vegetables, tomatoes and zucchini, slow-roasted in the oven. If you haven’t tried zucchini I hope you will try them. Baking the vegetables on slow heat is a drying process that removes the water and intensifies the taste. Just think of the difference between natural tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes.

I also add bacon and mushroom because these are two of my favourite ingredients, but you can easily skip the bacon for a veggie-option. If you are lactose intolerant, leave out the cream. This dish is still delicious thanks to the slow-roasted vegetables packed with flavours.

Summer pasta with slow-roasted vegetables.

Pasta with slow-roasted vegetables (makes 3)

1 big zucchini, ends trimmed
200 g / 7 oz cherry tomatoes
400 g / 14 oz mushrooms e.g. brown button mushroom (aromasjampinjong)
300 ml / 10 oz sour cream (sæterrømme) or heavy cream (kremfløte)
200 g / 7 oz bacon, cut in small chunks (optional)
parmesan
parsley
salt and pepper
4 tbsp olive oil

1. Wash the vegetables except the mushrooms. Line a wide baking tray with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2.

2. Cut the zucchini in thin slices and place on the baking tray along with the tomatoes. Add olive oil, salt and pepper and rub into the vegetables with your hands. Spread the vegetables evenly on the tray (so they get into touch with the tray, not each other). Roast in the oven for 1 hour. If the zucchini look dry, add some more oil.

3. The mushrooms should not be cut thinly, if they are small, cut them in two. If they are medium sized cut them in three. In a frying pan, place the mushrooms and bacon and fry for about 25 minutes on medium-low heat until the bacon is crisp and the mushrooms have a nice brown colour. Stir occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Meanwhile, boil your favorite pasta according to package instructions. When the bacon and mushrooms are done, remove half of them and place in the tray with the slow-roasted vegetables. Add sour cream (or heavy cream) to the pan and leave to boil until slightly thickened. Season once again.

5. Place the pasta in serving bowls, then add the creamy bacon and mushrooms. Finish with the slow-roasted vegetables, lots of parmesan and a scattering of parsley. Drizzle with olive or chili oil.

Music: Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Rey

More pasta dishes?

Pasta Bolognese
Quick pasta with spinach and pimenton

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Pasta bolognese (Ragù alla Bolognese).

In Italy it is a milestone when a child tries pasta for the first time. Whether you have children or not, cooking pasta bolognese is one of the dishes that makes a home. It is also one of the dishes that makes Italians infuriated. Eating pasta is serious business.

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Pasta bolognese is one of the most famous Italian dishes, yet it doesn’t exist in Italy. You will not find “Pasta bolognese” on an Italian menu, except tourist menues. In Italy the dish is called Ragù alla Bolognese or Tagliatelle alla Bolognese. The pasta bolognese made in other countries are abominations with their use of meatballs, turkey, cream or other inauthentic ingredients. Not to mention the most heretic ingredient, spaghetti! Pasta bolognese is always paired with tagliatelle.

We often think fresh pasta (pasta fresca) is more authentic than dried pasta (pasta secca), but Italians will not hesitate using dry pasta. Also, the pasta should not drown in the sauce, the sauce should just cling to the pasta. And while most of us love to eat pasta as main course, in Italy pasta is the starter, primo piatti. Considering the fact that there are more than 100 types of pasta in Italy, pasta is not pasta.

From Bologna

The home of bolognese is Bologna, where the official recipe was established in 1982 in an attempt to protect the authenticity of the dish. This recipe uses two kinds of meat (minced beef and pancetta), olive oil, onions, garlic, carrots, celery sticks, red wine, tomatoes from can, bay leaves and parmesan. The use of garlic, herbs, milk, red or white wine, however, is a disputed fact among Italian chefs.

Love takes time

The key to the ragu is cooking it for hours to develop intense flavours. You should cook the pasta bolognese for at least an hour, preferably two. Although it takes some time to make, it is a very easy dish, perfect for families with small children or if you are short on time. Like stir-fry, the job consists mainly of chopping. The rest is slow cooking. Make a large portion because pasta bolognese freezes extremely well. Then you just have to boil the pasta and heat the sauce – that’s what I call clever cooking.

A slightly greener version

The authentic ragu is more a meat sauce than a tomato sauce, and it is quite dry. My version is slightly greener with more vegetables and I replace the bacon with fennel seeds to enhance the flavour. Pasta bolognese is healthier than you might think. In Italy pasta bolognese is served with parmesan only, but I love to dress it with a handful of herbs such as parsley. Garlic, onion, olive oil, carrots and tomatoes (canned tomatoes are actually healthier than fresh ones) all contain antioxidants, and both carrots and tomatoes are richer in antioxidants cooked, instead of raw. This is just another reason to love the dish from the city with the nickname “La Grassa”, the fat one.

Pasta bolognese (Ragù alla Bolognese) (makes 4)

50 ml olive oil
1 big onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
400 g organic minced beef
2 tbsp tomato paste
400 ml tomato passata (tomato sauce with no lumps)
1 tsp fennel seeds
salt and pepper
a handful of flat-leaf parsley (optional)
parmesan

1. Fry the onion and garlic gently for 5 minutes, then add the carrots and celery and continue frying for 10 minutes until softened.
2. Season the meat and add to the pan. Fry the meat until it has changed colour, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the tomato paste and fennel, and fry for a minute.
4. Add the tomato passata, and let simmer for at least an hour.
5. When finished, taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with spaghetti (or more authentically, tagliatelle), finely chopped parsley and parmesan cheese.

More dishes inspired by Italy?

Pick me up, tiramisu
Summer pasta with slow-roasted vegetables
Roasted plums with cookie topping
Chocolate cake with Italian blood oranges

And here is how the Italian blogger Juls’ kitchen makes the ragu.

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