Blue cheese and butternut squash pasta

Continuing my love of butternut squash this week I wanted to share another recipe that uses some of the roast butternut squash I shared in this blog post. This one was lunch for me but would work equally well as a dinner. I used brown rice pasta because I like it and I've found minimising the amount of wheat I eat helps. If you're ok with wheat obviously feel free to use whatever pasta you like. This recipe is for one but you can easily scale up or down!

Blue cheese and butternut squash pasta

80g brown rice pasta
100g roast butternut squash with garlic
40-50g blue cheese, I used gorgonzola but I think I may try St Agur next!
Salt and pepper
Toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds

Cook the pasta according to pack instructions.
While the pasta is cooking toast your seeds in a dry pan.
Once the pasta is cooked drain and reserve some of the cooking water.
Put the pasta back in the pan with the squash and blue cheese, warm through over a low heat and mix in some pasta water if it needs loosening up a bit.
Once the blue cheese has melted in taste for seasoning.
Serve up with some extra cheese scattered on top along with the toasted seeds.

Cafe Murano

I've been meaning to go to the Covent Garden branch for ages - every time I go to the theatre I eat at some boring chain then remember on my way to the theatre that Cafe Murano is there!

I finally organised myself last weekend and was so pleased I did!! I didn't manage to get as far as pairing theatre and food but had been on a Walk London guided walk round the City which ended nearby. If you are interested in history at all I'd really recommend them - the next ones aren't until May unfortunately but they are totally free so its worth keeping an eye out.

We arrived at Cafe Murano to find a fairly busy restaurant but they quickly found a table for us, the staff were attentive and helpful although sometimes the gaps between dishes could have been a tiny bit longer. This is probably more related to the fact that I ate way too much as I know a lot of people like a speedy lunch. Once we'd ordered drinks they brought us some bread and some of the tastiest olive oil I've had in ages - so tasty we marched over to the shop straight after lunch and bought a bottle each.

We went for the set menu as it sounded delicious and was such amazing value at £16.50 for two courses or £21 for three. To make the most of that value we had a full three courses and carafe of wine! I must admit I was so busy stuffing my face I let myself down a bit on the photo front - initially by eating half the dish before I remembered to take a picture then eating the entire dessert without even a thought!

The starter was a beautiful risotto with chicory and toasty pine nuts. I cook risotto a lot myself as anyone who follows my Instagram will know but don't normally think to top with pine nuts - I definitely will be for future dishes. The consistency was perfect as you can see from the gap appearing in the dish above.

The main I went for was game meatballs with parmesan polenta. The polenta was so cheesy and comforting I immediately added some to my Ocado order - must learn how to cook this! The meatballs were flavoursome and comforting with their deep sauce and crisp cheesy topping. The only thing I would say is that after a starter of risotto it was a bit filling - I may have got overexcited in my ordering while my sensible mother went for minestrone soup followed by hake.

Having said that it meant she had a lot more room for dessert. We shared a poached pear with salted caramel ice-cream and a nutty crunchy topping followed by castelrosso and mustard fruits. Both were delicious although the pear could have done with a tiny bit more cooking as it was on the hard side. The mustard fruit and cheese combination was particularly good.

Overall we had a fantastic meal and I will definitely be heading back as soon as possible! www.cafemurano.co.uk

A Twist on a Classic

This blog could also easily be called 'The Versatility of Squash' - I think its a great ingredient and have more squash than needed most of the time. I particularly like butternut squash and will often have a whole one in the fridge and cut up squash in the freezer in case of emergency!

One of my favourite butternut squash recipes is a really simple baked squash with blue cheese and walnuts from a Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall cookbook - it was the inspiration for the butternut squash and blue cheese risotto recipe I created and it's delicious. Sabrina Ghayour also has a beautiful lamb neck tagine with butternut squash in (although I make it without prunes).

The below recipe uses my standard mince recipe - I tweak it a bit each time I make it and this time cooked it on the hob rather than the slow cooker but the essentials remain the same.

Roast butternut squash - can be made ahead.

Whole butternut squash
Garlic cloves - 4/6 depending on size
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, halve a butternut squash and scoop out the seeds.
Score the flesh to allow more heat in, season with salt and pepper.
Slightly crush several garlic cloves with the skin on - the side of a knife works well for this - and put in the hollow then drizzle oil across.
Cover with foil and put in the oven until soft, this can take up to an hour, sometimes more - if you're pushed for time put the temperature up a bit.
Once its soft allow to cool slightly - just so you can handle them - scoop out the flesh into a bowl, don't forget to squeeze the roast garlic out and mash it in with a fork.
Taste and adjust for seasoning if necessary.

If you are pushed for time then with is delicious just served with some mince as in the picture below - I've also scattered some dried chilli across the top for a little kick.

If you have a bit more time this is delicious layered up into a cross between a cottage pie, lasagne and moussaka. I'm still unsure about the name so suggestions are welcome!

