red wine risotto

Oh the red wine did floweth!

It might just be me, but I CAN'T stop eating right now. I especially can't stop drinking red wine.

My god I can't stop.

There was one tiny whiff of a cutting cold draft and the cork was already open.

It might be colder, but energy wise, that only amounts to an extra 200-300 calories needed a day, not the 750 like I'm putting away!

News flash, I'll be a stone heavier by Christmas and I'll be looking like the Steps reunion. Slightly distorted!

This is dangerous. Well...it's getting dangerous. Suddenly I'm finding reasons to get red wine into my meals. My flat mate is watching me sink into this caricature of myself as the evening rolls on. My jokes are getting sharper, I'm getting wittier by the second, my judgements are getting harsher and my waistline is getting fuller. Unfortunately the laughs are made by me, egged on by me and responded to by me!

Serving 4
1 bottle of red wine
100g unsalted butter
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
300g risotto rice
450ml chicken stock
110g Parmesan cheese freshly grated
sea salt, black pepper

Bring the wine to the boil in a small pan, then leave to simmer over a very low heat.

Melt half the butter, then add the onion to sweat for a few minutes until soft. Add the rice and stir for a minute until complete covered in all the gloss. Start to add the red wine one ladleful at a time, stirring well as you go. You want the rice to absorb all of the wine, not be drowned by it!

Bring the stock to the boil.

When all the wine has been absorbed, then add the stock one ladleful at a time. The risotto should take roughly 25-30 minutes to cook in total.

You want to stop cooking the rice when it has a bite to it and whilst there is still a moistness to the sauce. Stir in the Parmesan and the remaining butter and add seasoning as desired.

Serve straightaway and add extra grated Parmesan to taste.

If you haven't drunk half a bottle of red wine whilst cooking then I'll be very proud of you!

twice-cooked belly of pork

Delicioso

Pork belly might be a fatty bit of meat...but boy it's good. It works perfectly well in keeping the pork incredibly moist (I know there are haters for that word, so sincere apologies). Unfortunately though, that is where most of the flavour comes from.

This is perfectly suitable for a Sunday lunch or dinner party, just make sure to keep yourself a slice or two for that Tuesday night supper alone!

Pick up a piece of pork belly about 25cm x 18cm and take the skin off (safer to get butcher to do that or buy from supermarkets where it might come without skin on the piece) leaving a layer of fat on top.

Season all over and put in slightly oiled casserole dish (meat side down) and cover with water/stock and some white wine, bay leaf, onion slices, carrot and a celery stick or whatever. Bring to simmer and then cover (I also put buttered greaseproof paper on top of pork) and put in low oven (130C) for about 3-4 hours till meat very tender (test with sharp knife).

Leave to cool in stock.

Remove the pork and put a piece of greaseproof paper or cling film on pork and weigh down with a flat board with some weights (cans of tomatoes work very well!) to flatten slightly. Leave for a few hours and refrigerate. When ready (immediately or up to a few days) cut in thick slices (10x3cm) and fry fat side down slowly to warm through and brown top and get rid of some extra fat in a frying pan. Turn over after about 5 mins and fry other side for about a minute to brown and warm through.

Serve with jus and potatoes and green veg and carrots or red cabbage.
(I also ate mine the day after with some green salad and beetroot).

Jus: Reduce stock by about 2/3 and then add some reduced port or Madeira-add nob of butter when nearly ready. Should be almost syrupy to glaze the pork and as the gravy. Adjust seasoning.

hearty lentil stew

All that's needed is a sausage or two!

Lentils bring to mind that very traditional French 'peasant' cooking.

I adore it and thank god there is that chill in the air now, so we can get back on the stews again.

A warmth that pummels straight to your bones!

It makes me remember a trip to Cluny, in the Burgundy region about 8 years ago. Minus 2 weather. Bitter, crisp, fresh cold. Numb fingers and toes. A steaming hot brasserie. A glass of hot mulled wine. A plate of sausage and bean casserole. A sing song in the corner.

