Blue Food......

Often heralded as one of the few things on the face of the earth which can stimulate all the senses at the same time food plays on your emotions with colors, aromas, taste and design.  All the colors of the rainbow presented to you on the surface of a plate.  Well, all the colors but blue that is.

No blue food here.  Or is there?

Have you ever seen blue food?  Why is it that despite the enormous diversity of cuisine from around the world, blue food doesn't get a look in anywhere.  Obviously the answer to this is that there aren't a huge amount of blue ingredients in the first place.  Here's a little clip of the great american comedian George Carlin thinking he's onto something:

Despite the fact we humans seem to be evolving faster than an aquarium full of sea monkeys we are essentially simple creatures at heart.  Our ancestors would have seen blue and black berries as danger signs and a warning to stay away.  And perhaps a bit of that fear has stuck with us throughout time.  Nature doesn't produce blue food therefore it doesn't seem natural to eat it.

Studies have shown that blue is actually an appetite supressant.  If you want to make sure you don't come home from a night on the town and stuff your face with cold ham and custard put a blue light in the fridge.  Prevent that want for a second helping by adorning your dining room with a blue lamp.  Your neighbors might start to think you've started a 'second job' though.

The recipe below incorporates one of those not really blue foods.  Blue cheese.  This is a hearty meal that is packed full of flavor.  Something that won't take you long to put together but will provide you with oodles of satisfaction.  I like to make it on stay at home Friday evenings in Autumn when I know I'm gonna want to spend more time on the couch than in the kitchen.

Walnuts and Blue Cheese work really well together.  Toasting the walnuts removes their bitterness but be careful not to burn them.  By the time you can smell them, it is usually too late!

Blue Cheese, Walnut and Bacon Spaghetti

Serves 2.  

Prep Time 10 min.  

Cook time 25 min.

Ingredients

200g Mushrooms, thickly sliced
4 slices streaky bacon
½ onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
75g Blue Cheese

¼ cup cream.
½ cup chicken stock
1/3 cup  roughly chopped walnuts.
150g Spaghetti

Method

1. Turn the oven onto 180 degrees C and put the jug on boil for your pasta water.
2.  Heat a dash of Olive oil on a medium heat in a medium sized pan.  Fry the bacon slices until crispy, about 3-5 minutes.  Remove and place on paper towels.

Bacon is not blue.

4.  Place walnuts on an oven tray and toast in the oven until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
5.  Add the onion to the pan.  Cook for 2 minutes, then add the mushrooms.  Cook for a further five minutes.  6.  Add the garlic, season the mixture and cook for a further minute.  Remove the mixture from the pan.
7.  Place the spaghetti in rapidly boiling salted water (it should taste like sea water) and cook as per packet instructions.
8.  Place the chicken stock in the used frying pan and let it reduce by half.  Add the cream and the diced blue cheese.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the cheese has melted and the sauce has thickened.
9.  Add the spaghetti to the sauce, mix thoroughly.  Slice up your bacon and add to the pasta along with the mushroom mix. Scatter the toasted walnuts over the finished dish and eat moorishly with remote control in hand!