Cooking Hiatus

It has been 3 months since my return to London, and during this period of time, I believe that I have more or less exhausted the recipes I can cook from my two recent cookbooks. It's just a week more before I return to Singapore and for this time, I am just going to cook our favourite dishes from these cookbooks. They are:

1. Mediterranean fish stew
2. Lasagne
3. Pasta with proscuitto and mushrooms
4. Pasta with cherry tomatoes
5. Butternut squash risotto
6. Minestrone soup

And since I am going to be working back in Singapore for my stay, I don't foresee myself cooking much unless I have to do so for my "boss." But still, I wouldn't be experimenting with new dishes for such meals. So, the next real post will probably be in September and hopefully, I will have a number of new cookbooks to play with.

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.

Oven baked pork balls with peppers

This is my first time making pork balls, and amazingly, they didn't distintegrate into little bits and pieces during the cooking process. First, mix 500 g of minced pork with 1 finely chopped garlic clove, 4 tbsp of fresh basil, finely chopped and 3 sundried tomatoes, finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper. With damp hands, roll the mixture into balls and reserve. Spoon 3 tbsp of olive in a large roasting tin and place in the preheated oven at 200 degrees for 3 minutes. Stir in the pork balls, 1 finely chopped garlic cloves, 3 peppers, cut into chunks and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in 225 g of cherry tomatoes, and season to taste. Bake for another 20 minutes. Remove the pork balls from oven and stir in 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar. Serve with garlic bread.

M's verdict: 5/10
N's verdict: 8/10

M doesn't like the pork balls as the taste of the pork is too strong, overpowering. I don't have any problems with that. I quite like it as it is a mediterranean recipe, full of the natural flavours of the peppers and tomatoes. Too bad, M doesn't like it, but i am sure my parents will. I think this is definitely one of the dishes i will cook for them.

Seafood risotto

First, fry 1 finely chopped onion in olive for 4 minutes until softened but not coloured. Add 120g of arborio rice and stir for minute. Slowly add 75ml of white wine. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly until reduced by half. Bring 700ml of fish stock to a gentle simmer, then add to the rice, a ladleful at a time. Cook, stirring frequently until the stock has been added and the rice is cooked. Add the seafood you like depending on how long it takes to cook them in the rice mixture although for fish, it's better to poach it or fry it separately before placing it on top of the risotto. Stir in 25 g of butter, 1 tbsp of freshly snipped chives, 1 tbsp of freshly chopped dill, 1 tbsp of freshly chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

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

This was a huge success. Light and not overly rich, it was light on the stomach. The trick for me, is not to use 'natural' chicken stock and to use stock cubes as you need quite a lot of seasoning to get the appropriate taste. Oh and don't be an idiot like me, when I cooked this for the second time, i forgot to descale the salmon. While the taste was still good, it wasn't that enjoyable biting into the scales.

Cream of butternut squash soup

Cook 900g of butternut squash, peeled and cubed in olive oil for 2-3 minutes, coating it completely with oil. Add 1 finely chopped onion, 1 finely chopped leek, 1 finely chopped carrot, 4 garlic cloves finely chopped and 2 finely chopped celery sticks into the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Cover the vegetables with 1.7 litre of chicken stock and bring to the boil. Season with salt and pepper and 1/4 tsp of nutmeg. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until all the vegetables are tender. Blend the mixture. (I like my soups to be a bit chunky, with bits and pieces of the vegetables so I don't blend it till it forms a smooth puree.) Adjust the seasoning, add 140 ml of cream. Bring the soup to boiling point, add 1/4 tsp of chilli powder and serve with a swirl of cream on top and warm bread.

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

Good, wholesome natural food. Excellent for a quick dinner. But as M points out, it's just a soup. Nothing exceptional about it, and so the maximum it can get is a 7.

Oatmeal and raisin cookies

We were watching the movie 'Stranger than fiction' and Ana Pascal was making cookies for Harold Crick. That gave us the idea of making cookies. We spent quite a lot of time burning the first batch of cookies on Saturday but at least by the end of that day, we were more or less sure of the time required in the oven. On Sunday, it turned out pretty ok. This recipe is taken from the goodhousekeeping website.

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine (1 stick), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3 cups old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats, uncooked
1 1/2 cups raisins
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 220 degrees. Line large cookie sheet with nonstick foil (or use nonstick cookie sheet).

2. On waxed paper, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.

3. In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat sugars and butter until creamy, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Beat in vanilla, then eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. At low speed, gradually add flour mixture; beat just until blended, occasionally scraping bowl. With spoon, stir in oats and raisins.

4. Drop dough by heaping measuring teaspoons, 2 inches apart, onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake cookies for 6 minutes or until tops are golden. Cool cookies on cookie sheet 1 minute, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

Baked codfish with anchovies and parmesan cheese

A really interesting recipe from my Italian cookbook. I don't think I have had anything similar in my life. First, deskin 2 cod fillets. Divide them into half lengthwise. On each of these portions, place 1/2 tsp of chopped anchovies. If the anchovies are salted, soak them in water to get rid of the salt. Roll the fillets up from the thickest side and reserve. Pour boiling water oven 250 g of spinach and leave for 2 minutes. Drain and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Place the spinach in the base of an ovenproof dish. Arrange 2 tomatoes sliced on top of the spinach. Arrange the fish on top and pour over 100ml of cream. Place 1 slice of wholemeal bread, and 25g of rocket in a food processor and blend until finely chopped. Stir in 25g of grated parmesan cheese. Sprinkle the topping over the fish and bake in preheated oven at 220 degrees for 16 minutes until the fish is cooked. Serve with freshly cooked pasta.

