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 stew

Another day, another stew, although this did handily use up the chicken thighs.  It tasted pretty good, but nothing amazing.  I think i'd add a bit more harissa to give it more of a kick.  I used boneless chicken thighs, although nigella also suggests cutting up a whole chicken.

- Pour 3 tablespoons olive oil in a big pot and add 1 teaspoon each of cinnamon, cumin and cayenne pepper, together with 2 finely sliced onions and a pinch of salt.
- Cook for a few mins until soft and then add 12 portions of chicken and fry for a couple of mins.
- Cover with cold water, bring to the boil, skim off any scum, then add 400g tin of chick peas, 1 bouquet garni, a stock cube, 4 unpeeled cloves of garlic, 500g sliced carrots, 4 sliced sticks celery and 2 teaspoons of harissa.
- Cook gently for 1 1/2 hours, and serve with couscous.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

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.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Marinaded leg of lamb with garlicky potatoes

I cooked this for myself for lunch the other day - not exactly a low fat lunch, but then i've got 8 weeks to get fit for the GR20 trek across corsica.  It is though, the kind of thing that would be just perfect to eat in a mountain hut after a hard days walking.  We can but dream!  However, if there does happen to be some lamb for sale, with some potatoes and garlic, extra virgin olive oil, some rosemary, pepper and an unwaxed lemon, then we are sorted, providing or course that we can wait 30 hours for the marinade!

- Put a large leg of lamb in a plastic bag together with300ml olive oil, zest of an unwaxed lemon, 4 squashed cloves of garlic, 2 sprigs of chopped rosemary, 6 peppercorns and 2 kg of potatoes, cubed.
- Leave to marinade for up to 30 hours (i managed an hour).
- Put the lamb into a baking tray and the potatoes into another, then cook the lamb for 45 mins and the potatoes for 1 hour at 200C.

Simple but very tasty and filling for about 6 people.  I cooked just enough for me obviously, not the full 2 kg potatoes - that would make the gr20 tricky.

Liver with sweet onions

All i can say, is its not easy to make liver and onions look good!  It was a success though - the sweetness of the pomegranate molasses was great.

- Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan and gently fry 1 finely sliced onion for 10 mins.
- Add 1 tablespoon of pomegranate juice (or pomegranate molasses diluted 50:50 with vermouth!) and cook for another 10 mins.
- Remove to a warm plate, add another tablespoon each of butter and oil, and cook 220g liver, coated in seasoned flour, for about 1 min on each side.
- Add to the plate of onions, then add another tablespoon pomegranate juice to the pan, deglaze, taste, then pour over the liver and onions.

The deglazed was delicious - i don't really like sweet and savoury often, but the sweet pomegranate sauce was great with the liver and what was a kind of onion marmalade.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Roast shoulder of lamb

This tasted better than it looks in the photo!  My new japanese knife that i bought the other day in marylebone, made a slightly bigger hole than i meant.  It is phenomenally sharp and only needs sharpening every 6-9 months because it's made from high carbon steel and therefore very hard (about 64 on the Rockwell Scale)- an ordinary stainless steel knife apparently should be sharpened after every use.  It is a joy to use and i would recommend getting a decent chef's knife (16-22cm) to anyone.

This is probably the easiest meat recipe in the book and tasted all the better for it!

- Mince 3 cloves garlic and finely chop a sprig of rosemary.
- Mash both together with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Make insertions with a knife into 1-2kg shoulder of lamb and push the mixture into the lamb.
- Coat the top of the lamb with some of the oil, sprinkle with coarse salt and cook for 30 mins per kg plus 20 mins.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thai style mussels

The moules mariniere were pretty good, but this was even better.  It may just be my personal preference, but i think this is a tastier way to eat mussels.  I doubled the quantities below to make it a low fat main course for tara and I.

- Put 400g mussels in a cold pan of water and throw any that don't sink to the bottom, and any that don't close when tapped.
- Put 100ml stock in a pan together with 1 shallot, 2 cloves garlic, 3 kaffir limes leaves (or stick lemon grass) and 1 cm piece ginger, all chopped finely.
- Heat for 3-5 mins until there's a thickish, soft mess in the bottom of the pan.
- Add 1 chopped chilli, and after 30 seconds, add the mussels, 120ml boiling water, and 1 tablespoon each of lime juice, mirin and fish sauce.
- Put the lid on, shake the pan and cook for about 3 mins.
- Pour into a bowl and serve sprinkled with coriander.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Steak and kidney pie

We had just started tucking the steak and kidney pie, when i remembered to take a photo.  That's it on the left, with Tara's mini vegetarian one on the right - portabello mushrooms to make up for the missing steak.  You would think, by the way, that Tara amongst others, is called a vegetarian because she only eats vegetables.  Apparently, though that is wrong - the word vegetarian doesn't come from the word vegetables, but from the latin word "vegetus", which means fresh and lively.

