Chilli and Coffee Short Ribs

One of the things I'm particularly enjoying about my job at Mr Pickles' Yorkshire Food Emporium is the meat counter. It's stocked with pork, chicken, beef and lamb which means I'm getting to learn about different cuts and how to cook them - along with a few basic butchery skills. And, because I now understand the different cuts a bit more, and have easy access to them, I'm able to try and cook more at home.

And I was particularly pleased to come home with a couple of short ribs the other day. Located in the forequarter, the meat is very similar to the hindquarter flank, but with ribs in it! They're rather large and very meaty too - each of my two ribs weighed over 800g!

Wanting to do something a bit different than a British style stew, I turned to Smoke & Spice by Valerie Aikman-Smith. It's a book I'd swapped with someone a while back, but hadn't really used - mostly because I didn't really know where I could get some of the different cuts of meat from.

Anyway, a quick flick through the book and I fell for the coffee and chilli short ribs recipe. Mostly because I had a lot of the ingredients, but also coz it looked (and sounded) amazing...

The recipe kicked off with a rub of ground coffee, chilli powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, salt and pepper and a bit of time to marinade in the fridge. 

Six hours later, I browned the ribs off in a large casserole dish, removed them and set about making the sauce. This is made up with onion, jalapenos, garlic, brewed coffee (I used some cold brew coffee for this - look out for a coffee blog post coming soon..!), tinned tomatoes & balsamic vinegar. Once the sauce was prepared and simmering away, I returned the ribs to the pot and stuck the dish (covered) in the oven (gas mark 4) for around three and half hours.

After half an hour resting time I served the meat (which was falling off the bone) with a rice salad of coriander, tomatoes and peppers.

As I tucked in I got a little chilli kick, but only a little. This dish seems to be all about the deep smokiness of the paprika and the earthiness of the coffee. And it was very good - so good that Gav and I ate in total silence...

I'm sure I'll be cooking this, or variants of it in the future. It'd work perfectly in the slow cooker and I might try adding some red and green peppers next time - to boost my five a day and for a little sweetness.

***

Care to share any short rib recipe ideas?

Albanian Liver

I first tried Albanian Liver at Lokanta restaurant in Sheffield. It was a few years ago, but it was so nice that I haven't forgotten it! And, so when I came home with some Firs Farm lambs' liver* the other week, I immediately knew what I was going to do with it.

As it happens, Gav cooked the liver for us - using this recipe for reference. Sadly we had to skip the red onion and parsley salad - I was meant to pick the ingredients up on the way home from work, but a later than usual finish left me in a fluster, and I forgot!

So we just had it with some salad leaves and homemade chips. And, it was lovely (although I have to admit that the onion and parsley salad would have improved it).

Lokanta tell me that people who don't like offal generally like Albanian Liver and I can see why. Lambs' liver doesn't have a strong offal flavour anyway, but the spicing deals with any that does linger. What's more, it was cheap and quick to cook, so I'm sure it's one we'll be having again. Might make sure I get some red onions and parsley in though...

*From Mr Pickles. 

Stuffed Jalapeños

Remember when eating in the local Italian/Mexican restaurant was the highlight of your social life? I do. In my early twenties team nights out were spent at a certain restaurant on West Street (now gone) and that other one at Gleadless. And I'd have the stuffed jalapeños EVERY GODDAMN TIME.

So when we got some fresh jalapeños in at Mr Pickles', I got a little giddy. Especially as a few of them were just the right size for a good stuffing...

A brief Google told me all I needed to know and I went home with a few of the feisty peppers, a tub of Longley Farm cream cheese, a chunk of Vintage Cheddar and dreams of a tasty lunch...

So the next day, I chopped the jalapeños in half, scooped out the seeds and membrane and stuffed with a mixture of the cream cheese and grated cheddar. I then set them out on a sheet and baked in the oven (let's say at around gas mark 6) for 10-15 minutes.

Oooof... these were so good. The peppers were HOT - my fingers were tingling for a few days after preparing them - but they'd calmed down a little once cooked and the cheese mixture was deliciously creamy (it was the first time I'd tried Longley Farm cream cheese - it won't be the last). 