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

I really like this dish for its uniqueness and how the taste of the anchovies complement the simplier taste of the codfish. Need some practice cooking this dish, as the fish was undercooked. That's why i increased the time in the oven from 10 minutes (in the cookbook) to 16 minutes.

Herb baked chicken with tagliatelle

A really simple dish to prepare, which doesn't require any frying. First place 3 chicken thighs on a baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. In a bowl, mix 1 and a half slices of wholemeal breadcrumbs, 1 tsp of oregano, 1 tbsp of sundried tomatoes paste and 1 tbsp of olive. Press the breadcrumbs onto the chicken thighs. In another bowl, mix 1 can of plum tomatoes, 1 tbsp of white wine and 1 tbsp of chopped fresh basil. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the tomato mixture onto the sides of the chicken thighs in the baking dish. Place in a preheated oven 200 degrees and cook for 30 minutes. Serve with cooked tagliatelle.

M's verdict: 6/10
N's verdict: 7/10

M think it's boring. She likes the breadcrumbs though and that's probably why it's a 6 rather than a 5. I quite like this dish, it's simple, healthy and I do like the breadcrumbs as well.

Classic minestrone

I have always thought that the distinctive taste of minestrone soup is from beef stock. I only realised that it is actually the bacon that gives it that wonderful flavour when I cooked it yesterday. First chop up 3 bacon rashers and fry it in butter and olive oil for 3-4 minutes. Leave the juices in the pan and add 1 large onion finely chopped, 1 garlic clove finely chopped, 1 celery stick finely chopped and 2 carrots finely chopped. Add one ingredient at a time, stirring well after each addition. Cover and cook gently for 8-10 minutes until the vegetables are softened. Add 1 can of chopped tomatoes, 1.1 litre of stock,bring to the boil, cover the saucepan, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Stir in 175g of finely shredded green cabbage, 50 g of french beans, trimmed and halved and 50 g of spaghetti pieces. Cover and simmer for another 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return the bacon to the soup, bring it the boil and serve with crusty bread.

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

M really likes the soup, she said that it was extremely savoury, full of the taste of the various vegetables. Of course, she may be biased as she had the soup at 3am, having had no dinner previously. I enjoyed the soup as well, and at least in my view, it did taste exactly like minestrone soup. The recipe requires 3 tbsp of peas as well but as M abhors peas, it's not in my cooking. So if you like them, by all means add them.

Gnocchi and parma ham bake

Cook 1 finely chopped onion and 2 finely chopped garlic cloves in olive oil for 5 minutes till softened. Stir in 175g of plum tomatoes, peeled and skinned, 2 tbsp sundried tomatoes paste and 250g of cream cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1/2tbsp of finely chopped fresh tarragon. Bring to the boil and lower the heat, simmer for 5 minutes. Add cooked gnocchi to a large oven proof dish. Add the tomato sauce and toss gently to coat the pasta. Combine 125 g of finely grated cheddar cheese, 50g of white breadcrumbs and 1/2 tbsp of fresh tarragon. Scatter over the pasta mixture. Top with 50 g of parma ham and 10 halved pitted green olives. Cook in preheated oven at 180 degrees for 25 minutes until golden and bubbling.

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

Very intense tomato taste. I find it too strong. M is fine with it. I like the texture of the gnocchi which becomes something like mashed potatoes after its time in the oven. The parma ham is a nice crisp topping for this dish. The key problem is the olives. I think I should have washed the olives to get rid of the brine as it gave a sour flavour to the overall package.

Mushroom risotto

I had the most wonderful mushroom risotto at Marcus Wareing at The Savoy. It was rich, full of the taste of mushrooms, yet light: it didn't feel heavy on the stomach. And of course, as I mentioned in the entry on this restaurant, it had a poached egg on top, an interesting complement to the mushrooms. Well, as you all would expect, I decided to try to make mushroom risotto. This recipe is taken from the BBC website.

Ingredients
1 tbsp dried porcini mushrooms
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
225g/8oz chestnut mushrooms, sliced
350g/12oz arborio rice
150ml/¼ pint dry white wine
1.2 litres/2 pints hot vegetable stock
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
25g/1oz butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated parmesan cheese, to serve


Method
1. Soak the mushrooms in hot water for 10 minutes, then drain well. Heat the oil in a large, heavy based saucepan and add the onion and garlic. Fry over a gentle heat for 2-3 minutes, until softened. Add the mushrooms and fry for a further 2-3 minutes, until browned.
2. Stir in the rice and coat in the oil. Pour in the wine and simmer, stirring, until the liquid has
been absorbed. Add a ladleful of the stock and simmer, stirring again, until the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding the stock in this way, until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is plump and tender.
3. Roughly chop the soaked mushrooms and stir into the risotto, along with the parsley, butter and salt and pepper. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

M's verdict: 6/10
N's verdict: 7/10

The texture of the risotto was perfect, at least to me, and it wasn't the ridiculously creamy kind normally served at Italian restaurants in England. The problem was, unfortunately, the taste, which is my fault, I guess. Or the supermarket's fault actually. They were out of dried porcini mushrooms. As an alternative, I just grabbed a packet of dried wild mushrooms and it simply didn't have the intense flavours associated with porcini mushrooms. I will have to try and make this dish again with porcini mushrooms to see whether I can recreate that taste i savoured at Marcus Wareing. Oh and there's no poached egg, as well, I am embarassed to say this, I can't seem to poach eggs.

