Emptying the cupboards before camping

With one day to go before we head off with the McPartlins and Connollys, we're in cupboard-emptying mode. This sounds terribly Blitz-spirit and thrifty, and there are huge great wodges of both elements involved, particularly as work seems harder to come by than an Aussie prop who can scrummage without falling over.

However, the sun is shining and having pulled out some haddock from the freezer, cueing us up nicely for Nigella's Keralan Fish Curry for dinner, we look for inspiration by digging out previous May editions of Delicious.

Now, in the good old, pre-Karen 'let's have a campaign or talk about my kitchen' Barnes days Delicious' May editions were Italian specials, and they were blinking brilliant: All of them well-thumbed favourites, and all of them stuffed to the branchie with fab, tasty yet easy recipes, including our new favourite Yummington lunch - Angela Boggiano's Tuna, cannellini bean and red onion salad on tomato bread.

Who doesn't have cans of tuna and beans lurking in their cupboards? And this simplicity is it's genius. This time we had the sun-dried tomato paste, but simple tomato puree or pesto works just as well.

Finally, and seeing how I mentioned it early, here's dinner: Nigella's curry for all.  I think it's the best way of using frozen fish, which tends to be quite fishy in flavour, but this is tamed by the turmeric and ginger.

All I need to do now is find the tent, the sleeping bags, and torches, pack the car and talk Milo down from the skyscraper of over-excitement he's currently stood on top of.

sources

tuna, cannellini bean and red onion salad on tomato bread - Angela Boggiano, Delicious, May 2008, p95

keralan fish curry - nigella lawson, Delicious, February 2009, p83