apologias

Hello, sorry for the delay updating, a combination of stag weekends and late nights kiboshed the updates last week. This weekend's Tewkesbury Vets tour to Dieppe probably won't help matters (although I may get a chance to eat more 'gizzards'), but I promise to answer all questions - wiggles-based or not - tomorrow.

rx

prawn, lime and mango salad

Another salad-based dish from the black book which takes advantage of the BOGOF prawns I got in Waitrose this week. Again it's an old recipe Ana have vague memories of eating, and she's not sure she liked it last time.

I have quite clear memories of making it super sour and hot last time, so tonight it doesn't get the full quota of lime juice or chilli in it.

Curiously the fact the mango wasn't completely ripe made it a much less sloppy affair, so a top tip there. Another top tip is even after two and half plates, salad doesn't really fill you up that much...

Food of the Milos
Despite it being half-term this week, we pack him off for a day painting and eating at Julia's before Ana picks him up and fill what space is left with some defrosted ratatouille. Lucy, I'm doing a bulk amount tomorrow so you can take some back for B-Jamin. That's if he's not sick of it by Sunday...

sources
prawn, lime and mango salad - black book. I think it might well be either a Sainsbury's Magazine, or Waitrose Food Illustrated. Or Zest. Take your pick.

rosemary, brie and sun-dried tomato chicken

Given the less-than-lukewarm reception for last night's fish extravaganza, the ana's are slightly concerned by the prospect of another evening of experimental cookery. Lucky for her she's just forgotten she ever had it.

As it happens we used to eat this loads in NZ, I think it's from the Aussie original, and and it's similar to a dish her and Hannae Signey Natvik used to eat all the time in Hudsons.

Next time I'll cut a hole in the top of the chicken so the brie doesn't run out quite so quickly, and rather than use our dodgy grill I'll bake it instead, but it's still a winner!

Food of the Milos
Having refused to eat anything but jelly at zoe's, ana suspects we're in for another bout of teething. She's proved wrong later however when somebody spends his time at claire and isla's stuffing himself with fish pie, yoghurts and animal biscuits.

sources
rosemary, brie and sun-dried tomato chicken - Black Book. I think it's from the Aussie Delicious...

leek & goat's cheese frittata and seafood curry

Having spent the weekend Mick Jones' stag mainly eating gizzards in France (although I did have a monster paella during the tag tournament we played in. Actually how come over here staple rugby food is chilli or spag bol, but over there it's a jug of red wine and a paella? Anyway, I digress...), my first day back only *slightly* hungover starts off triumphantly with a leek and goat's cheese frittata for the milo's bank holiday tea. He naturally starts with an artisan loaf as an amuse bouche...

...before moving on to the main course:


It then goes awry. Now I've wanted to cook this curry for four years, it looks amazing on the recipe card and fits in with our fish drive. However the end result bears no relation to the illustration - where's the coconut milk? Why is theirs dry and fried where mine is stewed and grey? Damn you Jamie Oliver!


Actually it's not 'terrible'; the bream is probably more 'fishy' than we'd like and was better sans skin, it was more disappointing really.

Food of the Milos
He has chips and risotto for a pub lunch in Richmond, and then the frittata for dinner. Chips are the hands down winner.

sources
jersey royal, leek and goat's cheese frittata - Delicious, June 2009, p84
seafood curry - Delicious' Jamie's Quickies, August 2005

chicken with tomatoes, peppers & cous cous

Another old favourite from a few years ago that has fallen by the wayside, but now it's back with a vengeance. Not least because I bought the wrong jar of peppers, not that you could taste the balsamic vinegar they were preserved in though.


It's one of those dishes you have to start the day before to marinate the chicken, but then it's really quick when you do make it, and the cumin seed and lemon marinade is really pungent.

Food of the Milos
Default pasta left-overs from last night for him, which is fine as it's gone by the time I get home, apart from some stray fusilli on the floor.

sources
chicken with tomatoes, peppers & cous cous - Delicious' Jamie's Quickies, August 2005, Jamie Oliver

baked tomato & mozzarella pasta

Having ballsed up the chicken this week, and burnt the leeks for the pie, today I opt for something new but, ostensibly, simpler - big bad bill granger's baked tomato and mozzarella pasta from the marvellous Every Day.


Despite being no different from the stuff we (ana) cooked at university, especially as I had to take the olives out because *somebody* doesn't like them, it's pretty satisfying, and there's enough for milo's tea tomorrow. Talking of whom...

Food of the Milos
After his usual gut-busting lunchtime blowout at Julias, the anas give him some now classic annabel karmel pizza, which he stuffs away like the gutlord he is fast becoming.

sources
baked tomato & mozzarella pasta - Every Day, p127, Bill Granger
pizza - Top 100 Finger Foods, Annabel Karmel

pasta and pesto

Nothing to see here
It's the start of the vets touch season, so I don't get back until nine ish. By this time the ana's have eaten so I end up with pasta and pesto. Mmmmm

Food of the Milos
"PIE!" for monkey which he was okay-ish with, but not brilliant. Sometimes I don't know why I bother hand-crafting pie for him.