Donna Hay's spaghetti with lemon, capers and rocket

sources
spaghetti with lemon, capers and rocket - Donna Hay, Modern Classics Book 1, p130

donna hay's pasta with cherry tomato sauce

Tonight it has become apparent that I seem to be falling into lazy journalism and slack cooking habits. Two weeks of cous cous and chorizo, and now this half-arsed attempt at dinner.

Look at this picture:

Now take into account Ana is out at Book Club, and then read this.

My, how times have changed. I promise to buck my ideas up next time she's out.

sources
pasta with cherry tomato sauce - Donna Hay, Instant Cook, p58

donna hay's pasta with cherry tomato sauce

To be honest, there's not much to see here tonight.

It's Book Club, so Ana's out, we've emptied the fridge and whatever it is I am going to cook has to solve the twin dilemmas of being made at half-eight after snuggling with Milo, and make use of limited ingredients.

Luckily what we do have - seemingly a mountain of cherry tomatoes - lends itself very well to Donna Hay's by-now-classic pasta dish, which being fairly quick to make, answers very well to both points.

Wine Time
There's no getting away from the fact tomatoes are very acidic, and slightly, let's say 'ripe' cherry tomatoes also tend to sweetness. If I hadn't spent all night drinking left-over Sauvignon, I'd be professional tempted to go with a light, fresh red, probably Northern Italian or a fruity Spanish table wine. Essentially you don't want anything with oak or huge tannins, but it needs plenty of fruit which lends sweetness and acidity.

Out of our wines I'd go with Sierra de Siles Tinto, or our House Wine - see, wine doesn't have to be pricey to be good.

sources
pasta with cherry tomato sauce - Donna Hay, Instant Cook, p58

donna hay's prawn pad thai

After last night's midnight drive home, the Whanau are taking it easy today. A little light Lego, some Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom to ease us into the day, coffee from new-favourite coffee shop Pickle & Rye (who needs Kaffiene/Orange Pekoe?), and a quick trip around Waitrose and we're done. Who knew the day could go so fast when you're having fun?

With prawns on massive discount we're feeling adventurous tonight. Milo loves them, but he's also said he likes noodles, and we're keen to broaden his horizons a bit as he's fallen into a bit of a sausage rut. Steady, he's a child.

Given he wants to help, some sort of stir fry beckons so he can chop and stir and throw lots of Soy Sauce around, and then we hit the jackpot: Dame Donna's Pad Thai. We haven't had it for ages, it's always a winner and it's full of Milo-tastic things, including omlette, baby corn and other stuff.

It's a massive win all round, apart from our discovery he hates the smell of shrimp paste frying. At least I've got something to threaten him with now I suppose.

Wine Time
Compared to a lot of Thai dishes, Pad Thai is relatively restrained, but there's still a lot of sour and spicy flavours which make pairing with wine a bit of a challenge. I think generally I'd go with something a little bit of residual sugar, and with a lot of fruitiness, like a Pinot Gris, a Riesling or something like a South African Chenin. However I read the other day about something that's the perfect match and bound to appeal to all of you. And by 'you' I'm thinking of 'all girls, particularly the ones I know': Fizz. A Prosecco or a Cremant would be amazing as their both really light, and importantly, have some sweetness. Winners all round, apart from my bank account.


sources
prawn pad thai - Donna Hay, Modern Classics Book 1, p133

donna hay's rocket pasta with seared tuna

The best laid plans slip twixt lip and a bush tonight as Donna Hay's mooted warm white bean and tuna salad founders on the lack of cannellini beans. For some reason we've got two cans of chick peas, which aren't really interchangeable and suggest I was slightly more asleep on Saturday than I thought at the time.

Anyhoo, a quick flick through Miss Hay's latest tome not only comes up trumps with this alternative recipe (meaning I don't have to bin the tuna), but it also manages to use a bunch of malingering things in the fridge - hurrah!

Even better, for something that is 80% scrounged from the fridge Ana gives it a thumbs up, so definitely one for The Yummington Mummington.

Wine Time
Meaty fish and acidic dressing? Simples, especially for the denizens of the Yummington. Rose, and lashes of it - but not a flabby, cheap one mind, you need one with bags of acidity, bone dry and with plenty of fruitiness. If only I knew where to get one...

sources
rocket pasta with seared tuna - Donna Hay, Fast, Fresh and Simple, p27

donna hay's pasta with cherry tomato sauce

Happy Saint David's Day! I proudly cycled into work wearing my Wales shirt and got not one, not two but THREE* waves and cheers - harrumble! There was even some Welsh Wine knocking around the office, bizarrely.

