Sausage Pasta

Sausage Pasta

Happy twenty twelve! Wowsers i can't believe how the last few years have flown by. It's been twelve years since i celebrated the millennium in Malaysia with school friends, my first big trip without parents it kicked off my love for spicy food & taught me that humid weather is not kind to curly hair. It's been at least seven years since i spent a ski season in Saas Fee, Switzerland where i learnt how to drink every night for six months while not getting liver failure & the beauty of Swiss food. And most fun, it's been almost four years since i swept the Houseboy off his feet while sailing around Croatia, since then i have learnt the joys of Cherry Ripes & Bundaberg Rum & not worrying so much. Fun times. 

Home

We had Christmas in Scotland which was brilliant as usual, Mrs Rhodes loved having the brood all back & spent the week flapping round the kitchen producing amazing meals & feeding us all till we couldn't move. Luckily the Scottish Borders is a pretty place so there was lots of long walks to be had, despite the fact it was blowing a gale for most of the time. We joined Mr & Mrs Robinson for a night out in Edinburgh starting with an amazing evening trip round Edinburgh Castle, then on to dinner at Maison Bleue where i had a lovely venison dish. We finished up at The Whiski Rooms on the Mound for a nightcap, there i tried a 'Smokey Mary' a twist on a traditional Bloody Mary with the addition of 10 year old Ardbeg...i couldn't drink more than one at a time, but it was very good. New Year was spent at the Piano Bar in South Kensington, London which was Mr Bird's great choice. Small & intimate it was a fun evening of Champagne & piano playing, although we all relatively behaved ourselves i did wake up on January the 1st lying on a pile of clean washing in the spare room (apparently i went to turn off a light) while the poor Houseboy suffered the worst hangover in a long time. Not even homemade soup & sympathy could save the poor soul, so i ate all the soup & left him watching cartoons. 

Home

I've never really been a new years resolutions time of girl, it always feels like jumping on a band waggon which everyone promptly falls off. But, this year i have a few which i would like to undertake. Firstly to blog more (poor you) i initially decided to blog twice a week, but then downgraded to a solid once a week & anything else is a bonus. I guilty of setting goals which are unreachable which then annoys me & i give it up. I'm excellent at starting things but not very good at finishing things. You can see throughout our flat which is littered with half made cushions, half painted pictures & pieces of knitting that could be the start of a scarf. Losing a little weight is also kind of a goal (ironic given i'm writing this while eating Mrs Rhodes' excellent Christmas Cake) so there will be more spinning classes & less baking. 

After all the festivities January should be filled with healthy options, but the does the current weather really make you want to have a salad (it's tipping down with rain in London Town) so gently ease into the healthy food with a warning sausage dish. Use decent quality sausages as it makes all the difference, also you could add vegetables to this dish, Courgettes, Mushrooms, anything that takes your fancy. 

Ingredients:

• 6 good quality sausages
• 160g sun blushed tomatoes
• a good splash of red wine
• 7 shallots 
• 1 clove of garlic
• 300g of rigatoni pasta
• s&p

Method:

Put the pasta onto boil in salted water, while its bubbling away slice the sausage into chunks add to a hot pan with a slug of olive oil. After a few minutes quater the shallots, crush the garlic & slice the sun blushed tomatoes. Add all three ingredients to add to the pan along with the wine. Let it simmer away for a couple of minute & then turn the heat right down. Check the pasta & when it's ready, drain & add the sausage. Mix well & serve straight away. You could throw caution to the wind & sprinkle with some grated cheese. 

Home

Rabbit in Mustard Sauce

I've realised that this year i've not really cooked much Christmasy food & i'm feeling a little guilty. Last year i got fully involved with Christmas Cake, Mince Pies, Iced Biscuit etc, but this year its all fallen to the wayside. I am however hoping to redeem myself this coming weekend by baking Mince Pie Cupcakes... a recipe of my own devising which will only go ahead if i can figure out who has my cupcake baking tray. One of my reason for being waylaid on the way to the kitchen is it's party season. Again. Don't get me wrong it's fun, but after a couple of weeks it wrecks vengeance on your body & soul. I love a night out, but gone are the days of being able to booze two nights running & then jump out of bed with a sparkle in my eye. I could just say no. That would help.

