Pasta with Anchovy Sauce

I'm just going through lots of photos on my computer and have realised that there's quite a few recipes that i've done that i haven't done an entry for.  It may take some digging in my memory for what they were like, but i remember this one clearly - it was horrible and this time i'm not sure it was the fault of my cooking.  Just a bad recipe - so bad that i'm not even going to re-produce it here!

Chicken noodle soup

I had some chicken thighs that i needed to use - originally defrosted for saturday night, but i ended up staying sat night at wittering having gone down to buy a sailing dinghy.  A successful trip though - fiona and i are now the proud joint owners of an RS Vision!  So, after easter lunch at Matt's (great salads - very ottolenghi), i started on a couple of chicken dishes - the noodle soup for supper, and the chicken stew to freeze.  The chicken stew asked for harissa, which we'd run out of, so i had to quickly make some harissa as well.

The chicken noodle soup was not quite how i imagined - a classic jewish feel good soup, i thought, but nigella marinades hers in mirin and sake - not the most jewish ingredients.  It was okay, but i think could be improved upon.

- Mix 4 tablespoons of sake, 3 tablespoons mirin, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 minced clove garlic and 1 dried red chilli.
- Cut 1 chicken breast into strips and marinade in the mixture for an hour.
- Cook 100g noodles and add choi sum or pak choi (i didn't have any green to cook, so just added pea shoots at the end) for the last couple of mins of cooking.
- Heat up 500ml chicken stock.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil and a few drops of sesame oil in a pan or wok and add the pieces of chicken on a high heat.
- When cooked, pour in the marinade and when its nearly all bubbled away, put the noodles in a bowl, add the chicken stock, top with the glossy chicken, and sprinkle with fresh coriander.
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Cod with clams

The cod and clams as the main course to our easter meal, was more successful, but still not amazing.  Waitrose had littleneck clams, which i don't think were nearly as delicious as the Palourde clams from M. Rascal in primrose hill.

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Petit pois a la francaise

I had run out of of petit pois, so this is really  "soya bean a la francaise".  Not sure i've ever cooked lettuce before, but this was good and something i'd definitely do again.  Very simple and quick to do as well.

- Melt 3 tablespoons butter, and stir in 500g frozen petit pois, 1 small lettuce, shredded and 6 chopped spring onions.
- After a couple of mins, coating everything in butter, add 50ml boiling water,  teaspoon sugar, salt and pepper.
- Cover and stew for about 20 mins, season to taste, then serve sprinkled with parsley, basil or mint.
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Ceviche with garlic potatoes

Back to the fishmonger in primrose hill, and he surpassed himself.  He does sushi fish - fish that has been kept at a much lower temperature from being caught to being on our plate.  I found this out when someone who worked for me eventually got really ill from eating raw fish from sainsburys!- and its not easy to find.  He however, had salmon, tuna and sea bass.  With a lot of flourishing of knives, i found myself leaving with perfectly filleted and thinly sliced salmon and sea bass.

- Cover 600g of sushi fish with the juice of 3 limes, 2 lemons, 1 orange and a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, and leave for a few hours in the fridge.
- Chop 300g new potatoes into 1cm chunks, coat in 4 tablespoons olive oil and 3 minced cloves of garlic, and roast for 40 mins at 200C until brown and crispy.
- Tke the fish out of the marinade, and arrange on a bed of watercress, sprinkle over the potato croutons, and add some chopped coriander.

You can use some of the marinade to make a dressing, adding a tablespoon olive oil.  We thought that the ceviche was tart enough already, and in fact needed some sesame oil over it to complement the acidic marinade.  It was delicious however, although i'm not sure the croutons added much.  I'm going to do this again - next time though, i think i would marinade in just a little lime juice for a shorter period of time, and definitely dress with some sesame oil.  In fact, i'm salivating just thinking about it!

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Chick pea and sour cherry couscous

Tara hates savoury couscous that has fruit like raisins in it, but i think that sour cherries are the answer.  They bring a similar morrocan feel to dishes, but are much less sweet.

- Pour 450ml vegetable stock in a pan and bring to the boil, add salt.
- Mix 350g couscous with 50g sour cherries, 1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon and cumin, then add the pan of stock and remove from heat.
- Heat a tin of chickpeas, and when the couscous has absorbed the stock, add the chickpeas, then stir in 30g butter.
- Toast 60g pinenuts, add half of the couscous and sprinkle the other half over the top when serving.

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Crab and saffron tart

This tart was okay, but i think i could have improved it in various ways - i didn't bake the pastry blind for long enough so it became a bit wet; there was too much tomato in the recipe which slightly overpowered the crab and definitely the saffron which i couldn't taste at all; and i should have used better crab meat than pre-packaged crabs from sainsburys.  I'm going to give this another go at some point because it should be amazing - i love crab and i love a nice tart.  So a search for a really good crab tart starts here!
- First make the pastry, as here, baking it blind for 15 mins. - Put half tin chopped tomatoes in a pan with 1 bay leaf and 1 sprig thyme, season, and reduce to a thick sauce.- Cool, remove the herbs and spread on the bottom of the pastry case.- Warm 3 tablespoons double cream with 1/2 teaspoon saffron and steep for a few mins.- Beat 4 egg yolks together with 250ml double cream, then add the saffron cream.- Add 150g white crab meat and 2 tablespoons brown meat, season and carefully add to the pastry case.- Bake in the oven for 30-40 mins and serve warm.
 
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Lentil and chestnut soup

Andreea came over for lunch with her son, Octave - Marni loved having octave to play with and he gave her some lovely hugs.  I managed to polish off 2 nigella recipes in a go - this soup followed by the crab tart.  The soup was delicious, even though i made it slightly too thick, and the chestnuts give a lovely depth of flavour.  I think i might try adding chestnuts to more soups in the future.  Serves 4-6.
- Finely chop 1 small onion, 1/2 leek, 1 carrot, and 1 stick of celery.- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pan and add the vegetables to soften.- Add 225g red lentils, stir and add 1 1/2 litres vegetable stock.- Bring to the boil and simmer for 40 mins.- Add 225g cooked chestnuts and simmer for a further 20 mins.- Liquidise until smooth and add water as necessary.- Sprinkle with parsley and lace with double cream.



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Greek lamb stew

I cooked this for ginny and matt for saturday lunch and it seemed to go down well.  The only thing greek about it was the feta crumbled over the top - a bit weird for a stew but tasted pretty good.  It was slightly dominated by the small pasta (shaped like rice as you can see), so i have suggested using slightly less than nigella.

- In a large pan that will also go in the oven, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil and brown 2 1/2 kg lamb shoulder, cut into large cubes, in batches.
- Remove to a plate, then add 750g finely sliced onions, adding more oil if needed, season with salt and cook until soft.
- Add 4 cloves minced garlic, 2 stalks finely chopped celery, 4 sprigs thyme and 1 teaspoon dried oregano.
- Remove half the mixture after a few mins, add the meat on top, and put the other half of the mixture back on top.
- Add 3 bay leaves, 2 carrots halved, 3 400g tins of chopped tomatoes, 300ml lamb stock, and a bottle of dry white wine.
- Bring to the boil, remove the scum, bubble for 3 mins then transfer to the oven and cook for 2 hours.
- If you are doing this in advance, let cool in the fridge, and before re-heating, skim the fat off the top.
- Add 500g small pasta (such as ditalini or macaroni) partially cooked beforehand, and then finish off cooking it in the stew, adding more liquid as necessary.
- Crumble 300g feta cheese in a bowl with some parsley, oregano or basil, and let people sprinkle it on top.

This feeds about 10 people.



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Spanish stew

I was feeling quite ill yesterday with a bad cold, unfortunately missing Tara's grandmother's memorial service, and i made this comforting stew to cheer myself up and bolster my system.  It was just what i needed and certainly replenished any salts and fats i was missing!  And that was with no added salt or fat.  I think in future, i would add more vegetables and less chorizo so it's a bit less salty and fatty -  i have suggested below, the addition of a parsnip which is not in nigella's original.

- Gently fry a chopped onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, in a pan that will go in the oven.
- After 5 mins, add 3 cloves chopped garlic and cook for a further 2-3 mins.
- Add 400g chorizo, cut into thick slices, a bay leaf and 100ml sherry.
- Add 1 kg potatoes, cut into large chunks.
- Cover with boiled water and simmer for 10 mins.
- Taste for seasoning (i didn't add any!) and put in the oven for 30-40 mins at 200C.
- Sprinkle with chopped coriander serve with fresh bread.


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Moules mariniere

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Garlic chicken

These chicken wings have been marinading as instructed, for a couple of days in the fridge, and i've just finally eaten them for lunch.  4 chicken wings, straight down, nothing with them - delicious, atkins diet lunch!  The wings themselves were a bit meagre, even though i bought free range ones.  I think this recipe would work even better with chicken thighs.

- Boil 1/2 head garlic, with the cloves unpeeled but separated. for 10 mins.
- Remove the skins and chop in a food processor.
- Add 100ml olive and process until you have a milky-white mixture.
- Add the juice of  1/2 lemon and pour over 4 chicken wings/thighs.
- Leave to marinade for 24-36 hours, then cook for 45 mins at 200C.


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Crepes parmentier with smoked haddock

I made this a while ago, and it didn't quite live up to expectations.  The ingredient list makes it sound great, but it didn't quite work, probably down to my cooking.  It was probably because i cooked the smoked haddock as well as marinading it because it wasn't that fresh.

- Peel and dice 500g potatoes and steam them for 20-30 mins until tender.
- While the potatoes are cooking, marinade 500g smoked haddock in 3 tablespoons olive oil, the juice of 3 lemons and some salt, for about 5-10 mins.
- Put the potatoes into a bowl and add 4 teaspoons plain flour, mixing well, using an electric mixer.
- Now add 3 eggs, 4 egg whites, 50ml creme fraiche, and 50ml milk, and mix to a smooth batter, adding salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat a film of vegetable oil in small pan, and when its very hot, add a ladleful of batter.
- You should get around 8-9 pancakes, enough for 4 people.
- Serve the pancakes with the marinaded smoked haddock, some creme fraiche and chopped chives and coriander.

I am going to try this again at point with fresh smoked haddock and will report back.


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Roast cod with upmarket mushy peas

This was a brief and simple lunch that i had the other day.  The mushy peas were a great success while the roast cod was a little disappointing.  I found that the flour outside didn't really crisp up very well, and just became a bit hard and dry.  Maybe breadcrumbs would work better?

- Cook 1 head of garlic (separated but unpeeled) in a saucepan of boiling salted water for 10 mins.
- Take out the cloves, peel them, add them back to the water, and add 800g frozen petit pois.
- Cook until slightly more done than normal, drain them, then put in a food processor together with 100g butter.
- Once processed, add 4 tablespoons double cream and process again.
- For the cod, heat up 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pan that can also be put in the oven.
- Coat 4 cod fillets (about 200g each) in 1 tablespoon flour, adding salt and pepper.
- Sear the fillets on each side in the pan on the hob, then transfer to the oven and cook for 7-10 mins at 200C.


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Linguine with clams

Amanda is over from Los Angeles for a week or so and came over for sunday lunch.  I had finally managed to find clams in the newly opened fishmonger on Gloucester Avenue in Primrose Hill (thanks to nicola for the local knowledge!).  I cooked this linguine with clams to start with, followed by the rhubarb jelly and ice-cream.  I actually bought 2 types of clam - razor clams which are currently in season, and palourde.  The picture above is of the razor clams that i cooked separately, and then forgot to take a picture of the linguine.  However, linguine alla vongole is one of my new favourite things, and Nigella's is a great recipe for it, so i'll no doubt be making again soon.  The following serves 1:

- Soak 200g clams in cold water for around 30 mins.
- Cook 150g linguine until its nearly, but not quite, cooked.
- Finely slice 1 clove garlic and gently fry in 2 tablespoons olive oil without letting the garlic burn.
- Add 1/2 dried chilli pepper, finely sliced.
- Drain the clams (discard any that remain open) and add them to the pan.
- Add 80ml white wine or vermouth and cover.
- Cook for 2-3 mins until the clams open, then add the linguine and cook for a further 1-2 mins.
- Discard any clams which haven't opened, and serve sprinkle with parsley.

I used fresh linguine, so i figured that i would just cook the linguine in the pan.  Problem is that the linguine then absorbed a lot of the moisture in the pan, and it turned out a bit too dry, despite me adding more vermouth and water.  Next time, i'll stick with fresh pasta, but plunge it into boiling water for 30 secs, before adding it to the clams.



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Chestnut and pancetta salad

I had this as a simple lunch for 1 while tara was taking marni out to meet laura for brunch at kenwood house (rather surprisingly, they do a great brunch according to tara).  My local sainsburys in Camden only stocks packet pancetta, diced into small pieces, which had to do, but i imagine with decent pancetta, the salad would be transformed.  I though Nigella was a bit heavy on the chestnuts compared to the pancetta, so i've reduced the quantity.  She also says the chestnuts break up as you cook them, but the vacuum packed ones i used didn't, so i'd also recommend halving or quartering the chestnuts.

- Tear up 1 1/2 frissee or escarole (i hadn't heard of it either!) lettuces into a salad bowl.
- Fry 200g diced pancetta in 2 teaspoons olive oil for about 4 mins, until parts of it are crisp and golden.
- Add 200g quartered chestnuts and toss them in the pancetta fat.
- After 1-2 mins, remove with a slotted spoon and add to the lettuce.
- Mix 1 teaspoon dijon mustard with 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar, then add this to 2 tablespoons olive oil, and add any bacony fat left in the pan.
- Pour this over the salad and toss.

A great unusual salad and a reminder to use pancetta more often!

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Beetroot salad

I bought some beetroot the other day, and we are off to france for xmas in a couple of days (assuming the eurostar starts up again!) so i needed to use them up.  This salad was simple, delicious and nutritious - i would highly recommend it - and i don't really like beetroot.  Just tara's kind of food as well - she loved it!

- Process good handfuls of mint and coriander together.
- Add the grating blade to the processor and grate 3-4 peeled beetroots.
- Toss these in a bowl with the herbs and the juice of a lemon.
- Top with greek yoghurt or creme fraiche and toasted mustard seeds.

Prawns with garlic and chilli

This is cooking at its easiest but with great results.  The prawns taste delicious cooked in the hot, garlicky, winey sauce and ready to eat in 10 mins!  I cooked it for lunch for myself, home alone while Tara had taken Marni to see claire, george and family.

- Cook 1 clove chopped garlic and 1 fresh red chilli in 1 tablespoons olive oil on a low heat for 2 mins, trying to infuse rather than fry.
- Turn the heat up and cook 150g fresh raw (300g frozen) prawns for a couple of mins so they are still tender.
- Add 75ml white wine, allow it to bubble up, then season to taste and serve with chopped parsley.

Nigella recommends eating it with baguette but i had it with soba noodles.

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Mushroom udon soup

I increasingly like making eastern style soups since they are so healthy and tasty.  You do need some unusual items in your store cupboard though.

- Soak 5g shitake mushrooms in 300ml hot water for 10 mins.
- Strain the water into a pan, add a few drops of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon instant dashi (japanese stock apparently) and then the mushrooms.
- When the water boils, add 50g udon noodles.
- When cooked, pour into a serving bowl, add a few drops of sesame oil and sprinkle with coriander.
- Should be enough for 1.

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Pea souffle

I've just made this for lunch for Tara and I. Not sure I've made a soufflé before and it went surprisingly well. It was slightly runny in the middle which I thought was quite nice - like pea version of a chocolate fondant!

- Grease a soufflé dish or casserole dish with butter and dust with grated parmesan (that what she says!?)
- Melt 15g butter in a pan and cook 120g peas in it until soft.
- Puree the peas together with 85g grated gruyere (i used cornish yarg and a french cheese i had left over)
-  Melt another 15g butter in a pan and stir in 15g flour.
- Cook for a few mins before slowly whisking in 125ml milk and cook for a further few mins.
- In a large bowl, whisk 3 egg whites until you get soft peaks.
- Beat 2 of the egg yolks into the white sauce, followed by the pea puree, followed by a dollop of the egg whites.
- Season to taste and grate in some nutmeg.
- Gently fold in the rest of the egg whites and add to the souffle dish.
- Cook at 180C for 25-30 mins.

I made it "pea-tastic" by having it with the pea, avocado and mint salad i've made before.







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