I cant speak, so I'll cook

Cumin salted chickpeas w/ sweet neon beetroot dip

Well my best contribution to a conversation seems to be 'uha!' or 'heunm?' (freaky lip cut has made most of my diction sound unrecognisable) - so might as well relocate to the kitchen. Smokey cumin, sticking to a hot pan giving off the air of a late night Moroccan carnival, fire in heaps of pomegranate seeds, that give sweet little rose water notes of freshness and then.. scoop it up with some crusty bread and creamed beetroot and you've got yourself this lovely little mezze selection that feels totally fresh and summery.

Cumin Salted Chickpeas
4 tbsp cumin
lots of salt
1 400g chickpeas (drained)
2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
1/2 pomegranate (the seeds)
1 lemon (juice)
100g chorizo
handful of flat leaf parsley

Sweet neon pink beetroot dip
5 beetroots (pre-cooked)
5 tblsp cream fraiche
1 clove of garlic
2 chilli's
1 tbsp tahini
splash of balsamic vinegar
drizzle of olive oil

Make the dip. Combine all the ingredients and blitz until it's a smooth mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat some oil in a pan,  add the cumin and salt, don't mix, after 1 min, add the chickpeas, mix a little, leave for a min or two, add the garlic and a little more cumin. Add the lemon juice and parsley. Leave it for a few mins, it will start to smoke. Add the chorizo and the pomegranate seeds. Then toss a few times and serve with the dip and come crusty bread.

Squash Mondays (eating not excerising)

Roasted Butternut squash and sweet greens Thai curry

Feeling all inspired from Micky B's sausage casserole, some nutritious hot pot had to emerge after 2 weeks of crumpets and taco chips. Basic Thai green curry recipe, but sweet and garlicky thanks to slow roasted squash, and heavy with vegetables and chilli's, so you can feel all green and superfooded at the start of the week with bikram yoga style heat from your forehead - with 'oh yeah' feelings instead of 'omg nothing is worth this'.

1 butternut squash (halved, drizzled with olive oil, lots of salt covered w / ginger & garlic and roasted on gas mark 4 for 1 hour, plus twenty Min's on gas mark 2)

Vegetables
1 packet (300g) of mixed green (runner beans/broccoli/sugar snaps)
2 handfuls of mushrooms (sliced)
Any other vegetables you feel like popping in

Curry Paste

2 onions (finely chopped)
6 hot green chilli's
3 cloves of garlic
2 inches of fresh ginger
2 spring onions
2 tsp of palm sugar (or 1 of Castor)
big big handful of fresh coriander (and 1 of basil if you have it)
1 tblsp of fish sauce

1 tbsp dark soy

2 tblsp light soy
1 stalk of lemongrass
juice of 1 lemon or lime

1 tin coconut milk
1 tin of water

Roast your butternut squash. Fly the onions in a little oil in a big pan, for a couple of mins. Then add all the curry paste ingredients except coconut milk & water. After 5mins, add the coconut milk and water. Add the sliced mushrooms. Let cook for a 10-15mins, then add the roasted butter nut squash all chopped up. Add the greens and put the lid on the pan. They will steam cook. After about 5-6mins it's ready. 

I had cake and ravioli for breakfast

Parma ham and goats cheese ravioli with chorizo basil infused oil

Well, after waking up to lemon drizzle cake, it felt totally natural to follow (pre coffee) with some impromptu ravioli. Cooked coats cheese is one of the most srcummiest (salty, smooth and rich) of tastes, and squashed all up with parma ham and basil, it becomes one helluva a bite. As the goats cheese cooks inside the ravioli, some of the creaminess oozes out and coats the outside of the pasta with a slightly glossy salty film. Garnish with chorizo oil // its melt in the mouth moreish.

A few sheets of fresh egg lasange sheets
150g of goats cheese (sliced into 10p piece sizes)
4 slcies of parma ham
30g grated parmean
100g chopped basil
1 (really hot red chilli) finely chopped
1 egg yolk (to make em stick)

Infused oil
Chorizo 50 g (diced)
1 clove garlic
1/2 red chili
20g fresh basil

Cut the lasagna sheet into 2inch x 2inch squares (average). Put a little bit of goats cheese in the centre, a little parma ham, squash in a little basil and chili, sprinkle with Parmesan - put a little egg yolk around the edge, place its twin square on top and press down hard (put some egg yolk around the edge as well. Keep pressing down. Add to boiling water (boil for 5 -6 mins). Plate up - heat extra virgin olive oil, add chili garlic, chorizo (30 seconds) - add another splash of ex vi. ol. oil and spoon on top of the pasta. Top with Parmesan.

My favourite food

Home baked Lasagna

Needs no introduction? 

