Pasta Shells with Roasted Beetroot, Goats Cheese & Fennel

Yes, I do rather love beetroot. Sorry if you are feeling somewhat un-enamoured by that fact (it’s a word on this blog it is), and sorry too if you think I should change my blog’s name to ‘afoodieliveshere, and she only eats beetroot’. You see, I keep buying these bulk bags of it, and well there’s just always MORE. But this, well this dish is just beautifully simple and the earthiness of the beetroot lends a whole new dimension to the end result.
Also, with it being meat-free Monday and all, that means that I can once again point a surreptitious finger in the general direction of my soap box, and my MFMonday ramblings…

FOUR Pizza Recipes Worth Writing Home About

Oh how we have laboured. And chopped and kneaded and floured and tasted, and tasted, and tasted. And how we loved every minute of it. And there was no plan for it to turn into a competition, but 5 minutes in we found ourselves chopping, kneading, flouring and tasting with much out-of-corner-of-eye peering and snarling and smirking. And what, pray tell, was IT? And who, the heck, are we? IT was Pizza taste-testing, for the better part of a lazy Sunday, and WE are Rob and I, who were once on perfectly amicable terms until this little epicurean adventure came between us.

Fettuccine with Peas, Ricotta & Mint

Mushroom and Truffle Oil Risotto

For no particular reason the well-loved Italian fungo  has been featuring on our home menu quite a lot lately. Actually, for no particular reason is probably rather inadequate. There are many reasons, starting with if you make mushrooms the hero of your dish it means big bang for your buck because they were made to ooze flavor, and are best friends with good old staples such as pasta, risotto and ciabatta. And also, Italian food is made for feeding people you love, and that’s just what we needed when we had a merry rabble of in-laws and friends round for dinner on Wednesday night.

Roasted Tomato and Thyme Soup

When a meal is as exquisite in its simplicity as this, I see no need for convoluted introductions. It’s glorious roast tomato soup at it’s proudest, and I wish you bon appetit.

Posh Mushrooms on Toast

Mushrooms on toast. For Sunday lunch. Even I think that sounds rather underwhelming. I’m a big roast something with all the trimmings kind of girl on the weekend. But not in this case. No, this was love at first bite and honest to goodness-ly delicious. The charming little poshrooms (as Rob likes to call them) on their bed of lemony herbed ricotta and perched atop golden ciabatta made a very handsome lunch. And could just as easily be fed to friends as a before-dinner snack.

Fig and Honey Crumble with Lavender and Coconut

Figs! Having just come into season here in South Africa, they have been keeping me awake at night for far too long now. Fig crumble, honey roast chicken with figs and a gorgonzola and pecan nut salad, poached figs in a spicy red wine reduction with clotted cream – see what I mean? I have been relentlessly hounded by fig fantasies. And so it was with much delight that I received a little parcel of farm-fresh beauties last weekend from Rob’s chic and cheffy Aunty Sue in Stellenbosch and couldn’t wait to put them to work. This crumble was made all the more delicious by the fact that it turned up at our dinner table on the eve of my book launch, and so was shared with my Mum and friend Jenna who were both in town to share in the fun. So now I am happy to share with you a humble little fig crumble that will have you swooning.

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.

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.

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.