I’ve been watching Friends for the first time, as it’s on Netflix at the moment and the whole thing passed me by when it was broadcast first time around. In one episode, Monica and a cheffy friend are in the coffee shop talking about how sun dried tomatoes are *so* five years ago – I clearly missed that memo.

I’m a big fan of midweek pasta. It’s filling and comforting, and I love a good carb fest. The creamy sauces can be a killer though, so I usually stick to tomato based.

This recipe is best of both worlds. First, a tomato cream is whipped up in a blender from sundried tomatoes, veggie stock and soaked cashews.

Boil penne, and at the same time sauté some veg, add the cream, a first full of basil and the pasta. Simples. While I cut the recipe on half, I kept the full amounts of both garlic and tomatoes, and it was well worth it.

It’s definitely a recipe for cleaning up as you go, lest you finish dinner and have a blender, multiple pots, bowls and utensils to deal with. It’s also one you’ll want to do all your prep ( or Meeze, as Anthony Bourdain would say) as once you get rolling it all pulls together very quickly.

This went down well, especially with a generous shake of nooch on top. HusBeast, who is traditionally suspicious of pasta with sauces that don’t resemble beef ragu, deemed it delicious.

A couple of notes…if you’re not using fresh veggie stock, I highly recommend using Marigold.

Obligatory tea preparation in background…

It’s the shizzle. I also advise caution with the amount used as it’s a recipe that could easily end up tasting boullion-ny and disappointing.

Despite the tomato cream, it wasn’t quite silky-textured enough for me. I’d make sure to add two or three tablespoons of soy cream next time, as it would make a big difference. I’d also double the basil – it really punches things up a notch, and the green of it and the broccoli are fab.

The broccoli, while looking a little odd, was delicious in the dish, and not something d ever have thought of putting in a pasta dish. It’s very important to keep the florets as even in size as possible, and keep them al dents in the pan, or by the time they’ve been m see with hot pasta and served, some will be pure mush. Yuck.