Lentil Ragu
It doesn’t happen often but sometimes, I just don’t feel like cooking. It’s more likely to happen if there isn’t anything exciting to cook with which is precisely what happened this evening. Faced with a cupboard full of beans and lentils, inspiration deserted me and no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t think of anything to cook and moreover, I couldn’t be bothered. So, rather than resorting to toast and Marmite, I threw together a quick lentil ragu which I had with pasta and Stephen had with rice.
It was good, pretty similar to last time and the time before that and the…you get the idea. It’s not going to win any prizes for excitement or individuality but it fed us which was good enough.
(The camera obviously wasn’t feeling it tonight either, hence the very brown picture. Normal service will hopefully be resumed tomorrow).
A Day in Lille
I’m not very good at getting up early, particularly at the weekends. My favourite kind of Saturday involves lounging around watching Saturday Kitchen with some tea and toast while planning what we’re going to cook that weekend.
There was no time for that this weekend though since the alarm was set for 4am ready for our day trip to Lille, courtesy of Eurostar. As part of their Little break, Big Difference campaign, a group of food bloggers were invited to spend the day in Lille, sampling some of the city’s finest food and drink.
After just an hour and a half on the train, we arrived in Lille just as the city was starting to wake up. The architecture is beautiful and there were lots of interesting looking shops hidden down little alleyways all full of our favourite things: food and kitchenalia.
Our first stop was Meert, a pattisserie famous for it’s gaufre (waffles filled with vanilla sugar and cream). Having had breakfast on the train and macarons on the way to Meert, I don’t think anyone could be described as hungry but the window display left us in little doubt that we would be foolish to miss out. Stephen and I both ordered the gaufre and expecting something Belgian in style, we were surprised when they arrived; the French version was much smaller than the Belgian variety but intensely sweet and buttery. They were just the right size though and the perfect accompaniment to the bitter coffee we had also ordered.
With coffee and pastries finished, we left Meert and made our way to L’atelier des chefs where we to cook our own lunch under the watchful eye of their head chef. In teams of four, we assembled tiramisu for dessert which was whisked away to the fridges to set while we got on with our main course: lacquered cod with pan-fried vegetables. Stephen and I do a lot of cooking together and have fallen into a comfortable routine so cooking with other people was a new experience for us but one which we enjoyed. Although we’ve cooked similar dishes to this at home we did pick up a couple of tips, one of which is that for crispy skinned fish, it’s better to start with a cold pan.
The last stop of the day was at La Capsule for a tutored beer-tasting. We had been expecting to visit Phillipe Olivier so that we could taste some local cheeses but he wasn’t available due to a family emergency (which he explained in typical French style: while leisurely sipping coffee at Meert!) so the cheese was brought across to the bar instead. It felt slightly odd to be drinking beer since these kinds of events normally involve wine, I was very glad of the opportunity though since I don’t normally drink a lot of beer. Our host ran through four different beers, all of which were local to the area (and by local, I mean within 20km). Our favourite was the La Bavaisienne which was deeply hoppy with a sweet, round note.
Full of cheese but bouyed by beer, we began making our way back to the station to return back to London. We didn’t have much time to browse on the return journey but I did manage to snap up one of the last baguettes from a boulangerie on the way. It would have been lovely to have spent the evening in Lille and there were certainly plenty of cafes and restaurants to choose from (not that any of us were hungry) but we made do with Champagne at the St Pancras Grand when we returned to London. Not our usual Saturday but a lot more fun than repeats of Saturday Kitchen and queuing at Waitrose.
The full set of photographs from the day can be seen here.
Salt Marsh Lamb and Sauteed Potatoes
We were supposed to go on a picnic today but the weather looked so unreliable that we ended up cancelling. Faced with a second evening of non-planned meals, I spent a while looking at recipes online; nothing inspired me though so I paid a visit to the butcher to see if I could find anything there. I looked at sausages briefly but then I spied the Salt Marsh lamb. We both love lamb and eat it a lot, Salt Marsh lamb is our absolute favourite though and it’s not around for very long so it wasn’t a difficult decision.
We kept the lamb free of any herbs and just sprinkled it with a little salt before frying. These were thick, leg steaks so we cooked them for three minutes on one side and two on the other which resulted in very pink steaks. I think three minutes per side would have been better.
At the same time, we cooked some sauteed potatoes and steamed some runner beans, all of which worked well with the meat. Stephen commented on the almost game-like flavour of the lamb, a result of a long hanging time we suspect.
Chicken Fajitas with Sweetcorn and Black Bean Salsa
I thought we were going out this evening but I got my dates muddled up, luckily I realised in time and defrosted some chicken breasts without much thought on what to do with them. Chicken breasts are something we’ve got used to having in the freezer but we don’t eat them much now and couldn’t really think of anything inspiring to do with them.