It wasn't quite such a glorious return journey however. With Ana out at Nursery Book Club, I've got carte blanche to roast up a curried chicken and drink my new-found favourite beverage, super-chilled Fino Sherry. Or fall asleep for two hours with Milo, wake up in a panic and realise the curry is well out. Donna Hay's super-quick super-tasty pasta with cherry tomato sauce it is then, although I obvs still get to drink Sherry and even better, listen to the last series of Bleak Expectations - double harrumble!

Can one man eat three bowlfuls of pasta? Of course, although I do feel a little let's say 'tight' around the waist.

Incidentally, I think I can add two days of celeriac soup for lunch to the list of things I'm not allowed to eat for social reasons.

sources
pasta with cherry tomato sauce - Donna Hay, Instant Cook, p58

donna hay's garlic chickpeas and chorizo

Back to work - negative hurrah! Actually, work isn't too bad at all, it's just the getting up early I take issue with.

In fact, other than having to redo the office stocktake (the joy), it was a pretty positive start to the year; I cleared my desk almost completely, our pink fizz was featured in The Independent's Top 10 Sparkling Wines, and my fragrant legacy Glorious Leaderine JoMo managed to supply a medically sound reason NOT to give up drinking for January. So we haven't.

We have decided to be more proactive this year however, so hopefully this will be up-to-date more often, and to get some more exercise. Aren't resolutions just the fun-est things ever? They always make me feel a bit like Blackadder's Puritan cousins, the Whiteadders.

Anyhoo, the kicking off the usual New Year health regime (which is going to be the same as our default less-meat-and-take-aways-more-veg-and-fish, so much so I don't know why I've bother mentioning it), is Miss D Hay's garlic chickpeas and chorizo. This time with the addition of rocket and some crispy-ish new potatoes - both of which are required to remove the need of having to eat two or three side sandwiches to fill up during the admittedly quick cooking process.

The potatoes naturally don't preclude eating chocolate on the sofa whilst catching up on The Killing...

sources
garlic chickpeas and chorizo - Donna Hay, Fast, Fresh, Simple - p14

donna hay's garlic chickpeas and chorizo

A super-quick post tonight I'm afraid. In fact I was close to not bothering at all, but because I want to  gloat about eating out tomorrow night, I'm merely going to go through the motions tonight. It's not quite "we had this, here's a picture of something I've crafted, and finish with a sign-off that pokes fun at somebody, usually by favourite wife", but it's going to be close.

As we discovered last week, this is one of the little lady's dishes, but despite her expertise I'm somehow in trouble for not noticing from the presence of lemon zest or basil from the 320x240 pixel image on a blog. Wimmin eh? It must be her special time.

Here it is, look at it, marvel at it, and come back tomorrow and let's talk steak. Actually, best make that Monday as I suspect it's going to get messy...

Incidentally, two days in the fridge makes the egg curry even better - FACT!

sources
garlic chickpeas and chorizo - Donna Hay, Fast, Fresh, Simple - p14

donna hay's garlic chickpeas and chorizo

By crikey it's busy today: there are two challenges tonight, and we've had a tasting in the office with the lovely Mr Peter Franus and his Zinfandel, and his to-die-for Merlot. Seriously - To. Die. For.

Not only that, I had to do some white man van-ing on the way home, all of which meant Ana is in charge of dinner, and to be honest the little lady plays a blinder *pats her bottom, but in a supportive feminist manner, thinks about signing her up on a secretarial course*.

The house was tidy, she'd done a full day at her hobby-job, Milo was asleep and there was Donna Hay's garlic chickpeas and chorizo on the hob. Not quite warm on the table, and not quite enough, but she did well. For a woman. Opens a beer, reads Nuts and Zoo...

sources
garlic chickpeas and chorizo - Donna Hay, Fast, Fresh, Simple - p14

donna hay's garlic chickpeas and chorizo

I love Donna Hay, she's aces! Like a hot Delia, or less-annoying Nigella, her food looks brilliantly impressive but it's always fairly easy, and are perfect for those evenings when you're pushed for time. Tonight's experimental fayre from her new book is no exception - it's quick, hearty without being heavy, spicy and really fresh:

Not only that, I'm laying claim to this being my own version as I - yes ME - decided to par-boil some new potatoes and then fry them with the chorizo. I'm totally like an ugly Delia or really un-annoying Nigella! No hang on...

Wine Time
I'm conflicted here, and by 'conflicted' I mean 'completely out of my depth'. I suspect you'd want something zingy to balance the lemon juice, but the chorizo generally requires something equally spicy, like a Syrah (or Shiraz to you Antipodeans), which would completely over-deliver on pepperiness. I'm going to go with a chardonnay  - but a fresh, buttery Old World one, rather than a big old Aussie classic.

sources
garlic chickpeas and chorizo - Donna Hay, Fast, Fresh, Simple - p14

donna hay's prawn pad thai

Whilst not wishing to reinforce any stereotypes about being British, what the cock-a-doodle-doo is going on with the weather eh? It's supposed to be freaking August!

