Cannellini bean mash

I think I have come across the non-potato mash rather late in life, (but am now in the process of catching up) and am definitely a fan. For a very quick and simple mash, which involves no peeling, chopping or boiling, tinned cannellini beans are absolutely brilliant. You can add any of the flavours that you normally would to mashed potato such as garlic or herbs, or just keep it simple with butter and salt and pepper.
I like to gently sweat a clove or two of crushed garlic in a couple of table spoons of olive oil and once softened add in two tins of cannellini beans (makes enough for two hungry people). These will also start to soften as they warm through, and you can then fully squish them with a regular potato masher or stick blender. When smooth, return to a gentle heat to make sure they're piping hot and then add lots of salt and pepper and maybe a knob of butter. And that's it- a lovely, creamy mash that happily fills the place of mashed potato when you feel like a bit of a change or if time is of the essence.
NB The picture below does not really do it justice.



Tesco cannellini beans (410g)
I rate them 9/10
Cost: Around £0.45 depending on your supermarket

Spaghetti with crab and rocket

I only started cooking this relatively recently when fresh picked crab meat started appearing in my local supermarket but it has undoubtedly become one of my favourite speedy recipes. It's light enough to eat in the summer, especially with the rocket leaves which act like an integrated salad, but is also lovely in the winter when you're in need of some hearty fare. The brown crab meat forms an instant sauce so additional ingredients like cream aren't required, and it's so quick the thing that takes longest to cook is the pasta.

There seem to be lots of variants of this recipe but this is my version (probably initially inspired by Nigella or someone else off the telly though). For enough for two you'll need:

100g picked crab meat (white and brown)
2 or 3 spring onions (finely sliced)
1 fat clove of garlic (finely chopped)
1 medium red chilli (finely chopped; remove seeds if you don't want too much heat)
Large handful of rocket
Plenty of olive oil
Enough spaghetti for two (about 200g)
Plenty of seasoning

Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the spaghetti. At the same time gently sweat the spring onions in a generous amount of olive oil until they've softened without colouring. Add the garlic and chilli, stir for a couple of minutes and then add the crab meat and cook until it's heated through. Remove from the heat and then stir through the cooked pasta. Season to taste and add an extra splash of olive oil if you want. Either add the rocket directly to the crab and pasta and mix or serve on top (and eat immediately).

It has also been known for all of the above to be combined with enough pasta for one and eaten solo. But definitely not by me, no definitely not.......