Accidentally Girly Spaghetti

2012 is all about pink food

I won't pretend this was done on purpose, but I did think a bowl or neon pink pasta was hilarious, slightly scary and worth posting. May I suggest cooking this on Valentine's day when the lurid pink would perhaps be more appropriate! This was a very quickly put together supper when the cupboards were barer than Mother Hubbard's and I grabbed some prawns and baby spinach from the shops on the way home. Little did I know the spinach contained shredded beetroot, but it was a happy discovery. It tasted good, and who doesn't like pink pasta??! So this is pink garlic prawn spaghetti.

Feeds two. Get enough spaghetti for two on the boil. While that is happening, in a big-ish saucepan, gently fry some finely chopped garlic in olive oil. After five minutes add a decent splash of white wine and let it bubble for a few minutes. Add to this as many raw peeled prawns as you like and a few generous handfuls of baby spinach and shredded beetroot salad (from a bag from M&S in my case) and let it wilt for 30 seconds or so. Stir in a big tbsp of creme fraiche, shout 'bugger me, it's gone pink!!!' and season. Drain the spaghetti and stir into the pan with the sauce, mix well and get a squeal of excitement or grunt of disapproval depending on who you serve it to.

A Kebab You Won't Find on the Pavement. Hopefully.

Kebabs are amazing (shish, definitely NOT donner), fast to cook and super tasty, sadly I still haven't mastered the art of looking lady-like with my face full of lamb and chilli sauce outside the takeaway at two in the morning, but that would kind of ruin the fun. Many times I've been in a cab home with my meaty treasure safely tucked up in it's polystyrene box, wafting it's delicious scent my way so I have to pick at it discretely (or not so) in fear of being told off by the cab driver who has seen far too many kebab accidents in his car to let me munch away freely.

But kebabs don't have to be drunken delights, they are equally tasty sober and home made (OK, maybe not quite as deliciously naughty but still pretty good). They have a bad rep due to questionable donner meat, but what could be better than charcoal grilled marinated meat? Not much. Note to self: a BBQ is not just for summer, it's for life.

This feeds two with an extra skewer for quality control purposes and late night snacking. Or a third diner I suppose. Combine approx 200g natural yoghurt with a couple of teaspoons each of ras el hanout  and hot paprika. If your paprika isn't very hot then add some cayenne pepper to the mix. Also add a few finely chopped cloves of garlic, juice of half a lemon, and a good pinch of salt. Slice 6 boneless and skinless chicken thighs into large kebabish chunks and mix well with the yoghurt. Leave for a few hours, if you only have half an hour it's fine, but generally the longer the better. When ready to cook, preheat your grill to 200, and get the chicken onto skewers. Grill for 15 minutes, when they are just starting to char round the edges turn them over. Give them another 10 minutes and test a piece, it should be slightly blackened on the outside but juicy on the inside with no pink meat. Serve with some fluffy cous cous (I can hear my Father shudder with horror) that has had lemon and chopped coriander stirred through it and a wedge of lemon to squeeze over if desired. Or, with more yogurt salad and in a pitta bread.

If it makes you feel better, eat this standing up, swaying in the street, or gobble surreptitiously in the back of a cab.

And so it begins...2012 (slow roasted pork loin)

Sarnie heaven

Happy new year. I mean it. There's something about a new year which excites me, no matter how many new year's resolutions we break, diets discarded and positive thoughts banished, the prospect of a clean slate each January makes me feel good. Especially when the previous year wasn't the best. We're all bloated with rotting livers from Christmas, I had a lovely time, cooked a lot, reduced Mum's bulging fridge to a couple of Tupperware tubs, saw friends and family and generally had a gay old time. We broke a record for using leftovers, the enormous turkey was gobbled up within a week thanks to amazing, life-changingly-good sandwiches, the boxing day ham didn't last long and the look of pure fear and disgust in my Dad's eyes when I kept threatening to make a lovely cous cous salad for him kept me entertained for over a week. I don't think I've ever watched so much telly in my life, or had such a relaxing festive break, so all good there. I didn't bother blogging over the holiday as I was far too busy doing nothing, and I didn't think a recipe for a sandwich was really that interesting (in-case you are interested: lightly toasted white bread, turkey, stuffing as butter, lettuce, gherkins, mayo and Tabasco). I spent a lot of the Christmas break drooling over new cookbooks which I have already attacked, and am hungry for more.

Let's face it, the best bit.

Now we're back to reality with a bang, the weather isn't great (the roof may be blowing off as I type). New year's day was a write off (the less said about that the better), so much so that yesterday, the 2nd, felt like my New Year's Day, involving a walk to the pub, a lazy slow roast pork loin and way too much red wine. Stuff the detox, just eat and drink a little less but keep it delicious and interesting. Good food will always make you feel better when you're down and it makes me so sad when people say they can't be bothered to cook for one. You should because (cue hair flick and plastic smile) YOU'RE WORTH IT! And then, when you do have company, really go for it, and reap the rewards, in the form of empty plates and grateful friends. Below is what I cooked for two of my best friends last night, I recommend it. It's kind of an amalgamation of several recipes, everyone has a different method for perfect crackling it seems, this turned out great so I'm sticking with it.

