Dhal my number, dont you curry sunshine.

My boyfriends ex wife's boyfriend is a delightful man. He is a spinal surgeon. He is a philosopher. He also cooks the best Dhal and chapattis in the world. We are very lucky that we all get on so well. This is my homage to Manoj and his vats of golden yum. 

These recipe's however cannot be rushed. its a triple whammy. Cook just one but all three together is something else. I surprised myself at quite how long it took. It was beyond worth it. They were extraordinary. Nick also exclaimed loudly when i saw him after cooking: "Bluddy 'ell you smell of garlic babes" ... and then he tasted it...and was lost in a world of the exotic...food that is...

Not your typical TV dinner

Its Pancake Day... Hurrah!

As the global society of food bloggers cry out in unison ... 

So yes Im going to have a good big tossing session in the kitchen. A variety of pancakes is on the menu... fancy pants savory, the usual for the kids... i wont patronise you with the lemon and sugar suggestion...oh except i did, sorry...and a good experiment for Nicks not very sweet tooth...involving....healthy tropical flavours....made unhealthy with a bit of spiced rum.  

Obligatory Lemon Shot for PANCAKE DAY! 

I say NO to a premade packet mix as thats lame. Plus those big plastic pots add to the over spilling landfills. Its so easy. 

Theres allsorts you can add to a pancake mix to give it some excitement. 

Oats! I agree not the wildest exciting statement ive ever made...Im pregnant! And im going to Australia for 5 months more so (said years apart i might add) Ive got tickets to Mario Testinos Exhibition opening at the portrait gallery...yes, except the party was a bit crap, contrary to the press ...the Kings of Leon have just played for just me and Amy Winehouse..that was good...we're going on tour with Depeche Mode! And Elbow! Now that was really good...Ive had a fun life

Back to pancakes: 

Quick jazz up ideas. If your doing a savory pancake....say mushrooms and cheese sauce, well that gets a good kick when you fling in some chopped roasted chestnuts, spinich, pancetta, fresh parsley and a splosh of marsala. Creme fraiche makes the sauce lighter instead of cheddar...and less food coma inducing.

Hummous, Halloumi, harissa, roast peppers, grated carrots and chopped olives and some corriander. Hell yeah. A dry dressing of almonds toasted in cumin and za'tar is amaze.

Vegan Fat Free American pancakes (contrary name) ...and i thank my 10 year old daughter for this experiment...put oats, raisins, cinnamon,chopped apple and ground almonds with an egg, almond milk and 1/3 teaspoon baking powder...makes an amazing drop pancake mix....hot with maple syrup and blueberries. High five Freya for this vegan delight. She put food colouring in too...that i wouldnt recommend as they went a gruely pink. 

Im going to prepare said feast and report back shortly... 

Lemon and Thyme Rainbow Trout

When he tucked into this my Boyfriend Nikko made this noise: warghhhyumm...cor this is blindin'. Nice one babe. woooryyeah (he has a cockney brummie highbrid accent, for your imagination). This is really simple again, quick to put together but a winner if you want to impress friends etc. And dont mind eyes staring at you while you eat. 

This is a great time of year to buy Rainbow Trout as the water they swim in is cold and clear, which means the flesh doesn't taste all muddy and pond weedy, which it can do when the water is silty and still in the summer months. 

I always go to the fishmonger, for freshness and value for money. You want a firm fish with red gills and clear eyes...then you know its been hoiked from its natural home very recently. It wants to smell salty and not fishy. I usually get the fishmonger to gut the fish, as trout are best baked whole. However for the sake of the photo I did it after the shoot...which was gross. Im not a fisherman. Yuk. 

Ingredients:

Whole rainbow Trout..1 per person.

Big organic Lemon 

Fresh thyme

Glass of white wine

Olive oil/ smoked rapeseed oil

Splash of water

Garlic granules

Fresh Parsley

Samphire and potato dauphinoise to serve.

Method: 

Pre heat the oven to about 180 degrees

Line a big roasting dish with greaseproof paper and foil, greaseproof on the inside. Plonk in your fish, and slide into the tummy flap 4 slices of lemon. Thats all you need, as you want to preserve the delicate trout flavour. Tear up some thyme and parsley, sprinkle on the fish, along with some lemon zest, salt pepper and garlic granules. I rarely use these, but the flavour is softer and they dont burn in the final stage.

Drizzle on the smoked rapeseed oil or olive oil. Pour in the white wine and a splash of water. Close the parcel and pop in the oven for about 20 mins. 

After about 20 mins open up the parcel and you will find a moat of delicious winey-lemony stock. Spoon this into a small sauce pan and add a dash of cream (soya or goats milk or lactose free also work) and some chopped parsley. Simmer for about 15 mins on a medium low heat. Mean while keep the parcel open and return to the oven for a final 15 minutes. This crisps ups the skin a little during the final bake. 

Steam some samphire for 3 minutes. Take your fish out with a large spatula, pull out the lemon slices and discard. Spoon over the sauce and samphire and enjoy! 

Easy Saturday Morning Breakfast Omlette

Hello!

Welcome to my first post...and Im starting with a very super easy but tasty as hell Omlette. Don't worry Im going to do far harder recipes. Im an impulse cook, taking influence from my world travels and taking my time to make some real lip smackingly tasty grub. Which I would like to share with you. 

Its got to be organic, if there are meats or fish involved I make sure the welfare of the creature is as nice as possible. Im unpatronising and cookery should be fun! Here goes: 

Ingredients: 

2 eggs

splash of milk

2 diced shallots

4 Mushrooms

2 inch slice of Chorizo (Quorn Chorizo is really fab) 

Half a Corgette

Garlic clove chopped

Glop of Fussells smoked rapeseed oil (or olive oil splash) 

Small handful of fresh Parsley

Grated cheese ( I used goats cheddar) 

Sizzling in the Pan

Simply chop up all of the ingredients. Soften the onions in the smoked rapeseed oil which is a magic ingredient, then fling in the rest. Once all softened and the chorizio is properly cooked set to one side. Mix the egg, seasoning and splash of milk and pour into the pan on a medium heat. Let the egg cook until you can just lift it up at the edge, and the eggy mix is still a little bit runny on top. 

Sprinkle on the cheese, and the chorizo mix, and wait until the cheese has melted and the runny egg has set. Get a big spatula and flip it so it sandwiches in half. Shimmy it onto your plate, sprinkle on the Parsley....and get stuck in! 

My family wolfed it down. Enjoy!