Baked tilapia with plantain and spinach

I bought this large fish in our local market for a special pre-Christmas dinner for me and Marc before we head off for a few days to stay with family.  It took an hour and half to cook in a hot oven - half of the time covered with foil - having been marinated in a jerk-type mix of spices and mild olive oil.  Served with spinach doused in lemon juice, and delicious fried plantain! 

Plantain is a real treat; I love the banana-y smell while it's frying, and the sweet/salty taste.  I pour about 1cm depth of ground nut oil, which has no strong taste, into a large, deep frying pan, heat it and then fry the plantain - sliced on a slant - for about 5 minutes on each side, with the oil bubbling away (though not too vigorously) and a spatter guard over the top.  Although I've cooked it quite a few times now, I still find it hard to regulate the temperature of the oil and sometimes it does burn - but still tastes good. 

Spaghetti amatriciana

Bit of a disaster with the fridge today; the light hadn't been working for a couple of days and I had gone to the trouble of buying a 'pygmy' bulb replacement before realising today that I had accidentally switched the fridge off at the wall...amazing how cold it stayed for 2 days!  But the freezer had to be emptied...hence we had to eat up the rest of the tomato ragu I had made for pizza yesterday, and some bacon from a 'buy one get one free' pack we had squirrelled away. 

The result is pictured here (I only remembered to take a photo after I had started eating)...a very tasty amatriciana sauce - all the more so because I had reduced the sauce down a lot yesterday to make sure my pizza wasn't soggy.  I just fried a few chopped up bacon rashers in olive oil and then added the sauce to heat through.  We didn't bother with salad tonight.

Spaghetti is my favourite pasta shape - there is something low key about it: rather than imposing itself, spaghetti just perfectly performs the function of setting off your chosen sauce, and I think it gives the most satisfying balance of pasta and sauce in each mouthful.  It's even more delicious when home made, which is a lovely treat Marc does sometimes.

Pepperoni pizza with watercress salad

Dinner for one while Marc was out with a friend.  Marc made some pizza dough a few weeks ago and I saved half for the freezer.  Once defrosted, the dough rolled out again like new and I topped it with home made tomato ragu, mozzarella, pepperoni and olives.  Cooked for 10 minutes at 200C and served with watercress dressed with lemon juice and olive oil, eaten in front of the telly! 

Poached egg on toast with olives

I used to eat a lot of poached eggs, but got put off by their slight faffiness - hence I'm out of practice.  Poached eggs have their own particular magic, with the liquid egg being poured straight into hot water and changing before your eyes into a delicate, quivering white blob filled with golden treasure.  Unlike boiled, I don't think the poached egg can wait for long once it's done - so I get everything else ready before it goes in the pan.  This includes setting out a folded paper towel on a plate, and slotted spoon, ready to take the egg out and drain it completely before serving. 

Cooking only one egg today, I filled a medium saucepan half full with water, brought it to the boil, and then stirred the water into a whirlpool, turning it down slightly before dropping in the egg, so that it wasn't bubbling violently.  Usually I would crack the egg on the side of the pan and drop it straight into the centre.  However, I have recently been trying a method I read in Felicity Cloake's Guardian series 'How to make the perfect ...' (see below for link), in which the egg is cracked into a cup first and then slid into the pan.  I have had some success with this method - today's version was good, although not as perfect as one I made at the weekend.  It allows the egg to go in much more gently, with the cup held really close to the water surface, so that there seems a greater chance of the white gathering closely around the yolk.  You also avoid getting bits of burnt egg on the edge of the pan.

After the egg had gone in, I turned down the heat to the lowest setting and left it for about 3 minutes before taking it out and draining.  This produced a just-cooked white and completely liquid yolk.  I ate it on hot buttered toast, with salt and pepper, and some left over olives on the side. 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/sep/16/how-make-perfect-poached-egg?INTCMP=SRCH

Marc's pork burgers

A real treat for dinner last night...Marc minced some pieces of pork shoulder (in the food processor; we were given a traditional cast iron mincer as a wedding present but haven't yet mastered it) and mixed with a raw egg, minced garlic, chopped sage and seasoning; then shaped into burgers and left in the fridge to set for 15 minutes before grilling (with halloumi cheese on top).  Served in toasted buns with all the trimmings!  We had a coke on the side, for the full 'diner' effect.

