Parma ham wrapped chicken with a rich tomato sauce

First cut chicken breasts (4) into 3 pieces. Wrap each piece in a slice of parma ham. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the chicken for 12-15 minutes till it's cooked. Remove from the pan. Add 1 finely chopped garlic and 3 spring onions chopped diagonally and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in a can of tomatoes, 1 tsp of lemon juice and creme fraiche. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer covered for 3 minutes. Stir in 3 tbsp of parsley and a pinch of sugar. Season to taste. Return the chicken to the pan. Heat for 2-3 minutes. Serve with cooked pasta, and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

M's verdict: 7/10
N's verdict: 7/10

I tried reducing the amount of lemon juice from 1 lemon, to 1/2 a lemon but it's still not enough as the sourness of it, is simply too overpowering. That said. I love the combined taste of the parma ham and the chicken. I think with less lemon juice. this would be an 8.

Roasted butternut squash risotto

First peel the butternut squash and chop it into 2 cm cubes. Pour 2 tbsp of olive oil into a roasting tin and place into preheated oven 190 degrees for minutes. Add the buttersquash and 5 cloves of garlic unpeeled and whole. Roast for 25-30 minutes. Cook 275g of arborio rice in olive oil at high heat for a few seconds. Add a pinch of saffron and 150 ml of white wine and bubble fiercely until the wine has evaporated. Meanwhile heat 1 litre of chicken stock in a separate saucepan and keep it at a steady simmer. Reduce the heat till low, and add the chicken stock ladle by ladle till the rice is cooked. Turn off the heat and stir in 1 tbsp of fresh parsley finely chopped, 1 tbsp of fresh oregano finely chopped, parmesan cheese and seasoning. Cover and leave to stand for 203 minutes. Remove the skins from the roasted garlic, add it to the risotto with the butternut squash and mix gently. Serve with parmesan cheese.

M's verdict: 8.5/10
N's verdict: 9/10

M thinks the seafood risotto is still better. I think they are the same. I like how the natural sweetness of the butternut squash complements the richer flavours of the cheese and saffron.

Shellfish stew

After 4 weeks or so of cooking from the Italian cookbook, I took a break from it by using a recipe from my one-pot cookbook. Normally, the fish stews i cook are tomato based, I thought it would be interesting to try a cream based recipe. For this , first melt 50g of butter over moderate heat. Add 1 finely chopped garlic clove, 2 shallots finely chopped, 2 celery stick finely chopped, 1 large leek finely chopped and cook for 7-10 minutes until the vegetables are just soft. Add 250g of chestnut mushrooms and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Add 100 ml of white wine and 300ml of fish stock to the vegetable, add 1 bay leaf and bring to the simmer. Add diced salmon fillets, diced cod fish fillets and cook till the fish is opaque. Stir in 300ml of cream and some cooked mussels, prawns, crab sticks and squid and simmer for 2 minutes. Season and stir in 3 tbsp of finely chopped fresh parsley.

M's verdict: 8/10
N's verdict: 8/10

An interesting break from tomato based fish stews, delicious and rich. Unfortunately, it can't beat the complexity of the mediterranean fish stew.

Chicken and prawn stacked ravioli

I think this is one of the prettiest dishes I have cooked. First heat olive oil in a large pan, add 1 finely chopped onion and 1 finely chopped garlic clove and cook for 5 minutes. Add 450g of cooked chicken pieces and fry for 4 min. Stir in 1 chopped tomato, deseeded, 150ml of white wine, 150ml of cream and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes until reduced and thickened. Stir in 250 g of cooked prawns, 2 tbsp of chopped fresh tarragon and season with salt and pepper. Heat the sauce through gently. Cook 8 lasagne sheets. Cut into half. For each plate, place 2 sheets and divide half the chicken mixture among them. Top each serving with a second sheet and divide the remainder among them. Top with a final layer of lasagne and serve immediately.

M's verdict: 9/10
N's verdict: 8/10

Nice and simple dish despite the 'ravioli' word. I like the mixtures of flavours, particularly, the tarragon and the tomatoes. Perfect as a starter for a three course meal.