When The Silver Spoon's English translation first hit bookshops in 2005, I leafed through it and thought that it was perhaps the most tedious and uninspiring cookbook on the market. I couldn't understand how this could be a classic....
Continue reading "Involtini di Pollo alla Salvia" »
I can see why Mario Batali refers to polenta pasticciata as 'messy polenta.' It was a real challenge--almost like a reverse game of Jenga--getting it out of the dish in any less than three completely unphotgenic blobs, despite my...
Continue reading "Polenta Pasticciata" »
Hay Hay, it's Donna Day! For ages now I've been stumbling across HHDD themes the day that entries close or just after. In December I decided to take charge of the situation and make a proper effort to keep...
Continue reading "HHDD #17: Meatball Pizza" »
Recently Antonio Carluccio presented a one-off documentary-slash-pilgrimage, following in the footsteps of Bartolomeo Scappi. If you're saying, "Who?" then you're not alone. I'd never heard of him either, but the trailers billed him as the world's first celebrity chef,...
Continue reading "Renaissance "Sweet and Sour" Tuna" »
Just before carving.... Yesterday was particularly momentous on two fronts. Firstly, Dave's parents came over and planted the beautiful family apple tree they bought me for Christmas--I should point out that I'm not lazy! I'm just not allowed to...
Continue reading "Porchetta" »
Sometimes you just know when comfort food is going to be required. A couple of weeks ago, England had their last chance to qualify for the European Championships--lest there be confusion, I'm talking about football (or soccer)--and I knew...
Continue reading "Cottage Pie" »
Leftovers. Such an unappetising word. Surely the collective mind of millions of food-lovers can come up with something better? At any rate, I always try to cook a little more food than we really need as I love to...
Continue reading "Fresh Pappardelle with Beef in a Red Wine sauce" »
A few weeks ago I told Dave that I wanted to make some pasta. He was surprisingly unexcited about the prospect. In hindsight, I should probably have elaborated a little.... What I actually wanted to do was try my...
Continue reading "Roasted Butternut Squash Tortelli, Proscuttio-wrapped Chicken, Sage Brown Butter" »
Beef braised in red wine, Italian style. I'll be the first to admit that I am one of life's omnivores. I like meat, fish, fruit and vegetables, but I love them all equally. Dave, on the other hand, is...
Continue reading "Stracotto di manzo" »
When I'm hungry, I'm hungry and the ravenous beast that is my stomach must be appeased. This deliciously meaty--yet healthy--pasta dish really did the trick for us last night. Pasta with olive oil, garlic and broccoli is a classic...
Continue reading "Pasta Pronto!" »
Jambalaya... it's such a happy sounding word. Even better, it's a happy taste, too. Full of joie de vivre. Each fragrant, spicy-sweet mouthful conjures up daydreams of sitting in a bustling New Orleans diner. The sort of place where...
Continue reading "Creole-style Jambalaya" »
Spring appears to have sprung once more, or at the very least is in the process of springing. Lucas and I took a walk in the park this afternoon--well, I walked, he rode in style in his pushchair--and admired...
Continue reading "Risotto with roasted butternut squash, garlic and sage" »
I was briefly a revolting child. Always playing in mud, enterprisingly creating various mud cakes and 'selling' them to my friends. I even remember trying to dig up worms to make spaghetti. I suspect those days came to an...
Continue reading "Proscuttio-wrapped chicken with pea risotto" »
I don't think I've ever cooked with dried sage, let alone fresh, which is pretty shocking when you consider how much sage and onion stuffing I've scoffed in my time. I picked up some in Sainsbury's earlier this week...
Continue reading "Butternut and chorizo linguine (WHB #72)" »
I remember the huge chimichangas that TGI Friday's used to serve... piled high with fresh guacamole, salsa, delicious sour cream and dirty rice. Mmmm. Alas, delicious as this dish was, it was completely non-diet friendly, so I was delighted...
Continue reading "Skinny Chimichangas" »
I don't just eat stew for comfort in the depths of winter, I eat it for pleasure, and the best stew imaginable in my opinion is stifado. It boasts big meaty flavours, a sweet and subtly spiced sauce, and...
Continue reading "Beef stifado with rosemary roasted potatoes" »
Yesterday marked the inaugural session of Cooking With Mummy. I popped Lucas in his car seat, strategically placed him in a corner so that he could see everything but still be safe, and cooked away! This Cajun Chicken recipe...
Continue reading "Cajun Chicken" »
This year, the weather forecasters have been warning of an incredibly hard winter. Looking out of my window, I am forced to concede that they may be right. At noon today, the pavement outside is still liberally dusted with...
Continue reading "Baked Penne with Beef" »
Succulent chicken, spicy raspberry sauce and sweet caramelised onions... doesn't that sound wonderful? And it's light, too! Tonight's speedy dinner came from the hallowed--and much thumbed--pages of Cooking Light. I used my latest find--Belazu Smoked Chilli Jelly--to cut the...
Continue reading "Caramelised Onion Chicken" »
Also known as, "Too-Lazy-to-Go-Shopping Pilaf". Dave is away tonight, and as I failed to take this into account when I planned our menu for this week, I've had to scrounge around to make dinner--I'm compulsive enough to hate making...