In the end, we decided on chicken fajitas and, just to make it a little more interesting, a salsa that had been recommended by a friend. Both were really good, we used our normal recipe for the fajitas and the Good Food recipe for the salsa.
Chorizo with Cabbage and Potatoes
Having had presentation issues with last night’s dinner, we thought that it would be good if we could rectify that tonight. However, when we went through what we had and what needed to be used up, we ended up with chorizo, cabbage, potatoes and half a tin of tomatoes and the result was tasty but not particularly presentable. This reminded us of a previous chorizo, cabbage and potato dish we we had rather enjoyed, so decided to do something along those lines except with the healthier tomatoes replacing the creme fraiche.
We peeled and chopped the chorizo before frying it. When it had released some oil, we added diced onion and let that soften before adding chopped garlic and paprika. This all smelled really good when it was frying. Then we added the tinned tomatoes and let them cook for about ten minutes before adding shredded cabbage and pre-boiled new potatoes. We seasoned with salt and pepper, then put the lid on and let it all cook together for another five to ten minutes until the cabbage was done, then stirred in a little fresh basil.
The result was tasty, but not really cohesive. Perhaps we should have let the potatoes cook in the tomato liquid rather than pre-cooking them and adding them at the end, and added some herbs earlier on in the process.
Black Pudding and Pea Risotto
I can’t remember how we came up with this idea, but I do remember that we thought it would be brilliant. It didn’t quite turn out that way.
We started off by chopping the black pudding into cubes and frying it. We had planned to remove these and then put them back in at the end, but we only took half out and left the others in as they had started to break down a bit. Then we followed a normal risotto recipe – added onion, celery and garlic, softened that, then added rice and vermouth and then progressively added chicken stock.
It was at the first ladle of chicken stock that we realised that it was going to look like mud risotto because the black pudding had completely broken down. Not very appetising. We thought that it reminded us a little of cooking with squid ink which isn’t so bad, but the black pudding was a lot grainier.
Anyway, near the ended we added some peas, chopped parsley, grated parmesan, a squeeze of lemon juice and some salt and pepper. It didn’t taste that bad, just didn’t look particularly appetising. If we try it again, we’ll definitely cook the black pudding first, then remove it and put it back in at the end.
Chicken Curry
So, as you can imagine, a 2 kilo chicken generates rather a lot of leftovers. I’m not great with chicken leftovers, they scream PIE to me and unfortunately, that doesn’t fit with our current efforts to eat healthily. Admittedly, a chicken curry doesn’t automatically scream HEALTH but Stephen found a Good Food recipe that was quick and easy and also claimed to be reasonably low fat. On reading the comments though, it appeared that opinion was divided with some claiming it to be the best chicken curry in the world evah and some citing it as blander than a bland thing.
We decided to stick with it but increase the spices and substitute chicken stock for water in the hope that it would be both healthy and un-bland. And it worked! We basically used the same amount of spices that the original recipe recommended for four servings for just two of us and even increased those in some cases. The result wasn’t a spicy, deep curry but it had a decent amount of heat and was certainly fragrant. This dish cooks in a relatively short amount of time which leant a lightness that was perfect for this time of year. The potatoes didn’t really add much so I would leave those out next time. The coriander garnish worked well and added to the fragrance so I would increase that.
Chicken Curry (recipe copied from Good Food but amended to allow for increase in spicing).
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3cm root ginger, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp hot chilli powder
230g can chopped tomatoes
150g potatoes, peeled and chopped
250g leftover chicken
1 tsp garam masala
Blitz the onion, ginger and garlic in a food processor with 1 tbsp chicken stock until smooth.
Fry the cumin seeds in oil for a few seconds. Add the onion paste and brown over a medium heat.
Sprinkle in the turmeric and chilli. Add the tomatoes and fry for 5 minutes. Stir in the potatoes and 250ml hot water, season generously. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the chicken and garam masala. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until cooked. Garnish with coriander and serve.
Salsa Verde Chicken Salad
Knowing we were going to be away this weekend, we placed an online shopping order so that we didn’t return home to an empty fridge on Sunday night. We do this every now and again and it works well but usually we stick to basics like milk and bread. This time however, Stephen was keen to barbecue a whole chicken and, knowing we wouldn’t have time to get to the butcher, I included a Duchy Originals chicken on the order. We’ve had these chickens before and really enjoyed the flavour, we normally pick them up from the store though so we can choose the size we need; not an option when shopping online which is how we found ourselves in possession of a 2 kilo chicken, double the size we would normally buy.
The barbecue plan didn’t come to fruition either as our neighbours had just filled up their washing line and gone out for the evening. Being the considerate, friendly neighbours we are, we decide to roast the chicken in the oven instead.
