Love in a Time of Gluttony

Chicken in Spicy Yoghurt

2012-02-21T22:48:00.000Z

We are on another ~~attempted~~ health kick. This, i guess, is when i should start advocating a healthy balanced diet etc etc but if you want that kind of chat then this may not be the place for you. If i'm having to eat healthy 90% (wishful thinking) of the time, then my weekly blog will be my calorie slip up. One of the reasons for the said health kick (apart from my favourite belt getting too tight) is the because The Houseboy is competing in his first half marathon in Bath and followed swiftly by his first full marathon in Copenhagen. Needless to say i will not be running but i will be standing at the finish line waiting for him with a shiny foil blanket thingy & a sandwich.

The Houseboy is a bit of a junk food prude & can ignore a plateful of biscuits easily, i on the other hand find it a little harder. For one, this is partly down to my workplace which seems obsessed anything to do with sugar. Cakes, biscuits, robinson's fruit juice, sugary tea... There is always something tempting lurking on the meeting table. Some things i can say no to - rich tea biscuits & ginger nuts to name the very few, but when someone brings in treats from Ottolenghi it's completely impossible to resist. I also have to confess now that i baked a carrot cake to take in tomorrow. The Houseboy is right - i am a feeder and i have no will power.

Temporarily banned...

Don't be fooled by the substandard picture, this is actually a lovely recipe full of flavour & takes no time at all to rustle up. I originally saw a version of this on salmon & green chillies in place of harrisa paste & thought that i would try it out with chicken instead. You can omit the harrisa paste if it's not your thing.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breast
one large yellow pepper
250g of spinach
300g low fat greek yogurt
one tablespoon of harrisa paste
2" knob of fresh ginger
two cloves of garlic
one bunch of coriander
s&p

Method:

Take the ginger, garlic & coriander - pulse together in a processor or mini chopper (or finely chop by hand if you're old school). Add the yogurt & harrisa paste, mix well, taste & season. Slice up the chicken and the pepper setting the pepper aside for a moment, take the chicken and cover with the yoghurt mixture leaving a couple of table spoons spare. Add to a medium hot pan or wok & begin to cook gently (you don't want to curdle it) until the chicken is cooked through. Throw in the yellow pepper & cook for a further three or four minutes (you don't want them to get soggy) and finish off by stirring in the remaining yogurt dressing. I served this with couscous but it would go equally well with rice.

Ottolenghi Raspberry Cheesecake

Smoked Salmon Pate

2012-02-13T21:35:00.002Z

I feel like i've just completed a foodathon, but i'm not sure if sure if i came first or last...

We ate so much food over the weekend that i should really do a 24 hour self imposed famine like i did as kid for charity (was tough but a lot easier than a sponsored silence) It's probably not going to happen though. Anyway the reason for eating so much was a good one - catching with friends & going to a great restaurant. For the first time in ages we headed to The Hardwood Arms in Fulham which sports a Michelin star, a menu to make a meat lover swoon & a lovely atmosphere. It's well worth a visit - just make sure & book. After our fantastic meal we headed round the corner & over the road to Vagabond to samples some wines. A great place where you can buy wine by the snifter, the glass or the bottle its perfect or people who like me who love wine, but doesn't always know where to start. The Houseboy felt nice & smug when one of my favourites turned out to be an South Australian Shiraz called Sitting Spider.

When ever i make pate, i always seems to do either chicken liver or smoked mackerel, but given the fact that that we still have a whole side of smoke salmon in the freezer the decision was a simple one. I originally found this recipe on the BBC Good Food site but changed it as i thought it didn't have enough smoked salmon in it & i prefer chives instead of fennel.

Ingredients:

300g smoked salmon
150g creme fraiche
50g cream cheese
handful of chopped chives
juice of half a lemon juice
a little cracked black pepper

Method:

Take all the ingredients, place into a food processor & pulse until combined. It's that easy folks.

...Crisp Brawn with Jerusalem Artichoke Puree & Bread & Butter Pickles...

...Ruby Shirt Steak with Potato, Spinach & Mushroom Puree...

...And finally the Yorkshire Rhubarb Eaton Mess...

Apple & Raisin Cookies

2012-02-06T21:35:00.000Z

So this weekend past i made ice cream, which happened to coincided with the coldest weather London has seen in a long time - great timing. The Houseboy was pretty against my choice of dessert, requesting a wintry pudding possibly featuring apples & pastry, but i couldn't get the idea of ice cream out of my head, so i just locked myself in the kitchen & got with it. The Houseboy despite his misgivings still managed to eat quite a hefty portion...

