spinach sort-of pesto = spesto? spinesto? spinachesto?

pulverise spinach, especially spinach that's looking a bit sorry for itself, with toasted seeds, lemon, oil and garlic for an irridescent sauce - here i bunged it on some egg noodles but it's also good with pasta, or simply as a dresssing for veg.

Ingredients

• 1/2 bag spinach - about 100g, plus any other nearly-dodgy salad knocking around - rocket works well
• juice of half a lemon
• handful sunflower seeds (or pine nuts or any other tasty nuts you have that need using up)
• glug of olive oil
• clove garlic
• spinkling dried chilli
  
• salt, pepper

Method

1. toast the seeds (or nuts) lightly in a frying pan. if you burn them, you'll have to chuck them out because they taste really nasty.
2. once they're toasted, bung in a food processor or liquidiser. put the olive oil in the still-warm frying pan and lightly fry the garlic - again, if it overcooks it'll be bitter so keep an eye on it. cooking the garlic takes the edge off...
3. place everything else in the processor and squish on high until it's a sauce. serve ...

tomato³ sauce

a lush tomato sauce, given depth with 3 types of tomatoes (canned, sundried and pureed) and various green flavours chucked in ... ace with pasta or spread on a pizza base. The pomegranate molasses brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes but it's probably only on sale in poncy-ish delis so you can use sugar instead. It's also a good recipe in which to hide veg that you or your recalcitrant other halves might dislike (I hid half a marrow in this one).

Ingredients

1. medium onion, chopped
2. 2 cloves garlic, chopped
3. teaspoon of capers, chopped
4. handful of green olives, chopped
5. sprinkling dried chilli
6. sprinkling of herbes de provence
   
7. can of tomatoes
   
8. large handful sundried tomatoes (6-8)
9. teaspoon tomato puree
10. any spare veg that needs eating up
    
11. pinch of sugar or glug of pomegranate molasses
12. salt & pepper to taste
    

Method

• If your sundried tomatoes are dried (rather than in oil), cover them with hot water and leave to sit for a few minutes.
• Heat a glug of olive oil over a lowish heat and fry the onions for a few mins until soft
• Turn up the heat and chuck in the garlic - stiring to prevent it burning and tasting horrible.
  
• When you can smell the garlic, add the capers, olives, chilli and dried herbs and stir for a further minute.
• Add the can of tomatoes, tomato puree, chopped sundried tomatoes and sugar or molasses. If you've soaked the sundried tomatoes, bung the tomatoey water in too.
• Add the requiring-hiding veg and stir together.
  
• Let simmer for at least 20 mins ,stirring occasionally, to go all gloopy and delicious. Season with salt and pepper.
  
• Use with your favourite pasta, bung in a lasagne or spread on a pizza base.