Slow-cooked Chicken with Chorizo and Cider

Chorizo time again. I can’t seem to beat the habit. However, I am going to take a positive stance on this, as I try not to be in the habit of eating underwhelming food either.
I like to think of this one-pot-wonder as a kind of slow-cooked miracle. You have the spicy robustness of the chorizo, the silkiness of the slow-cooked onions, the good old humble and comforting roast chicken pieces, and then punch of the cider rounds it all off beautifully. Perfect happy-making weekend food (that I shall unashamedly be cooking again and again).
If you also have a little chorizo fetish at the moment and missed out on my Chickpea and Chorizo Stew a couple of weeks ago, you can read it here.

Rustic Butternut and Gorgonzola Tart with Pine Nuts

Lazy weekend food doesn’t have to be laborious. And one of my favorite quick-fix blank canvases in the kitchen is good old puff pastry. It’s a generous host to all manner of ingredients, undeniably delicious, and pretty much idiot-proof. My chosen toppings this weekend, when we had our friends Pete and Meg (and almost, until they caved at the last minute, their lovable but apparently mad-ish dog Phoebe who we think our baby Sophie would have loved to meet) around for a relaxed lunch, were butternut, gorgonzola, caramelized onions and a simple but unmissable scattering of pine nuts that adds a certain je ne sais quoi. The makings of a veritable party in your mouth. Oh, AND this recipe is meat-free, in keeping with the brilliant global trend that you can read more about here.

We’re LIVE. And we have a 6 Minute Chocolate Cake

I know that self-promotion is about as tasteful as under-ripe avocados, or over-ripe apples. So in short, it’s utterly distasteful. But I hope that you will indulge me for a moment while I give you a little update on where we’re at with THE BOOK? So far, I have to say that this book thing is rather fun. Ok, it’s helluva fun. I have a swarm of butterflies who have taken up permanent residence in my stomach, and I am having so much fun I could die.

Sweetcorn and Sweet Potato Fritters to fall in love with

This comes from my kitchen to yours with love and lots of happiness in your tumminess this Valentines day xxx

Don’t you find that sometimes it’s the accidental that results in the most exciting food on our plates? I definitely found that with these sweet potato and sweetcorn fritters were no different. They really did come about sort of ‘by accident’ when I just didn’t feel like serving up sweet potato mash again, and given that I love sweet corn, I just thought the two should be friends. They’re a most beguiling side dish to almost anything, and can even stand proud just as they are with a yummy dip, pesto or sauce.

Indian-style Coconut Fish Curry

I’ve been meaning to make fish curry for ages, and after finally getting round to it, I’ve learnt two things 1. Always give in to your food cravings. Always. and 2. Sometimes food chooses you. You see, I don’t know quite what I expected from this, but I certainly didn’t expect to want to eat it for lunch and dinner two days in a row. What’s more, I even have the faint glow of smugness of having converted a couple of non-fish-curriers along the way, with the added bonus of knowing that it’s exquisitely simple to make. Why not see for yourself?

Spanish-style Chickpea and Chorizo Stew

You might remember my post from Beijing in 2010 – if not, I’ll jog your memory shall I? Crunchy roasted scorpions on sticks, roasted bullfrog a-plenty, a little bit of a rant about communism and the best damn burger I’ve ever tasted? We were there for a work conference which happens every year, each time in a different location. Pretty amazing. Last year, it was held in Barcelona and I missed out because I had just had little Sophie. Well, I’ve had this gnawing penchant for Spanish food ever since, and adding Chorizo to every second thing I can think of has been my way of appeasing the nag. Here’s my latest take on bringing a little bite of (loosely adapted) BarTHelona back home…

Gem Squash, Leek & Barley Soup

In the spirit of Meat-Free Mondays (do the universe a favour and read more here), and the no-mess-no-fuss food that I firmly believe should always go with the first day of the week, I give you a new twist on my old favourite Gem Squash & Leek Soup. I’ve been cooking this for years, a recipe from Mom when I was at university, and only the other day did I add barley for the first time. And while this all sounds rather elementary I’m sure, somehow it adds just a little more punch and leaves us with a simple soup that is both honest and charming.

Seared Tuna Steaks with Asian Dressing

Gosh, two posts in two days? Fear not, fair friends. Given my track record, this is not a sign of things to come. You shall certainly not be spammed by posts from me. I just thought there was no time to waste in getting a healthy-yummy recipe to you after yesterday’s New Year’s post. Ergo, I bring you Seared Tuna Heaven Re-Visited.

Happy New Year!

Rob aptly describes this picture as ‘the fruit of 2011′… Just before we went back home to Zimbabwe for Christmas, in fact as we were driving out the gate, the courier company arrived with THE FIRST COPY OF MY BOOK. Finally having it in my hands was exciting and absolutely terrifying in equal measure.

Beef Fillet and Warm Beetroot Salad

If you’re swimming in that proverbial post-Christmas and pre-New Year ennui, you might want to give this a bash. Because if you’re going to throw a meal together effortlessly, it’s always a bonus if it has both prettiness and punch and belies the fact that the output exponentially exceeded the input. This far from fussy beef fillet and warm beetroot salad is the antithesis of high maintenance food and it’s definitely worth a go asap. I like to think that the key that unlocks the door to the real ooh la la is the horseradish.