Quick, easy and super delicious... I just need me some more jalapeños!

Steak and Chips... but not as you know it...

Steak and chips is probably my favourite treat meal. That and a bottle of red makes any Friday night in feel special. Especially as it's incredibly easy to cook - who wants to spend their Friday night slaving over a hot stove? The trickiest bit is the chips*!!

Given this love of steak, you might be surprised to learn that I only started eating it in my early twenties. See, the BSE scare meant that all beef was banned from our family home from the mid 80s. Which meant that I didn't really start eating it again until I'd left home and learnt how to cook it for myself.

To begin with I was nervous about eating it rare, but I soon got fed up of using steak knives. I think my first really enjoyable steak was at Harvey Nichols in Leeds - Gav and I used to go quite regularly- back when we had money for shopping trips and fancy lunches...

Of all the cuts available, I prefer the rib-eye. Ok, it's not as tender as the fillet, but I find it more flavoursome, thanks to the fat running through it. Having said that, I ain't gonna turn my nose up at a bit of rump or sirloin!

HANGER STEAK

But recently I've been experimenting with different cuts (which is mostly thanks to my new food related job) and I've been lucky enough to get my hands on some hanger steak. Otherwise known as onglet, the hanger is rumoured to be the butcher's favourite cut - probably because each cow only yields around 4/5 steaks and because it's from the diaphragm, so often lumped in the offal category.

Although some suggest you cook hanger to medium, I was only ever going to cook it rare. So I just sliced it into thick steaks, let it come to room temperature and cooked it for about a minute on each side in a hot frying pan.

So, how was it? Pretty bloody good actually. The meat was delicious - with a slight offal tang to it. And although it was tougher than a lot of other cuts, it just had a bit of bite, so was perfectly acceptable in my book. It's certainly one I'll try again - especially as it's significantly cheaper than my trusty rib-eye... which means I can spend more on the wine!

LAMB'S HEART

Lambs' heart is hardly considered to be an alternative to a good steak (yes I know that this is lamb rather than beef, but do bear with me...) and most recipes call for a long and low braise. But I remember a butcher once recommending that I try it with beef heart, so figured it must work with lamb heart too.

We only have high welfare meat at Mr Pickles' and I can genuinely say that I've been really impressed with the lambs' hearts we get in. They're really lean, at least they're the leanest I've ever cooked, and a lean heart has got to be a good sign, aye?

Unlike beef hearts (which are enormous) lambs' hearts are pretty manageable, so I decided we would have one each. I just trimmed them of the valves and the little fat there was on the outside and cut into slices that were around one centimetre thick. I cooked them just as I'd cooked the hanger - brought them up to room temperature and cooked for a minute on each side in a hot frying pan.

And it was a winner! Honestly, I love lambs' heart anyway - the only way I can describe the taste is that of an intense lamb flavour, but cooking it this way was a bit of a revelation! Although the heart is generally braised, I thought it really benefited from the fast cooking. It was as tasty as ever, incredibly tender and ready in a matter of minutes (rather than hours)!** Perfect for a Friday night in.

*Peel potatoes, slice into wedges, parboil, coat in oil with spices/herbs/whatever you fancy and blast in a hot oven for 30/40 minutes.

** One of the major downsides of cheap cuts can be their intense and long cooking times - which can sometimes negate the savings made on buying the meat. So it's good to learn quick cook methods for this type of meat too.

Roast Rib of Beef and Proper Gravy

I don't think I know anyone who doesn't appreciate a good Sunday dinner. 

They're not hard to cook (once you've got the timings sussed), but there's something rather lovely about sitting down to a selection of veg, potatoes and a great big chunk of meat - especially when someone else has slaved over the hot oven for it. 

I quite like to serve up a variety of stuff too - so people can have as much or as little of what they fancy. Generally broccoli, cabbage (cooked in butter) and roast potatoes (cooked with garlic and rosemary) will make appearances. But if I'm cooking for a crowd I'll probably add a gratin or a cauliflower cheese, some home-made stuffing and some mash.