I was actually meant to make a soup, but I let it reduce so much, it turned out far better!

• 1 white onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 stick of celery, chopped
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• strips of pancetta, chopped (I used a whole packet)
• 1/2 tube of tomato puree
• 4-5 new potatoes, halved
• 250g dry green lentils
• 1 pint of water(to start)
• salt and pepper
• optional extras (red wine, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves)

In a deep thick based casserole dish, on a medium heat, cook the onion for a few minutes, and then add the chopped carrot, celery and garlic and saute until the onion is soft. Then add the pancetta and continue to cook for a few more minutes until golden. Add the tomato puree and lentils and stir through before adding the water. Make sure you bring it to the boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and leave for a good 30 minutes. Add the halved new potatoes, and salt and pepper. Check the liquid level. If it at any point starts to look too dry then add some more water. You want to then leave this to simmer for at least an hour and end up with a rich thick sauce.

Of course, if you have any other ingredients please use them. At the liquid stage, add in a generous helping of red wine if you like, and some thyme and rosemary. I made this on a Sunday night without these, but it tastes just as good. The slow cooking ensures you drain every inch of flavour from every single ingredient.

Good on its own or with a couple of good quality sausages.

Bon appetit!

october roots

Brown rice salad with sweet potato, prune, apricot

It's finally hit me.

I tried to avoid it.

I ignored all the signs.

I have a cold...

At least it's an excuse to lay low for a while and feel a little seasonal. I wondered why I'd been craving chai tea, sweet potato, and extra cinnamon in my porridge.

This is a very 'warming' rice salad, inspired by Ottolenghi (of course) and includes what I was crying out for:

A few ingredients

• 200g of brown rice
• 2 small sweet potatoes (or 1 large), chopped
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp sumac
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• handful of pistachio nuts, lightly toasted
• handful of pine nuts, lightly toasted
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 4-5 dried apricots, finely chopped
• 4-5 prunes, finely chopped
• handful of coriander
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper

Boil the rice until al dente, and set aside to cool.

The raw sweet potato ready for roasting

While the rice is boiling, chop up the sweet potato and put into a deep non stick oven pan. Throw in the garlic (un-peeled). Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle sumac, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper ontop, making sure to cover every piece. Pop in the oven to roast for about 25-35 minutes, on about 200'C. Occasionally check on the sweet potato and stir well.

Be careful not to burn! Toasting pistachio and pine nuts

Lightly toast the pistachio nuts and pine nuts and set aside, with the chopped spring onion, dried apricots, prunes and coriander.

Once the rice has cooled, add all the ingredients and toss together. Mix in the cooked sweet potato and extract the garlic pulp, and add the lemon juice and another little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I marinated some chicken breast in the same sweet potato spices and pan fried. Alternatively, eat a larger portion of the rice for a packed lunch and add some chopped feta cheese.

Pan fry a little chicken to go with...

If you're still stuck for ideas with that roasted sweet potato, try having on a bed of rocket and sprinkle with feta and toasted pine nuts for a lunch or light supper...

Need another idea?

vegetarian feast

'Casa Moro' pumpkin and chickpea salad

Juicy medium rare iron filled steak or big can of chickpeas?

I could probably easily be vegetarian, but I do need a little animal flesh, or the stock from some broiling bones of chicken. Pure un-tampered genuine protein. I'm a carnivore at heart, but I do have a weakness for meaty pulses (I'm sure most men might gasp at the horror of receiving such a dish...'where's the meat?').