Continue reading "'All By Myself' Pilaf" »
They say that when the cat's away, the mouse will play. And this is often the case when Dave's away, and I'm cooking for myself. This Moroccan-influenced vegetable stew is a prime example of what I'll cook when I'm...
Continue reading "Moroccan-influenced vegetable stew" »
I'm a huge fan of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, and so, when "Nanny Ogg's Cookbook" was published in 1999 I squealed and jumped around madly. Nanny Ogg is simply wonderful. I want to be just like her when I...
Continue reading "Genuine Howondaland Curry" »
I'm playing catch-up again; I made this yummy pizza for dinner a few weeks ago. The recipe comes from The Surreal Gourmet, who is indeed, very surreal. If you haven't heard of him, check out his site for delights...
Continue reading "Chinese Chicken Pizza" »
Apologies for the lack of entries recently; I haven't felt like cooking anything new or inventive! We've been relying on old favourites that I can cook without having to actually employ any brain-power. One such recipe is my favourite:...
Continue reading "Italian Meatballs" »
Quiche Lorraine is one of our favourite extravagent dinners. We only eat it a few times a year due to its fattening qualities (just look at the ingredient list!). I could undoubtably lighten it, but quiche is one of...
Continue reading "Quiche Lorraine" »
I've been planning to make peperonata all week, but somehow I just haven't managed to get around to it. As you can see, tonight I finally managed to make time and all I can say is that the wait...
Continue reading "Peperonata" »
Our new healthy-eating regime has vastly curtailed our ritualistic Monday night takeaway, so after yearning for pizza, curry and Chinese, I decided to try my hand at making pizza. (Lightening pizza seemed much more achievable than trying to make...
Continue reading "BBQ Beef Pizza" »
This isn't authentic jerk chicken by any stretch of the imagination! It is, however, a very good approximation of it which neatly bypasses hours of marinading and the terrors of handling scotch bonnet chillis. Surprisingly, this recipe comes from...
Continue reading "Jerk Chicken with Sweet Potato" »
This month's theme for IMBB (Is My Blog Burning) is dumplings of all shapes, sizes and flavours and is hosted by Jarrett of Food Porn Watch. I had great plans to make some lovely pork dumplings with water chestnuts...
Continue reading "Gnocchi Al Forno (IMBB 7)" »
This is my new favourite way to eat chicken. Moist, succulent and with a spicy-sweet glaze. Very, very yummy and best of all it's seriously quick to prepare. The recipe comes from Cooking Light 2004 (my new best friend)....
Continue reading "Hoisin Barbequed Chicken" »
Stuffed peppers have always appealed to me, however, I've never actually gotten sufficiently organised to make them. Whilst flicking through my new Cooking Light Annual, I came across a recipe which stuffs peppers with a mixture of beef and...
Continue reading "Stuffed Peppers" »
I always admire the dumpling pictures that Renee shows us on her Shiokadelicious! blog, but I've never actually dared to try any whilst out to dinner. So, when I spotted a really rather simple recipe for steamed dumplings in...
Continue reading "Himalayan Steamed Dumplings" »
In keeping with my newfound healthy eating ethos, this is yet another healthy dinner. The only added fat is olive oil, which is heart healthy and full of virtue (as well as taste). Todays recipes, come from my Big...
Continue reading "Tandoori Yoghurt Chicken with Aromatics Wedges and Cachumber" »
I've been feeling a bit bloated recently; well, more than just bloated. I feel like a hippo. A hippo with cute reddish hair (hair dye is my new addiction), but still very hippo-esque. So, to try and combat this...
Continue reading "Garlic and Spinach Pilaf with Lamb Chops" »
This is, according to Dave, the best lasagne that he's ever tasted. And as Dave has cheerfully munched his way through almost as much lasagne as Joey from Friends, I'm taking his word for it! It's not an authentic...
Continue reading "Best-Ever Lasagne" »
I've realised that I only tend to blog about pretty food; food that is actually photogenic as well as being tasty. What about the slightly less attractive, but still just as tasty food? Well, without further ado, here is...
Continue reading "Beef and Carrot Stew" »
This is yet another gem from Jill Dupleix's column in The Times. As with all her recipes, it is deliciously simple and quick to prepare. Even better, its one-pot cooking, something which I always appreciate. I made a few...
Continue reading "Spanish Rice with Chorizo" »
Today I am eating Humble Pie. Fortunately, not literally. I've been poo-pooing the dire weather warnings all week. And now we have snow. Thankfully its stopped just now, but I'm told its still snowing in London. In recognition of...
Continue reading "Honey Soy Chicken" »
Alas, no baking for me today. I'm sure my waistline is thanking me. However, I did get to have fun with some inventive cooking tonight as our friend Grant came round for dinner. As we're in the grip of...
Continue reading "Lemon Risotto" »
Ragu is one of those things that I'm terribly fond of, but am too lazy to make very often as a really good ragu takes hours on the stove (or in the oven). So, when I do make it,...
Continue reading "Ragu bolognese" »
I'm not normally a fan of St Delia's recipes (she's very patronising) but I when I spotted Souffl�ed Macaroni Cheese I couldn't resist trying it out. I adore macaroni cheese and I was really intriegued by the souflee concept....
Continue reading "Upmarket Macaroni Cheese!" »
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