Meat wise, I tend to stick to chicken or lamb... although I am cooking more and more pork at the moment. But I rarely cook beef - I don't know why - maybe I just feel that I don't know enough about the different cuts and cooking methods... which is actually a rather fine excuse to start cooking more of it...

Anyhoo, I recently got my hands on a rib of beef from Mr Pickles. It's a cut I'd wanted to cook for a while (the ribeye is my favourite steak) but I just kept on putting it off on the basis that I might somehow mess it up. Which was a bit silly really...

It was a fantastic looking piece of meat - even raw I think I'd have been quite happy burying my face into it... And, although I only had one rib, it was still a sizeable portion at around 1.8 kg.

Rib of Beef
Wanting to cook it somewhere between rare and medium rare, I turned to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's MEAT book for reference and stuck the meat (stood upright and uncovered) in a hot oven (210C) for 20 minutes. I then turned the oven down to 160C for a further 40 minuets (on the basis that each 500g needed 10 minutes to be served rare). I then wrapped it up in foil and rested it for a good half hour whilst I did the gravy.

Proper Gravy
I poured off some of the fat from the roasting dish, then sat it on the hob, on a low heat. I added chopped onion and carrot (I was out of celery) and a couple of bay leaves and let it all cook in the juices (stirring and scrapping up the meaty bits along the way) until soft. Then I added a dessert-spoon of flour and stirred it to form a thick paste. Next in was a decent glug of red wine, then around a pint of stock (which I added slowly, whisking all the while to prevent lumps). I then let everything simmer until it was the right consistency for my liking (around 20 minutes) and strained the liquid into a gravy jug.

Because I was feeling lazy, I just served the beef with mash and a bit of veg, and it was absolutely gorgeous. The meat was stunning - I can't believe I hadn't cooked it before - especially as it was incredibly easy to do AND it only took an hour and a half (including resting). I swear... I've seen more complicated and time consuming recipes for salads...

Fish Fragrant Aubergine

Since discovering proper 'home-style' Chinese food a few years ago I've been ever so slightly obsessed with fish fragrant aubergine. I can't remember why the dish first appealed to me - it was probably because aubergine is one of my most favourite things in the world and also because it was listed with a big fat chilli symbol on the menu. 

Whatever it was, I hope I wasn't looking forward to a seafood dish! Coz, despite the name, there ain't no fish in this dish. But there is pork. Quite a lot of pork actually. Which is quite funny coz I've seen this dish listed in the vegetarian section of at least one Chinese menu.

Anyhoo, apparently the name is the literal translation of yuxiang qiezi which refers to the preparation of the dish - one that is usually associated with fish in Sichuan Chinese cuisine.

But, putting the rather misleading name to one side, I have to say that this is probably one of my most favourite dishes... ever! It's hot. It's salty. It's sour. It's unami on a plate and I bloody love it.

Which is why I'm especially pleased that Gav likes to cook it. He uses this Ching-He Huang recipe which is relatively easy to follow and free of any stupidly difficult to find ingredients (even Tesco has chilli bean sauce now). You should give it a go too.

Sweet, Sweet Sweetbreads

It's no secret that I have a soft spot for offal. I'm not particularly sure why. I think there's something about supporting the underdog - in a world where some people won't even eat meat off the bone, it's clear that internal organs aren't going to be that popular... 

But, it's also about creating a good meal from something that's generally considered worthless. Above all, it's about discovering a hidden gem, a new deliciousness that rivals the more expensive cuts, but at a fraction of the price.

And when Martin Dawes blogged about his adventures with offal, it got me thinking. I hadn't experimented with offal for a while (aside from a pig's heart and liver stew for the dog) and I felt it was time for me to get my offal back on. More to the point, it was time for me to have a go at cooking my favourite kind of offal; sweetbreads.

It seems that fate was on my side as I then spotted a post on Mr Pickles's Facebook page saying that they had just taken delivery of a whole lamb. Whole lamb = lamb offal = lamb sweetbreads.

Having never cooked sweetbreads before I did a bit of Googling to see how I should go about preparing them. See, cooking offal can be a bit tricky - one false move and you're in for a bad meal and I was a bit nervous that I'd mess up my sweetbreads! 