If you have chosen to be a vegetarian, do it this way, as my friend did for me one supper. Or, go down the spectacular vegetarian options route as Yotam Ottolenghi provides (do I have to tell you who he is again?). For whatever reason you might be a vegetarian, please please please, I beg of you, don't tell me you eat those bizarre 'fake' protein, mycoprotein nuggets, or even worse, have fake 'chicken' or fake 'sausages.' Surely if you are vegetarian, you don't need to be tricked into thinking you're eating a real sausage or piece of meat, AND surely as a supposedly health conscious/weight conscious individual you would know the wonders of the pulse/wild, red, brown rice/root vegetable/herbs and flavouring world?

I shiver when someone mentions the word 'Quorn.'

Do you?

Blah.

My friend chose a delicious Ravinder Bhogal portobello mushroom recipe and a 'Moro' pumkin and chickpea salad.

I was not dissatisfied.

Let the adventure begin...

'Casa Moro' chickpea and pumpkin salad

Pumpkin and chickpea salad with tahini taken from 'Casa Moro' (4)

Salad:

• 1 kg pumpkin or squash (peeled, de-seeded and cut into cubes)
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• sea salt and black pepper
• 400g can cooked chickpeas, drained
• 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp roughly chopped fresh coriander

Tahini:

• 1 garlic clove, crushed to a paste with a pinch of salt
• 3 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp tahini paste
• 2 tbsp water, to taste
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Oven - 220 'C/425 F/Gas 7

Toss pumpkin with garlic, allspice, olive oil and some salt and pepper. Place on a try in the oven for about 15-25 minutes until soft. Remove and allow to cool.

While the pumpkin is cooling, make the tahini sauce. Mix the crushed garlic with lemon juice and add the tahini. Now thin with the water and olive oil and check the seasoning.

Assemble the salad by mixing together the pumpkin mix, chickpea, red onion and coriander. Pour on the tahini sauce and remaining oil and toss carefully. Season with salt and pepper.

Ravinder Bhogal portobello mushrooms

Portobello mushroom and cheddar crumble (4)

• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 8 portobello mushrooms
• extra virgin olive oil to drizzle

Tomato sauce:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 fat garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 dried red chilli, crumbled
• 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• sea salt and black pepper
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Crumble:

• 200g breadcrumbs
• 1 heaped tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 20g parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 50g cheddar cheese, finely grated
• 1 handful of torn fresh basil leaves

Oven - 190 'C/375 F/Gas 5

Mix all the crumble ingredients together, season and set aside.

For the sauce, saute the onion until soft and add the chopped garlic and chilli and fry for a couple of minutes, then add the tomatoes, sugar and seasoning. Let it bubble on a low heat for 15-20 minutes to reduce down. Add a little bit of water if it does get too thick. Add the parsley at the end.

Peel and trim the mushrooms.

Spread half the tomato sauce over the base of a large roasting tin, then top with the slice garlic and mushrooms, stalk-side up. Pour the rest of the sauce over the top and finish with the crumble.

Drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until it is bubbling on top.

autumnal air

Freshly picked apples and pears, Bedchester B and B

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;

(John Keats, Ode to Autumn)

I've been feeling rather out of sorts for the last few weeks.

Does anyone else feel like this? Please say you do! Let's all share in it together!!

My hormones are giving me unnecessary grief. I have a dissertation to crack on with. I still have a job to go to and it's September, so there has been a definite 'shift' in weather. The season is hinting that it wants to move on, and for me this time of year brings a 'back to school' feeling. A slight chill in the air and new stationery.

London feels like it's in limbo land. Summer is over.

Does this sound depressing? I feel 'SAD' coming on. My past experience tells me that sometimes a change of scenery does one good. Perfect timing then that my artist friend was heading home to the South West to take care of some business. This is my second family. My home away from home, since age 2. I better tag along. The family home also makes a damn good B & B. Where better to enjoy fresh air and the outdoors.

I picked them especially for you!

You might be able to tell that apples are in season right now?

Would you like a bite? The flesh is pink

The first sign regarding the apples lay on the kitchen surface...

