Nigella and Gnocchi

Hmmm... two things I'm not too fond of. So imagine my surprise when it was Nigella who gave me the key to enjoying Gnocchi. I find gnocchi rather bland and stodgey and always a disappointment, but fried until crispy its another monster entirely. A foodie excuse to eat fast food, perhaps, not too far removed from potato waffles but in bitesize crispy nuggets.

For a Spicy Filling Lunch I started by frying discs of Chorizo, releasing all that porky paprika fat (yum!). Add a sliced red onion and as much gnocchi as you fancy. Fry until the onion is cooked and the gnocchi golden brown.

This is quite rich and oily so I just served this with a fresh crispy salad . Fast and satisfying.

The Only Way to Eat Sprouts.

I really love all cabbage and related vegetables, but I admit to not really liking sprouts until I was once served them this way. Flash fried in a lot of Butter and a really generous grind of Black Pepper. I forgot to take a picture of these once they were cooked because I was so eager to eat them! Oops!

Welcome Hungry Boy!

So, on 16th September the Hungry Boy was born and all my spare time spent thinking, planning and cooking interesting food is gone. The tone of my blog entries is much more likely to be focussed on quick lunches. All useful stuff though!

First Salad Harvest.

First humble Salad harvest of the year.

The chard is beautiful, can't wait for the big leaves for steaming and stir frying. The colours are amazing.

Hairy Bikers Beef Olives

Some beaten out steaks, stuffed. From the Hairy Bikers Food Tour of Britain. Yum.

Note the Curly Kale for extra iron.

Another from the series of Recipe Fridays.

The Infamous Spinach Smoothie.

Sounds like a bad idea? I haven't managed to convince everyone (anyone...), but I for one am sold on this.

There is a new arrival expected in the Hungry House; a Hungry Boy. Very exciting, but boy am I looking forward to eating brie again. (And smoked salmon, and rare steak, and soft eggs... the list goes on.)

Under instruction from my midwife I'm pushing my iron intake. And so the Spinach Smoothie was born.

Blended fresh spinach, some kind of fruit, some kind of juice.

Any fruit will do, but after many different combinations I've found something very sweet works best. Like Mango. Or peaches tinned in grape juice.
If the combination is not sweet enough it is somehow very confusing for the taste buds.

And the Vit C in the orange juice and fruits helps to absorb the iron. Winner.

Easter Eggs!

Just thought I'd share the results of the annual pantomime of me trying to make eggs for loved ones. Filled with Mini Eggs- just like the good old days.

Good for a giggle and keeps me out of mischief.

Beef Bourginon and Spuds en Pappillotte

Continuing our Recipe Friday Series I thought I'd have a bash at a classic- Beef Bourginon. Amazingly there were three whole red onions in the pot but by the time it was cooked they had completely disintegrated into the rich, glossy, sauce (a whole bottle of wine went into that yummers sauce).

I roasted some new potatoes wrapped in baking paper, with plenty of butter, a sprig of thyme, a bruised garlic clove and some lemon zest. They went in the oven along side the casserole at about Gas 4 for one and a half hours. A kind of braising in butter method of cooking! No low calorie options in the Hungry House.

Recipe Friday

Mr Hungry and I started cooking a new recipe on each Friday but having fallen out of the habit we are making a big effort to start again.

We started last friday with A Chickpea And Carrot burger, flavoured with sesame, tahini and cumin- yummers. Served elegantly by Mr Hungry on toasted wholemeal toast with a dollop of natural yoghurt.

Tonight Mr Hungry made Chicken Cacciatore from the GoodFoodWebsite. It was yummers. Served with crushed new potatoes. Fab. Think this will become a firm favourite. Thanks Mr Hungry. XXx

(Waking up the next morning to no bread and very little butter I had the left over Mascarpone spread on toasted malt loaf.... decadent eh?)

Tapas Tapas

Well, to celebrate my Ma in law's birthday, we're cooking dinner here before a surprise theatre trip.
I have information that the said Ma in Law isn't a huge fan of meat and enjoys picking through different dishes of vegetables and a small amount of meat. So a tapas style meal is in hand.

I wanted to share with you some of my favourite dishes I make on these occasions.

A New Potato Salad with Grilled Halloumi (pictured without Potatoes, I pop them in warm just before serving). This also includes lemon juice and zest, shredded mint leaves, black pepper and olive oil... I just love any excuse to eat grilled halloumi- who thought that a foodstuff somewhere between caramel and cheese could be so perfect?

Another salad of Roast Squash with Cashew and Sesame. The squash has been roasted with wholegrain mustard and honey, the cashews and sesame seeds both have been toasted. I will add to this either couscous or some of my new favourite thing- Merchant Gormet's ready to eat mixed grains- vacuum packed Quinoa, Wheat, Soya Flakes and Lentils, all cooked and ready to go.... yummers!! Perfect for lunch box salads.

Mr Hungry says I get a bit 'brand loyal' and I love Merchant Gormet stuff... but I really think they make some good food.

Also on the menu tonight, a Chorizo and Mozzarella Tart, Olives, Hummus, Pitta, Cured Meats, Mixed Roast Veg, Pork Meatballs with Spicy Tomato Sauce. Followed by icecream at the theatre!