Tagliatelle with chicken, asparagus and mushrooms

This is my first time cooking with asparagus. It has been always been an enigmatic vegetable to me. It just looks so different and tastes so different from everything else. For this recipe, first melt 1 tbsp of butter in a frying pan, then add 2 spring onions chopped and 180 g of diced chicken. Fry for 2 minutes. Add 8 chopped chestnut mushrooms and continue frying for 2 minutes. Add 1 tbsp of white wine and allow to reduce. Pour in 150 ml of cream and 1 tbsp of chopped chives. Cook gently for 5-7 until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is tender. Mix in cooked tagliatelle, toss and mix thoroughly. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

M's verdict: 5/10
N's verdict: 5/10

Was hoping the asparagus added a special taste to the sauce but it turned out to be an average creamy pasta. Nothing exceptional.

Traditional lasagne

Garfield's favourite food and one of my brother's as well I think: lasagne. Another traditional Italian recipe to master for my education in Italian cuisine. Cook 2 slices of smoked bacon and 250 g of lean beef mince for 10 minutes. Add 2 celery sticks finely chopped, 1/2 onion finely chopped, 8 button mushrooms finely chopped and 1 carrot finely chopped. Cook for 4 minutes. Add 1 tbsp of flour and 1 garlic clove finely chopped. Mix well and cook for 1 minute. Add 1 tsp of mixed herbs, 1 cup of beef stock and 3 tbsp of tomato puree. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt 30g of butter in a small pan and stir in 3 tbsp of flour, 1 tsp of English mustard and a pinch of nutmeg until well blended. Cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and gradually blend in 2 cups of milk until smooth. Return to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring until thickened. Gradually stir in 30 grams of grated cheddar cheese and 30 grams of grated parmesan cheese until melted. Season to taste.

Spoon half the meat mixture into the base of an ovenproof dish. Top with a single layer of precooked lasagne sheets. Spread over half the white sauce, and scatter more parmesan and grated cheese. Repeat the layers finishing with the cheese. Bake in a preheated oven, at 200 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked the top is golden brown and bubbly.

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

Need to make sure the pasta sheets are properly cooked though.

Pasta with spicy red pepper and anchovy sauce

Another simple and quick recipe to prepare. First roast 2 red peppers under a grill, until the peppers are charred and soft. Remove the skins and chop finely. In a pan, fry 1/2 a finely chopped onion with olive oil for 5 minutes. Add 2 garlic cloves finely chopped, 4 anchovy fillets and 1 finely chopped chilli and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Add the red peppers, a can of chopped tomatoes and the juice of half a lemon. Mix well. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add 1 tbsp of fresh basil and serve with cooked pasta and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

M's verdict: 7/10
N's verdict: 6/10

It's a bit plain but i guess that's what you get for a simple meal.

Chicken cacciatore

I have been experimenting with different recipes for Chicken and tomato casseroles, to find out which is the best and whether I can combine elements of it together to form what i consider the perfect chicken and tomato casserole. So far, I have chicken chasseur, chicken with olives, capers and tomatoes, chicken and porcini casserole, chicken with chorizo and now chicken cacciatore, the Italian version of this recipe. I think the conclusion so far is that the chicken and porcini casserole is the best.

Anyway, for this recipe, first fry 125 g of diced bacon in olive oil for 2-3 minutes till they are golden brown and crispy. Reserve. Brown chicken pieces dredged in seasoned flour for around 15 minutes. Reserve. Stir 2 cloves of chopped garlic into the pan and cook for about 30 seconds. Add 125 ml of red wine and cook. Bring to the boil and reduce by half. Add 1 can of chopped tomatoes, 150 ml of chicken stock, 12 small oinions, 1 bay leaf, 1 tsp of brown sugar, 1 tsp of dried oregano and stir well. Season to taste. Return the chicken and bacon to the pan and bring to boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in 1 green pepper, deseeded and chopped and 225g of mushrooms. Simmer for 15-20 minutes till the chicken and vegetables are tender. Serve with pasta.

M's verdict: 6/10
N's verdict: 5/10

A very average chicken and tomato casserole.

Pasta with broccoli and bacon sauce

Something less rich and filling for dinner today. First, cook 450g of broccoli florets in boiling water for 8 minutes. Drain, allow to cool and chop finely. Cook 50g chopped bacon in olive oil for 5 minutes till brown and crisp. Add 1 chopped small onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add 2 finely sliced garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute. Add broccoli to the bacon mixture. Add 200 ml of milk. Bring slowly to the boil, simmer for 15 minutes. Add cooked pasta to the sauce and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

M's verdict: 5/10

Because M doesn't really like broccoli

N's verdict: 6/10

Spaghetti Bolognese

My self taught education in Italian cuisine (well I hope the recipes in my Italian cookbook are authentic) cannot be complete without one of the most traditional Italian recipes: Spaghetti Bolognese. I don't normally order this dish in restaurants as they tend to taste artificial with lots of preservatives and I am glad that mine turned out bursting with natural flavours.

First, saute 450g of minced beef and 125g of smoked bacon until browned. Add 1 finely chopped carrot, 3 finely chopped celery sticks, 1 finely chopped onion and 2 finely chopped garlic cloves. Cook for 3 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Add 1 tbsp of flour and cook for 1 min. Add 150ml of red wine, 1 can of chopped tomatoes, 2 tsp of mixed herbs and 1 tsp of sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Spoon over cooked spaghetti the sauce, garnish with oregano leaves and serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

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

It's something I don't mind cooking for guests.