Twisted cottage pie - this recipe serves two but can easily be scaled up or down

Double portion of mince
Double portion of roast butternut squash
Aubergine
Salt and Pepper
Dried chilli flakes
Cheddar cheese - feta would also work well

Preheat oven to 200 degrees - if you cooked your squash just before then just turn the oven up when you take it out.
Cut an aubergine up into slices (approximately 1cm) and cook them either on a griddle or under the grill. Ensure they are cooked through as you don't want them to leak water into the dish - a little sprinkle of salt helps this along but is optional.
Once you've cooked your aubergine its time to assemble - start with a layer of mince, follow this with squash, then seasoning, dried chilli and cheese.
Place a layer of aubergines slices on top then repeat the layers - depending on the size of your dish you might be able to put two or more layers of aubergine or you may only have one, however many you have finish with the cheese so it can bubble on top.
Put in the oven for 30-40 minutes if you're cooking from room temperature or slightly less if everything is going in hot as you just need to get the cheese browned.
Once its ready cut into portions and enjoy!

January indulgence (aka best leftovers ever)!

True to form I shared health food in December now I can't resist a cheeky pudding for January. Yes its post Christmas and we're all battling the bulge but that should mean balance rather than abstinence! This was more a war on waste mission as my flatmate had bought herself some chocolate brioche before Christmas and has now gone sugar free for January. Not one to waste even a crumb of food I had to find a way to use up these sad, stale brioche. I also used the small bit of double cream I had leftover to fatten up my semi-skimmed milk. This would work with any kind of stale bread, pastry, pantone or pomodoro so make sure you get your leftovers to work. I've got to say the result was amazing and I was chuffed to bits!

Now I have to apologise for the ugly baking tray background - I had no intention of posting this as a recipe as it was developed out of pure greed but it was so good it seemed selfish to keep it!

Chocolate brioche bread and butter pudding

4 chocolate chip brioche buns, stale
3 large eggs
Drizzle of leftover double cream (30-50ml?) made up to 200ml with semi-skimmed milk (200ml whole milk would work equally well but I went with what I had in the fridge)
Splash of vanilla extract
2 tbsp golden caster sugar + extra for dusting over the top
Optional extras of butter and a few chunks of dark chocolate

Preheat your oven to 180C.
Chop up your brioche buns and arrange in an oven-proof dish, if you're feeling really decadent spread each chunk with a bit of butter (optional).
Put your cream/milk and eggs in a measuring jug or small bowl and beat together.
Mix in the vanilla extract and a scattering of golden caster sugar (about 2 tbsp).
Pour the liquids over the bread, push down into the custard mix and leave to soak for about half an hour (up to 2 hours if you can wait that long).
Just before it goes in the oven you have the option of adding a few chunks of dark chocolate in the custardy gaps, then sprinkle some sugar over the surface to create a crunchy topping.
Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes until set, leave to cool slightly (essential to allow the custard to set properly) and then tuck in!

Detox-free health food!

I probably use my dad as the benchmark for whether I can get a healthy dish just counting as normal, tasty food. While he’s more than happy to eat loads of veg any sniff of something being passed off in place of his favourite things and he’s most unimpressed. I’ve managed to come up with a number of options he’ll eat but if its brown rice instead of white or courgetti instead of spaghetti he will always eat it with a slight air of martyrdom - I may finally have found the solution!

BodyKitchen aims to feed people healthy food without allowing their dishes to stray into the boring plain steamed chicken and veg category. They are getting ready to launch in the new year but are giving Tabl members and a few lucky friends the chance to try out the food in advance. Last week, I went to one of BodyKitchen’s taster events in Notting Hill. They’ve brought on a fantastic chef, who cut his teeth in Michelin-starred kitchens including The Fat Duck, and are working with nutritionists to take the healthy eating to the next level.

Our evening included a lovely pressed juice on arrival followed by three courses of delicious food accompanied by ‘healthy’ beer and wine. I only tried a sip of the sour beer courtesy of Tom from The Allrounder who declared he will be buying it in bulk. I can definitely say the biodynamic wine went down a treat!

Our starter was a butternut squash soup topped with parmesan cheese and toasted seeds. I had fully intended to leave most of the soup as I knew there was a huge amount of food to come but it was so tasty I wolfed down the whole lot before I remembered my good intentions.

The main was a choice of:

Slow cooked blade of Highland beef with rich braising juices and caramelised onions
Rabbit leg stuffed with sun dried tomato, rosemary and olives with lentil salsa verde and roast lemon
Whole roast sea bream marinated in aromatic spices with shaved fennel salad
Roast red pepper stuffed with tomato, herbs, chilli, garlic, spinach and feta cheese

I went for the beef as its BodyKitchen’s signature dish so seemed appropriate. It was meltingly tasty topped with shallots and gravy (or jus if you're feeling fancy). The sides were delicious and I especially liked the sweet potato masala - so much so I’m afraid the kale and quinoa were slightly neglected.

The pudding was not quite so healthy but it was so delicious I didn’t care - also fantastically from my point of view it was gluten free so half way there! The creme fraiche cut perfectly through the rich chocolate torte and was a very welcome end to a thoroughly delicious dinner.

There are a few more sneak preview events on Tabl for the new year then BodyKitchen will be launching so the lucky residents of West London will be able to order this healthy-fare to their own doors. 