The general consensus seems to be that they benefit from a good long soak, so I sat them in a bowl of water overnight. The next morning, I put them in a pan of cold water, brought it to the boil and then simmered for a minute before plunging the sweetbreads into iced water. Once cool, I peeled the membrane from each, dipped them in a bit of egg, rolled them in a bit of flour and fried in butter until golden.

Mmmm... I served them on hot buttered toast with a little rocket and they were delicious... so soft and delicate. I'm glad I took the time to read up on how to prepare them, as they were as good as any I'd had before. And, now that I've cooked sweetbreads once, I'm sure I'll be experimenting with them again in the future!

So, have you been experimenting with any offal recently? Let me know what delights you've found!

Pot-roast pheasant with cider and bacon

A few weeks ago I spotted that Cod & Cockle were selling fresh pheasants and wild rabbits at a reasonable price. As I hadn't cooked any game in a while I bought a couple of each for the freezer. I didn't have any specific plans for them, so they've been sat in the deep freeze ever since. 

Finally, with Christmas on its way out, I fancied cooking one of the pheasants. So, last weekend a surplus of bacon (yes, I was surprised too) and a few bottles of rather nice Montano cider led me to defrosting one of the birds for this pot-roast pheasant recipe.

Aside from only using one bird (there were only two of us but I wanted the full amount of cabbage and sauce), skipping the sage (it's not my favourite herb and I didn't fancy forking out for a full pack) and sticking some pre-cooked slices of new potatoes in with the cabbage (I had some lurking around in the fridge), I followed the recipe to the letter.

It was relatively quick to prepare, and very easy. More importantly, it was bloody lovely! The pheasant was moist and tender, thanks to the pot roast method, and the cabbage, with its bacon and cream sauce, was delicious. Also, as I'd made the full amount of cabbage and sauce, there was plenty leftover for a wholesome lunch the next day. I just wonder whether it would have benefited from the addition of a little wholegrain mustard...

Got any suggestions for how I should cook the other one?

The Packed Lunch

After a year of part time work I am finally back full time again. And this means that the packed lunch has become a really important issue again - especially as I'm now based in a business park in Wath Upon Dearne - popping out for a Street Food Chef really isn't on the cards any more. 

So, this month has been about getting my packed lunch on! I need things that can be knocked up quite quickly and don't require any warming up. And, although I do like the odd sandwich, I wouldn't want one every day! So I've been looking at salads, pastas and the like and here are a few of the things I've been lunching on this month.

Rice salad

I've been making variations of rice salads for a long time now, but I think I nailed the best combo this month. 

Cold rice was mixed with kidney beans, chickpeas, sweetcorn, spring onions, red pepper, black olives, sundried tomatoes, chargrilled aubergine and courgette slices (out of a jar), coriander, mint, parsley and chunks of cheese. Yes, there are a fair few ingredients, but it was very easy to put together, and it tasted great!

I also like cold rice served with kidney beans, chunks of cheese and a simple salsa of tomatoes, chilli, onion and coriander. Just make sure you stick plenty of chilli in there to ensure it gets your lips tingling!

Mackerel/tuna salad

Potatoes, green beans and smoked mackerel or tinned tuna is a great combination. And, with a few salad leaves, it's a healthy and filling lunch.

Although it works best with fresh vegetables, I have been known to use tinned potatoes and green beans. Ok, not my finest hour, but incredibly cheap!

Egg, avocado and potato salad

I know it's probably a bit seventies but I think there's something a little luxurious about adding an egg to a salad - it easily turns a bunch of green stuff into a meal. Go a couple of steps further and add half an avocado and some baby potatoes and you're dining like a king (ish).

When making this lunch, I tend to stick in whatever I have in the fridge - salad leaves, tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, spring onions, sweetcorn, green beans - they all work well.

Aubergine, Tomatoes and Chickpeas

This is a simple HFW recipe from Three Good Things. Basically, aubergine, tomatoes and chickpeas are thrown into the oven with cinnamon sticks and chilli flakes. This is lovely warm, but perfectly acceptable cool come lunch time. 