Apart from some weekend ice cream & soup making, cooking took a nose drive last week due to a nasty bout of flu which left me not giving a fig what i ate as i couldn't taste anything. The highlight had to be a Swedish/German dish cooked up by Miss Crabbie involving ham, sweet red peppers, cheese, cream & potatoes. It was delicious (possibly the last thing i tasted before my senses went into lock down) despite Crabbie claiming she forgot what she was doing half way through. This week will filled with more hearty fare to try & combat this cold (i don't why i'm moaning, it was waaaaay colder growing up in Scotland as a kid) so cottage pies, soups & goulashes will all be making an appearance.

Everyone loves cookies, & if they don't, they're not worth knowing. This recipe was an attempt at recreating an Apple Strudel Slice which i saw in being sold in a dodgy shop in Battersea. I was going to buy the slice but then i read the ingredients list & realised it would take me several spin classes to work off the 'trans fats'. So i made these instead. They may have butter & sugar etc, but at least you know whats gone into them. Next time i make these i will be throwing in a handful of chocolate chips & hazelnuts instead of apples & raisins. Just to mix it up.

Ingredients:

250g plain flour
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
1/2 tsp salt
100g caster sugar
200g soft brown sugar
170g melted butter
a handful of chopped dried apple
a handful of raisins
one egg
one egg yolk
one tsp vanilla essence

Method:

Set your oven to 170C, grease a baking tray & set aside.

Take the melted butter & cream together until blended.

Add in the vanilla essence & eggs & blend till light & fluffy.

Carefully sift in the flour, salt & bicarb & gently mix.

Add the raisins & apple & fold in.

Place roughly one tbsp of the mixture onto the baking tray - don't flatten them.

Bake for 15 - 17 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack & keep in an air tight box.

Smoked Mackeral & Beetroot Salad with Salsa Verde

2012-01-27T22:45:00.001Z

It's Friday night, it's after ten pm & i'm still writing this bloody blog. It's not all glamorous dinner parties & perfectly risen cakes, it's more sweating in the kitchen, trying to write things that sound vaguely interesting & attempting to take artistic pictures while your food grows cold. Bah. Saying that i still love it, i still think about food all time, i still think about lunch while eating breakfast & i still plan dinner menus while cycling to work. I'm classed as a 'hobby blogger' i believe & i very much doubt i will ever give up the day job & sit gazing out the window while writing a daily blog about how maaaaarvelous everything is while being paid. I may sound a little bitter, but i'm not, even an old gas bag like me would eventually run out of words.

My culinary hit list for twenty twelve seems to be growing rather shrinking & that's annoying. I should be happy that i'm full of cooking inspiration, but instead, i'm getting cranky that i can't keep up with it all. There are fifty two weeks in a year so i should really just shut up & get on with it. Over all not the most positive sounding waffle this week, but even the most cheeriest people are cranky on the odd occasion.

This is more a collection of ingredients rather than cooking, but again what qualifies as actual cooking? Stop thinking about & just make then eat it. This dish makes me hopeful that January is going to end & the getting up in the dark, leaving work in the dark & general gloom of the first month is going to end. I hate January.

Ingredients:

This serves two people

three mackerel fillets
three raw beetroots (you can buy them already cooked & in sweeten water if you like)
one large avocado
one bag of rocket

Salsa Verde

one bunch of parsley
one clove of garlic - crushed
two tbsps of capers - roughly chopped
four anchovies fillets
one shallot - finely chopped
zest & juice of a lemon
olive oil

Method:

Take the beetroots, slice the tails off & put them on the boil as you would potatoes, cook until tender - this should take about 30 minutes. Once they are ready, put them into cold water to cool & carefully peel off the skin which will come of easily. While the beetroots are cooking make the Salsa Verde which is ridiculously quick & easy. Either take all the ingredients & pulse in a food processor until roughly chopped then mixed with enough olive oil until you achieve the consistence or chop everything by hand & combine with olive oil.

Take the beetroots & avocado & quarter then lay round the plate then take the rocket & place in the middle of the plate. Lay the mackerel fillets & top with a dollop of salsa verde.

Enjoy.

Lemon Curd

2012-01-19T21:33:00.000Z

It's no surprise that i love cooking shows & luckily the Houseboy is happy to watch them. One of our current favourites is Heston Blumenthal's show which is great despite the fact he's completely bonkers. His wacky enthusiasm does give me inspiring ideas - not quite to his madcap scale but it has given me lots of ideas about pairing flavours & textures, my next book purchase will definitely be The Flavour Thesaurus for this very reason. A Salted Caramel Tart will be one of this first things i bake - i love things which are both salty & sweet. Heston love a gadget but I have to say the most dangerous kitchen item i have lurking around is a blow torch (i never ever tell the Houseboy i'm about to use it otherwise he gets really nervous) I would love to have lots of gadgets & pointless but fun things like a melon baller or a little thingy that makes butter curls but unfortunately our wee kitchen is so over loaded that there is a current ban on buying anything new. That will last approximately until i next walk past a kitchen shop.