Dinner for 25 at Susi's

Last night my friend Susi invited us for dinner...we thought there would be 6 or maybe 8 people there, but there must have been about 25!  This is more ambitious than I would ever be when offering dinner (rather than just nibbles), but Susi made it look easy.  After a buffet starter of a selection of a couple of salads and some delicious foccaccia (bought part-baked and finished off in the oven), she served fresh pasta (spaghettini) with seafood sauce: this looked like diced courgette, garlic and whole cherry tomatoes, all sweated down (maybe with a little white wine?), with lots of chopped, fresh basil, cream, and pre-cooked mixed seafood thrown in to warm through at the last minute.  Apparently it was a Gordon Ramsey recipe with a Susi-twist.  Pudding was ice cream, strawberries and meringues contributed by a friend, and there was also a selection of nicely room temperature cheese and biscuits, as well as plenty of wine brought by the guests.  The hostess with the mostess!

Anna del Conte's sea bream en papillotte

I love the high street where I live - we have lots of proper local shops run by nice people; BUT there is no fishmongers and no butchers...  Sometimes there is a fishmonger at the market near my office; today I bought two lovely sea bream there for our dinner.  Anna del Conte's recipe calls for the fish to be cleaned, dried off and then cooked for 15 minutes at 200C in a parcel of greaseproof paper (or foil) with a little salsa of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, herbs (I used sage, marjoram and rosemary), salt and pepper.  To make the parcel,  you tear off a big square piece of paper, brush a little oil or salsa on it, then place the fish in the middle; spread the salsa over and inside the fish, and then fold over the paper, twisting the ends together at the head and tail.  You then put the parcels in a baking tin.  These fish were quite big and needed 25 minutes in the oven.  You serve the fish still twisted up in their parcels on the plate - they look really pretty.  We had them with boiled new potatoes and some tasty left over ratatouille.  (Camera's out of battery - pictures will return soon!)

Dinner at the Queen of Sheba

Tonight Marc and I had a delicious dinner at this bustling Ethiopian restaurant in Kentish Town (http://www.thequeenofsheba.co.uk/).  One of the highlights was Bozena Shiro - cubes of beef with a buttery curry sauce that had a fresh, citrussy edge to it.  The meal was served on a large flat bread (like a pancake) which was moist and tasty - a kind of slightly fermented flavour - and there was no cutlery; you use the bread to pick up the food.  The service was warm and low key, and the waitresses were very beautiful.  Lovely evening.  Unfortunately I forgot my camera but you can see pictures of the food on the restaurant website. 

Prawns with tomato sauce

Second week back at work, we're just getting back into the routine of midweek dinners.  This is one regular favourite - a simple tomato ragu with prawns.  To make a tomato ragu, these days I use the method suggested by Rick Stein (http://www.rickstein.com/) in his Mediterranean book which is (as I remember it) to put a big slosh of good olive oil into a frying pan and add crushed / chopped garlic before turning on the heat.  As soon as the garlic starts to sizzle, pour in the contents of a tin of tomatoes.  Doing it this way round avoids the risk of burning the garlic.  Cook the sauce for a while until until it is reduced and thickened, stirring from time to time, then add salt and pepper and whatever else you fancy.  We added half a chopped, de-seeded chilli and a pack of pre-cooked prawns, heating them thoroughly in the sauce.  Delicious with rice and chopped parsley on top, and so easy to make.  Followed by left over cobbler!

Peach, greengage & blackberry soured cream cobbler

Peaches are my favourite fruit (not counting lemons).  This cobbler is based on a Nigel Slater recipe, taken from his Kitchen diaries (http://www.nigelslater.com/).  He uses peaches and blueberries (a gorgeous combination with bubbling, dark blue-ish juices).  For last night's pudding, I used a couple of ripe peaches with greengages and blackberries bought by Marc.  The tart berries set off the sweet, delicate peaches and greengages and the rich scone-like topping.  I like to eat it with single cream.

The cobbler dough is made by combining plain flour, baking powder, sugar and butter in a crumble-like 'breadcrumb' mixture.  You then add sour cream to make a soft dough and split this into walnut-sized pieces, flattening them before placing on top of the sliced fruit (tossed in lemon juice with a little flour and sugar).  Dust with sugar and bake for half an hour at 200C.

