Seafood Spaghetti / Fight For Delight ❣️
A letter, little things I love and a dream menu for your week ahead
January is always the month when I feel the most tender. Surfacing back to reality in London after a month in Syndey’s sunshine, I’ve wanted more than ever to just be still. It’s been an exercise in trying to embrace what comes easy and trusting myself to be more sure of how I want to spend my time. Yesterday encapsulated the ultimate evening of joy and comfort that began with a long bath just after lunch, Moonstruck on my television as I snacked on bright orange clementines that were just as sweet and sour as the best sherbet, all while Joni my cat slept pressed up beside me. By the time the film had finished, the ragu that I’d made into a lasagna was ready just as my friend Kai rang my doorbell for a night of red wine, cosy food and banana cake.
As someone who suffers from the cold and grey of a London winter, I like to look towards the things that make this time of year brighter. Being around people who light you up, putting everything into perspective and being grateful for the little moments is what I try and remind myself of. The fact that it’s both citrus and fuschia pink forced rhubarb season, the month for lounging in wine bars with plenty of candlelight and curling up in bed with books and tea both within reach also helps. On the first of January when I was a teenager, I used to write a list of all the things I loved that I felt defined me the most and the year I wanted to will into existence. This year, I did it again for the first time in a long time.
This week I have a recipe for you from my ‘Holiday When The Sky Is Grey’ menu of my cookbook that instantly transports me to the feeling of bliss when sunshine feels far away. For all the many new subscribers who found me from the Sheer Luxe feature, my name is Bre and I’m a food writer, author of Table For Two and the editor at Belmond/LVMH. I’ve been writing this weekly newsletter since 2020 and each edition brings you a recipe from my kitchen and suggestions for what to cook on your own as the seasons change.
So much shifts every day in our lives that is beyond our control, but how and what we cook and how and what we love is something that I cling to and want to capture for you here. Fight for delight in all you eat and with everyone you love.
Thank you for being here with me,
P.S For all London readers, on the 8th of February I’ll be at Anthropologie in Chelsea to talk about food, love and all things Table For Two. I’ll be interviewed by the superstar that is
and you can save your spot here.
A word of warning: don’t wear white when eating this; it’s a dish that has the ability to destroy tablecloths and clothes as you twirl the pasta and fight forks over who gets the last prawn. It’s centred on two things that make me feel euphoric no matter their context – seafood and spaghetti – which come together in a fragrant tomato sauce scented with fennel seeds, bay and lemon. I add just the tiniest pinch of cinnamon and quite a bit of chilli to really make me feel like I’m eating it on a beach in Sicily.
For the sauce, you gently simmer the squid for 1 hour, until it’s tender and butter-soft. I promise that all fears of rubbery squid will be calmed once you eat this. I was taught to slowly braise squid by food writer and academic,
and have never looked back. As you pop your spaghetti on to boil, the prawns poach and the mussels steam open in the rich tomato sauce. Have a platter and 3 bowls waiting, one for each of you and one to pile the empty shells into.2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1⁄2 white onion, finely chopped
a pinch of sea salt, plus extra to cook the pasta
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
1⁄2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp tomato purée
1 unwaxed lemon
1 bay leaf
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
200g squid, cleaned and sliced into rings
a pinch of sugar
a tiny pinch of ground cinnamon
250g dried spaghetti
200g mussels, scrubbed and cleaned
100g raw prawns, peeled and deveined, tails left on
1 handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve
Heat the olive oil in a very large, heavy-bottomed pot on a medium-high heat. Add the onion and salt and let it sizzle for a minute or so. When the onion has started to soften and turn translucent, turn the heat down a little and add the garlic, chilli, fennel seeds and tomato purée. Stir and let it sizzle for a minute or so until you can smell the aroma of each ingredient.
Using a potato peeler, peel a large strip of zest from the lemon and add this to the pot with the bay leaf. Just as everything starts to caramelize, pour in the chopped tomatoes. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot and stir it all together. Pour in 200ml (scant 1 cup) water and add the squid.
Turn the heat down as low as it will go and simmer the sauce for 1 hour, stirring every now and then to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom. After 1 hour the sauce will have reduced and the squid will be soft and tender. Sprinkle over the sugar to taste and add the cinnamon.
Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water for 2 minutes less than instructed on the packet. Five minutes before the pasta is ready, give the tomato sauce a stir and add the mussels and prawns to the pot. Turn the heat up to medium, pop the lid on and cook for 5 minutes, until the mussel shells open and the prawns turn pink.
When the spaghetti is almost fully cooked, scoop it out with tongs and add to the seafood sauce with a small ladleful of the pasta cooking water, then toss everything together with the heat still on. Add the parsley and the juice of 1⁄2 lemon, then leave the lid on the pot for a few minutes to allow the spaghetti to absorb the sauce. Remove the lid and give the dish another toss together. Drizzle with extra olive oil and transfer the seafood spaghetti to a serving platter. Scatter over extra parsley.
1. I’m in a big Mezcal mood and Dangerous Don is what I’m reaching for the most lately. It’s Female-founded, triple-distilled and exceptionally good.
2. Yesterday was a special day because I ate my first blood orange of the season. Get your hands on some and make this or eat them over the sink. 3. I adore everything the team at Apartamento works on and their new book with Copenhagen’s Atelier September is perfection. 4. The best meal I’ve had so far since being back in London hands down goes to Tiella at The Compton Arms, it was simply spectacular. 5.
A menu inspired by the very cosy Sunday night dinner that I’m currently cooking.
Starter
Some good bread grilled and rubbed with garlic served with Whipped Ricotta.
Main
All I wanted to eat tonight was a Classic Lasagna when I was thinking about pure comfort. The ragu is on the stove right now simmering with almost half a bottle of red wine, lots of herbs and a few Parmesan rinds.
Dessert
For a shoot on Saturday I made my Sesame Banana Bread and tonight I’ll warm up a slice to have alongside some ice cream.