With my recent promise to myself to do more creative things in twenty twelve i have written a list of things to do & achieve. Firstly a weekend photography course, secondly to make cushions using the beautiful tweed fabric Mrs Rhodes gave me for Christmas, thirdly - actually do something with all the vintage scarves i have collected & fourthly cook a list of dishes that i have been putting off or ages which includes: Marshmallows, Chocolate Truffles, Eccles Cakes, Border Tart & Cornish Pasties. I'm exceedingly good at starting things & not particularly good at finishing things but i am going to endeavour to change that. Hopeful yet realistic on that one...

After making this Nigel Slater recipe i will never buy Lemon Curd again, it's just too easy to make & so delicious. It's ridiculously good on toast, amazing with Meringues & Cream, great as a Lemon Tart filling & fantastic when you just stick your finger in the jar. You can also substitute the lemons for either oranges or limes.

Ingredients:

Makes two jars.

zest & juice of 4 unwaxed lemons
100g butter
200g sugar
3 eggs & 1 extra egg yolk

Method:

Put the lemon zest, lemon juice, the sugar & butter into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water - making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir with a whisk from time to time until the butter has melted.

Mix the eggs & the egg yolk lightly with a fork then stir into the lemon mixture. Let the curd cook stirring regularly for about ten minutes until it's thick & custard-like. It should feel heavy on the whisk.

Remove from the heat & stir occasionally as it cools. Pour into spotlessly clean jars & seal. This will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge.

Onion Marmalade

2012-01-08T19:57:00.001Z

I'm almost hesitant to say this out loud & it's doubtful that the Houseboy would back me up just yet, but i think, think, that i may have the beginnings of my bread baking mojo back. When i first learnt to bake bread i was (in my opinion) pretty good at it. Then BAM, i suddenly i could only produce heavy, dense, unappealing lumps of unhappiness. But this weekend past i made a Wholemeal Loaf which not only was i able to slice with the bread knife, but it's even edible without toasting! Yip-bloody-yee. I have to say this is mainly down down to the shorter of the two on the Fabulous Bakers Brothers which has recently started on Channel 4. A butcher/chef & a baker brother duo who are passionate about all things culinary it looks like it's going to be a great series. His biggest piece of advise was to kneed, kneed & then kneed some more, and i think in hindsight that's been my problem. So on Saturday morning i set to it & threw in some serious muscle, the result was heartening and i will be baking bread every Saturday until i get it just perfect.

i didn't make this but i wish i did

I spent Sunday wandering through Brick Lane & Spittlefield markets indulging in my love for vintage scarves with an old school friend Miss Crabbie (a funny hybrid of Scottish & Swedish, i wouldn't be surprised if she deep fries her herring) Admittedly it's it had been months & months since i last headed out East to hang with the cool kids (and they are so cool - embarrassingly so) but i couldn't believe the change it's gone through. It's almost clean & tidy! Gone are the towering piles of food wrappers in dingy corners, no more bizarre people sitting on pavements trying to sell you a teapot with no spout, there are even loos in the Sunday Up Market! The charm of old & broken v new & shiny is all part of he feel & i'm all for improvements but i'ts now hovering on the line of just becoming another bland enterprise. A bit like poor old Camden Market, (which i still like i have to say) once a quirky, strange place were you could buy something that no one in earth would wear (or want to) is now overrun with mass produced nylon dresses & knock off watches.

Not only is this onion marmalade great with cheese & biscuits but it's also a fantastic filing for a Onion Tart. If you suddenly find yourself with people over at feeding time it's a quick & easy starter or main with a hearty salad. Garnish with savings of parmasan cheese and bake in the oven till its melted and the pastry is crisp. You can use either red or white onions, bearing in mind that red onions are sweeter.

Ingredients:

110g butter
675g onions - either red or white
1 & 1/2 tsp salt
good pinch of pepper
155g caster sugar
7 tbsp red wine finger or sherry vineger
255ml red wine

Method:

Start by putting the butter on to gently melt, while it is, slice the onions thinly & add to the pan with the sugar & s&p, cover & cook until soft & caramelised. Add vinegar & wine & cook until it thickens.

