Ottolenghi Sessions

After a decidedly awful supervision, with my supervisor actually crying with laughter at my attempt to translate Tibullus, and loosing 12-3 at Football to some 'delightful' French men it was some fizzy and Ottolenghi to the rescue.

Another recipe from Plenty - Aubergine & Saffron Yoghurt Salad with Pomegranate.  This is literally gorgeous, and really healthy! It's meant to be sprinkled with pine nuts and basil leaves too, but Co-Op weren't living up to their name.

 I love Pomegranate seeds - they went in the fizzy too. There's a classical myth that Persephone, trapped in the underworld by Hades (won't go into detail why) ate 4 pomegranate seeds. Now anyone who eats in the underworld must remain there, but Persephone was a lucky girl and rescued by Hermes, and only had to spend 4 months of every year there to atone for the 4 seeds she has eaten. 4 months in hell? Sounds like Cambridge exam term, so even if we are in Hades, for March - June, I'm gonna eat as many pomegranates as I can!

 Addition of my favorite fritters- Ham, Haloumi and Mint, and some chicken thighs, marinated in an Indian spice rub and grilled.

And some fresh, gooey mango to finish.

And then off to see Laurie Lewis and the Fat Cats at Fitz Sessions with all the lovely Fitzbillies. Wonderful. 

And something restorative for the day after being hungover day...

Topped up on potassium, sleep and fluids, after the Day of Hangover (DOH) -when fried goods and cake is on the cards- something a with a few more minerals is required.

This sticky rice dish is full of fresh flavours, the sweetness of the peppers, the kick of the chorizo, and the meatiness of the prawns. 


Again, it's a no effort, throw it all in approach, all in onepot. Lots of vegetables:
- Tomatoes: A couple of extras thrown in with the required tin (with lovely Vitamin C, Vit A and antioxidants)
- Courgettes: not on the recipe, but an added bonus! (Potassium, Vit A, Manganese )
- Peppers: I used 3 red ones (9 x  more Carotine don't ya know! and 3 x the Vit C of your average orange) 
- and I threw in a load of red chilli (All the good'uns: Potassium, Magnesium, Iron, Vit A, B & C) and a good dose of humble garlic (lowers cholesterol, keeps colds away and is an aphrodisiac!)

Fry them off, chuck in the water, rice and the tinned tomatoes 

(Also added tarragon and a good lot of Paprika) Cover and leave.

Literally just chill out for 12-15mins. Chuck in the prawns. Give it a stir. 

Tear up some herbs and chuck them in.

All the lovely liquid cooks into the rice, and what you end up with is a sticky risotto-like mix. Wonderful.

I had it with some naan bread, but it doesn't really need it. In fact it doesn't really need the prawns- you could get rid of them and the chorizo and just use aubergine. Or just double the chorizo. I'd defiantly add the extra chilli/ paprika though.

Hangover: Cured. (And there's some left over for lunch)

Caesarian Monday

Sunday was fun.

 Some would say too much fun. Monday wasn't. What's a girl to do when lying in bed makes you seasick? Apparently hangovers require potassium, so after popping a few paracetamol and gulping down some more water a banana seemed like a good option. Apparently not, mine were over ripe. Not good.

But when life gives you over-ripe bananas (and you've run out of butter), make  Chocolate Banana Muffins. I love Nigella.

It's so easy when hungover. Everything in a bowl and zazz.

 Who cares about sifting flour when there's lumpy bananas in there too. Added some ground almonds and a bit of milk too. 

Bang them in the oven for 15mins, have a shower and sort your life out. Eat them hot. 

This literally made my day. I'm not gonna say its better than a fry up for a hangover. It just isn't. But when it hits 4pm, you're on a sugar low and you need something quick, and appetizing, these muffins are your fellas. Oh yeah, and the potassium. 

Ottolenghi's Noodles

A summery noodle salad to be eaten hot or cold- it's chilli heat, tangy lime and mango-y goodness in a bowl! Not bad for you either...


 It's really easy- just a bit of prep then throw it all together!

The recipe is from Ottolenghi's Plenty
and available online.

1. Dissolve sugar & salt in white wine vinegar over gentle heat (I used soy sauce first time and that was also lovely!) then chuck in chopped garlic, sesame oil and chilli, then when it's cooled add lime juice & zest. Dressing done.

  2. Dice aubergines and dry fry (or with a little spray oil) until golden and put in mixing bowl and salt. Add diced mango, sliced red onion,basil & coriander. Chuck in the cooled dressing.

3. Chuck the noodles in a wok.  

4. Chuck in a bowl, give it a stir and serve sprinkled with remaining herby-bits.
Enjoy with a glass of white. Did consider putting king prawns in but the aubergine is so meaty it really doesn't need this. Also perfect cold for a veggie lunch!

Week 2

Not much this week!

Prawn and Beef Thai Curry with green chilli, new potatoes and crunchy sugar snap peas

 Anna's Birthday Cake. Made in just under an hour! Out of cocoa so used hot chocolate powder and the frosting was leftover Easter eggs & melted creme egg. Happy Birthday Anna!

 Parmesan and Pancetta risotto with red onion and tomatoes in the making. I just love basil at the moment!

 One of the many cocktails of this week from the Las Iguanas in Cambridge 2 for 1 all day Sunday to Wednesday and in 'happy hours' 12:30-7:30. Absolutely delightful exam term savior!

 The ultimate summer cold savior. Lots of chilli. Lots of tomatoes. In a steaming bowl of pasta.

Now have a new phone so hopefully more photos next week!!

Back to Cam : Week 1

So it's exam term, and whilst the work hasn't quite kicked in yet here's a few snaps from Week 1...

 Aubergine and Magno Noodle Salad, with crispy red onions, 

chilli and soy dressing and piles or coriander.

Crispy Duck (way nicer than it looks!)

 Compulsory start of term cake time: Double Chocolate Cake, with raspberry filling and chocolate fudge frosting. Absolutely no calories when eaten with friends.

Fajita time!

This counts as fruit right? ...

How do you like your eggs in the morning? 

And so the work begins. More soon.

Castle Cake

I found a really exciting silicone castle cake mold so had to give it a go. It was basically a disaster (perhaps the cake wasn't firm enough) and had to be remoulded and 'cemented' with frosting. Fun to give it a go though!