Usher in the new year with a healthy option you’ll actually look forward to eating!

www.tabl.com

A Very French Weekend

Last weekend I went for a long overdue visit to see my cousin and her family in Paris! I haven't been to Paris in years so I was very excited about actually spending time there with someone who:

1. Speaks the language - my French is basic at best (although I’ve been told my accent isn’t bad).
2. Knows their way around - although its ridiculous I hate to be the tourist walking round with their head buried in a map.
3. Knows the best places to eat - let’s face it this is probably the most important factor, how can I go to Paris without having amazing food?!

I arrived on Friday and met Jane for lunch in the 4th district / Le Marais - thoroughly recommended for a good shopping expedition as I left my heart with a beautiful cashmere dress! We went to eat at a great little place called Au Petit Fer à Cheval so named for its horseshoe bar to have a ‘pichet de vin’ and super cheesy crouton-topped french onion soup. My only piece of advice is beware the loos - I won’t go into detail as this is a food blog but I’ve not experienced a toilet like that in Europe since I last went skiing!

We spent a lovely afternoon wandering round the shops including a great vintage fair full of designer-ware that sorely tempted me. Having resisted picking up a pair of vintage Dior sunglasses we moved on to the more purse-friendly shops along with a few pitstops for another cheeky glass of wine or two. We also wandered down the Rue Saint-Louis en I’lle to pick up some of the best cheese I’ve ever eaten and some lovely bread for dinner - the truffled cheese was particularly delicious. Take note the cheese shop also offers a vacuum packing service for those who wish to take a little piece of Paris home with them. To my great pleasure our walk ended by crossing the Seine and catching a cab from right next to Notre Dame.

The following day we headed out to Montmartre with the kids for a strenuous workout walking up all the steps and a brief view over Paris followed by a more lengthly (and delicious) lunch at Chez Plumeau. I had a classic steak tartare with salad and chips while the kids went for burgers followed by crepes smothered in chocolate and chantilly. Unfortunately I was so busy stealing bits of crepe from the children and drinking vin chaud (mulled wine to you and me) I totally forgot to take any photos - very bad form!

After an afternoon nap - necessary after a huge lunch with wine - we were ready to head out again! We went for a few drinks and an explore followed by an absolutely delicious dinner at Comptoir Gormet. Don’t let the picture fool you, while this might look like a mere sandwich or wrap it is one of the tastiest dinners I’ve had in a very long time - and in my line of work that’s saying something! The piadina was especially good with a generous helping of porchetta, a mix of lovely mushrooms in truffle oil and a good pile of rocket. It was messy eating but the best combination - I’ll definitely be trying to recreate this one at home!!

If you’re looking for a post dinner drink in the area I would thoroughly recommend Les Etages. Although their drinks menu is limited they are more than happy for you to go off menu whether you’re looking for a cocktail or a cheeky glass of fizz. The other equally lovely option is to head further down the same road to La Belle Hortense for a post-dinner digetif.

Sunday was a walk from near the Eiffel Tower, down the Seine to the Musée d'Orsay. If you get a chance to go there I’d really recommend checking out the view through the clock face!

Monday everyone was back to work and school so I took myself off to Le Bon Marché for a shopping expedition. Not surprisingly I ended up spending almost all my time in La Grande Épicerie de Paris aka foodie paradise! It was full of the most delicious smells, products and testers - as you can see from the below I particularly enjoyed the fruit section. If you’re in Paris and have a couple of hours to kill I’d recommend having lunch there too - annoyingly I had a train to catch so I just filled my basket and legged it to the Metro.

All in all a very satisfactory long weekend - bring on the next visit!

Stale bread?

This is more of an idea than a recipe but I couldn't resist sharing! I watched Hugh's War on Waste recently - yes I know I'm behind but I've been busy and my Sky box was totally full of foodie programmes to catch up on! I'm a bit of a fanatic when it comes to using everything but this spurred me on to new heights.

Anyone who follows me on Instagram or Twitter will know I hosted my very first supper club with a colleague from Tabl just over a week ago. One of the dishes I cooked was a pulled pork slider with winter slaw - these were served in a little brioche bun (which I'll admit to buying rather than cooking myself).

There were a couple of buns left over, they sat in our office for about a week until they were horribly stale then I took them home - I had the perfect plan!! I'm not even going to pretend these were healthy as they definitely aren't but they are super tasty and make the perfect brunch/pudding/midnight snack.

Brioche french toast with honey

Stale brioche buns sliced in half (I had two but any bread or amount is fine, just adjust the eggs)
2 free range eggs, beaten
Glug of double cream
Flavourless coconut oil
Butter
Tiny pinch of salt
Honey

Beat the eggs and cream together with a tiny pinch of salt in a shallow bottomed dish that you can fit the brioche into, soak the brioche buns on both sides in the egg mix.
Heat the butter in a pan with a bit of oil to stop the butter burning.
Once your brioche is suitable soaked with egg mix, fry in the butter, turning over when browned.
Slide out onto a plate and drizzle with honey.
This would also be great with some sliced banana, mixed berries or even a dollop of whipped cream.