experimental pasta

The anas are out with Hanne, Kendra and Ellie tonight so I'm home alone with nowt on telly and half a bag of kale in the fridge - I know how to live life on the edge.

As it is I watch the rugby on iPlayer and attempt to use the kale up in an experimental pasta dish which also handily enough uses up the last of the orecchiette up.

To be honest, it's not that great. Kale's just rubbish isn't it? And orecchiette is possibly the worst pasta ever; under-cook it and it's like hard biscuits, over cook it and it's like gloopy cotton balls. Awful! Lucky I was a weeny-bit drunk.

sources
experimental pasta - from my MIIIIIIIIIND! Although it was a close approximation of orecchiette with broccoli, from Delicious.

chicken, tomato and fennel casserole & leek and potato soup

I've had my eye on this dish for ages, and tonight seems as good a night as any to try it out. Despite the slightly controversial inclusion of fennel (although I love it), it's not a particularly memorable dish.

I mean it's okay, it's nice but it's hardly a taste sensation which is odd given it's got orange peel, smoked paprika, saffron, fennel and honey in it. Maybe that's why I'm disappointed with it, I expected more.

Anyway, whilst the chicken is casseroling away I also take time to knock up some leek & potato soup for lunch this week, and a couple of portions for the monkey in the freezer.

sources
chicken, tomato and fennel casserole - Bill Granger, Every Day, p132
leek & potato soup - Delicious Magazine

chicken with cavalo nero

For some reason - despite the fact it's supposed to be in season now - cavalo nero is impossible to find (in Waitrose/Ocado) at the moment. Having done some internet research I discover the Cavalo Nero isn't just a cabbage, but a type of kale. So, we have it with kale instead.


It's not exactly a disaster, but it ain't great. The kale is too irony and tough to be wilted with lemon juice. Lucky the smallest bag you can buy is 250g eh? Balls.

sources
chicken with cavalo nero - Bill Granger, Simply Bill, p38

keralan fish curry

sources
keralan fish curry - Delicious, February 2009, p83

beef carbonade take 2

It's been a busy weekend and I can't be bothered to cook...


sources
beef carbonade - THE Black Book

milo's birthday - photos to come

A beautiful day for a beautiful monkey, sunday and mtb's second birthday is a beauty!

We wake up at an unusually decent time, and the three of us have tea (and milk) in bed whilst opening some presents and cards. We only open books in bed so it's all quite relaxed and nice.

After books we go into the flag-bedecked front room for the rest of his presents and breakfast before kayosaurus, mikeplodocus and amelia jamelia cecilia cordelia ophelia come up. Predictably he's more interested in the wrapping than the toys, but he at least likes the balloons - particularly the 'enormous' balloon.

Today's birthday treat is a trip on the train to the London Aquarium, where we meet Spandy, Ogregory, Harald and the newly-blonde Cerys. Everybody plays nicely, I think the Shark Walk came at just the right time, and we even managed to have a mini-picnic underneath the London Eye before everybody has to head home.

We have to be back at the flat for the arrival of my mum, Dan and Dylan. Mum brilliantly comes up with the goods and makes as close an approximation of the owl cakes I used to have for my birthday as 25 years, one house move and the onset of senioritis will allow. She even has a 'spare' cake just in case - that's being a mum for you!

And so a little blond boy goes to bed one year older, slightly fuller of cake than I would've liked, but still conks out immediately, despite not having his afternoon nap. A brilliant day indeed!

finn's christening

A busy weekend kicks off early today with Fiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeen's Christening, followed by monkey's birthday tomorrow. Who said weekends were supposed to be relaxing?

We get a cab to St Mary's Church in Hampstead for the Christening. Somewhat improbably, we're the first people there by about 15 minutes. Even more improbably they've got a box of books just inside the door, and hidden beneath a pile of junior bibles is a copy of Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you hear? So somebody is entertained. Until the service starts.

Consequently whilst Fiiiiiiiiiieeeen is loaded up with Catholic guilt and the anas renounce Satan, we're down the hill looking at the graves of Constable, and Philadelphia Austen. He quite liked the Angels, and the wooden beetle somebody had carved in the graveyard though, so it wasn't entirely disastrous.

Afterwards we have a brilliant long and late lunch at About Thyme, the restaurant Brian has part-ownership of: breads and olive oil, followed by piquillo peppers stuffed with wild mushrooms and goat's cheese (I think), roast beef and potatoes, spiced apple crumble for pudding, christening muffins and a surfeit of fine red wine. Fine wine, good company - what more do you need to while away a grim and cold Saturday?

We don't need any dinner by the time we get home, so monkey has his milk and goes to bed and we rug up and wrap presents/blow up balloons ready for the morning.