Creamy chicken and chorizo pasta

So far, this has been a week of rich flavours. For today, it is the combination of the intense taste of smoked spanish sausage: chorizo, red wine and cream cheese. First, pan fry 3 shallots for 3 minutes till the shallots are golden. Set aside. Next, brown 4 chicken thighs for around 5 minutes. Reserve. Pan fry chestnut mushrooms and chorizo for 3 minutes till brown. Set aside. Add the chorizo, chicken and shallots to the pan. Add 1 tbsp of chopped fresh thyme, 1 chopped garlic clove and 1 tbsp of paprika. Cook for 1 minute. Add 75 ml of red wine and 150 ml of chicken stock. Season with black pepper. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer, covered for 15 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue simmering for 15 minutes until the chicken is tender. Add in 200g of cream cheese, stir well and heat gently. Serve with pasta.

M's verdict: 6/10

Because it's too smoky.

N's verdict: 7/10

I absolutely love the taste of chorizo but it's not a dish you can eat on a regular basis as it's really heavy.

Mediterranean fish stew

No more mediterranean fish soup for us. I have discovered that that soup is just the basics of fish soup. This is the real stuff, a much more complex blend of different flavours. In a saucepan, cook 1 finely chopped onion, 1 finely chopped fennel, 3 finely chopped celery sticks and 5 garlic cloves thinly sliced in olive oil at low heat for 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft and beginning to brown. Add 1 can of chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp of mixed herbs, 1 bay leaf, 1 tbsp of fresh oregano finely chopped, 1 tsp of saffron strands and the juice of 1 orange. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add 3 tbsp of white wine and 750 ml of fish stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Add 500g of fish ( I used cod fish and salmon, cut into 5cm cubes) and simmer for 3 minutes. Add 225g of prawns and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Serve with crusty bread.

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

It's my best fish dish so far.

Gnocchi with grilled cherry tomatoes sauce

Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay have been complaining about how people don't bother to cook their meals these days, relying on frozen meals and takeaways instead. Well, this dish is really quick and easy to prepare. You can do it in 15-20 minutes. Place 500g of cherry tomatoes (halved lengthwise) in a shallow flameproof casserole dish. Add 1 tbsp of chopped basil, 1 tbsp of chopped thyme, 1 tbsp of lemon juice, 1/2 tsp of sugar, 2 tbsp of olive oil and 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves. Mix well. Cook under a pre-heated grill for 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are charred and soft, stirring once or twice. Serve with cooked gnocchi and grated parmesan cheese.

M's verdict: 7/10
N's verdict: 6/10

I added too much lemon. The recipe requires the zest of half a lemon. I think it's way too much so I have now reduced it to just 1 tbsp of lemon juice

Pasta with proscuitto and mushrooms

I used to dislike the taste of parmesan cheese until I realised that the taste of freshly grated parmesan cheese is completely different from the packet ones. For this dish, place dried porcini mushrooms in a small bowl and pour over hot chicken stock. Leave to soak for 15-20 minutes until the mushrooms have softened. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan, add 1 finely chopped small onion and cook for 5 minutes over a medium heat until the onion is soft. Add 2 finely chopped garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute. Add roughly chopped prosciutto, (it's a kind of italian ham) and cook for a further minute. Drain the porcini mushrooms and reserve the liquid. Roughly chop and add to the frying pan together with fresh mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Pour the reserved liquid into the pan. Stir in 3 tbsps of creme fraiche and chopped parsley and heat gently. Season with salt and pepper and serve with pasta and top with grated parmesan cheese.

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

Simple yet flavoursome dish.

Pasta and pork ragu

I first tried pork ragu at Angela Hartnett at The Connaught and I was quite impressed with the dish. So, I was delighted to find it in my new Italian cookbook. First, fry 1 leek (trimmed and thinly sliced) in a frying pan with sunflower oil, stirring frequently for around 5 minutes till soft. Add 225 g of pork fillet (diced) and cook, stirring for 4 minutes. Add 1 crushed garlic clove, 2 tsp of paprika and 1/4 tsp of chilli powder to the pan and stir until the pork is lightly coated in the garlic and pepper mixture. Pour in 150 ml of white wine and 450 mil of chicklen stock. Add 4 chopped sundried tomatoes and 2 carrots diced. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to the boil, lower the heat and simmer till the carrots are cooked. Add cooked pasta to the pork ragu, drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over it, toss well and adjust the seasoning. Serve with chopped parsley and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

M's verdict: 5/10

Because M doesn't like pork.

N's verdict: 7/10

Chicken with porcini mushrooms

I first cooked this a few years ago when I bought this Italian cookbook from The Works in Nottingham for my mom. Interestingly, it was also the first time I cooked for an audience; it was a Christmas dinner party at my uncle's place. So when I took this book, from my mom, back to London, it's one of the first recipes from it that I wanted to cook from it as I recall it was quite popular at the dinner.

Fry brown 5 chicken thighs (deboned) with olive oil in a frying pan. Remove the chicken and reserve. Add two crushed garlic, stir into the juiices and cook for 1 minute. Pour around 1/2 cup of white wine into the pan and season to taste with salt and pepper. Return to the chicken to the pan. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes. In another frying pan, heat some butter and add 15g of porcini mushrooms (hydrated with boiling water for 20 minutes previously) and 400 grams of mushrooms. Fry for around 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are golden. Add the mushrooms to the chicken. Season to taste, then add 1 tbsp of chopped fresh oregano. Stir together gently and cook for 1 more minute. Serve with rice or pasta.

The dish has a strong white wine taste so if you don't like such flavour, this dish isn't recommended.