Fake fire on table, WHY?!

Feeds three generously. Pre-heat the oven to 220 and make sure your 1kg boned pork loin joint (with scored skin) is at room temperature. Stick the meat on a wire stay in the sink and pour over a kettle of boiling water. Now dry it really well with kitchen roll. On the flesh side rub in a few teaspoons of freshly ground fennel seeds (thank you for my spice grinder middle sister) and sprinkle with salt. In a baking tray combine a sliced onion and a few bashed whole cloves of garlic and a little olive oil. Now put the pork on top, flesh side down, so that the onion is all underneath, it's there to kind of provide a barrier between the pork and tray, which no matter what I do, always burns. But it doesn't matter. Sprinkle the skin with coarse rock salt and place on top shelf of the oven for about half an hour, or until the crackling has started forming. Reduce the heat to 150, lower the tray in the oven, cover with foil, put the extractor fan on and walk to the pub. Stay there drinking Rioja for two or three hours, ignoring nagging thoughts that the house is burning down. When you come back, remove the foil, drain off the fat that has rendered off the joint (use this for your roast potatoes) and keep cooking until you have done all your veg. Timing really doesn't matter, it's a long low cook, three hours at the lowered temperature is about enough but if you go over it's fine. At this point, if the crackling is less than tooth-breakingly crunchy, just slice it off the meat and cook it on the top shelf of the oven until satisfactory. By this point the meat can be carved with a spoon. I served it with purple sprouting broccoli, braised cauliflower (simmer/steam broken up florets in a small amount of stock with a pinch of saffron strands, when cooked, drain off excess stock, squeeze half a lemon over it, sprinkle with chopped parsley and a slick of extra virgin olive oil) and roast potatoes that were cooked in the pork fat. I like to think the resourceful merit there outweighs the risk of a heart attack. Somehow. Oh and also an amazing spiced apple sauce from my new cook book by the legend that is Niamh Shields (chopped apples cooked in a little water with chopped chili, nutmeg and cinnamon until mushy).

Oh I forgot to mention, the house will reek of pig for a few days, which I always forget about. Get some Fabreeze or something.

New Favourite Weekend Breakfast - Eggs in Filo

New number one

I got stuck in the breakfast rut AGAIN, cereal is just a plain no no at the weekends, so boring and weekday-ish. I eventually remembered a few torn out recipes I had dribbled over reading the paper on the way to work. The one I really wanted to try was something to do with eggs in filo type pastry, fried into a tasty little breakfast friendly parcel. If you manage to fold the pastry up quick enough, what you get is a package of crispy filo, and inside a perfectly cooked egg, yolk all runny, and set white which has managed to ooze into every corner, filling the parcel out perfectly. You do have to work fast and a few imperfect efforts are forgivable, it all tastes good and that's the whole point. I revved mine up a bit, wandering slightly from the recipe adding fried chorizo (pancetta or sliced bacon would be just as good) and a good sprinkling of parsley.

Flipping fast...

Feeds two. Fry a handful of chopped chorizo or pancetta in a large frying pan until crispy, and set aside. Break an egg into a small glass and warm the oven. Heat a glug of olive oil in the bacon pan. Very quickly,  lay a sheet of filo pastry inside the pan (I accidentally found these awesome round sheets in Waitrose) and pour the egg in the middle. Now using fingers or a spatula, fold it up to make a little parcel, ensuring there are no holes for the egg to escape out of. Don't stress too much about it being perfect because once it's all fried up it will be great. Fry for a minute and then do the other side, you want it golden, put on a plate covered with kitchen roll and keep in the oven while you repeat the process three more times. When all ready, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with a blob of harissa. Any spicy sauce would be excellent with this, and a few slices of grilled streaky bacon don't taste too shabby on the side either.

Chorizo & Cod Stew - a kind of Surf & Turf if you like

And the food stylist award 2011 goes to...

It might look a bit of a mess from the photo, sorry, no food stylist of the year awards here! However, the combination of paprika spiked chorizo, with soft flakey cod, all wrapped up in a tomatoey stew is warming and comforting beyond belief, and a favourite of mine. There is nearly always a supply of chorizo in my fridge and a lonely fillet of cod was languishing in the freezer, so what to cook wasn't a hard decision.

