Spaghetti with beans and tomatoes
This is originally a River Café recipe that I make all the time for supper when the beans and tomatoes are abundant and utterly delicious. Pick the beans snappy and small rather than large and slightly cotton-woolly.
Serves 6
• 1kg tomatoes, ideally plum or small beefsteak
• 300g French beans, topped and tailed
• Pinch of salt
• 150ml double cream
• 1 garlic clove, whole and peeled
• Handful of basil leaves, torn up
• 400g spaghetti
• 50g grated Parmesan cheese, to serve
• Freshly ground black pepper
Skin the tomatoes, deseed with a teaspoon and chop them coarsely. Cook the beans in plenty of salted boiling water for 3 minutes until they are just tender. Cool them quickly in a bowl of cold water and drain.
Bring the cream to the boil and add the garlic.
Take the pan off the heat and leave the cream to steep for 5 minutes before removing the garlic.
Then add the beans, tomatoes and most of the torn-up basil, and toss just for a minute to warm the veg through.
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, drain and mix with the tomatoes and beans.
Serve it with freshly grated Parmesan and plenty of freshly milled black pepper and a last scattering of basil.