Chicken and porcini casserole

I love using porcini mushrooms. There's a certain richness that it generates in stews and soups, that you can't get from normal button/chestnut mushrooms. For this recipe, place 20g of porcini mushrooms in a bowl and cover with 1/4 cup of boiling water. Leave for 5 minutes until the mushrooms are fully hydrated. Lightly toss 1.5 kg of chicken pieces in 1/4 cup of seasoned plain flour to coat. Heat oil in pan and cook the chicken over medium heat in batches until browned. Set aside. Add 1 chopped onion and 2 cloves of chopped garlic to the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup of chicken stock. Return the chicken to the pan with the porcini mushrooms and the liquid. Add 1/3 cup of white wine, 1 can of chopped tomatoes, 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar, 3 sprigs of thyme and 1 bay leave. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, add 300g of field mushrooms. Cook, uncovered for 20 minutes until the sauce thickens. Serve with pasta.

Beef carbonnade

Yet another recipe from the One Pot cookbook. First, preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Brown beef chunks (1kg) with butter and olive oil. Remove from the pan. Cook 2 sliced onions, and 2 crushed garlic cloves at medium heat for 4 minutes. Add 2 tbsp of plain flour, stir well and cook for 1 minute. Combine 1 1/2 cups of brown ale with 1 1/2 cup of water and add to the pan. Stir well, bring to the boil and return the meat to the pan. Add bouquet garni, season with salt and pepper, and return to the boil. Transfer to a casserole dish, cover well with foil and cook in the oven for 2 1/2 hours. Spread French bread slices with dijon mustard and butter. Place bread on stew, and cook uncovered for 20 minutes until the bread becomes crusty.

Balti chicken

I am on a roll, this week. The One Pot cookbook is really excellent, so far I have cooked 5 recipes from it, and they all turned out pretty well. For Balti chicken, first fry 1 diced onion over high heat for 5 minutes until softened but not browned. Add 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped and 1 tbsp of grated ginger and continue frying for 3 minutes over medium heat. Add 2 tsp of ground cumin, 2 tsp of ground coriander, 1 tsp of ground tumeric, 1/2 tsp of chilli powder, 1 tsp of salt and 1/4 cup of water. Increase the heat to high and stir fry for 2 minnutes until the mixture has thickened. (Don't burn it!) Add 1 can of chopped tomatoes and 1 cup of water and cook, stirring often for 10 minutes until the mixture is thick and pulpy. Add 1 kg of chopped chicken thigh fillets, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add 1 diced capsicum and 1 diced chilli and simmer for 25 minutes until the chicken is tender. Stir in 4 tbsp of chopped coriander and 2 chopped springs onions. Serve with rice or in our case, prata!

Pork, coriander and potato stew

I used to abhor and detest coriander but recently i have started to move towards a nonchalance about it with the carrot and coriander soup i had on a regular basis at the Uni's cafeteria. I am actually even cooking with it now. I am really getting old. Anyway, this is the second of the four recipes I had planned for this week, pork coriander and potato stew as taken from my one pot cook book.

First marinate pork fillet cubes (800g) with 1 1/2tbsp coriander seeds (crushed) and 1/2 tsp of cracked balck pepper. Season with salt. Leave to marinate in the fridge overnight. Toss the pork in 1 tbsp of plain flour and brown the pork over high heat. Remove from the pan. Add 1 diced onion and 2 chopped potatoes to the pan and cook over medium heat for around 3-4 minutes. Return the pork to the pan and add 1 1/2 cup fo red wine, 1 cup of chicken stock and 1 tsp of sugar. Add 1 tbsp of chopped fresh coriander. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cover and simmer for 1 hour. Serve with fresh coriander.

Saffron chicken and rice

It's been two weeks since I returned from Singapore/Paris. Been sorting out some administrative matters and I haven't really settled back into a routine of cooking till this week. Last two weeks, I have been cooking old favourite recipes, just to get myself reacquainted with my london kitchen. So this week, I have bought the ingredients for four new recipes, taken from the two cookbooks that I brought from Singapore. For this post, it's Saffron chicken and rice, taken from Favourite One-Pot recipes, a present from my mom.

First brown 6 chicken thighs with olive oil at high heat. Then remove them from the pan. Next, at medium heat, cook gently 1 diced onion and 1 diced green pepper for five minutes. Stir in some paprika and cook for 30 seconds. Add 1 can of chopped tomatoes and simmer for 1-3 minutes till it thickens. Stir in 3 1/2 cups of boiling water, add 1 1/4 cups of rice and 1/2 tsp of ground saffron. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, till the liquid has been absorbed and the chicken is tender.

Baked salmon with fresh herbs and lemon

Saw this on a JO show. First, scatter salt, black pepper and lemon rind on a chopping board. Drizzle some olive oil on it. Place the salmon fillet on the board. Place some fresh dill, basil and parsley on top of the fish. Place another piece of salmon on top of it. Season with more salt and pepper. Drizzle more olive oil. Place some lemon slices on top of the salmon and bake in the oven, 180 degree for around 15-20 minutes.

Penne with pan fried chicken and capers

If you like pesto, this is the dish for you. First, mix in a bag, 25g plain flour, salt and pepper. Add diced chicken breast (4) and mix well. Fry the chicken with olive until the pieces are golden brown. Set aside. Add 1 sliced red onion and 1 chopped garlic to the pan and cook for 5 min until softened. Return the chicken to the pan and add 5 tbsp of pesto and 200g of cream cheese. Stir and mix well. Then add 1 tsp of whole grain mustard, 1 tbsp of lemon juice, 2 tbsp of chopped basil and 1-2 tbsp of capers. Mix cooked penne with sauce and serve with shavings of parmesan cheese.

Chickpea and chorizo stew

A Nigel Slater recipe in the Guardian magazine.

