Bringing Home the Cheese

Christmas cheer from Norseland Cheese’s press event was not exactly seasonal in June, but boy did I score big points for my Christmas wishlist when I brought home the cheese to my beloved. My bag of goodies included Jarslberg, Mexicana and Applewood cheeses, along with a fine cheese knife and a huge cheese cookbook to boot.

Not wanting to suggest a seemingly clichéd cheese on toast for supper, I set about raiding the kitchen to prepare a gorgeous cheese fest for us.

 And what did I find? A favourite frozen fallback – my homemade vegetali marinara (posh-sounding tomato pasta sauce), bacon, chilli, garlic, organic spaghetti and basil from the garden…pot on the balcony. The result was easy peasy-a-la-voila; Spaghetti Al’ Arrabiata; translated directly from Italian, I made ‘angry spaghetti’ for dinner, and very nice it was indeed.

Of course, we really needed to pile on the grated cheese to incorporate it satisfactorily into the meal. But just as I clutched at Norseland’s Jarslberg –my cheese of choice- the beloved reached back into the fridge and pulled out a wedge of archaic cheese with ‘it-really-must-be-time-to-polish-me-off’ written all over it. He shrugged apologetically and Norseland’s fresh cheeses took place of last week’s cheese in our fridge.
‘Uh…cheese fondue with cubed cheese tomorrow darling?’
Sigh, maybe we will get around to the cheese next week!

Our beautiful supper and the sum of its parts:

Vegetali Marinara
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 stick of celery, washed and finely chopped
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
2 tsp dried thyme
230ml (roughly one US cup) of white wine
2 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
1 tbsp black olives, pitted, rinsed and finely chopped
1 or 2 cans of Italian peeled plum tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 courgettes, washed and diced
2 anchovies, salted, rinsed and chopped

A splash of red wine

Salt & pepper, to taste


Add the olive oil to a large pan on a medium heat. Throw in the finely chopped onion, celery and season to taste. Allow the vegetables to sweat for a few minutes. Add the herbs and the wine and turn up the heat slightly to allow the wine to reduce. When the onions are nicely golden brown, reduce the heat and add the chopped olives and the crushed garlic. As soon as the pungent garlicy fragrance hits your nose turn in one or two cans of Italian tomatoes (depending upon how much time you have to allow your sauce to reduce and your personal preference). Give the ingredients a quick little stir and add in the tomato paste, anchovies, chopped courgettes and finely the red wine. Taste for seasoning and if required add a little more salt and pepper.

You can freeze the sauce and use it in lasagne, as a pasta sauce or as an accompaniment to a fillet of beef, a pork chop, a beautifully coral piece of salmon or a loin of haddock with a spritz of lemon and some finely chopped basil and parsley.
Alternatively, make like a Nordic-cheese-goddess and try our supper de-jour…

Spaghetti Al’ Arrabiata con Pancetta
(Please note: I am far from being Italian so expect linguistic blunders!)
4 pieces of bacon, Prosciutto or pancetta, diced
1 fresh red chilli, deseeded & finely chopped (Alternatively use red pepper flakes)
3 cloves of garlic, crushed and finely chopped
A splash of good white wine
Black pepper

Depending upon the amount of fat on the meat, you may not require oil in the frying pan. However, if you are unsure a little oil will just get the bacon going and the fat from the meat will soon begin to heat up in the pan. Add the red chilli and gently brown the meat with the chilli over a medium heat. When the meat is almost ready, toss in the garlic and stir it all together as the garlic softens in the bacon juices. Add a splash of good white wine and season with black pepper.

Finally spoon as much or as little of the Vegetali Marinara as you wish from the pan and stir it into the bacon mixture in the hot frying pan, allow the sauce to gently reheat and for the flavours to amalgamate and come together. Sprinkle over some freshly chopped parsley and basil. Serve with a big plate of spaghetti and a huge smattering of grated cheese. Preferably; Norseland’s cheese!

Enjoy xxx