Roasted Veg Salad

This is a bit of a go to dish for me - for both lunches and teas. I just roast veg for about 40 minutes with garlic, chilli, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I usually use aubergines, peppers, courgettes and tomatoes, but I sometimes add mushrooms, potatoes and/or parsnips too - it really does just depend on what's in my fridge at the time.

I like to have this with a chunk of Stilton, some mozzarella or cottage cheese - lovely!

Pasta with Pesto

Easy peasy, especially as I cheat and use pesto from a jar. I like to add halved cherry tomatoes and sliced black olives too.

Smoked Mackerel and Watercress Sandwich

As I said, I couldn't eat sandwiches every day, but I do like a one once in a while.  And this is a really good combination - the peppery watercress works really well with the rich and oily mackerel. I like to use granary bread and lots of mayo for this one.

I don't think I've done too badly, do you? But there is always room for improvement and here are a few tips I received through Twitter...

Bento Box with both savoury and sweet sections - fruit, veggies, rice, potato salad, mini sandwiches, biscuits, iced gems and nibbles - @GillCodd

Tapas Box with bits of leftover cheese, meats and salad - @MashtunAndMeow

Smoked mackerel pate with oatcakes and a cherry tomato, avocado and coriander salad - @Penny2304 

A bulgar wheat salad - @NibblyPig

What about you? What are your favourite midweek lunches?

Seasonal Recipes - Courgettes

Ok, so we're coming to the very end of the season for courgettes - but I was lucky enough to take delivery of the last 1.6 kg from my parents' garden. And, whenever I have a fridge full of courgettes, I immediately look to this recipe for courgettes on toast (thanks again to @missstephwalker for recommending it to me).

It might not sound like the most exciting of teas, but courgettes on toast really does work well for a light midweek option. Sure it takes a while to cook, but it's very easy. And I like that I can also use the mix as a pasta sauce (just add some of the pasta water whilst cooking to achieve the right consistency). I also like that I can pep it up a bit with chilli and lemon if I fancy.

 

 So, tell me, what are your favourite courgette recipes?

‘A Celebration of Truffles’ - Inox Dine - A Recipe

“While it’s difficult and expensive for home cooks to buy fresh truffles - and of course we can’t dine out on truffles every day - I’d encourage anyone interested to try truffle oil,” said Joe Berry, head chef of Inox Dine restaurant, Sheffield. 

“It can be a great introduction to the flavour and, as a secret seasoning, will really add something to your repertoire of cooking. Buy a bottle, pop it in your store cupboard and you can use it for two or three years."

The flavour of truffle pairs best with earthy flavours such as artichokes, potatoes, and asparagus it also works beautifully with the creaminess of eggs and, if used sparingly, with chocolate. Beware it can be quite over powering when using it in infused oil so add a little at a time, tasting as you go.

Truffle oil is best used to finish dishes as most of it is made with extra virgin olive oil which has a very low burn temperature.

CHICKEN, MUSHROOM AND TRUFFLE RISOTTO

SERVES 2.

1 Chicken leg cooked, cooled and shredded

40 g Dried Porcini Mushrooms soaked in 300ml of boiling water and chopped

250g Chestnut Mushrooms sliced

1 small onion finely chopped

250g Carnoroli rice

50g Butter

100g Parmesan

Glass of white wine

1.2l. good quality chicken stock

1 small bunch of parsley finely chopped

Truffle oil

2 teaspoons of grated (or sliced if you have a truffle slicer) fresh summer truffle

I punnet of water cress

METHOD

Reserve the water used to rehydrate the porcini mushrooms and add to the chicken stock.  

Combine both in a pan and bring to a gentle simmer.

Gently cook the onions in 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a heavy based pan until soft – do not brown or burn.

Add the rice and stir making sure each grain is coated in oil. This should be done on a medium heat to warm the rice up.

Add the wine and cook for a further 2 or 3 minutes. The rice should be almost translucent at the tip of each grain.

Add the shredded chicken and mushrooms.