2-3 tbsp of olive oil
2 large onions
4 cloves garlic
3 chorizo sausages - about 400g
crushed dried chillies
a glass of dry sherry, vermouth or white wine
5 or 6 decent-sized tomatoes
2 x 400g tins of chickpeas
small bunch of parsley

Warm the olive oil in a deep, heavy-based pan. I use a cast-iron casserole. Peel the onions, roughly chop them and add them to the oil, stirring to coat them, then letting them cook at a moderate heat. Peel the garlic, slice it thinly and stir it into the onions. Leave to cook, partially covered by a lid, until the onions are soft and pale gold.

Cut each sausage into about four fat chunks. Mix these in with the softened onions, then add a teaspoon or so of crushed, dried chillies.Pour in a glass of dry sherry, vermouth or white wine and bring it to an enthusiastic bubble. Chop the tomatoes roughly, add them and bring them to the boil. Add the chickpeas, drained and rinsed, then pour in a can of water. Season with salt and black pepper, bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer and leave to cook slowly, half-covered with a lid, for 45 minutes.

I would give it a stir from time to time, and check the liquor levels.What you want to end up with is a rich, brick-red sauce with a spiciness from the chillies and chorizo.

Just before serving, chop the parsley, roughly, then stir into the stew. Serve in shallow bowls.

Spring onion pastry

Crystal Jade Xiao Long Bao has excellent spring onion pastries, and according to l, this restaurant at Tiong Bahru has it as well. I have been there before, around eight years but I can't remember whether it's that good. I have always had the impression that it was difficult to make but thankfully it isn't. My mom came to me one day and said that it was really easy to make and that I should try it. And I did. I have to confess, I didn't really participate in most of the steps. The preparation of the dough, with flour, water and oil, I watched my mom while she did it. Neither did I season the spring onions with salt and oil. But the preparation of the pastry, I made a number of them.

It was perfect in all aspects except the taste, we added too much salt but i guess that's an easy thing to remedy.

150 g sifted plain flour. Pour slowly into the centre of the flour, 150 ml warm water, and mix well. add 2 tbsp of oil and knead till smooth. Cover with moist kitchen towel for 15 minutes. 150 grams of spring onions, add 1/2 tsp of salt before adding 2 tbsp of oil, mix well. Roll the dough

Baked salmon and mushrooms linguine

My Italian craze continues although I suspect that it might end when I visit Paris in April. First, poach salmon fillets (deskinned) in simmering water seasoned with salt and pepper for around 6-8 minutes. Flake the salmon into a dish and keep warm. Melt 3 tbsp of butter at low heat and add 3 tbsp of flour. Pour in 300 ml of chicken stock and whisk until the sauce has thickened. Pour in 150 ml of whipping cream. Pan fry chopped mushrooms in butter for around 2-3 minutes and add them to the white sauce. Pour half of the sauce into a pan of al dente linguine and spoon the pasta onto a oiled baking dish. Add the flaked salmon into the rest of the white sauce and pour over the pasta. Sprinkle some breadcrumbs and grated cheddar over the pasta and bake in a pre-heated oven at 190 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Serve with parsley.

Pork chops with apples and sage

I am getting quite tired of the crockery at my London apartment, and so it's refreshing to be using my mom's kitchenware in Singapore. My grandaunt gave her a set of rectangular dishes, the ones you see in posh restaurants and I have been using them ever since.

This is another of JO's recipes. His new cookbook is actually not too bad, there are some interesting recipes that I would like to try in the future. Pan fry pork chops, seasoned with salt, pepper and dried sage in olive oil, till they are brown on both sides. Place the pork chops in a baking dish and fry sliced apples and chopped sage for around 2 minutes. Place the apples and sage on top of the pork, season, and drizzle some olive oil over. Add a knob of butter on top of each pork chop and bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 8 minutes.

Penne with mixed peppers and bacon

These days, in Singapore, I rather spend my time at home, cooking then to venture out and mingle with the crowds. My mom has a whole lifetime's worth of cookbooks and I have been poring over them, looking for interesting recipes to try out. I do enjoy cooking for my family, and I have some friends coming over for dinner in the next couple of weeks.

This recipe is from an Italian cookbook I got for my mom from the UK, a few years ago. It's simple and the flavour of the bacon blends well with that of the roasted peppers. First, roast three peppers, yellow, red and green under the grill until the skin is blackened and blistered. Place them in a ziploc bag and allow them to cool. The skin should fall off easily. Remove the skin and thinly slice the peppers. Next, fry chopped celery, bacon, onions and garlic for 4 -5 minutes till the onions are soft. Add peppers and continue frying for 1 minute.Pour in some chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes. Mix in cooked penne and serve with chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese.

North sea fish soup

This is an excellent alternative to the mediterranean fish soup. Instead of a tomato base, this soup uses cream and egg yolk to give it a silky finish. First, bring 60 ml of white wine, 600 ml fish stock and 2 chopped shallots to the boil. Add in around 500 g of fish, prawns and scallops. I used salmon for this. Simmer for around ten minutes till they are cooked. Mix together 1 egg yolk and 1 tbsp of cream. Remove the soup from the heat and mix in the cream mixture. Add in one peeled, seeded and chopped tomato, chopped parsley and serve with croutons.

Baked fish with home made tomato sauce, capers, olives and mozzarella cheese

I have been really busy for the last month or so, preparing for the viva and my return to Singapore. I am now back, and instead of cooking for M, I am now cooking for my parents. I will continue posting pictures of my cooking here in Singapore, although technically speaking, they are not really appropriate for this webpage, since it's food for my parents. But I shan't be pedantic about this.