We did have a really lovely Christmas party recently which i cooked lots of goodies for. Spinach & Ricotta in Filo Pastry, Devils on Horseback, homemade Cherry Ripes (will be posting a recipe soon) Sausages Rolls. I meant to take lots of photos but ended up running around encouraging people to eat & filling up glasses. There was only four Mince Pies & one Cherry Ripe (i might have hidden it for the next day...) left so that was a good sign. Miss Lummis made her amazing Mulled Wine filled with rum, raisin & cardamon pods - it really packs a punch. Mulled Wine can be very hit of miss, but Miss Lummis it down to a fine art & it makes me wish that Mulled Wine could be drunk all year round.

We are heading up to Scotland tomorrow morning for the week which is very exciting. Lots of fresh air, walks, Mrs Rhodes' very strong cocktails & more food that you can shake a stick at. Perfect. I'm quite looking forward to having Roast Turkey as the last time i had some would have been last Christmas, after eating Turkey for four days straight i'm always quite happy to wait another year!

There are a lot of people who don't eat Rabbit & i can understand why to a certain extent. Cute & fluffy they make great pets, but they also make great casserole. You want to chose a nice young spring rabbit with fat round the kidneys & a mild gamey taste.

Ingredients:

Feeds 2-3 people 

• 1 rabbit
• 2 medium onion
• 2 tbsp of grainy mustard
• 2 tbsp of smooth mustard
• 2 large glasses of white wine
• 1 large glass of vegetable stock
• 300ml tub of creme fraiche
• 4 tblsp chopped parsley
• s&p

Method:

If your rabbit is whole when you go to buy it, ask your butcher to cut it up for you. So much easier & it will be done properly. Other wise make sure you use a very sharp knife & follow the instructions here. Now that's all sorted out, take your rabbit pieces & dust them in seasoned flour, shake off the excess & brown on all sides in a hot pan with olive oil. While that's happening slice the onion finely. Once browned put the rabbit to the sides & then in the same pan saute the onions until soft. Add both mustards, the wine & the stock, season & give it a good stir. Add the rabbit making sure it nicely coated. Pop in preheated oven set to 180C & cook until tender which will take between 90minutes & and two hours. Check regularly to make sure it's not drying out. Once it cooked, carefully remocve the rabbit from the sauce & set aside for a moment. Gently stir in the creme fraiche & parsley & add back the rabbit. Serve with new potatoes & green vegetables.

Beef & Chorizo Casserole

Christmas is coming. Fact. There seem to be a lot of Christmas Grinch's around at the moment & i am avoiding them like the plague - i think people think they are being clever when they moan & belittle Christmas. Put a sock in it & have some Egg Nog. We are getting geared up got our annual Christmas drinks party (makes me sound terribly grown but basically we just get 'pie eyed' as Mrs Rhodes says & eat Sausage Rolls) I've been trawling through recipe books & foody websites to work out what canapes to make & i think i have a rough idea, Devils on Horsebacks will certainly feature. The tree is up, my new canape tin is ordered & The Houseboy is bracing himself for hoovering duties.

So i have firmly waved goodbye to salads & welcomed in hearty winter fare. We had Mr T. Fright & his lovely live in lady Miss Stevenson over for a relaxing Sunday lunch recently for a catch up. Miss Stevenson & i both like a natter so it was no surprise we were still eating cheese & drinking whiskey seven hours after they first arrived. I am huge fan of a Sunday lunch party, there's time in the morning to get organised, time of have a leisurely lunch & finely time to clean up before flopping on the couch. Bingo.

The Houseboy turned the grand old age of twenty nine recently so at his request i baked him a Red Velvet Cake.  I cheated slightly (with his permission) & didn't make a fully original one like in the Hummingbird Cafe cookbook which is truly delicious but a little time consuming so i went with a simpler version from the BBC food website which turned out well. On his 26th birthday i baked a Black Forest Gateau which took me the best part 4 hours & cost a fortune, i was obliviously still trying to impress him at that stage! The worst thing was carrying it across London underground smelling of Chocolate & Kirch. The Houseboy does not like celebrating his birthday. There's no going out, no drinks & no celebrating with friends. But next year is his 30th & he will have no choice. I will just be happy that he's joined me in the thirties group!

Red Velvet Cake

Lots of people go on casserole overload over the winter months which is no bad thing. There are hundreds of variations & it's a good way to use up left overs etc. This is a punchy & filling dish which is great with Mashed Potatoes, saying that everything goes well with Mash. I thought about doing Horseradish Mash but there really is enough flavour in the casserole as it is. 

Ingredients:
Fed five with leftovers. 

