29.02.08: Roast veggie pasta and salad

She improvised a sauce for the intriguing spelt penne pasta by roasting an aubergine, red peppers, portobello mushrooms and courgettes, then piling it all in a pan with a can of cherry tomatoes, some leftover pesto, a few good dollops of Her ho-made harissa, and half a bag of fresh spinach. A sprinkling of chopped fresh basil and slivers of grana padano topped the main dish, while spinach and Sweetfire beetroot salad ultimately finished the plate.

SHE SAYS: Not bad at all, though for all of those ingredients, the one that really pulled it all together was the harissa. I think I'll just have to make it once every couple of months forever - the minty-spicy-salty combination is incredibly rewarding. V. pleased with the spelt pasta: compared to normal pasta, there's far less of a bloat-boat effect, and the taste and texture are indistinguishable from 'regular'.

Top tip: if ever you decide to make harissa, add a tablespoon of dried mint. I've not seen one recipe on the web yet that calls for this, but it's positively essential to make it mmm-worthy (good old Medina Kitchen!).

HE SAYS: Very nice, spelt pasta was better than whole wheat pasta and tastier than corn pasta. The sauce was a success with the roasted veg and the harissa added the necessary punch.