Crab apple jelly recipe

Crab apple jelly at the ready

I arrived just in time. Dinner is served. Shepherds pie, and garlic green beans. Followed by apple snow pudding with meringue top. This is perfect. It takes me right back to my childhood. We're still sitting around the circular wooden table. We're still helping ourselves to seconds of shepherds pie and apple snow, and I'm still narrowly avoiding spitting water all over the table from laughing.

This is typically English cooking at its best.

It makes me think of the scent of grass in the air and the smell of fresh air on your clothes.

Shepherds pie and garlic green beans

Apple snow pudding...could you pass the cream please!?

Did I mention that I laugh a lot here...

Did you know you're looking puce?

...and then some more...

Alright we get it...you're laughing

...and then a little more...

If the wind changes, we can smile forever

So, since we're in the garden...let's go for a walk and step into the field. What's going on here?

Black cow says to Patchy cow 'Look at that bloody dog, disturbing our peace. Doesn't she know the tree is our silent zone?'

After a little wander, a little rest, a little fresh air. It's time for lunch.

Nothing better than soup to warm the cockles of your heart.

Some tomato, vegetable, bacon, bean soup is bubbling on the Aga

After a mild pulsing it is ready to be dished up

Some hefty grating of Parmesan, a crack of black pepper and it's good for slurping

A meal fit for a king...courgette quiche, grilled goats cheese...salad to accompany

Last but not least, some pudding (I hope the onions didn't go in that!). I'm told that these berries are for breakfast if you come to stay!

So, after all that colour, food, and fresh air, have I cheered you up???

I said, have I cheered you up??

I might have made you hungry...but the season change and September isn't so bad (she chants to herself). If you do feel a little out of sorts then have a change of scenery like I did and escape to the country for a day or two...or at least get into a warm pub, or cinema.

Try and laugh a little too...it helps!

Bedchester B and B

lamb and mushroom flatbread

Does it deliver?

When you're in the pressure cooker we call work, your boss or client expects you to 'deliver.' They don't care about your excuses, or why it might not be possible, they just want you to DELIVER.

After an agitating (don't ask me why?) week, and feeling particularly tired and strained, my tongue was asking me to deliver. My mouth didn't give a flying rats ass to why I might not be able to achieve the flavours that they were craving (which was difficult, as I didn't know what that was). All I knew for certain, is I wanted to get my teeth around something proper. I wanted to be left sated. I wanted something that would make me verbally um and ah about how gloriously on the money it was.  I wanted to be fed.

I also had a friend coming around for dinner, so I'm sure she was feeling the same.

It's easier when you're cooked for by someone else, as the decision making is made for you and you just accept the consequences. When I travel home, I always phone ahead to ask 'now, we're having something tasty for supper aren't we?' to which I always get the reply 'baaah, when have I not cooked you something delicious and healthy?' But my mother always 'delivers' the goods...so she's alright.

After my recent trip to Le Comptoir Lebanais I was in the mood for lamb and the burst of a pomegranate seed. I found this WONDERFUL recipe by Nigel Slater.

Guess what?

IT DELIVERED!! Every inch of this meal, oozes with yumminess, drips with textures and slams every taste bud.

To ravage or not to ravage?

• 3 tbsp groundnut oil (I used olive oil)
• 100g small mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic (I used 3, he he he)
• 2 small hot red chillies
• 300g minced lamb (I ended up using all of the 500g pack)
• small handful of mint leaves
• 4 heaped tbsp yogurt
• 2 tbsp pine kernels
• large flatbreads (I used the large wholemeal tortilla wraps)
• 2 handfuls of salad leaves
• 1/2 pomegranate
• 12 stoned green olives

Warming the oil in a pan over a moderate heat, add the halved mushrooms, occasionally stirring them until they colour. Stir in the finely chopped garlic and allow to brown for a few minutes.

Remove the seeds of the chilli and add the finely chopped flesh to the contents in the pan and leave for another minute. Tip in the minced lamb. Stir into the mushrooms and let it colour.
(Don't be frightened if you see a big mass of water. This is from the mushrooms and the initial dropping in of the mince. Be patient and let it evaporate off. It will eventually leave the pan and the mince will nicely colour).

Meanwhile, mix together the chopped mint, yogurt and salt and pepper and leave to the side.

When the lamb looks cooked, add the pine kernels to the pan and a generous grinding of sea salt and pepper.

I transferred the lamb mixture to a serving bowl using a draining spoon, so to leave behind all the unnecessary oil and fat. I then scattered the olives, pomegranate seeds and yogurt mixture on top (you can do this separately on each individual flatbread).

Warm up the flatbreads, and then fill with the lamb mixture and some salad leaves. Roll. Tightly secure and devour!!

I dare you not to have seconds!!!

Ecstasy!

store cupboard supper

Have you any ingredients knocking about?

This is another winning recipe from my mother's 'Kitchen Notes' book.

It must be a terrible shame for mothers, after slaving over a healthy tasty hot meal, when their children request ketchup as an accompaniment and ruin every inch of flavour that was supposed to be enjoyed!

The thing is, taste is acquired. Taste buds change and evolve. When we are babies there is only one thing we like. Glucose. Sugar. It's a nature thing. An inbuilt thing. We want the pureed fruits. We want the pureed root vegetables. We might turn our noses up at certain things (I only disliked mushrooms, bananas, honey and milk on its own). It takes a determined mother to encourage tastings through major trial and error. The best place to start is in the breast milk (its flavour varies everyday depending on what the mother has eaten, so better prepares the baby for a wider range of foods). As children, we still like sweet things. It's taken me until age 27 to lean more to the savoury side of cravings...so there we go.

When you look at the ingredients in this dish, you can tell why children love it. I call it nursery food, which is why we still love it as adults. It is also incredibly easy and cheap to make (4 free range chicken thighs were just over £2), and you pretty much have all the ingredients already.

Chicken thighs - chef Bruno Loubet for L'Odeon

This is a recipe that French chef Bruno Loubet used to make for his staff at L'Odeon, which they LOVED.

So for those that can't read writing:

• 16 chicken thighs (rub oil, salt, pepper)
• 3 tbsp HP sauce
• 1/2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 tsp tomato puree
• 2 tsp soya sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp malt vinegar (use less than this though)
• 2 cloves of garlic crushed
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 1/2 finely chopped onion
• 8 spring onions, sliced

Make a marinade of the ingredients I've highlighted. Roast the seasoned/oiled thighs for 15 mins in a hot oven (200'C) to get them going and to get the skin crisping.

Hello birdies!

Then add the marinade, with the finely chopped onion (mine wasn't so fine!) scattered over and bake in oven until done (about another 30-40 mins).

Add the marinade and scattered onion on top

Perhaps after 10 mins of cooking put some foil over the top to prevent blackening on the top (like mine went - don't be alarmed though, this is sticky and toffee like). Take out of the oven and leave to sit for about 10 mins. Scatter over the chopped spring onion and serve with a plain green leaf salad and seasoned new potatoes. The sauce of the chicken is enough to scoop everything up with.

Finger licking good!

(NB Try and use chicken thighs with skin and bone, otherwise they will dry out and cook too quickly).

change is good

What can change bring?

...change is necessary for growth

I try not to believe in...

horoscopes,

but they're so fun aren't they?

Today it said that 'something must change in your life in order to find happiness and inner peace...'

...however, as I was delighting in this news, some cheeky bugger tried to snatch the phone from my hand in broad daylight! He failed of course, due to my claw like grip, but then he had the audacity to saunter off casually on his bike as if nothing had happened. I was kicking myself for not acting properly. I envisioned myself on a crazy sprint down the road, beating my way through every man and woman to eventually hit him off his bike. No such luck...I soon got distracted by Dr Michael Mosley (from 'Inside the Human Body') walking towards me. Damn. I did nothing again.