• 1.3k of diced beef
• 2 rings of chorizo
• 2 medium sized onions
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 tins of plum tomatoes
• 1/2 bottle of red wine
• 2 tsp of smoked paprika
• 1 tsp of ground ginger
• s&p

Method:

Pop your oven to 175C. Dust the diced beef in seasoned flour shaking off the excess & set aside. Take the chorizo & slice into chunks & gently fry off (without oil) in a hot pan for roughly 5 minutes till they are crispy round the edges. (they will leak quite a bit of oil which you can use to brown the beef) Remove & set aside then crack on with browning off the beef. Do this in batches to maintain a nice high heat in the pan, you may have to add a little oil if the chorizo hasn't leaked a lot.

Now quickly slice the onions & crush the garlic & add to the pan along with the paprika & ground ginger. Saute for 5 minutes & once the onion is nice & soft add back the chorizo & beef. Now add the red wine & tomatoes. Give it a good stir & pop into the oven. Cook for 2 & 1/2 hours or until the beef is tender. If the sauce is a little thin then you can thicken it up using Beurre Manie  which is equal parts of butter & flour rubbed together. Just remove the beef before thickening the sauce as you will need to whisk it in. Goes well with Mash or Rice. Freezes & reheats very well. 

This years tree

Tomato & Olive Tarts

I've been looking back at all my posts- mainly because i can never remember what i have cooked in past months & have to check that i'm not repeating myself. Something i do a lot in life. Just ask the Houseboy. I definitely got through ingredients phases, for a while it was Spinach, then Chorizo, then a brief dalliance with anything pastry related. I guess we all have our favourites, or more likely get stuck in a rut. I once tried to make something new each time i cooked dinner but realised that i had taken it too far when the Houseboy practically cried with relief after i served him Sausage, Peas & Mash. Occasionally less is more. I just really like more.     

So i have been busy eating as usual, actually while i talk about me & eating - for those who don't know what i look like - i'm not some demonic twenty stone fiend, although granted i like to see myself as Miss Piggy to the Houseboys Kermit, im a fairly normal looking lady. I just really like food (& could indeed stand to loose a few pound - but who doesn't) At the weekend we strolled round the corner to see our nearest neighbourhood friends The Squire & his lady friend Miss Windler. A couple who like food & wine as much as we do we were highly anticipating Sunday lunch & boy o boy we were not disappointed. Proceedings kicked off wit a retro baked Chicory & Parma Ham, a dish i haven't had in ages. Chicory is a vegetable which easily forgotten about which is mean as it's a fantastic choice. The main was a rich & hearty Osso Bucco served with Polenta. The meat was from Randalls Butcher in Fulham & was absolutely delicious. The marrow was wobbly, the meat tender & the sauce rich. It made me want to eat it everyday. Which would probably kill me within eighteen months but would be worth it. I made a dessert of Apple & Raspberry Crumble (recipe to follow) to finish up. As expected there was more than one alcoholic beverage served so needless to say Sunday evening was spent lying on the couch watching films & dozing. A perfect Sunday!

This is really more of a putting ingredients together sort of dish rather than a recipe, but it's very nice & great to serve as a starter or make them smaller & serve them as canapes. I'm not being lazy i promise, the next recipe will be more substantial, in the meantime, shush & go & make this.    

Ingredients:

serves 4. 

• 1 packet of ready rolled puff pastry
• 1/2 jar black olives
• 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes
• 3 spring onions
• 1/2 a garlic clove
• s&p

Method:

Pop a baking tray into a preheated oven of 200C. While it's heating up half the cherry tomatoes & black olives, finely slice the spring onions & crush the garlic. Mix them all together & season. Take the puff pastry & cut each person a postcard sized section. Prick all over leaving a border round the edge. Place the mix in the middle, brush the edges with a little milk. Using a spatula carefully place the 'puffs' onto the pre heated tray & bake for 20 minutes. Voila!

