Not sure, what the Italians would make of it, I think it is pretty good. And quite healthy as well, with all the greens.

I fry  an onion, a carrot,  a celery stick, some garlic, add chicken stock and let it cook slowly. In a separate pan I fry up some pancetta, lovely flavour, like no other bacon, then add it to the soup. Then in go the beans, chopped to the size small enough to fit on the spoon. I use green beans, runner beans and- if I have, broad beans. Some nice spring cabbage adds to the consistency nicely too. I season it all generously and add a handful of tiny pasta and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. The last thing to go in is pesto, doesn’t have to be a homemade one ( however with pesto pasta it is the only option in my kitchen! 🙂  ), a few bits here and there to add to the flavour.

I serve it with lovely crusty bread.

Florian once said  that my cottage pie is the best one he’s ever had. I reckon the one I’ve made tonight was best ever. Someone on telly has given me the idea of a parsnip mash, I’ve done half and half with the potatoes, it made the topping deliciously creamy and… sweet.

My meaty filling varies on whatever I have in the fridge. Today I fried up a red onion, a carrot, a courgette, some cherry tomatoes, green peas,then of course the minced beef ( not from Sainsbury’s, Florian has found a piece of bone in his 🙁  ).I add a generous splash of red wine, some Worcestershire sauce, some beef stock and some ketchup. And I let it all bubble away until the beef is lovely and soft and all has a nice rich texture and colour. Tasting it all the way is essential, it ahs to be nice and rich to be in contrast with the mash.

My mash is a messy one, but well worth the effort. It is all squeezed through the ricer, I add some butter, season with salt and pepper and work it with a wooden spoon until smooth.

All that is left now is transfer the meat mixture into the baking dish, cover with a layer of mash and bake off, until  it begins to brown slightly. You want it slightly crispy on top. I don’t think adding cheese on top is such a good idea, no need, if you make a nice mash.

We’ve managed the whole thing this evening….. 🙂

Now this one is ideal for an evening after work, when one can’t be bothered to spend too much time in the kitchen, but is not in the mood for Pizza Slut.

I boil my spaghetti and prepare the veggies in the big frying pan; I fry a couple of chopped shallots, throw in grated courgette, for 2 portions I would say maybe one and a half, one chopped red chilli, fry it all up, season well and add some chicken  stock for extra flavour. I toast some pine nuts, lovely stuff, only so bloody expensive in this country.

I toss the spaghetti in the courgette mixture, finish it off with some sesame seed oil, throw the toasted nuts on top and finish off with some parmesan. Done within 20 minutes! 🙂

I used to work in a  restaurant last year, that claimed to be making Italian food. What I thought about it was best illustrated by a couple of Italians storming out of there, having been served lasagne…The only two good things I learned in that place, that shares the name with my current boss, was the idea of sweating off the vegetables before blitzing them into a soup, which improves the flavour dramatically ( works with cup mushrooms wonderfully as well) and- Massimo’s meatballs.

I walked into the kitchen at work this morning when Tom was chopping a large amount of mint and I knew exactly what I felt like cooking tonight.

For the meatballs I use the ground beef, preferably not the lean one, it has to be nice and moist. I add a bread roll soaked in water and milk, a generous handful of grated parmesan, an egg, chopped shallot for the bite and 2 garlic cloves. Then comes the mint. Some of my Italian friends reckon it’s got to be parsley, I stick with the mint, ever since I tasted Massimo’s polpettine. It needs to be worked well with your  hands, seasoned generously with salt and pepper and then shaped into small meatballs. I toss them in flour and boil for about 10 minutes in a beef stock, just enough to nearly cover them. That floury stock is later used for the sauce, as all the goodness stays in it.

The tomato sauce is best kept simple, so quickly fried shallot and celery, a couple of cup mushrooms, a can of chopped tomatoes or passata, some fresh herbs, some port or sweet wine, if there happens to be some open(which is not too often as it gets drunk right away 🙂 ), I like it quite sweet. In go the meatballs and all there is left to do is  cooking the spaghetti, setting the table and opening some good red wine.

Serve with extra parmesan and black pepper.

That British classic still has some space for improvement, as I use  a shop bought custard( vanilla one from Waitrose or good old Ambrosia), the minute I crack the art of making custard that does not curdle, I will announce it to everyone who would listen.

Rhubarb is in season, so best to quickly roast it off in the oven with brown sugar and honey, but not till completely cooked, as it will be baked under the crumble.

The crumble itself; soft butter, plain flour, dessicated coconut, ground almonds, brown sugar and cinnamon, all worked with your fingers until the texture resembles a crumble.

Top the rhubarb with it evenly and bake for about 30 minutes in 170 celsius, till bubbling and slightly golden. Serve warm with custard and enjoy, cause it’s bloody yummy!!! 🙂

This recipe is ripped of Gordon Ramsay’s , slightly changed by me, as usual.

I normally use two types of fish, can be frozen, can be fresh, salmon is a must and some kind of white fish, a fillet of each will do. I poach the fish in milk with  a bay leaf, a shallot and some peppercorns, then flake it onto a bowl. About 4 boiled and mashed potatoes and a crucial ingredient, fresh coriander. If I don’t have any, I don’t bother making fishcakes, it simply makes the dish outstanding( plus I’m a coriander freak, would have it with anything!). I add finely chopped shallot, season it all very well, ground coriander, pepper, some paprika to give it a kick and then mix it all up nicely. You want to make sure you can tell the ingredients apart, don’t mash it all to death, it’s not supposed to be baby food.

Now shape them into cakes, a table spoon is a nice sized cake, roll in flour, then in egg and finally in breadcrumbs. Messy and lots of work, but well worth the effort, as the cakes will keep the shape and won’t fall apart when frying.

Fry them on both sides until golden and lovely.

Serve with harissa mayonnaise( mayo mixed with harissa paste) and a nice green salad.