Tomato Mince
1 onion (finely chopped)
3 cloves of garlic

500g mince
1 glass of red wine
1 cup of beef stock
2 tbsp of tomato puree (and then some)
6 drops of Tabasco
Some dried chillies / chili powder
handful of chopped chorizo
handful of fresh oregano

handful of fresh basil
few sprigs of rosemary
2 tins of chopped tomatoes

White sauce
100g plain four
100g butter
1 pint of milk

200g chedder cheese and 100g parmesan for layers

Saute the onions and garlic (5mins) add the chorizo and a glug of red wine (2mins) - remove chorizo / onion mix and place in a bowl for later. Add another chopped garlic clove to the hot pan, and a little of the stock and a little of the red wine. Add the mince (1 min) add the rest of the stock and red wine. The stock will reduce so dont worry if it looks watery. Add the tomatoe puree, Tabasco, oregano, basil and rosemary. Add the pre cooked chorizo to the mix and the tins of tomatoes. Let it simmer for 20mins or so. Add salt and pepper to taste. Make the white sauce - heat butter in pan, whisk in the flour, gradually add the milk to the mix taking it off and on the heat as needed (dont let it get too hot or it goes lumpy). Layer up lasange with lots of cheese.

I got all deluded by food

Roasted cauliflower with baked goats cheese and basil pesto

April is being a real joy, what with all this faux summer sun - this roasted cauliflower dish gives Mediterranean loveliness with fresh pesto everywhere you smell - and has that blindfolded subconscious effect of making you think it might not really be a Wednesday. Delish mid week supper // also would be yum as a chilled salad on a Saturday.

1 head of cauliflower
3 cloves of garlic
couple of splashes of ex.vi.olive oil
a few bands of chopped leek
300g of mild goats cheese

handful of little tomatoes

For the pesto

handful of fresh basil leaves
4 - 6 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
handful of grated Parmesan cheese
squeeze of lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
2 tblsp of chicken stock

Turn oven on to gas mark 6, splash baking tray with olive oil and put in oven. Chop the cauliflower into little florets, crush garlic and chop leeks add to the hot oil on baking tray. Roast for 15mins - add the little tomatoes - roast for a further 10 / 15 mins. Make pesto by blending all the ingredients. Pour the pesto over the roasted cauliflower, top with crumbly goats cheese and salt and pepper and grill until perfection (6-8mins/ish).

Buns are Holy

Hot Cross Buns (makes 16)

Driven to food distraction by numbers, these little hot cakes make your house smell all snug and tradition'y. They are sweet and sticky on the outside with lovely soft buttery lightness that goes real nice with cheese and cups of tea.

270mls milk
2 cloves
2tsp Cinnamon
1tsp of all spice
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
pinch of saffron

450g Strong white bread flour
100g butter (cubed)

1tsp salt

20g caster sugar

3 eggs

10g or 1 sachet of yeast (follow directions)

120g currents or raisins

For the crosses

3 tblsp of flour + some water to make a paste. 

some icing sugar and a paintbrush (small and fine)

Put the milk and spices in a pan and scald. Turn off the heat and leave milky spice mix to infuse for a while. Rub the butter into the flour. Add the salt and sugar and yeast (mix with some warm water to activate). Make a well in the middle, add 2 beaten eggs and gradually add the milk mix until you have a soft dough. Knead for 10 mins. Cover and leave somewhere warm for 1 hour (until doubled in size). Knead a wee bit, then stretch out on a work surface and add the currents / raisins. Kneed in so they distribute. Divide into 16.  Put on baking tray. Leave to double in size for a bit. Use  knife and mark a cross on the buns - brush with beaten egg - paint the cross on with flour paste. Place in the oven gas mark 5/6 for 25mins. Mix a little sugar with water and brush each bun - using a fine paintbrush paint the crosses with icing sugar.

I created a Monster

Bitter chocolate and orange cream cheese ganache tartlets 

Mmmmmm. Torn between cheesecake and tart, some delicious half breed was formed. These little digestive based tarts are simple and bitter sweet, the gooey orange pangs fumigate you mouth while the silky chocolate / cream cheese ganache squeezes your face into that mmmmm with squinty eyed happiness expression. N.b. not helpful for waistlines.

Base
150g dark chocolate digestives
100g salted butter

Cream part
200g cream cheese
2 oranges (squeezed)
30g icing sugar

Choc pot
100g dark chocolate (min 52% coco)
150g salted butter
50g light brown muscovado sugar
1 orange squeezed
2 eggs (beaten)

Melt the butter and combine with the crumbled biscuits (blend them or beat them with a rolling pin) to make the base. Grease the inside of 6 ramekin's with butter. Add digestive base to each and press down hard. Place in the friezed for 10mins to set. In a bowl, add all the cream part and whisk. On the heat add the butter and the chocolate (cubed), allow to melt. Add the juice of 1 orange and the sugar. In a separate pan, heat the cream part until it just simmers. Add the beaten eggs to this. Fold this into the melted choc pot pan. Pour this mix on top of your base into your ramekin's. Put in the over for 18 - 22 mins at gas mark 5 / 6. When you remove the centre should be the only bit that giggles.