Green Pea & Spinach Soup

Old father time has been playing tricks on me again & i seemed to have lost a week, for once i actually have a backlog of recipes to post! So in short i still have been cooking & eating but not quite making it to my computer to write a load of guff about it. I blame it on 30th birthdays. There has been an onslaught (a very welcome onslaught nevertheless) of parties, present choosing & hangovers which are so much more tempting than sitting at home with my laptop. The latest shindig was at Bunga Bunga in Battersea in honor of Liz waving goodbye to her twenties. If you are looking for somewhere that has great pizza, decent cocktails & staff that actively encourage you to dress up & sing your heart out at karaoke - Bunga Bunga is the place. The next day could have been a complete write off if i hadn't been seeing Miss Stevenson for a day in Islington at the Country Living Christmas Fair. It was well worth the trip across London, not only to see the lovely Miss Stevenson - a fellow foodie who appreciates a good meal as much as i do, but because Mrs Rhodes & family (well hopefully anyway) will be reading this shortly. Needless to say the fair was filled with an amazing array of jewelry, cashmere, clocks, beauty products, festive food...an endless list. I escaped with my purse relatively in tact apart from buying a rather smart new vintage teacup for my collection.      

A few weeks ago the Houseboy & i tried the newly opened Rodizio Rico at Fulham Broadway, one of four across London. It's an all you can eat Brazilian BBQ restaurant serving all kinds of meats such as Steak, Pork & Chicken on long skewers. The waiters come to your table with a selection of different meats & cuts & you can choose whether or not you would like to try. My favourite? Hands down the Barbequed Chicken Hearts which were small, tender & very meaty. The Houseboy also gave them the thumbs up, but didn't quite demolish as many as me. The side are pretty good with a choice of hot or cold, although you have to look quite carefully when you choose at the counter, what i thought were little hot potato balls were in fact cold crumbed cheese balls. The Houseboy also ended up with a side of Lasagna to go with his Beef & Pork - not that he was particularly disappointed. Beef with a side of Beef? No problem. It's certainly not fine dining but was fun & you will not leave hungry.     

I'm still obsessed with soup. Sweet Potato & Chorizo, Minestrone, Spicy Tomato or my current specialty 'Anything Lurking in the Fridge' This is incredibly easy to make & tastes so delicious & fresh. You can use other green vegetables which need using up like Broccoli or Asparagus. It's great to take to work for lunch or nice for dinner with Soft Boiled eggs & Soda Bread.  

Ingredients:

• 350g of green peas
• 300g of spinach
• 200g of  potatoes 
• 1 leek
• 1 onion
• 1 liter of chicken stock (or veg)
• s&p
• chopped chives & creme fraiche to serve

Method:

Start by finely chopping the onion & leek & saute in a little oil until slightly golden. Chop the potato into dice size pieces & add to the pan. Add your stock & cook gently until the potato is tender. Take the green peas & add & simmer until they are cooked. Turn off the heat completely, add the spinach & pop a lid on. Leave until the spinach is completely wilted. Once it has cooled sufficiently, blend & season. Serve with a garnish of chopped chive & a swirl of creme fraiche. 

Pear & chocolate Tart

This time of year always makes me think of Apples, Pears & Pumpkin. The Houseboy is not fond of Pumpkin (or orange food in general really) so i thought i would have a crack at some Apple & Pear dishes over the coming weeks. They are amazingly versatile either in sweet or savoury dishes & are great cooked quickly or slowly. They also go well with Chocolate, but then again everything goes well with Chocolate. Last week we had the Philips' & their amazing new addition - Wee Angus (great Scottish name!) over for a midweek dinner. In line with my attempt at trying to spend a little less time in the kitchen - especially when people are over, i made Fish Pie with a Herb Breadcrumb topping which was mainly prepared the night before. It's one of my favourite dishes, it reminds me of mealtimes growing up, Mrs Rhodes makes a very good Fish Pie. Although i'm hoping she will be whipping up some spicy curries over Christmas after her recent jaunt to Sri Lanka (she does get around)

We celebrated Bonfire Night with the ever hospitable Miss Shannon who made a delicious Cottage Pie (nothing better on bonfire weekend i reckon) served with fresh Veg & lots of red wine. Living at the top of a lovely building in South Kensington she has access to an amazing roof space which has roof tops views over London. The local square were having a fireworks party & we decided to head up, red wine in hand to see if we could get a good view. It was definitely a good idea because as we were so high up the fireworks were literally going off at face height (although on the other side of the street so not too dangerous) A very fun evening had by all.   

Sunday afternoon was spent at The Rose in Fulham having lunch with friends while The Houseboy cheered on Fulham FC (to no avail) I've eaten there a few times & it's always good pub food, the roasts are always a winner. The pudding menu was woefully small (only two choices!) but the Pistachio Ice Cream was delicious, (thank you Mr Philips for recommending it) they always have a few good homemade Ice Cream choices. After a lovely lunch it was a short waddle home to spend a couple of hours pottering in the kitchen making Soup for the week ahead. I seem to be making a lot of Soup lately, my next flavour venture will be Beetroot & Horseradish.