Our jolly jaunt to the Wetland's Centre today, for pond-dipping, playing in their amazing playground and admiring rain gardens, is somewhat battered by a Biblical deluge. I suppose an large exhibit of "rain gardens" should've given us a clue. Anyway, there's a definite Autumnal chill in the air, particularly whilst waiting in the queue for coffee, faced with an array of roast beef, Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes, and with our breath misting in the air outside...

Back home we immediately opt for Jamie Oliver's chicken, olive and preserved lemon tagine, which I'd found on the Times website yesterday. Until I notice we need at least 24 hours of marinading, so whilst my newly-quartered chicken does it's thing in the fridge, we take a secondary order of Donna Hay's Pad Thai - this time with Prawns!

Unlike last week's slightly chewy version using chicken thighs, the prawns are bang-on - really juicy, and zesty - but it really does need some extra crunchy greens, like sugar snap peas. Next time I think. Actually pretty soon, as I've got a jar of shrimp paste in the fridge, which needs using up tout suite!

sources
prawn pad thai - Donna Hay, Modern Classics Book 1, p133

donna hay's toasted pine nut and sweet potato salad

Another day home alone, which has the benefits of being able to watch more, uninterrupted cycling (yay - Schlecks!), but with the downside I've done no shopping and dinner is going to have to come out of the bleak cupboards.

Fortunately there are a couple of tomatoes, as well as a third of a packet of spinach in the fridge. This doesn't bode particularly well until I hit the motherlode of two slightly dessicated sweet potatoes in the pan cupboard. With no pine nuts (Jesus! what kind of house is this?), I have to make-do with sunflower seeds instead - and bish bash bosh Donna Hay's toasted pine nut and sweet potato salad:

Ahh, smugosity and health in one plate, and it makes a change from the constant conveyer-belt of spaghetti with cherry tomato sauce.

sources
toasted pine nut and sweet potato salad - Donna Hay, The Instant Cook, p49

donna hay's pasta with cherry tomato sauce

Ana's out at Bikini Blitz tonight, the last one before the summer holidays no less, so I've got to make an effort to be home in time for her to get changed and go. Other than cycling back in some grim weather, it's fine and dandy, and seeing how I was on the rob for some fridges from the now-defunct Oddbins on the King's Road today, work feel I've done enough for them for one day.

However, on returning cold and wet from promenading around Richmond Park, Ana feels the exact opposite. This is almost entirely due to the fact I'd promised her peach and mozzarella salad, but  delivered Donna Hay's pasta with cherry tomato sauce instead. I can't see why she's so vexed as it is one of her favourites, but apparently carbs will undo all her good work this evening. My argument that I'd not eaten since breakfast and was starving, cut little-to-no-mustard. Still, it was mighty tasty, and leaves me something to eat tomorrow night, whilst her mother is feeding her up on the Island.

sources
pasta with cherry tomato sauce - Donna Hay, Instant Cook, p58

donna hay's pasta with cherry tomato sauce

Even colder cold, smokey and oily gravlaks and pasta salad does not a divine lunch make. Double urghs all round! Still, it is another lovely day, and I'm demi-inspired by our burgeoning tomato plants to fire up Donna Hay's classic pasta with cherry tomato sauce. There's not enough for Milo's dinner tomorrow though. Oh dear, how sad.

With dinner rather swiftly out of the way - ahh the delights of eating at the table, the conversazione! The rose! - I spend the rest of the evening soaking borlotti beans. Jazzy!

Food of the Milos
More witchery today AND Little Kickers, but still curiously little appetite. The usual snacks apply.
Breakfast: Porridge and honey, toast;
Lunch: Pasta with veg and tomato sauce, banana and chocolate mousse;
Dinner: Sausages, spaghetti in tomato sauce.

sources
pasta with cherry tomato sauce - Donna Hay, Instant Cook, p58

donna hay's pasta with cherry tomato sauce

More unseasonably warm weather today - hurrah! - so what better use can you put a punnet of cherry tomatoes slightly on the turn, than with Donna Hay's pasta and cherry tomato sauce? Especially when there's a double-bill of Danish crime drama looming...

Sarah, The Killing has completely wiped out the cultural landscape (as well as large tracts of time) over here. So much so people are now seriously thinking of buying Faroese Fishing jumpers as worn by the heroine, Sarah Lund, and off the back of it people are properly getting excited by the third series of a French crime drama called Spiral which has just started on BBC4.