Sausage Pasta

2011-12-14T18:56:00.001Z

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

2011-12-03T15:42:00.001Z

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

2011-11-29T21:26:00.001Z

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

2011-11-15T18:23:00.001Z

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

2011-11-08T11:45:00.000Z

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

2011-11-07T21:54:00.000Z

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

2011-11-01T22:17:00.000Z

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

2011-10-28T11:31:00.002+01:00

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.

Roasted Aubergines

2011-10-23T17:28:00.000+01:00

I'm slowly learning the benefits of quick & easy food. Sometimes i find myself in the kitchen for hours faffing around with dinner, which although i love doing, suddenly makes me look at the clock & realize it's 9.30pm. Celebrity chefs have long realized that many people do not have the time or inclination to spend hours over over food & Nigel Slater is probably at the foremost of this campaign (along with Jamie Oliver & a host of others but Nigel is one of my favourites) he's a huge fan of fresh & fast food, simply done. So over the last few weeks i have tried to cut down on kitchen time without compromising on goodness. Two of Nigel's most popular books are Real Fast Food & The 30 Minute Cook which are jam packed with lovely recipes which take no time at all. Saying that i think the reason i spend take so long in the kitchen is as soon as i'm almost finished something then i get an idea to make something else & all the pots & pans are out again. This coming week i'm going to try my hand at some new canapes (testing for this year Christmas party) That's right Houseboy, it's happening again, don't worry you are only on dishes this time. And hoovering. I will be doing some belated baking as i missed last weeks National Baking Week. Insert sad face here.

I was flicking through a Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall cook book in Waterstones the other day & a variation of this recipe popped out at me. I couldn't remember the whole recipe by the time i got home, but i reckon this is pretty close.

Serves 4 as a side.

Ingredients:

3 aubergines
2 cloves of garlic
juice of 1 lemon
1 red chilli
handful of fresh mint
3 tbsp olive oil
s&p

Method:

Start by popping the oven on at 180C then cut the aubergines into rounds about 1cm thick, sprinkle lightly with salt & set aside for 30 minutes.

Finely chop the chili & mint, crush the garlic & mix all together with the olive oil & lemon juice. Season.

After 30 minutes have passed blot off any liquid which has formed on the aubergine & roast in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes. Turning half way through. When they are done take out, layer on a plate & drizzle with the marinade.

Amaretti & Raspberry Pudding

2011-10-19T17:47:00.000+01:00

It's been a quiet week so far, this kind of cold weather makes me want to hibernate slightly so i've been quite happy to potter round that flat in the evenings. Miss Whinder swung by last night for a quick dinner of Chicken Wrapped in Pancetta with Anchovies served with Roasted Vegetables. A good combo apart from the odd anchovy bone which had us both hacking like a pair of old smokers. Last Sunday i had my first trip to Parson's Green Farmers Market on New Kings Road & have to say i really liked it. It's small but covers all the essentials such as Meat (including lovely game) Fish, Fruit & Veg, Bread, Cheese & Bakery bits. I made a bee line for meat stand & came away with some great looking Game Sausages, i'm yet to cook them up as i thought it only fair to watch for the Houseboy to come home. I also took home some delicious Soda Bread which has been amazing with my homemade soup at lunchtimes. It's made me want to get back into bread making - earlier this year i lost my baking mojo so would be good to see if it's back. I just need to find some guinea pigs to test on!

VERY excited about the coming weekend as i am meeting Mrs Robinson in York (that's York, England not New York, America. Sadly) where we are planning on eating cream teas, drinking gin, watching fudge being made & possibly working up the courage to look round the York Dungeons. We attempted this as children which resulted in panic attacks & lots of screaming-i would like to point out i lasted way longer than her, she barely made it past the man being boiled alive in hot oil.

This must be one of the easiest but most delicious puddings to make. You can make it slightly ahead of time (like a few hours) & it keeps nicely in the fridge. You could substitute the raspberries for a variety of other berries such as Blueberries, Strawberries or Gooseberries & you could also flavour the cream with some booze maybe or vanilla extract.

Serves 4 people.

Ingredients:

180g amaretti biscuits
200g of raspberries
1 pint of double cream
a splash of sherry

Method:

Start by whipping the cream, you can do this by hand with a good whisk or use electric beaters, although make sure you don't over whip, you want it a bit 'floppy'. Take the amaretti biscuits & set aside one for each dish to use as decoration. Gently crush the remaining biscuits, you want each biscuit to break into about four or five pieces (it's not hugely important, you just don't want them to end up like sand)

Place a tablespoon of the biscuits in the bottom of each glass/bowl/dish add a good dollop of cream on the top, followed by a layer of raspberries. Layer of the remaining biscuits between the dishes, trickle (careful here) over some sherry, add another dollop of cream & finally garish each serving with a raspberry & an amaretti biscuit.

