Today’s recipe is from Donal Skehan’s new book ‘Kitchen Hero.’ Except for the rashers bit. That would be the carnivore in me going wow, this is amazing, but wouldn’t it be even more amazing with some crispy rashers? I could have been very bold and drizzled the bacon fat on top too but perhaps that would be a step too close to raised cholesterol levels. It’s a wonderfully satisfying, fresh tasting, zingy dish, that, even with the addition of rashers, still feels like healthy eating. The other great thing is the prep time. Chop to chew time is between 10 to 15 minutes maximum.
You will need: (Serves 4)
3 tbsp olive oil
8 rashers
1 garlic clove
Large handful Parmesan
125g rocket leaves (or mix of rocket & baby spinach)
300g dried pasta (Donal uses penne, I used fusilli)
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 ripe avocados
Juice of half a lemon
Sea salt and ground black pepper (freshly ground if possible)
Method:
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and begin to fry the rashers.
Boil up a large saucepan of water and start to cook the pasta (Usually 8 minutes – check the packet).
Place the rocket leaves in a large bowl and crush in the garlic and grate in the parmesan.
Drain the cooked pasta and add to the large bowl. Drizzle 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp balsamic vinegar on top and mix well.
Peel, stone and slice the avocados and squeeze the lemon juice over the slices to minimise discolouration (adds a nice flavour kick too)
Add the sliced avocados to the tossed pasta salad and season well with sea salt and ground black pepper.
Place the crispy rashers on top and serve with an extra sprinkling of grated parmesan.
Enjoy.
If you are ever in Dublin and fancy tasting some of the food from Donal Skehan’s ‘Kitchen Hero’, then get yourself over to The Westbury Hotel, off Grafton Street, where you can lose the madding crowd and indulge in ‘The Kitchen Hero’s Tasty Tea’ designed by the man himself. I was delighted to sample it last week along with a number of other Irish Foodies and Donal Skehan as our host.
Til next time, Sheila.