With a ladle add the stock, stirring and allowing the liquid to be soaked up before the next ladle is added – This should take 10 – 15 minutes.

When you are satisfied the rice has cooked out and you have the right consistency - if you shake the pan there should be a good ripple across the mixture.

Now add the butter and parmesan and, with some elbow grease, work into the risotto to emulsify and enrich. 

Add the parsley and approximately 2 tablespoons of truffle oil and a serve topped with a good bunch of water cress and your freshly grated truffle.

Tickets for ‘A Celebration of Truffles’ on Friday, October 17 at 7pm are priced at £34 per person for a three course meal including a welcome drink on arrival. To make a booking and to purchase tickets call 0114 2226043 or email dine@inoxdine.co.uk

Leg of Pork Slow Cooked in Vindaloo Spices

One of the best things about going to a butchers is that, even if you have no idea of what you want to cook, you're still guaranteed to walk out with something precious for dinner. And yesterday a trip to Beeches of Walkley resulted in me purchasing a small joint of boned and rolled leg of pork. At the time I had no idea how I wanted to cook it - I just knew it was less than a fiver and it would be more than sufficient for our Sunday dinner.

Later that evening, rather than trawl through my cook books, I took to Twitter for recipe ideas. And it was the chef at the Rutland Arms (@RutlandArmsChef) who came through with the most interesting idea... rub it in spices and slow cook it (overnight) with tinned tomatoes. So, at about 10pm last night, after a steady day of drinking, I, armed with a couple of 140 character tweets, started cooking our Sunday dinner (and I am actually writing this blogpost for my benefit, rather than yours, as I have a feeling I may want to try this recipe again...).

I toasted a teaspoon each of black peppercorns, dried chilli flakes, cloves and green cardamom pods (I didn't have the recommended black variety) along with a cinnamon stick in a dry frying pan for a couple of minutes before grinding down to a fine powder. I then unrolled the joint of pork and rubbed the spice mix all over it before setting to one side so I could deal with the tomato side of things.

Two tins of chopped tomatoes went into the slow cooker along with a few bashed cloves of garlic (Rico suggested that I use a whole bulb but I was low on the stuff), a good slosh of red wine vinegar (I reckon it must have been around two tablespoons), a good sprinkling of salt, a little (1/4 teaspoon maybe) of sugar along with a good squeeze of tomato purée (which wasn't in accordance with Rico's instructions, but I tend to add the stuff to all tomato based dishes). Then in went the pork (with a good splash of water) and I switched the cooker on to 'Auto', which cooks at high for an hour or so, then low for the rest.

And, around 15 hours later the house smelled amazing and the tomato sauce had thickened up beautifully. Up until this point I'd had no idea how I was going to serve the dish, but seeing how thick the sauce was and how tender the meat was I decided to pull it into the sauce and serve with rice and kale (which I'd cooked in a little lemon juice).

And it was bloody gorgeous - the meat was soft and tender and the spicing was quite subtle (I had been a bit worried about the amount of chilli flakes I'd put in there). Better still, before getting stuck in with my forks to pull the meat, I'd made sure I saved half of it as I had plans of slicing it up for lunches in the week. And here it is with a rice salad of tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, onion, coriander and chilli. I'm already looking forward to my lunch break tomorrow...

Not bad for an impromptu, less than a fiver, purchase at the butchers is it?!

Tom Kerridge's Proper Pub Food - Ginger-Braised Ox Cheeks with Spiced Red Lentils

Oh my LORD! It's been a whole month since I last blogged, and that post was way overdue too! Well, the less said about my slackness, the better. I just need to sort out my blogging mojo... my apologies mean nothing if I'm not actually going to follow them up with some regular posts.

So, let me tell you about the book I've cooked from this week - Tom Kerridge's Proper Rub Food. To be fair I have actually only cooked one dish from it so far, but I seriously plan on cooking more and I've got a few dishes lined up for next week.