Slow Cooked Pork with Thyme & Garlic

2011-10-16T22:01:00.000+01:00

Slow Cooked Pork with Thyme & Garlic.

A lovely relaxing weekend in an autumnal London. Today was great weather - clear blue skies (well in the morning anyway) the sun shone (again only really in the morning) & leaves were falling. I tried to convince the Houseboy to try a leaf version of a snow angel while on an afternoon walk, but understandably Australia's rugby loss earlier in the day did not leave him in the most buoyant of moods. A trip to Byron the hamburger restaurant soon had him feeling more perky. I have to say that i prefer Byrons to GBK. Although there are less burger choices, i think the burgers are cooked better & i LOVE how they decorate their restaurants. I would happily live in the Putney branch. Saturday was spent with the Ware's & their adorable baby twins - Jack & Eliza. I decided to do Slow Cooked Pork as it requires little effort & all that needed done was some last minute veggies so we could concentrate on cuddling the babies & drinking Verve Clique (not normally how we roll in our household but it's left me wondering why on earth not?!) It was a lovely relaxing afternoon & perfectly set us up for an evening of clubbing (wow i feel old using that word - but we were in a club) to celebrate Miss Mcgrath's birthday. It's not often i drink vodka - i really only do gin when it comes to spirits but it was Bison Grass Vodka & was very good. Such a fun night & i felt super smug that i had a pair of flip flops in my bag for the walk home.

Slow cooked meat has to be one of the biggest pleasures in life, & the simplest. A great way to cook without fussing. Lamb & Beef also work incredibly well, you can experiment with different vegetables, herbs & spices & create something totally differently every time.

Ingredients:

This feeds 4 with some leftovers.

2 kilo (approx) boneless rolled shoulder of pork
3 large cooking apples
10 rashers of pancetta
8 shallots
1 glass of white wine
5 cloves of garlic
1 bunch of fresh thyme
s&p

Method:

The first part of this this recipe is to marinade the pork - ideally overnight. If you can't then try to give it at least a couple of hours. Turn your oven onto the highest setting & give it time to get really hot. Start by crushing the garlic & finely chopping the thyme, including the stalks. Mix together with a slug of olive oil & some black pepper. Take the mixture & cover the pork making sure you really work it into the meat. Wrap in clingfilm & leave to marinade in the fridge.

For the next part, peel, core & slice the apples. If you are not popping it all in the oven straight away toss the apples in some lemon juice to stop them turning them brown. Skin of the shallots & cut in half. Take a roasting pan (with sides) & lay the rashers of pancetta on the bottom, toss in the apples, shallots & wine, add a good pinch of s&p & finally place the pork on the top. Pop the pork in the oven & cook on high for 20 minutes, then knock the heat right back down to about 125C-140C. Then leave to gently cook away, i cooked mine for 5 hours, but you could cook it for longer. Check occasionally to make sure its not drying out. After it's been in for about 1 - 1 & 1/2 hours remove the apples, shallots (which should be soft caramalised) & any liquid, place in a pan make an easy apple sauce by simply seasoning & heating up just before you serve.

It's only fair to warn you that this cooking method doesn't produce the best cracking, but it's not really the aim for this dish. The skin & fat is there to cook the meat nice & moist. You could if you like, take the skin off once the meat is ready & pop it back in the oven on a high heat to crisp up.

If there is meat left over then it's perfect to use for a Sunday night supper. I cooked up the pork with new potatoes, carrots, asparagus, onions & garlic. A great one pot wonder which requires little effort. Leaves you more time to watch pointless Sunday films, although this weeks choice of Footloose was FAR from pointless.

Sunday Night Supper

Hazelnut & Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-10-09T22:43:00.000+01:00

Today was spent mostly tucked away in the kitchen by myself. I'm a social person & love a good chat, but i'm also very happy being by myself. Especially in the kitchen listening to Radio 4 or watching re runs of Casualty (i never said i was cool) So with the Houseboy out practicing his golf swing i spent the afternoon making Summer Greens Soup, Aubergine Chutney & Cookies. All a success (well i think so) although i didn't quite anticipate the Chutney being so hot-despite the recipe warning me. I reckon it will balance out with a good strong cheese.I always cook for others & love having people over, but i think i sometimes lose sight of cooking purely for myself. I can thank a certain Mr T. Fry for making me change this slightly. He recommended a great blog www.gastronomicalme.com. In it she talks about the pleasure of eating alone & purely relishing simple ingredients put together. I'l be getting a fair bit of practice starting tomorrow as the Houseboy is heading off to Aberdeen for the next two weeks... They say 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' or in the Houseboys case buys him two weeks peace & reduces my washing load by half.