We had a lovely meal, even if i say so myself, with blinis to start (we managed to stop angus eating them all before everyone else arrived), the steak and kidney pie with the onion mush and petit pois a la francaise, followed by turkish delight figs, done deliciously by tara.  My crust didn't perform brilliantly - i forgot to add the pie tunnel in the middle, which apparently helps the steam escape and cook the pastry.

- Finely chop 2 onions, 1 carrot, 1/2 stick celery and 3 sage leaves and heat in a pan in 4 tablespoons olive oil for about 5 mins until soft.
- Remove and add to a casserole dish, then add 2 tablespoons butter to the pan and cook 200g sliced mushrooms and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley for a few mins, then add the casserole.
- Spinkle 4 tablespoons flour on a plate, add lots of grated nutmeg and pepper, then coat 500g stewing steak chunks and 250g kidneys in the flour.
- Brown the steak in the pan in another 2 tablespoons of oil and remove to the casserole.
- Add 200ml beef stock and 200ml stout or red wine to the casserole, stir well, season and cook for 2 hours in the oven at 150C.
- Move to a pie dish and leave to cool.
- Make the pastry by adding together 200g self raising flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, fresh nutmeg and 100g suet, then gradually stir in 100ml water until you have a soft paste.
- Roll out into a fat disc about 1/2 cm thick, using the off cuts to coat the rims of the pie dish first.
- Cook for 30 mins at 190C, covering in foil if the top looks like burning.

Call me old fashioned, but i don't consider this to be a proper pie - for me, a pie has to have a complete covering of pastry, but i recognise that i might be in the minority here.  Despite some googling, this is also not a generally accepted definition - what i am talking about is a "two crust pie" apparently and this recipe is a "one crust pie".  However, i feel i have history on my side, as the origin of the pie, was to encrust the ingredients in pastry so as to preserve them - wikianswers confirms it just in case!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

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.
-

-

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Chicken and chick pea tagine

Half way!  120 recipes down out of 240.  It's taken me nearly 6 months though - 6 months to do the whole book is looking a bit amibitious.  I have no idea how julie powell cooked 550 recipes in a year.  She would have done 250 recipes by now, and i feel like i've been really going for it.  it must have completely taken over her life.  Anyway, i'm really enjoying it and learning lots, so here's to the next 120 recipes.

Had this with the chickpea couscous and it was a bit chickpea-tastic. i think i'd add fewer chickpeas next time, and more vegetables.  The chicken thighs were delicious in it though - much tastier than chicken breast and less bony than wings - from now on, its "Eat More Thighs".  I didn't cook it in the tagine above, because you can't use it on the hob, but it looks more authentic for the photo!

- Put 1 onion, 5 cloves garlic and 1 stick celery in a processor and finely chop.
- Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a casserole on the hob and brown 10 chicken thighs.
- Remove to a plate, add the onion mixture and cook for 5 mins until soft.
- Add 2 carrots cut into batons and cook for a further 5 mins.
- Mix 1 tablespoon flour with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon each of cumin and turmeric, add to the pan and cook for a couple of mins.
- Put the chicken thighs back in, add 2 tins chickpeas, pour over 400ml white wine and 300ml chicken stock.
- Season and put on a low heat for about 1 hour.
- Sprinkle with coriander to serve.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Oxtail with mackeson stout

Another marathon cooking time, but at least you get to eat the meat at the end of it this time.  I have to say this is one of the tastiest stews i've had - the bones of the oxtail add real meaty depth, and you can really taste the stout.  The one change i would make is to add additional stewing steak because i didn't find that there was that much meat on the oxtail i bought.

- Heat 35ml vegetable oil in a large pan that will go in the oven and gently fry 4 onions, sliced thinly, for about 15 mins until soft..
- Add 2 cloves chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon dried marjoram (i used thyme), and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley.
- After a couple of mins, remove to a plate.
- Mix 65g flour with 1 teaspoon mustard powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground mace, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, salt and pepper.
- Coat 1.5 kg oxtail and 1kg stewing steak in the flour, heat 35ml oil and brown the meat well.
- Add the cooked onions together with 4 carrots sliced into batons, 1 tin plum tomatoes, 2 whole celery sticks, and 2 bay leaves.
- Pour over 400ml mackeson stout (i used bottled guiness) and 300ml beef stock.
- Put the lid on the pan and move to the oven, cooking for 3-4 hours at 150C.
- If storing, allow to cool, then remove the surface fat.
- Serve sprinkled with parsley.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Baked veal and ham pasta

This recipe is from the "cooking in advance" chapter, and i now have a freezer full of baked veal and ham - 8 large servings i got from it!  And nigella only uses 325g veal and 75g pancetta.  It's far too mean on the veal and ham, so i have suggested cooking 300g pasta rather than nigella's 500g - and that's from someone who loves their white carbs.  If you have a massive freezer, then double the amount of veal and ham.