...were these my moments of change?

...was I meant to act on it?

...perhaps my inner peace would come from stopping reading horoscopes

...and for now I'll just let if affect my supper choice!

I feel shaken up...(sort of) so I'll choose something comforting with a little flash of seasonal colour.

Sautee chopped onion. Add chopped pancetta until nice and crisp and brown. Add sliced mushrooms. With the asparagus, slightly bend each stalk and let it snap naturally, discard the bottom end. Then snap it into pieces and add to the mix, being careful to keep it more underdone if possible. Finish off with a dollop of creme fraiche, a squeeze of lemon juice and add to an al dente pan of tagliatelle. Stir well. Serve with shaved parmesan and cracked black pepper...

Still got some left over ingredients?

Without the mushrooms, do the same sequence with the onion, pancetta and asparagus. This time I added an entire bag of spinach. Slightly less creme fraiche and a squeeze of lemon. Serve with a lovely bit of white fish (haddock or cod) that has been baked with a little lemon juice, salt and pepper.

the scraps

Take a sweet potato and put it in the oven...

Use some left over ingredients (my vegetable drawer was starting to look a little lack lustre) and make a salad. I had lettuce, cucumber, sweetcorn, feta, mint and coriander. I dressed it with just a little balsamic vinegar and a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and then I seasoned with salt and pepper.

Et voila! An easy quick meal. I find sweet potatoes a little too sweet and rich sometimes and so the feta really adds a much needed sharpness to it. Sun dried tomatoes are also a really good companion.

party party

After gyrating in a Jessie J fashion the night before, it took a serious amount of willpower to wake up the next morning energised and ready to prepare food for a group of friends coming over that evening. I had promised home made burgers. Why did I promise? Promise is a big word and one that you can't get out of, even on a hangover. Nonetheless I did promise, so...wake up at 10am and yes oh yes, start with a trip to the tip! That's what good time girls like to get up to on a Saturday morning...and swiftly moved onto the supermarket, narrowly avoiding a car parking ticket. This is a penny saving partaaaay and is incredibly cheap and easy to prepare. In fact the money mostly goes towards the drinks (but you can get your guests to bring that!). So with this blasting out on the tv...

...the sun blazing and Charlie Sheen's mantra running in my head I only had 'one speed, one gear. GO!'

Home made burgers

The burgers are easy. I used 3 x 500g packs of beef mince, and you literally just use a fork and mash it up with lots of chopped spring onion, chopped coriander, chopped mint, ground cumin, smoked paprika, salt and pepper and more mixed chilli/onion spice. 2 egg yolks to bind it all together and then roll into balls of your desired shape. Nothing else involved. You can use anything you like and put it in there, whatever flavour you want. I left them chilling in the fridge, ready to cook later.

Take them out when you're ready to eat and cook both sides in a frying pan until rare, medium rare or well done.

Roast potato and sweet potato

These would have been more like chips if I had divided into two pans. I rather overcrowded them so they came out a little more roasted style. Chop up potato and sweet potato and lightly coat them in a bit of oil, salt, pepper, smoked paprika and cumin. Let them marinade until roasting. They took about 40 mins in the oven.

more after the jump...

comfort food

I was feeling a little sorry for myself. The weather was 20 and now it's 12 degrees celsius and my womb was crying out for some love. Oh it's good to wallow in ones own misery sometimes isn't it? Really settle into it. Try and catch a glimpse of your glum face in the mirror and it might just make you laugh again. However, we don't want that just yet, this feels kind of good for one night and it allows for movies like 'Eat Pray Love' and comfort food like mushroom risotto.

What I wanted was mushrooms. I had a huge craving for mushrooms. I was planning to have them sauteed with white wine, butter and parsley. In the fridge I had left over white wine and I also had butter, but no blooming mushrooms...