Earlier in the week i mentioned seasonal produce & i when i was walking down North End Road yesterday i saw a fruit & veg stall selling fresh figs. Figs are a fruit i rarely eat, i think because trying dried figs put me off. After buying a tray of ten & getting home i wondered what i was actually going to do with them. I had a good look through my cook books & found an interesting recipe for Fig Jam by Stephanie Alexander but quickly realised that they firstly needed to be dried out in the sun. Fail, as, not only do i not like dried figs there is no chance i could find enough sun in August let alone October to complete the recipe. So we decided to eat them simply wrapped in Parma Ham & they were delicious. I'm looking forward to having some for breakfast tomorrow morning.

This is a Nigel Slater recipe from a Guardian publication in 2009, its one of the nicest cookie recipes i have made in a while. I doubled the recipe (only because the Houseboy & i are both taking them to work) & made them really big. Crispy on the edges & chewy on the inside. Perfect with a cup of tea on an Sunday afternoon.

Ingredients:

75g skinned hazelnuts
180g butter at room temperature
90g golden caster sugar
90g light muscovado sugar
2 eggs
100g plain chocolate
180g plain flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method:

Set the oven at 180C/gas 4. Toast the hazelnuts till they are golden brown. This is easiest done under a hot grill with a watchful eye, but you can do it in a non-stick pan if you prefer.

Cut the butter into small pieces and put into a food mixer fitted with a beater attachment. Add the sugars and cream to a light and fluffy texture – you may have to scrape the mixture down from the sides a couple of times with a rubber spatula. You can, of course, do everything with a hand-held electric mixer or even a wooden spoon if you prefer to do it that way.

Break the eggs and beat them into the mixture. Chop the chocolate into small chunks, the size of small gravel and add it, together with the sieved flour and bicarbonate of soda, slowly and at quite a low speed, to the dough.

Take a large, heaped 15ml tablespoon of the dough and put it on a non-stick baking sheet (or use baking parchment if you prefer). Flatten it lightly. Continue with the rest of the mixture, putting the dollops of mixture well apart from each other.

Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until they have spread and are golden in colour. Let them cool for a few minutes before lifting them off and transferring them to a cooling rack.

Pork with Sun Blushed Tomatoes & Black Olives

2011-10-06T22:17:00.000+01:00

Well its been a funny old week with the weather, i've gone from flouncing around in flip flops & a summer dress to wobbling against the wind on my bike in a scarf & raincoat. The change in a season is always exciting (in my book anyway) & i love that fact it brings along a whole new selection of foods to cook. It's amazing how much better food tastes when it's season, lots of celebrity chefs are pretty vocal about using seasonal produce - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall being the biggest champion. It's sometimes tricky to work out whats actually in season when, but there are lots of websites - i find this one pretty conclusive: www.eattheseasons.co.uk. Seasonal produce can also be cheap as it will be (hopefully) in abundance, so you can eat delicious dishes without breaking the bank. This will make the Houseboy happy, he recently described our relationship to Miss Shannon as 'a bit like Germany & Greece' (i'll give you a hint - i'm not Germany) i take mild affront to that comment but the little bugger is still sticking by it.

Last Saturday night i headed up to North London to spending the evening with Miss Stevenson doppelganger & her lovely other half Mr T. A couples collaboration they served up Chorizo & Squid Casserole, Butternut Squash Risotto & the most amazing Courgette Salad (packed with yummy garlic-ness) i wobbled all the home way home & very nearly fell asleep on the tube. It was a great end to the day especially after Miss Stevenson & i had to suffer seeing Scotland lose to England at the rugby... (never fear-all Scots have an inbuilt buoyancy when it comes to sporting defeats. We've had enough practice) Sunday was long lies, pottering around the flat & celebrating Miss Stewart's birthday in Parsons Green. Since the aforementioned dinner party i have relinquished alcohol (not forever - that's a little drastic, just for a few couple of months) I will admit now there will be some exceptions (could be called premeditated slip ups) with various nights already booked in. Can't say that i'm too fussed to avoiding booze. Primarily due to the vat full i had last weekend. Roll on Friday night drinks where i will be knocking back the lemon, lime & bitters.

Cheese. Just because.