Ginger-Braised Ox Cheeks with Spiced Red Lentils (and watercress yogurt - which I didn't make) was easy peasy to make, required the type of ingredients that I always have knocking about at home (in fact I only needed to buy the cheeks and fresh ginger) and was bloody lovely. The only problem I had was that I followed the recipe to the letter and put the full 900ml of beef stock in with the cheeks. I thought it was too much at the time and I would have preferred a thicker sauce - so I'll be following this version of the recipe in future as it calls for only 600 mls. (However, I am thinking that I can use the leftover liquid as a base for a warming soup.)

Anyway, the cheeks were deliciously tender and nicely spiced thanks to the star anise, chilli, coriander and cumin seeds and ginger. However, the lentils were, for me, the best part of the dish and something I would do again. Of course I've made lots of spicy lentil dishes before (dahls) but this was incredibly simple in terms of the method and the ingredients used and it still tasted amazing!

As for other dishes I'm planning, there's the Slow-Roasted Shoulder of Lamb with Boulangere Potatoes that I'll be making this weekend (along with the Lemon Posset with Fennel Biscotti), and the Smoked Haddock Fishcakes with Fried Egg and Cheese Sauce needs to get in my belly asap! And that's the thing with this book, there are so many truly delicious sounding recipes to choose from! But, best of all, most of them seem really approachable, affordable and easy to replicate at home. 

God bless Tom Kerridge. I praised his three course lunch menu, which is exceptional value at £19.50, when I had the joy of eating at The Hand & Flowers last July and now I have to praise him again. Yeah, ok this isn't corned beef and tinned potatoes kind of cooking, but it's refreshing to see a chef of this credibility (TWO Michelin stars) putting out a recipe book packed with doable recipes.

The kind of tea that I will be eating in my garden.... when I finally move.

In case you didn't already know (ha), I am about to move house. Amongst a few other things, this means that we will finally have a garden - with grass and everything. It's only small, but it's more than enough for Gav and I to have the odd alfresco tea. I'm also dreaming of whiling away the odd afternoon with nothing but the birds and a couple of Aperol spritz to keep me company.

Anyhoo, for me eating outside calls for light meals and fresh flavours - which is what I also fancied for tea last night. I had a go at this slow cooked cauliflower and I also cooked some broccoli with garlic, chilli and anchovies as per the recipe here.

Both were delicious and, served with bread, olives and a salad of tomatoes, garlic and fresh thyme, they made a more than ample dinner. I do think I may have gone overboard on the garlic intake though... so keep your distance for a bit!

Wild Garlic

No such thing as a free lunch? Not the case if you like wild garlic.

Not that the thought of eating a plate of wild garlic leaves really does it for me. But with a few extra store-cupboard ingredients that bag of foraged leaves can easily be transformed into a delicious meal.

When Gav came home with a 300g bag of the stuff, my initial thoughts turned to risotto. But Gav fancied making some gnocchi and with a bag of potatoes lurking in the cupboard, I had to agree that was the way forward!

He used the recipe on this website, but doubled it up and stuck in a couple of eggs too. The recipe is pretty easy to follow - although shaping looked a bit tricky. But, by 'eck the end result tasted fabulous! 

We served a batch with grated cheese and a little chutney (see below) for a quick and easy tea whilst the rest went into the freezer (shape the dough then lay them on a metal sheet to freeze, then bag them). I think we'll serve future portions with a simple tomato sauce, or maybe just a little butter and a squeeze of lemon with a watercress salad...

As the gnocchi only used 240g of the wild garlic we had 60g left so I decided to make a South Indian style chutney too - as I had about 40g of fresh coriander which needed using up. I just blitzed the fresh leaves with two green birds eye chillies (seeds still in), a pinch of salt and a few good glugs of oil (I just used sunflower, but you can use olive if you prefer). I'd have added some lemon juice too, but we were out of lemons.

The end result was as delicious as I expected (after attending a Milestone cookery class I often make something similar but with coriander leaves and a couple of garlic cloves) and I will be using it in sandwiches, stirred into pasta and gnocchi!

Hopefully this year's wild garlic adventures have only just begun and we have lots more experimenting to do... check out what the good people of twitter like to do with their wild garlic...

Chris Hanson - salsa verde with lamb - I blanch it first just to take the edge off it then chop and mix with anchovy, parsley, olive oil etc.