For today's dinner, I baked some white fish fillets. I am not too sure what fish it is, as it's my mom's selection and not mine. This is a Jamie Oliver recipe. First, gently fry some chopped garlic, dried oregano, chopped basil stalks and chilli in olive oil till they are fragrant. Pour in a can of plum tomatoes. Do not break up the tomatoes as according to JO, the seeds will make the sauce bitter. Simmer for around thirty minutes and add in basil leaves and 1/2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the tomato sauce into a baking dish, and place the fish fillets on top. Season lightly with salt, black pepper and some lemon juice. Scatter some olives and capers over the fish. Drizzle over the the fish some extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle some mozzarella cheese over the fish and bake in the oven at 200 degrees for around 15-20 minutes till the cheese is brown.

Chicken with paprika, garlic and lemon

Been busy preparing for my viva tomorrow, and so I was unable to cook anything complex. This chicken dish is simple and quick, it can be done in under 20 minutes. Simply fry diced chicken with shallots, crushed garlic, paprika and diced capsicums till the chicken is brown and cooked. Add in the juice of a lemon and some fresh parsley. Season with salt and pepper and serve with cooked pasta. Done.

Avocado pesto linguine

I've been sick for the last week or so, fever and cough. Thankfully, M was there and she took good care of me. She cooked sukiyaki for me and it turned out pretty well. So I haven't been cooking for quite some time. This pasta dish is probably my first serious comeback in the kitchen. It's a Waitrose recipe and honestly, they do have some interesting stuff around. For this dish all you need to do is blend 1 avocado, deseeded and chopped, the juice of a 1/4 of a lemon, 1 chilli, deseeded and chopped, 25g of fresh flat parsley, 40 g of fresh basil, 25 g of hard italian cheese, 1 garlic clove and 1 tbsp of olive oil, add it to cooked linguine and mix well. And amazingly, that's it.

Normandy pork with crusty bread

This is another recipe from the BBC website. As always, just click on the title of this entry for the recipe. I modified the recipe by quite a bit. I added fresh mushrooms and carrots to the casserole, and I added a bit of cream to the sauce before I baked it under the grill. I also sprinkled some cheese on top of it before I served the dish to M. The taste of this dish is alright, although it would be much better, if instead of condensed mushroom soup, chicken stock and porcini mushrooms or any other strong tasting mushrooms were used as the base for the casserole. I would also add more cream to it. I will experiment more with this recipe one day.

Belgos

Since I moved to London, there is one restaurant that I have been to, more often than any other eating places here, and that's Belgos, a Belgium seafood restaurant. Last weekend, we were there for dinner. Belgos is clearly a very popular venue as even though we were there at 6pm, there was a 1 hour waiting period as we were without a reservation. We had to walk around Covent Garden for a while. The starters were as unexceptional as ever. We ordered chicken liver pate, cheese sticks and a smoked haddock and potato soup. There's nothing really much I can say about them. The only reason why anyone should go to Belgos is the 1kg Steamed Mussel Pots. We ordered the Green Thai Curry, and the Traditional (white wine sauce) mussel pots. The portions were as enormous as ever, they are 1 kg each after all and the mussels were large and juicy. For 12 pounds, this is actually quite a good deal for seafood in London.

M's favourite food: Rosti

This is undeniably M's favourite food: Rosti and to be precise, creme fraiche since, as you can see in the picture, she's perfectly capable of eating a spoonful of creme fraiche without anything else to eat it with. This is, therefore, one of those recipes that M forces me to make, on a very regular basis. I think it's three times in a week so far. She bugs me so often about it that she's actually willing to make it herself when I refuse to do so. But sadly, she is not very receptive to instructions. To cook this, you have to first grate the potato and mix it with melted butter then season it with salt and pepper. Then, you are supposed to fry it with olive oil until the potato is crispy and cooked on both sides. Unfortunately, she has an unhealthy obsession with butter and so she decided to fry it with butter instead of olive oil. What happened was that the butter turned brown rapidly, burning the rosti in the process. She was quite distraught to find a blackened rosti when she removed it from the pan.

Thankfully, I can follow instructions and so it looks perfectly fine today.

Spaghetti carbonara

I have always assumed that carbonara sauce requires the use of cream, and so I was quite surprised to find a recipe that omits it. This is taken from the BBC website. I am just going to cut and paste the recipe here.

Ingredients
½ pack fresh spaghetti
¼ pack wild mushrooms
30g/1oz butter
2 egg yolks
50g/1½oz parmesan cheese


Method
1. Cook the spaghetti in plenty of boiling salted water for 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Fry the mushrooms in the butter, until they darken and release their juices.
3. In a bowl lightly beat together the yolks, parmesan cheese and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
4. Stir the fried mushrooms into the egg mixture.
5. Drain the pasta, add to the sauce and stir immediately.

I added a bit of fresh parsley as a contrast to the richness of the cheese, and also to get rid of it since it's expiring soon. By the way, M says that this is fake carbonara as there's no cream. I am just going to ignore her.

Eat Thai

We were back at St Christopher's place today to meet M's friend from Singapore and we found a Thai restaurant there that we are likely to frequent from now on. It's called Eat Thai. Click on the title of this entry to get to their webpage. The restaurant itself has a simple layout; no gaudy statues of Buddhas or monkeys on tables or hanging on walls. It's just white, minimalist decor: tables and chairs; the bare minimum. You can tell that this is the kind of furnishing that I prefer.

