Easy peasy chilli oil

I'm easing myself back into writing with a super simple, barely counts as a recipe post. Call me lazy but its well worth making your own chilli oil and I've started using it so much in cooking I thought I'd better post the recipe before I start referring back to it in other posts!

Now before you point out to me - yes I know you can buy some great chilli oils. I do still buy my favourite chilli oil from china town although may start making my own version of that before long too. I think its really worth making your own because it means you have much more control over how hot you want to go. Anyone reading my blog or scrolling through my Instagram feed can't miss the fact that I'm a bit of a chilli-fiend so often for me chilli oil really does miss the mark. Making my own enabled me to make something which actually has a proper kick to it and also I know will be good for me because the base oil I use is not heated.

Chilli Oil

Olive oil (I used a basic extra virgin as its all I had but any olive oil will do)
Variety of chillis (I used jalapeño, scotch bonnet, birds eye, homegrown dried chilli)
Garlic

Peel and finely slice your garlic.
Finely slice all your chilli including the dry if whole - if you don't have whole dried chillis then crushed dry chilli will do just fine.
Place in the oil and leave for a minimum of 24hrs before using (shaking the bottle whenever you remember to).

NB: While you don't have to use olive oil as your carrier oil there have been some studies that show olive oil to have a lot of heart benefits when included in a balanced diet - the same benefits haven't been shown at the moment for rapeseed or vegetable oil. Having said that what we're told is 'healthy' changes all the time so go for whatever you fancy!

Clearing the air...

First of all apologies for the huge gap since I last blogged. I've been taking some time thinking about what I want to focus my energy on. I started a new job in February and needed to take some time out to think about where I want to focus my time.

Now I need to admit straight away this is a non-food post - a first for me - but its been a big change in my life. I think that when you try to eat well you also need to treat yourself well and that means looking after your mental wellbeing too. I started meditating in January after being given three free months of Headspace by my mum and its made me think about things a little differently. I should admit I also tried headspace last summer and only managed to fall asleep every time I put it on but seem to be getting the hang of it this time round!

The other major change was back in January when I read 'Spark Joy' by Marie Kondo - I cannot recommend it enough and have been waxing lyrical to my friends and family since I read it. As I was off work at the time I had a complete overhaul, I got rid of four bin bags of recycling, a couple of rubbish, nine of charity donations, two boxes of DVDs to Music Magpie, a pile of eBay bits and countless little giveaways for friends and family. I've reorganised my surroundings and it really has made a difference to my mood.

I started off with clothes as recommended, I've done a few clear outs over the years but have been guilty of keeping loads of things 'just in case'. Just in case I lost weight, gained weight, got a job where I needed to wear suits again, went skiing again, took up climbing again etc etc. This time I was more strict, anything stained, ill-fitting or broken went first or went straight to the tailors to get fixed. Then I went through each item to see if it was worth keeping - sometimes it was as simple as holding the item and sometimes I needed to try it on. Once I'd sorted through everything I began the folding. This is very much a Marie Kondo technique and is quite time consuming initially but it has well over halved my getting ready time in the morning, because everything is laid out in front of you there is no rifling through overfilled drawers to find that certain top.

The other big thing for me was the kitchen, I had things stored all over the flat. Now I won't lie I still have loads of kitchen bits, not surprising for a food blogger! I did however manager to get rid of several boxes of kitchen things. I don't have a car and they were too heavy to take to a charity shop so I left them by the lift and stairs in our building with a note telling my neighbours to please help themselves - I was overjoyed by how much went, it was so fantastic to know other people were getting value from things I no longer needed.

Now if you've read any of Marie Kondo's books you'll know its not about getting rid of everything you own. It has a lot of parallels with minimalism - its even mentioned in a couple of podcasts I love The Mind Palace and The Minimalists, they have differing views on it but both agree its a useful tool. I don't think I would go as far as to call myself a minimalist but at the same time there are no rules - I think minimalism gets a bit of bad press because people imagine it has to mean an extreme lifestyle in stark surroundings (think Ab Fab minimalists with white walls and no furniture).

I'm working out what I want to keep, what 'sparks joy' or adds value to my life. A great example as I mentioned is that I still have vast amounts of cooking equipment, bowls, plates, serving spoons etc. Bit by bit I am letting go of other things but there is no rush, its about what will make me happy and adds value to my life not about fitting in with other people's ideals.

I still have a pile of things to add to eBay so watch this space! If anyone has any tips or ideas I would love to hear them :)

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