It is a great dish, i made it purely because i had all the ingredients in the fridge & pretty much made it up as i went along - but it worked & the Houseboy ate it, although not a particularly special note - it's very rare he says no to my cooking-he knows me well enough to know i can not take culinary criticism.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

4 pork steaks
240g sun blushed tomatoes (they work better than sun dried although you can use them)
400g black olives (de-stoned)
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
small glass of red wine
1 tsp paprika
4 tblsp of creme fraiche
s&p

Method:

Start proceedings by popping on the oven to 160C. Then slice the pork into thin pieces, finely slice the onion, crush the garlic -place in an oven proof pot. Add the sun blushed tomatoes, olives, paprika, wine. Season. Place in the oven & cook with a lid on until the pork is tender - this can take anything from 50-90minutes depending on your oven & quality of the pork. Once it's ready gently stir in the creme fraiche. I served this with couscous which had lots of parsley through it.

Lovely flowers from Nerida

Lemon Thyme & Garlic Chicken

2011-09-30T16:38:00.002+01:00

I was dithering about what to cook one night earlier this week, initially i thought about making homemade hamburgers, but kicked that one to the side as i was doubtful they would be as good as the ones we had recently with the Phillip's. JP made the best hamburgers i've eaten in ages. I'm not really a huge Hamburger fan, it's not something i would ever particularly order in a restaurant (GBK withstanding) but these were delicious. Looking through the fridge i came across some amazing Garlic which was recently given. Each bulb is one whole clove & it's so sweet, it's great to roast in the oven or use for Aioli. The Houseboy laments over my love of garlic which can occasionally take over mealtimes with vengeance, but there is no way i'm giving it up! Anyway it's very good for you.

When Mrs Rhodes was down visiting the Big Smoke recently we headed to the V&A in South Kensington for a morning of culture. We saw a great exhibition 'The History of Making' & i highly recommend it. It's small enough not to bore people who aren't too museum minded but with enough to keep the highbrow interested. My favourite was the 'Alphabet', a row of pencil-tip structures by Dalton Ghetti - so amazingly miniature & detailed. I doubt i will be attempting anything similar as i don't think i have that much patience.

This is an easy & quick dish which freezes well. You can make is more interesting by maybe adding different kinds of Mushrooms, using Red Wine in place of White...the choice is yours. You could also add a little cream near the end to make it as little richer.

Serves 2.
Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
handful of button mushrooms
several sprigs lemon thyme (normal thyme is just as good)
2 garlic cloves
juice of half a lemon
splash of white wine
pinch of s&p

Method:

Begin by pulling the leaves from the stalks of thyme, slicing the garlic thinly & squeezing the juice from the lemon, combine together in a bowl along with s&p. Slice the chicken breasts long ways into 5/6 strips & add to the marinade you have just made. Coat well and set aside. Ideally it's nice to let is rest for 30mins so all the flavours infuse, but not imperative. Heat up your frying pan till nice & hot with a dash of olive oil & carefully add the chicken, cooking for roughly 10 minutes. Add the wine & mushrooms & turn down the heat & leave till chicken is cooked through. I served this with Mashed Potato & Mange Tout, but it would work equally well with Couscous or Rice.

Healthy Chocolate Mousse

2011-09-19T22:48:00.000+01:00

Chocolate Mousse.

If i hadn't been having quite so much fun i swear i would think i have just lost the last three weeks.... I can't believe its September already, the nights are drawing in quicker & there's more than a trace of autumn blowing through London town. I love this time of year, the slight nip in the air first thing in the mornings, the fact you appreciate your feather duvet again & of course more excuses to eat hearty food. September can be a beautiful month is mother nature plays fair...

The last few weekends definitely have had a Scottish flavour with 2 trips north & Mrs Rhodes visiting from the Borders. Heading home is great as always. Fresh air, lots of walks & catching up with family is the usual order of the day. I can never get over how reasonably priced fresh fish is up North, it's literally a third of the price compared to London & three times better. Mrs Rhodes & i got a little carried away & put together a seafood platter which was pretty impressive. A second trip north was to celebrate Miss R. Shannon's 30th birthday in the lovely seaside village of Ellie in the Kingdom of Fife. More walks, lovely weather, epic birthday cake & lots of wine. We introduced the Houseboy to 'Buttries' an Aberdonian delicacy (Miss S & i both went to uni in Aberdeen) it's a bit like a salty flat croissant & very good with jam.