We ordered special seafood cakes served with sweet chilli sauce, steamed king scallops with red curry paste, coconut cream, egg, palm sugar, fish sauce, basil leaves and kaffir lime leaves and green curry with chicken. There's not much I can say about the seafood cakes and the green curry except that it's competently cooked; for me, I can't tell the difference between exceptional green curry and average green curry. I can only tell when it's mediocre. The scallops, on the other hand, were impressive. The scallops were fresh and meaty. Served on their shells, they came with a rich red curry paste. I have never contemplated eating scallops with red curry paste and I was pleasantly surprised that it was an excellent combination. Egg white was drizzled on top of the paste and I think it was to tone down the spice. The basil and lime leaves added a further complexity to its taste, a natural freshness that contrasted well with the curry. In all, it's just that one dish that really impressed me. M and I wouldn't mind going back there again just to try out the rest of its menu.

Tomato soup

Had a nice dinner with L and J in Singapore the last time I was back and tomato soup was what I made as a starter for them. Fry diced onions, carrots and celery until they have softened. Add tomatoes quartered (as ripe as possible), garlic, a bay leaf, some mixed herbs and fry for a while. Add some chicken stock and simmer for 30 minutes. Puree the vegetables and return to the soup. Serve with basil leaves and warm bread.

Udon soup

For dinner, we had Udon soup and while it may look like I have cooked a packet of instant noodles, I am happy to inform you that the soup was made from scratch. Ok fine, I used the Yamasa Konbu Tsuyu Strait Sauce for the soup, added it to chicken stock. Its the sauce that you use for dipping cold japanese noodles. Fresh ingredients, mushrooms, carrots, pak choi, pork, egg, tofu, udon noodles and thats a complete meal.

Fifth Floor at Harvey Nichols London

Three or four years ago, my parents and I had a really good meal at the Fourth Floor at Harvey Nichols Leeds. Although,I have to admit, I have absolutely no recollection of what I ate that day for lunch, I just remember queueing up at 12 noon sharp as they don't take reservations. I guess this is one reason why I am writing about my restaurant experiences so that I remember the good ones to introduce to parents and friends. Anyway, we decided to try out the Fifth Floor at Harvey Nichols London to see whether its of the same standard.

We walked in for Sunday lunch. It wasn't full, which in London is a bad sign and so I was a bit apprehensive. The decor as M puts it, was space-age like, minimalist and very white and blue. So on to our selections. For our starters, I ordered a smoked duck salad with parmesan croutons, pomengranate seeds and shallot dressing and M chose the eggs benedict. For our mains, because of a miscommunication between M and I, both of us ordered the same thing, stuffed chicken leg with truffles and mushrooms, braised lentils and a cream sauce. For dessert, we shared a pineapple cannelloni, with passion fruit, white chocolate sticks, mango sorbet and a raspberry dressing.

Verdict: Excellent meal. Not as good as the Savoy Grill but still of a very high standard. My smoked duck salad was a excellent blend of flavours, the burst of sweet juices from the pomegranate seeds, the crunchiness of the parmesan croutons and the sweet and sour taste of the shallot dressing. All these flavours complement the smoked duck and the salad well. No one flavour dominated the taste buds. The duck was lightly smoked. In all, the salad was light, natural and a good start to the meal. M's eggs benedict was well prepared as well. The thing about eggs benedict is that so many things can go wrong. You can make a mess of poaching the egg, something, which has happened to me in the past. The hollandaise sauce takes a lot of work to prepare if you are making it from scratch. Some cooks make it too rich such that it overpowers the taste of the ham and the egg. The chef at this restaurant performed all these tasks admirably (and of course she should, for the price we are paying). The hollandaise sauce was just right.

As for our mains, stuffed chicken with truffles and mushrooms, the chicken was (I think) poached for a while before placed under a grill so that the skin is brown and slightly crispy. It was poached to the point where the chicken is just cooked and slightly pink. It was moist and very tender. The only problem I had with this dish is that it's just a tad too salty. I am not too sure whether I have tried lentils before in my life but I really like it, soft and slightly crunchy, it went well with the cream sauce. Interestingly, this dish is almost identical to the one we had at the Connaught, another one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants and on checking the profile of the chef at this restaurant, we realised that she had worked with him before.

The dessert was literally bursting with fruitiness, raspberry, pineapple, passionfruit, mango but it tasted natural and I did not suffer from a overdose of sugar.

So a pretty good Sunday lunch, it's 26.50 pounds for three courses which is not so bad for the quality of the food. If you go on a weekday, it's only 17-19 pounds. The service was excellent (the waiters and waitresses smile!) and I needed that after my experience with the waiters at Sofra.

Scrambled eggs with peppers

The weather is extremely bad in London these days; wind speeds up to 25 mph and heavy rain. Last week, we were stuck at a tube station for almost an hour as we didn't have umbrellas with us. Today, we woke up to dreary skies and a slight drizzle. Also, it didn't help that the weather forecast was for heavy rain in the afternoon. So it looks like a lazy day ahead for us.

Simple food was what we needed for brunch and so I made scrambled eggs with peppers, another recipe from my French cookbook. I guess its nothing really special despite the French label attached to it but still its filling and warm, good enough for winter brunch. Sautee some chopped onions in olive oil till soft and add chopped peppers and diced garlic. Sprinkle some paprika and fry for around 5 minutes till they are soft. Make sure that most of the liquid in the pan has evaporated. Add in a can of chopped tomatoes and season with salt, pepper and some mixed herbs. Simmer at medium heat for around 15 minutes till most of the liquid in the pan has evaporated and the mixture is thick. Add in lightly beaten eggs and cook at low heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly till the mixture has the desired mixture. Serve with parsley and grated cheese.