Feeds two. Fry a finely chopped onion and clove of garlic in a splash of olive oil in a deep frying pan/normal saucepan. When softened add a handful of chopped chorizo and continue frying until you get the paprika oozing out and the chorizo crisps a little bit. Throw in a tin of chopped tomatoes, a couple of potatoes cut into small chunks, 150ml water, stir well and season, and simmer until the spuds are nearly cooked, about 10 minutes. Add two fillets of any white fish, chopped into bite size chunks, stir well and let it simmer for no longer than 10 minutes until the fish is cooked. Scatter with chopped parsley at the last minute and serve either on it's own or with some nice crusty bread. 

Get a napkin ready, because when you lick the plate the red sauce goes everywhere. What??!

Pheasant Ragu

A pan full of lush

A spare brace of pheasant? Yes please! A kind friend delivered the promised goods, and I promptly hung them up in the garage, vowing not to forget about them. A few days later I decided it was now or never, rolled my sleeves up and skinned and gutted them, ready for the pot. I sat at the garden table, constantly looking over my shoulder for naughty foxes (Surbiton foxes are alarmingly bold) and dealt with the pheasants with my usual, slightly clumsy method, head, wings and legs off, then off with it's pyjamas and yank, out come the sausages, or something like that. Anyway, I eventually got them oven ready and proceeded to scare small boys playing in the street as, with bloodied hands I threw a heavy bag of pheasant parts in the dustbin. Mwahaha. Mr Pheasant was destined for ragu, and Mrs Pheasant awaits her fate in the freezer.

Pheasant makes a lovely ragu, much lighter than beef but just as, if not more tasty. Like all these slow cook jobs, it's easy as pie and cheap. No complaints there.

Makes enough ragu for 4 fatties. Add a generous glug of olive oil to a large casserole dish and add a couple of chopped carrots, a chopped onion, two sticks chopped celery and a few cloves of garlic, you guessed it, chopped. Let this soften gently, don't burn it or let it colour too much. Add a whole skinned pheasant to the pan and let it brown all over. Add a couple of bay leaves, pour over 1/3 of a bottle of red wine, a tin of tomatoes and season. The bird wants to be mostly covered by liquid at this point so top up with water if needs be. Season well, bring to the boil and then let it simmer, covered for about an hour. At this point give it a stir, turn the pheasant over and give it at least another half hour, leaving the lid half off to allow it to reduce a bit. The meat is cooked when it the legs come away from the body with a gentle nudge. Turn the heat off, remove the pheasant and shred the meat, and put it back in the pot. When all the meat is back in, check for seasoning. When I did this it was lacking a bit of oomph so I grated in some of that awesome 100% cacau chocolate and a few sploshes of Worcester sauce. It worked a treat and was perfectly oomphy after that. If the ragu still looks a bit wet, give it a blast to reduce further, otherwise simply serve on top of pasta, not forgetting a good grating of Parmesan.

Just what you need on a chilly winter's evening, now I need to find something yummy for Mrs Pheasant...

What to Cook for Sick People - Poulet au Pot

Food to fix you up

'Don't worry, we still need to eat...fix us with  your food please.' was the response I got when I queried whether or not two snivelling friends were still coming over for supper. I thought they might have changed their minds but Hannah and Tash wanted to come and eat, and probably share a few germs. Poulet au pot is one of those gentle, soothing dishes, for when  you really aren't feeling great. Spicy noodle soups are great for chasing a hangover away but when you are actually bug ridden and fragile for reasons not involving too much grog, a softer approach is sometimes needed. What you get with this recipe is soft juicy chicken, poached in a light fragrant broth flavoured by the poulet and the herbs, and equally flavoursome and comforting veg.

Feeds four (with left over chicken and stock): You do need a massive casserole dish for this, one big enough to take a whole chicken and then some. Put a whole chicken in the pot. Rub the insides with 1tbsp each of pounded peppercorns and juniper berries and stuff it with a few sprigs of parsley and thyme and a few slices of ginger. You could get fancy and tie up the herbs in a bouquet garnis but I didn't have any proper string and didn't want a Bridget Jones style blue soup moment. Cover with water, properly submerging the chook. Add two leeks, trimmed and halved length ways (keep the root intact). Put the lid on and bring to the boil. After about 20 minutes add to the stock two large peeled and quartered potatoes, a peeled and chopped (big chunks) swede and a big handful of baby turnips. Keep bubbling away for another 20 minutes and then add some carrots, halved and sliced length-ways. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix 3 very finely chopped shallots, 2 tbsp chopped tarragon, 2 tsp white wine vinegar and 3 tbsp olive oil and seasoning. Check it for tang. By now the chicken and veg should all be cooked. Pull out the chicken and joint it (should pretty much fall apart on the chopping board). Peel away all the gross pale limp skin, if it's not crispy and brown I'm not interested. Stick all the veg on a platter, add the chicken, ladle a healthy amount of broth into bowls and let the invalids* help themselves to the meat and veg. Dribble the vinaigrette over the top and HALLELUJA! You are healed, my child!

*By no means deny yourself this dish when not feeling poorly, it's just a good one to pull out when you are.