Lunch at the Cinnamon Club

Today was the first anniversary of the day Marc and I met for the first time.  We were introduced by our friend Athalie at her Bollywood birthday party in the Cinnamon Club (http://www.cinnamonclub.com/), a very smart Indian restaurant and bar in Westminster.  A year ago we were downstairs in the bar, dancing and making small talk; today we had lunch in the restaurant as a married couple!  A wonderful treat following a hectic few days back at work after our honeymoon.

The Cinnamon Club is very different from the much loved Indian restaurants that you find in abundance on the average UK high street, a typical example of which we went to with friends last night for a quick curry before going to a gig at the Troxy in East London (one of my very favourite bands, the Old Crow Medicine Show - http://www.crowmedicine.com/ - was playing along with Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings amongst others; a fantastic show).  Today's meal was more of a 'fine dining' experience.  We had a very good three-course lunch in luxurious surroundings for £22 each.  The picture shows Marc's starter, which was 'stir fried pork with garlic and aubergine'.  It was accompanied by a lemon-y mint yoghurt and tasted as good as it looks.

Marc's lentil curry with lovage

Marc cooked tonight and I was late home because of a thing after work; we haven't lived together long and it is such a treat coming home to find the lights on and a delicious cooking smell in the flat.  Tonight it was a deeply spiced (clovey smelling) lentil curry served with rice and an experimental topping of fresh, chopped lovage, which neither of us had ever eaten before.  We decided it tastes like a mix of celery, parsley and (Marc thought) coriander...wolfed it down - lovely. 

I have much to learn when it comes to lentils and other pulses - I've just never really cooked them (except various beans in chilli con carne).  Marc tells me you need to cook lentils for about 20 minutes, and these were nicely al dente (not mushy) and very satisfying.  Clearing up after dinner, the packet of funny little bright orange dried lentils made me think of gluey collages I made at school.

Salmon fillets baked on a cedar plank

I love eating fish, and most often end up cooking salmon as I'm not so keen on the cod, smoked haddock and mackerel that my local supermarkets usually have to offer.  (I wish I liked mackerel - so versatile, economical and good for you!)  I like to cook salmon briefly enough so that it is still slippery inside, and I don't add any oil or butter in the cooking as I find it quite rich as it is. 

I bought this cedar cooking plank on holiday in Alaska a few years ago.  It adds a delicate woody fragrance to the fish, but really the best thing about it is that it makes the kitchen smell like a sauna while it's cooking - that lovely dry scent that slightly burns the nostrils.  These fillets were sadly skinless so not very pretty for the photo, but tasted good; I cooked them for 12 minutes at 190C coated in a mix of soy sauce, runny honey and white wine with chopped fresh ginger and dried crushed chillies; served with plain baby new potatoes and young spinach - wilted, then tossed with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Yum!

Soft boiled egg with marmite on toast

One of my favourites for a late Sunday breakfast this morning - in need of sustenance after a run.  I'm not sure there is much that is more delicious than an egg boiled just the way you like it, with buttery marmite on toast.  I cook the egg in boiling water for 6 minutes to get a nice runny yolk.  The toast has to be hot, so I don't even put it in the toaster until the egg is done (the egg will stay hot in the egg cup until I'm ready to eat it).  This was a small egg and not refrigerated (bought on a special mission from the corner shop), so the yolk is more well cooked than usual but still very good.  Eaten with a strong cup of coffee a favourite Sunday morning CD on the stereo.  Perfect.

Tomato salad with garlic

I got married 2 weeks ago, and today my husband Marc and I got back from our honeymoon in southern Spain. While we were away I decided I would like to try writing a blog about food that I like cooking and eating, and that I am interested in trying.  This will be a purely personal indulgence and, I think, a welcome distraction from busy working life in a big city.  I don't know how long it will last; I hope you enjoy reading. 

I adore tomatoes - so it seems appropriate that my first posting is about a very simple, mouth-wateringly good, tomato salad, made tonight by Marc.  This was an attempt to recreate the most delicious dish we ate on holiday - a plateful of sliced tomatoes liberally sprinkled with tasty virgin olive oil, with plenty of chopped garlic and salt (if the garlic and salt are squashed together with a spoon before being spread over the tomatoes, it tastes especially good).  We ate it so quickly that I forgot to take a photo.

Until next time
K