Ros Arksey - works well in pasta, in bread, on pizza or with new potatoes.

Auriel Majumdar - omelettes (with duck eggs), risotto and pesto with walnuts. All yum. Also just been in London & had it in gnudi, fluffy & delicious. 

So come on then... how do you eat yours?!

Jack Monroe's Best Ever Bolognese (or a rather good pasta sauce)

Ok, so I'm moving house, which means that I'm trying to save some pennies. And, whenever I'm trying to save pennies, the first thing to suffer is the food budget. Crazy, some might think, given how much I love food, but I personally like the challenge of making tasty and (relatively) healthy meals on a budget. The fact that I can also save us some money is a tremendous benefit.

I don't think I'm too bad at it either - I like a good bean casserole, curry or simple pasta dish. But it doesn't hurt to look around to see what other people are doing... which is where A Girl Called Jack comes in. Her blog is full of helpful recipes, hints and tips for anyone on a budget and I strongly recommend it.

Today I fancied giving her Best Ever Bolognese a go. The recipe is relatively easy to follow, but I did make a few changes...

• I added some fresh thyme (Jack's method call for the addition of herbs, but they're not listed in the ingredients)
• I cooked the dish for 20 mins after putting the lentils in, then turned the heat down and put the pasta on to cook
• I used kale instead of spinach (as that's what I had in the fridge)
• I used cider vinegar instead or red/white as I wanted to use the last of the bottle
• I added a ladle of the pasta water to the sauce (coz the Italians really do know best)
• I seasoned the dish before serving
• I managed to get 4 decent servings out of it
• Call me pedantic, but I would call this a pasta sauce, rather than a Bolognese

Now, I must admit that this sauce looked far from appealing after I'd blitzed it, and it looked even worse once I'd added the water... but as it cooked down, the lentils thickened up and the dish looked a lot better.

It tasted good too. And with my 200g or so of chicken livers coming in at 37p, this is one that will be repeated. 

God Bless the Italians - Pasta with Anchovies and Butter

My all time favourite quick and easy meal is freshly cooked pasta with a drizzle of olive oil, chopped garlic, chopped chilli and rocket leaves stirred into it over a gentle heat. As soon as I can smell the garlic cooking and the rocket has wilted, I take it off the heat and stir in a load of grated cheddar (or Parmesan if I'm feeling flush) and tuck in. 

It's gorgeous - garlic, chilli and cheese are an amazing combination anyway - so this just can't fail. However, I'm guessing it's not very authentic... I don't think the Italians eat cheddar.

Having said all this, I reckon they might like the simplicity of my dish. Minimal ingredients, minimal fuss but big flavours - these same themes run through a lot of traditional Italian pasta dishes - cacio e pepe immediately springs to mind.

Anyhoo, it seems that I now have another quick and easy pasta dish to add to my list; thanks to Elizabeth Minchilli who tweeted a link to the latest recipe on her blog this morning. Said recipe was for pasta with anchovies and butter. Yep, that's right. Pasta with anchovies and butter. Nowt else. Nada. (well a bit of pepper - I personally would skip the salt - there's enough in the anchovies and the butter).

What's more this is an authentic Roman recipe... albeit an on trend recipe. Aye, you heard right. This is on trend in Roma. So... whilst we're stuffing our faces with our trendy hot dogs, burgers, ribs and other stuff served in baskets, the Romans are enjoying simple ingredients, prepared with thought and combined to make the most stunning of dishes... Sigh...

The recipe is stupidly easy to follow. Just follow Elizabeth's easy steps and PLEASE make sure you do follow the Italians and add some of the pasta water to the dish - you'll be amazed at how quickly it thickens up the sauce.

Having said that, I didn't quite follow Elizabeth's tips in terms of the quality of the ingredients used. I grabbed the first (and cheapest) tin of anchovies that I could find and I used Tesco Value dried penne pasta (I've got a house to buy dammit)... but I did manage to use some English, Red Tractor, butter.

And the end result? Bloody gorgeous. Seriously. Go cook it. Now.