Honestly, it's insanely brilliant and I cannot wait for Series Two to arrive in the autumn. You'll definitely get it I should think, although would anybody screen a glacial-paced, subtitled drama in Australia?

sources
pasta with cherry tomato sauce - Donna Hay, Instant Cook, p58

mediterranean halloumi salad & arancini balls

Another day of Nursery/School for Milo and Ana means I've got another day relatively unscathed in my sickbed. Today's highlights include tottering off to the chemist for more drugs, going back to my youth and reading Mr Midshipman Hornblower, and finally pasting the pile of outstanding recipe clippings into various notebooks.

For lunch I decide to use up Milo's leftover risotto and attempt to make arancini, or fried risotto balls if you're not Italian. I found a recipe in Donna Hay ages ago but lacking both mozzarella and a deep-fat fryer, I convert the essence of her recipe into small, red, slightly gooey balls of rice. They were okay to be honest, and beat having soup for three days running.

For dinner Ana welcomes back an old favourite which whilst hardly in keeping with the inclement weather, was at least easy for me to make. You'll not be surprised to note we ate this quite a lot in 2010, 8 times in fact. Note to self, I really must stop or complete 2010's round-up.

Slightly more interestingly I also managed to finally get both plates out at the same time by the simple expedient of using the grill rather than our small pan. I don't know why I didn't think of it before as usually one of has to eat on their own whilst the other is frying cheese.

The tomatoes were too hard though, you really need ripe, vine tomatoes. Nothing else really cuts it.

Food of the Milos
More custard today, at least it wasn't custard. The fish pie wasn't as much as a success as I'd hoped, but he at least ate it with some cajoling from Ana. He's a bit pickly at the moment because although we know he can feed himself, we're going through a phase of having to spoon feed him, which is very vexing.

Breakfast: cheerios, apricots, toast, philadelphia
Lunch: rice with bolognese sauce, veg and custard
Dinner: creamy fish pie and peas

sources
mediterranean halloumi salad - Delicious, June 2010, p24

pasta with cherry tomato sauce

sources
pasta with cherry tomato sauce - Donna Hay, Instant Cook, p58

pumpkin & feta risotto

Another night, another vegetarian feast. Tonight it's a massive batch of Donna Hay's pumpkin risotto, enough to feed us, give me a massive lunch tomorrow and a bowl for Milo's dinner.

Like Bill Granger's no-stir tomato risotto, it's a pretty easy version seeing as you just whack it into the oven and, rather than stirring the stock in for 20 minutes, you just do four minutes mad stirring at the end of the cooking time. You do need plenty - and I mean PLENTY - of black pepper and parmesan though...

sources
pumpkin & feta risotto - Donna Hay, Instant Cook, p66

pasta with cherry tomato sauce

I am very dull indeed tonight; no ideas and no real urge to think of any. Partially this is because I'm cold, and partially because the Poirot Hallowe'en special in on later. Classic D Hay pasta it is then - quick, tasty and easy.

However, weirdly, I think my ennui infected the spaghetti because it was distinctly meh!

Poirot was good though...

sources
pasta with cherry tomato sauce - Donna Hay, Instant Cook, p58

stuffed tarragon chicken

It being the weekend - and a rugby weekend at that - we share the parenting duties today, before rendezvousing later at home to prepare for the arrival of the divine Matt and Virginie for dinner.

So whilst I spend the morning abortively trying to park at Brentford Fountains, before giving up and going to Richmond instead, Ana tidies and reclines at home. Then whilst her and Milo go to Zac's birthday party in Putney, I'm totally p'wn-ing the Esher backrow.

With monkey tucked up in bed, we put the Christmas knife skills to good use to joint and take the supremes off of two chickens for the stuffed tarragon chicken, and my usual knife action to cut up some pears.

I'm especially pleased I'd pretty much remembered how to joint the birds and whilst one (Ana's as she doesn't like skin) was a bit duff, the others were aces. Not only that all the thighs and drumsticks went into the freezer, and the two carcasses went into the fridge to make stock. However one of these two actions will come back to haunt me.

Tonight we start with Donna Hay's caramelised pear and rocket salad, which really benefits from leaving the roquefort out for a bit before crumbling over the pears...


...Followed by the stuffed tarragon chicken (from Delicious)...


...chocolate raspberry torte (not homemade), stinking bishop cheese and biscuits and then more chocolate and half a bottle of sloe gin. No wonder the pictures are all a little blurry, but at least I got a picture of them this time:


Despite their loveliness I find them really hard to cook for, and I always feel I have to raise my game, because every time we eat around theirs they do the full monty very very well. And they supply amazing cheese. Not that I don't love all your cooking special friends, just these two are the closest to proper chefs I know. Damn their eyes.

sources
caramelised pear and rocket salad - Donna Hay, The Instant Cook, p44
stuffed tarragon chicken with cannellini bean stew - Delicious, March 2010, p46