This is originally a recipe by The Telegraph food writer Diana Henry which i have adapted slightly. It's incredibly rich & delicious. Try & find decent pears as the flavour is important. It's a great time of year for this dish as British pears are at their best, i used ground Almonds i already had them in the cupboard. 

Ingredients:

• 1 packet of ready to roll short crust pastry
• 125g butter, softened
• 100g soft dark-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 125g ground hazelnuts
• 185g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 4 ripe pears
• 3 tsp caster sugar
• icing sugar, for sifting (optional) 

Method:

Roll out the pastry on a surface dusted lightly with icing sugar and use it to line a 25cm (10in) loose-bottomed tart tin. Put it in the freezer for 20 minutes to firm up. This helps to stop the pastry shrinking during cooking.

Put crumpled greaseproof paper into the tin and fill with baking beans. Put in an oven preheated to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 and bake for 15 minutes. Remove and leave to cool. Turn down the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. 

 

To make the filling beat the butter and brown sugar until soft. Gradually add the eggs, then stir in the hazelnuts. Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Leave to cool a little then stir into the egg and nut mixture. Fill the part-cooked pastry case with this. 

Peel, halve and core the pears, then set them on top of the filling with the small end in the middle (you may find you only have room for seven rather than eight halves). Sprinkle some caster sugar on the pears so that they glaze a little during cooking. Bake in the oven for 40 for 45 minutes. The tart is ready when you can feel with your finger that the centre is just set. 

Leave the tart to cool a little before removing it from the tin. It's nice warm or at room temperature. You can leave it as it is or sift a light dusting of icing sugar over it. Serve with cream or crème fraîche.

Cheese & Chive Scones

I will start by saying sorry to everyone (probably about 5 people knowing my luck) who have signed up to receive email notifications when i post a blog, as you all will have just received a garbled, scrappy piece of writing which makes no sense. This is what happens when i get distracted. I press the wrong button. So this is attempt two. Life is trickling along, the Houseboy started a new job this week in the City which is exciting. Apparently there is a free canteen serving breakfast & lunch so no more homemade lunches for him! If anything this will save us a fortune in tupperware as he lost so many at his last place i suspected some sort of conspiracy. As predicted i do love tupperware, but not as much as my 94 year old grandfather who is an avid cook & who has, in my opinion boosted profits at Lakeland Plastics tenfold over the last 5 years. Apparently there is nothing that can't be tupperwared. So to speak.

On Sunday the Houseboy & i headed off to Hampton Court for a walk round Bushy Park & the lovely gardens. Joined by Mr Robinson & Miss Lummis we had a fun day kicking leaves & planning where to have lunch. The trees were magnificent, with amazing russet tones, falling leaves & dashing squirrels. We came across deer across the whole park including waring stags going hell for leather over a doe. Have to say it was a little scary at times, we would be strolling along & suddenly come across some resting deer hiding behind a tree. I managed to get some nice shots, but was kicking myself for not bringing along my long lens. Mr Robinson confessed that the majority of the time when he saw animals the his first thought is how good they would taste. A committed carnivore! We managed to keep him a suitable distance from all wildlife for the day.     

Now i have a new obsession, interest in life. Collecting vintage tea cups. The Houseboy is not amused in the slightest & sees them only as objects that take up space & need dusting. He doesn't have to worry on that account, it's been a while since i have seen him prancing round the flat with a feather duster. The lovely Miss Lummis & Miss Holford gave me two beautiful ones for my 30th earlier this year & my sister gave me an amazing addition which is pictured below. This small but soon to grow collection joins my button collection & scarf collection, two other loves in my life which have the Houseboy baffled. I once had a job working for someone who was really very unpleasant & it was not uncommon for my then flatmates to find me sorting out my button collection into colour categories after a particularly stressful day at work. Whatever gets you through i reckon!

 

A Fruit Scone with Jam & Cream is one of life's great pleasures. A savoury scone is pretty darn close. You can substitute the chives for parsley, & choose any good hard, strong cheese. Great slightly warmed up & served with a little butter or a dollop of creme fraiche & caviar. I found this recipe on www.cookitsimply.com a random but useful website.

Ingredients:

• 225g self-raising flour
• pinch of salt
• 50g butter, diced
• 100g strong cheese such a chedder, grated
• 1 tbsp snipped fresh chives
• 150 ml fresh milk & extra for brushing

Put the flour and salt into a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in 50 g (2 oz) of the cheese and the chives.

