Culinary Pavillion Recipes - Polly Markus

Food influencer and cookbook author Polly Markus or Miss Polly’s Kitchen created three mouthwatering dishes - one featuring Mills Bay Mussels and two from her new cookbook, all showcasing the best of Marlborough’s produce. See the recipes here.

Nduja and Mussel Linguini

500g dried linguini
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 brown onion – finely diced
4 garlic cloves – thinly sliced
Zest and juice of one lemon
1/2 cup white wine
3 tbsp Nduja paste
2 tbsp tomato paste
250g cherry tomato – halved
500g Mills Bay raw shucked Mussels
1 cup Italian parsley – diced
Lots of Parmesan to serve 

Heat a large pan with the extra virgin olive oil on a medium heat. Add the onion and simmer until soft. Stirring occasionally. 

Add the garlic and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for a couple of minutes. 

Add the Nduja, tomato paste, and wine. Stirring well so everything is combined. Leave it to simmer for 2-3 minutes until nice and fragrant. 

Cook the pasta as per the packet instructions. 

Fold the cherry tomatoes into the sauce. Simmer for a further 5- 7 minutes. 

When the pasta is nearly cooked, add the fresh mussels to the sauce, turning the heat up slightly. Simmer for roughly 3 minutes or until the mussels are cooked. 

Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water. Fold the pasta and parsley into the sauce with roughly 1/3 of a cup of pasta water. Toss well. 

Squeeze the lemon juice over the top and serve immediately with lots of fresh parmesan. 

Butter Bean & Avocado Salad
Serves 4

400g (14oz) can butter beans – drained and rinsed
1 small shallot – finely diced
1 cup chopped Italian parsley
120g (4 ½) feta – diced into small chunks
1 large avocado – diced
½ cup of fresh dill
1 red chilli – finely diced
Shredded zest of 1 lemon

Dijon Dressing
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon runny honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove – minced

To make the Dijon Dressing, whisk the ingredients togethers in a bowl. Season with salt and cracked pepper.

Add the butter beans, shallots and parsley. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes to infuse the flavours.

Fold in half the feta and half the avocado. Spoon onto a serving plate. Top with the remaining feta and avocado. Garnish with dill, fresh chilli and lemon zest to serve.

Zucchini, Herb & Pistachio Salad
Serves 4-6

2 large zucchini – thinly sliced into rounds
2 cups rocket leaves – roughly chopped
1 cup shaved parmesan
1 cup chopped Italian parsley
¾ cup roughly chopped dill
¼ cup roasted pistachios – chopped
Shredded zest of 1 lemon

Quick Dressing
¼ cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small garlic clove – minced

Mix the zucchini, rocket, parmesan, parsley, dill, pistachios and lemon zest in a serving bowl.

To make the Quick Dressing, whisk the ingredients in a small bowl. Season generously with salt and cracked pepper.

Pour the dressing over the salad. Gently fold together.

Leave the salad to sit for 15 minutes to let the flavours infuse before serving.