A Rhodes & Rhodes Lunch Time Collaboration

The most exciting thing to happen last weekend was the arrival of my birthday present from the Houseboy - a Cannon 500D which is just completely, totally & utterly amazing. I'm so excited to start taking some proper shots of all the dishes i cook, it's something i feel lets my wee blog down at times. Very much looking forward to spending next weekend peddling around on my bike taking some shoots. There is the most amazing building on Lots Road in Fulham on the river which is used by the council in some way which i'm keen to explore. On Sunday the Houseboy & i had people over for lunch & had a kitchen collaboration. Last Christmas i gave him a days butchery course at The Ginger Pig & he came home with a beautifully done Rolled Shoulder of Lamb. (made me start day dreaming of us living in the country with the Houseboy becoming a butcher & me a Cheese maker) Using a Stephanie Alexander marinade of Anchovies, Chicken Stock, Thyme, Garlic & White Wine & resting the Lamb on a bed of Back Bacon (i'm not kidding) it was slowly cooked for 6hrs. The result was delicious & we served it up with Chive Mashed Potatoes & Green Beans.

Ellie on the East Coast of Scotland.

As far i'm concerned this i THE holy grail of 'not so sinful' desserts. But alas i can not take full credit for the recipe. The brain child of Miss R. Shannon, who like myself strives to find delicious food that's not going to take a week to burn off in a sodding spin class. This pretty much smashes all the boxes. As the character Marjorie Dawes says... "its got half the calories so you can eat twice as much'. Don't be put off by the idea of tofu, you really can't tell once it's made, it gives it a nice nutty taste. Also great for people who want to avoid dairy.

Ingredients:

400g silken tofu
150g 75% dark chocolate
2 tbsp icing sugar
2 tsp brandy (optional)

Method:

Melt the chocolate gently taking care not to burn it. Pop the tofu, melted chocolate, sifted icing sugar & brandy into your food processor & blend to a smooth paste. Place into ramekins & chill. It's quite rich so its nice to serve with a couple of raspberries on top.

Ellie Beach.

The Claret Wine Bar in Brisbane.

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This weeks recommended pick is the The Claret House in Brisbane Australia, which, granted is more than a tube ride from London Town where i live, but places this good need to be talked about. With an array of friends living in Brisbane i have only heard good things & it's definitely on my to do list next time i'm over.

A cosy wine bar nestled in the heart of Teneriffe, one of Brisbane’s trendiest suburbs it boasts a boutique wine list made in heaven & a Modern European menu, which is sure to satisfy any foodie. Run by the delectable Miss Dyer & her saucy other half Mr Chew it oozes charm & warmth making it a perfect choice for a mid week catch up with friends or a leisurely weekend lunch. With a dizzying array of choice, Claret House stock approximately 100 domestic and international wines, from Rieslings, Sauvignon Blancs & Semillions to Pinot Noirs, Grenaches & Shirazs, hailing from regions such as the Hunter Valley, NS, Adelaide Hills, SA, & Maipa Valley, CHL. With enthusiastic & true wine loving owners who are committed to making your experience one to remember you are encouraged to try different varieties, have a bit of fun & taste test (for free!)

And what better way to brush up your skills than with a wine course? With both Basic and Intermediate Wine Courses on offer you can stun your friends with your new found knowledge. Over 3 hours, you’ll learn the things you need to know about wine but are afraid to ask. In a social setting & with no question too silly, they discuss the key grape varieties & styles, teach you about the major wine regions of Australia, encourage you to taste wines from some of their favourite vineyards & give you the chance to meet like minded wine lovers.

Game Terrine

Not forgetting the food, Chef, Dan Cossart is a genius in the teeny weeny kitchen (1m x 1m). His small, yet interesting Modern European menu consists of delicious pates, terrines, charcuteries & inventive cheeses boards. With a newly updated menu featuring delicious newchoices such as Chevre du Pelussin (think goat triple cream!) from France, Queso Valdeon (vine wrapped blue) from Spain and Aged Gruyere from Switzerland, just to name a few.

On Wednesdays evenings they plays host the ever popular ‘Roast in the ‘Riffe (short for ‘Teneriffe’) for $20. Dishing up selection of premium meats served with seasonal roast vegetables. Quickly followed by Sunday get togethers, with a BBQ on the deck. Dan is always creative with his weekly choices of BBQ items. Think Portuguese Spatchcock, Sirloin, Salmon Fillet and Toulouse Sausages. So whether you’re swinging by for a bite to eat or & a few vinos, embrace the Claret House motto ‘where good wine meets good company’

Details:
Shop 5 London Woolstores 36 Vernon Terrace Teneriffe 4006
Tel: 07 3257 0402
www.clarethouse.com.au

Open Tuesday-Friday, 4pm-midnight, Saturday, 12pm-midnight & Sunday, 12-10pm.