Add the milk and mix to form a soft dough, then knead quickly until smooth.

Roll out on a floured work surface until 1 cm (1/2 inch) thick. Cut into 10 rounds with a 5 cm
(2 inch) plain cutter and brush the tops with milk. Transfer to baking sheets.

Bake at 230°C (450°F) mark 8 for 7 - 10 minutes, until well risen and golden brown.

Immediately put the remaining cheese on top of the scones and allow to melt before serving hot or cold.

Coconut & Chilli Chicken

Wow. It's going to hard to make healthy food as the weather turns colder, i keep dreaming about Ox Tail Casserole, Steak & Ale Pie, Sticky Toffee Pudding... Salad is not getting a look in. I will however be trying to strike a balance, otherwise i will be giving the Christmas Turkey a run for it's money. Being 5'3 is extremely unforgiving at this time of year, a couple of extra kilos & a winter coat & i look like a lego man (with better hair). Ah the perils of a cold climate! A text from the Houseboy's mum in Australia (a much much better climate) asking me to make a wish while she stirred her Christmas Pudding has made me realise i have to get my behind in gear & crack on with this year Christmas Cake. It needs plenty of time to mature & to be dosed with brandy or whiskey (or whatever the Houseboy won't miss from the booze collection) I can't say that it' my favourite cake but i do enjoy making it &certainly gets you in the festive mood.   

Last weekend i was in York with Mrs Robinson for a retail therapy session & catch up. It's a great place for a weekend, small enough to cover in a couple of days, but enough to keep you interested. There was an amazing Fruit & Veg market which reminded me of Borough Market without the pretentious crowd & astronomical prices. The produce looked truly amazing & the choice of Meat & Fish would have a carnivore drooling. Unfortunately our hotel room didn't have a fridge otherwise i would have been boarding the train South with a bunch of Leeks & a Leg of Lamb! We had the most delicious Hot Chocolate at Monk Bar Chocolatiers in the heart of the 'Shambles' an acient street harking back to the fourteenth century with over hanging buildings & wooden beams. Who needs the history channel when you can see the real thing!

I'm a little obsessed with Nigel Slater at the moment. (sorry Nigel) I have had a few of his cookbooks for ages but they have been languishing at the back of the kitchen &, looking through them this week i have no idea why. So i am going to devote a little time to him over the next few weeks. This recipe received a resounding thumbs up from the Houseboy, it's not too hot, but does have a lovely warmth to it. I love apricots in savoury dishes & this is no exception, they take the edge off the spice & compliments the chicken perfectly. I also discovered it's great after three glasses of wine & a wobble home on the bike. So happy to find it in the fridge last night!  

Ingredients:

• 3 stalks of lemon grass
• 50g fresh ginger
• 2 hot red chillies
• 2 cloves of garlic
• a bunch of coriander
• 2 limes
• 2 tbsp ground nut oil (although i used vegetable oil)
• 200g fresh tomatoes
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 8 chicken thighs
• 400mls coconut milk
• 8 apricots halved

Method:

Peel and discard the outer leaves of the lemongrass- they can sometimes be tough. Cut the inner leaves into short lengths and put in the food processor. Peel the ginger, then slice into thin pieces and add to the lemongrass. Chop the chillies, discarding their stems and add to the ginger with the peeled garlic. Roughly chop the stems and half of the leaves of the coriander to add to the food processor, reserving the rest for later.

Grate the lime zest into the food processor, reserving the limes for later, then turn the machine on and let it chop everything to a coarse paste. Add a little groundnut oil and scrape the sides down with a spatula if it sticks. Add the fish sauce, soy sauce and the tomatoes and process for a few seconds longer.

Warm a further tablespoon of groundnut oil in a deep pan over a moderate to high heat and use it to brown the chicken pieces, turning them so they colour nicely on both sides. Lift the chicken pieces out and pour away anything more than a tablespoon of oil and juices. Add the spice paste and let it fry over a moderate heat for two minutes till fragrant, stirring almost constantly, then return the chicken to the pan. Pour over the coconut milk, stir, cover and leave to simmer over a low heat for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile halve and stone the apricots and leave them to one side.

Test the chicken for doneness making certain it’s cooked right the way through, then add the apricots. Leave to simmer for a few minutes, then add the juice of the limes and the reserved coriander leaves.