It’s been a while since we last barbecued a whole chicken so I’m not sure what that would have added to the flavour but I can’t imagine much could have bettered what we had. As I mentioned before, we’ve really enjoyed these chickens before and this one seemed particularly good with an almost gamey aroma that drove us crazy with hunger while it roasted. We kept the stuffing simple and just used some parsley, thyme and bay leaves. Seasoned, obviously, and rubbed with oil before sitting in the oven for the duration of the cooking time with just one turn.
Not wanting a traditional roast dinner, we had already decided on a salad and opted for a salsa verde dressing since we had some leftover from yesterday’s fish. The ends of the salad from Friday with some sliced spring onions, some boiled new potatoes, a handful of roasted pistachios and a little fresh parsley and mint completed the dish.
We both really enjoyed the end result. The salsa verde worked brilliantly with the other ingredients and added a fresh, zingy lift to the overall flavour. The chicken, as we hoped, was full of flavour and definitely able to stand up to the powerful salsa verde. The pistachios added a pleasing crunch too.
While a recipe isn’t required, below is a note of how we assembled the dish.
Salsa Verde Chicken Salad
Start by roasting your chicken. We left the cooked chicken to rest and then sliced up the amount we needed and left that to cool to room temperature.
We already had our leftover salsa verde but you’ll need to make this if you don’t have leftovers.
If you’re using pistachio nuts (or other kinds of nuts, pine nuts or hazelnuts would be good) then they will have more flavour if you roast them ahead of time and leave to cool.
Boil or steam some new potatoes and leave to dry out. When still warm, add the salsa verde and stir through the potatoes until they are well coated. Add some olive oil to loosen. We didn’t use all of the salsa verde but kept some back to add later on.
When both the chicken and potatoes have reached room temperature, add the chicken to the potatoes, season with pepper (you probably won’t need salt because the anchovies and capers in the dressing will be enough) and add the salad leaves and sliced spring onions. We also added a handful of torn mint and parsley. Add the nuts, mix the whole lot together so that everything is well coated and serve with the extra salsa verde.
Gilt Head Bream
We spent another weekend in Kent and visited Broadstairs on Saturday. The weather was good and we enjoyed honeycomb, hazelnut and mango ice-creams from Morellis, a lovely old-fashioned ice-cream parlour overlooking the beach.
Broadstairs doesn’t have a working harbour unfortunately so, on the way back to my mum’s, we stopped off in Whitstable to pick up some fish for dinner. While we were deciding what to have, we sat on the seafront and ate whitebait while drinking beer and enjoying the last of the sun, we didn’t want to leave.
We did however have to get our fish into the oven so, armed with two large gilt head bream, we made the short journey home and began making some verde and a potato salad. Unfortunately, the potatoes ended up very over-cooked so we ended up with mashed potatoes instead of the afore-mentioned salad. They actually worked very well, especially with some of the salsa verde stirred through.
The fish was cooked quite simply, drizzled with oil and stuffed with parsley, bay leaves, lemon slices and garlic before being roasted in the oven for 30 minutes. A little too long actually (20-25 would have been sufficient) but it didn’t really matter as the fish stayed moist and tasted brilliant.
We used Rick Stein’s recipe for salsa verde, copied below.
Salsa Verde
15g flatleaf parsley leaves, chopped
5g mint leaves, chopped
3 tbsp capers
6 anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained
1 clove garlic, crushed
Combine the parsley and mint leaves, capers, anchovy fillets and one garlic clove. Mash together with a pestle and mortar to form a coarse paste and season to taste with a little salt.
Lamb Kofte and Fattoush
I’ve been reading a lot about sumac recently and having managed to track some down, decided to use it in lamb kofte with fattoush. The kofte recipe is Jamie’s and uses almost a whole jar of sumac which neither of us really felt it needed, I think I’d probably halve that next time.
The fattoush is an amalgamation of a variety of recipes I found online and based on what we had available, the recipes I came across varied wildly so it’s hard to tell how authentic this was. What was really un-authentic about it was that we left out the toasted pitta bread since we were eating the lamb and salad on top of a flatbread.
We also made up a dressing by adding some lemon juice, spring onion and garlic to some natural yoghurt.
Stephen really enjoyed this but I wasn’t so keen, the huge amount of spices in Jamie’s recipe meant the meat was very dry. I’m not sure about the texture of the sumac either, I found it very gritty and think it would benefit from grinding before being added to the kofte mixture.
Fattoush – Serves Two
Salad
Half cucumber, deseeded and sliced into half-moon sized pieces
4 tomatoes, chopped
4 spring onions,
finely sliced
Lettuce leaves, chopped
Small bunch mint, finely chopped
Dressing
150ml olive oil
2 lemons, juice and zest
1/2 garlic clove, crushed
30g sumac
Salt and pepper
Blend all ingredients for the dressing together and pour over the salad.