- Boil 6 cloves garlic for 7 mins, then remove the skin and put in a processor together with 75g pancetta, 2 sticks celery, 1 onion, 1 carrot, and a handful of parsley, processing until finely chopped.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pan, add the mixture, and cook for a minute or so.
- Add 3 tablespoons marsala, 1/4 teaspoon each of ground mace and paprika.
- Cook on a low heat for 15 mins, stirring regularly.
- Turn up the heat and add 325g finely chopped/minced veal, cook for a min or so, then turn down the heat and cook for a further 15 mins.
- While this is cooking, make a bechamel by melting 95g butter in a large saucepan, add 95g flour and a pinch of mace, and cook for a couple of mins.
- Season, then slowly stir in 1 litre milk.
- When the milk is incorporated, add a bay leaf and cook for about 15 mins until the sauce thickens so its velvety.
- Season, add 1/4 teaspoon mace and some grated nutmeg, take off the heat, and stir in 110g parmesan.
- Cook 300g penne pasta till al dente, then add the sauce and the veal mixture.
- Put in a large shallow casserole dish, season to taste, grate over some more parmesan and bake for 30-40 mins at 190C.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

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.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sole with chanterelles

Dover sole is one of favourite fishes (having it at the Whitstable Oyster Fishery Restaurant was one of the best  things i've ever tasted) so i splashed out for this dish at the Budgens in belsize park.  i had just taken Marni to her first trip to the cinema - the parent and baby screening at the Everyman in belsize park - and which she absolutely loved.  Unfortunately neither they nor sainsburys in camden do either chanterelle or oyster mushrooms that nigella recommends.  I did it with chestnut mushrooms which worked okay, but they are slightly too firm a texture for the fish so try to at least get oyster (waitrose do them).

- Cook 600g chanterelle/oyster mushrooms in 125g butter with some garlic oil.
- Season then remove to a plate.
- Add more butter if necessary, then cook 8 sole fillets in 2 batches (i did them whole) for 2 mins on one side, then a few seconds on the other, depending on size.
- Remove to a large warm plate and add the mushrooms back, together with a squirt of lemon juice and 125ml vermouth or white wine.
- Let the mushrooms bubble up, then stir in a tablespoon butter, pour over the sole, and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

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.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thai clam pot

Tara's parents, fiona and j came over for dinner last night after just getting back from Sri Lanka.  Another great clam dish with palourdes clams from my new favourite shop - the fishmongers in primrose hill.  It tasted good, but wasn't very thai.  I couldn't find thai basil at short notice, so used ordinary basil, which might have made some difference.  I think a bit of lemon grass and more chilli would make it taste more authentic.

- Soak 800g clams in cold water.
- Cook 125g dried thin noodles (i used ramen) in boiling water as per the instructions (normally around 3-4 mins) then drain, rinse and set aside.
- Heat 2 teaspoons groundnut oil in a pan until hot, then add 3 crushed cloves garlic, 2 spring onions (chopped into 3cm lengths) and 2 chopped dried chillis.
- Fry for 10 secs, then add 300ml water and 150ml sake and bring to the boil.
- Once boiling, add the clams, cover and simmer for 3-4 mins so that the clams are open.
- Add large handful thai basil or coriander, gently stir for 1 minute, then add 2 tablespoons fish sauce.
- Divide the noodles into 2 bowls and ladle in the clams and broth. Serves 2.

We ended up with a slight round the world wine tasting with it - started the evening off with an alsace riesling, then a new zealand sauvignon blanc, then a pinot noir from beaune, then a rioja, then a cahors, then a bottle of montbazillac.  slight hangover this morning!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

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.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

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.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Fish and porcini pie

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Steak Mirabeau

I've just cooked this for myself while tara is out buying a winter coat, in a snow storm, and marni is sleeping soundly like the dove she is.  This must be a new fastest record - it took me about 7 mins.  1 min to heat the oil and butter, 2-3 mins each side  for the steak, and 1-2 mins for the sauce.

- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a pan on a high heat.
- When hot and foaming, add 4 fillet or sirloin steaks, and cook for 3 mins either side (for medium-rare done).
- Add black pepper and remove to a plate.
- Criss-cross each steak with 2 anchovy fillets and add halved black olives to the 4 quarters.
- Add 4 anchovy fillets to the pan juices, mash up, then add 1 glass red wine and reduce.
- Add to the steaks and serve.

Nigella seems to love olive and anchovies with her steaks and it does seem to work.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone