The best ever paella?

I haven’t cooked paella before so it’s hard to say. However it was very good and healthy. There’s no chorizo- just prawns and chicken. It’s another Olive recipe. How much do I love that magazine?

It says to use chicken thigh fillets, which are probably really tasty, but I used breast. I also didn’t put a green pepper in. And I used that Marco Pierre White stock which he advertised, as I thought I better get a bit more than a stock cube. Oh and I used mange tout instead of runner beans but these worked really well.

So the recipe is (which serves two very generously!), 1 clove garlic chopped, 2 chicken breasts, salt, 1 red pepper sliced, 100g mange tout, 2 large tomatoes, 200g paella rice, saffron (a few strands), 1 tsp paprika, 500ml fish stock, 125g king prawns.



Just added the rice



Put olive oil in a shallow pan (I don’t have a paella pan) and fry the garlic and chicken for a minute, then add salt, pepper and mange tout, cooking gently. 

It’s a bit weird as you have to grate the tomatoes. So you cut them in half, scoop out the seeds then grate them onto a chopping board until you only have the skin left in your hand. Odd! Add the tomatoes and cooked until it looks thick and concentrated.

Then add the rice, saffron and paprika. I was a bit excited about buying the saffron. It said to toast the saffron by wrapping it in foil and holding it under an open flame for under a minute. I ended up with two black threads of saffron so I decided to not toast it! Stir well and cooked for two minutes then add the fish stock. Bring the mixture to the boil and make sure you don’t stir the rice- just shake the pan.

Add the prawns and simmer for five minutes until the rice forms a crust on the pan. Take off the heat and cover with foil.

The finshed paella in shadow

It was really tasty. It had a delicate flavour and was not overpowering. I thought the mange tout was good with it and the chicken was well cooked. Have a Spanish themed evening and crack open the sangria!

Who doesn't love a bit of cannelloni? Or a lot...

THIS is another Olive recipe and it works a treat- cannelloni with spicy sausage and spinach. Tom and I cooked it together and it is really easy to make.

You need:

The finished product

Six herby sausages, with the skin removed

1 tsp fennel seeds

A pinch of chilli flakes

300g chopped spinach

2 cloves garlic, finely sliced

Plum tomatoes, 2 x 400g tins

1 tsp sugar

250g cannelloni tubes

250g half-fat crème fraiche

50g cheddar cheese

50s parmesan

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and then pinch off the sausage into the pan and cook until browned and just cooked through. Add fennel, chilli and salt and pepper and cook for a minute. The fennel gives a really nice flavour to the sausage and it’s not too overpowering. Add the spinach and cook until it’s wilted and take off the heat.

Meanwhile in another pan, Tom cooked the garlic for a few minutes, added the tomatoes and the sugar and simmered for about 15minutes. Stir a third of the sauce into the sausages. Heat the oven to 190c/fan 170c and gas 5.

Then here comes the tricky bit- stuff the cannelloni tubes with the steaming hot sausage goodness! Use a teaspoon to make it easier.

Lay them in a dish then pour over the crème fraiche which has the cheddar cheese mixed in. Sprinkle with parmesan and cook for about 30 minutes.

The result: a bubbling feast of sausage goodness. Makes me hungry thinking about it.

Plated up

Great pizza (plus basil)

I was extremely good last week and only ate out once, before I went to see Wizard of Oz in London. My friend, Lara, recommended an intriguing sounding place called Vapiano, which she told me had basil plants sat on the tables to add to your food. I love basil so it sounded good to me.

It is not far from the Oxford Circus station in Great Portland Street- just look for the basil plants outside.

First of all you find a bench- it’s a huge place. And then you order your food at the food sections and they give you a card, which you scan each time you order, and you pay at the end at the door. They give you a buzzer for when your food is ready, which is a great idea although it makes you jump as you quickly forget about it.

I went for Diavolo pizza, which is spicy Italian sausage, peppers, red onions, tomatoes and mozzarella. The pizzas are BIG and there are loads of toppings. Sometimes pizza restaurants can skimp on the toppings but not here. It was only £8.75 and pizzas start from £6.75. The sausage was really spicy but a good level of spice. I had a lovely glass of red wine (Il Meridione Catarratto from Italy). It was only £3.50 and whilst we were waiting for the pizza we had a bowl of olives which were really good.

The yummy olives!

My meal came to under £15 and it was all lovely- much better than any of the well known pizza chains and as all I can talk about is basil I will mention it again- the fresh basil leaves were great on my pizza! I would definitely recommend this place if you are ever in Oxford Circus.

The rest of the week I cooked salmon with pesto on top and wrapped in foil, which was really good. For lunch I had bulgur wheat as an alternative to bread with vegetables and meat. This doesn’t make you feel bloated, like bread sometimes can, and is quite healthy.

I also made my version of spaghetti Bolognese. I fry onions and garlic and then add minced beef. Then to this I add tomato sauce, a tin of plum tomatoes (apparently these are better than chopped as they keep the flavour), a bit of beef stock and then I simmer it. I also add a bit of red wine vinegar. Then a bit of Lea and Perrins and dried oregano and basil and lots of fresh pepper! How do you make yours?

Eating out four nights in a row makes Becky a fat pie

I was a bit of a fatty last week and ate out three nights in a row and had a takeaway on the fourth! Ooops. On the Tuesday after the Jubilee celebrations at the palace Tom and I met my friends, Daisy and Matt. Brandishing our Taste card, which offers discounts at restaurants for an annual membership, we went to a small place called Spicy World in 1, Gillingham Street, London.

Spicy World

This is a brilliant little place but don’t expect any airs and graces. The kitchen is practically sat on the tables and chairs, which have fetching maroon tablecloths.  Think white tiled walls and not much room between tables.

The toilet was downstairs, which again was an interesting experience. I felt like I was abroad.

But the food was amazing! I had lamb murgh masala, with rice, naan, dall and seasonal vegetables. It was really yummy and tasty curry. And we only paid a tenner each. Good value! Also had a free half a pint of lager too.

The following night I went to a place in Cadmore End. It is called The Tree and although it was a bit of a drive from High Wycombe it was definitely worth the effort.

King prawns

It has a mixed menu of Indian, Thai and European dishes, which I think it is a great idea for a group of friends. You are literally spoilt for choice. 

For starters I had Gûng Ngaa Tôt Pàt which is king prawns coated with sesame seeds and Thai herbs served with a chilli dip (£6.45). All delicious! Tom Galafi Seekh Kebab with cheese and spices, which is glazed in a tandoori oven (£6.45).

Lamb curry

For the main course I tried the Anglo Indian Railway Lamb Curry slow, which is cooked diced lamb with coconut and baby new potatoes served with onion pulao rice and a poppodum (£14.95). The curry had plenty of meat, which was juicy and tender, and the potatoes were perfectly cooked. 

Tom had halibut, which is served with a crab cake and a basil oil balsamic reduction.

For pudding I had the Orange and Ginger Baked Cheesecake with Berry Compote. It was a huge portion and I could not quite finish it but it was creamy and tangy.

Cheesecake

Tom had vanilla crème brulee, which came out with a flaming top.

The next day I went to Ask in High Wycombe with Lucy. For starters I had the special ASPARAGI CON PROSCIUTTO, (£5.35) which is fresh asparagus spears wrapped in smoked prosciutto, baked and topped with toasted Italian breadcrumbs, grated Grana Padano cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. It was ok but I wouldn’t recommend it. It was a bit tasteless.

Then I had RISOTTO CON POLLO E FUNGHI (£11.65), tender chicken breast slices and sautéed mushrooms in a creamy white wine sauce, which was really good. It was very creamy and tasty.

Then on the Friday I had wait for it..........chicken and mushroom pie and chips! It tipped me over the edge and healthy eating commenced!





Keep the Jubilee going!

I decided to make a special Jubilee meal for my family to celebrate the festivities. So what better than Jamie Oliver’s ER Diamond Jubilee Chicken? It is an update on good ol’ Coronation Chicken and it’s yummy! A bit of work does need to go into it and be careful when you get the chicken out of the oven as I spilt hot chicken fat on my pale brown brogues.

I did make some adaptations. I used more chicken thighs as my dad is a bit of a meat fiend and doesn’t ever think there is enough meat! I also did not put turmeric in as my brother is allergic to it, so mine wasn’t as yellow as it should be. I also used crushed chillies as didn’t have any chilli powder but that was fine. And I didn’t put fresh chillies in as my mum doesn’t like food too hot!! Despite all this it was lovely. It is tangy and the fresh pineapple and cucumber makes it feel healthy!

The recipe is here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-2048742/Jamies-new-British-classics-Ers-Diamond-Jubilee-chicken.html#ixzz1x7eTGaum



The final dish!



The chicken skin bit does sound a bit weird but it is really tasty! And it is easy to do. I used cashews rather than almonds. The skin comes off easily and the result is so crispy!

I served it with new potatoes and a salad of little gem lettuce, radishes and tomatoes.

We had a glass of Cava to toast the Queen with a strawberry popped in.

For dessert we had scones, jam and clotted cream. I bought the scones (blush) as I am rubbish at making scones. Does anyone have a good recipe for scones?

All the food cooked and ready to plate up

I get Olive magazine every month and every time it comes through my door I have a flick through for inspiration. On Wednesday I decided to cook roast lemon chicken with braised butter beans for Tom. Really because I had had two chicken legs sat in my freezer for a few months. Nice! I also decided to cook Patate e cipolle al forno! That’s a bit Come Dine With Me-esque really as people try to say it out loud! Really it is just oven-baked potatoes and red onions with pancetta, which is one of the things I learnt to cook on a cookery class at Caldesi in Campagna in Bray.

Both went together really well. The chicken dish is really simple and if you don’t mind meat on the bone I would recommend it. The ingredients are 2 whole cloves garlic, squashed, ½ lemon, cut into wedges, a glass of white wine, 4 chicken legs (I used two although kept the other measurements), 250g punnet of cherry tomatoes (which are really good at the mo), butter bins, 2x400g tin although I only used one, and ½ a large bunch of parsley chopped.

Heat the oven to 190c/fan 170c/ gas 5 and put the garlic and lemon into a baking dish and add the white wine. Put the chicken on top and season well then roast is it for 45mins. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and golden.

Take the chicken out and put under foil. It says to squish the garlic into the juice but I had already squashed it at the start. Remove the lemon wedges and add the butter beans. Cook for another 10 minutes and it is ready to serve with the chicken. Very tasty and quite healthy without the chicken skin!

Then for the potatoes. For two people I used two baking potatoes which I diced into 1cm cubes (skin left on). It says to preheat the oven to 180C but I cooked it on 170c. Add one red onion, peeled and chopped, to the potatoes and plenty of olive oil so the potatoes are completely covered. Then add seasoning and 100g pancetta, roughly chopped (mine was already chopped by the kind people of Tesco.) It says to use fresh thyme of rosemary but I just added a bit of dried thyme. Mix it all together with your hands and then cook for 25-35 mins. Shake and stir halfway through.

These potatoes are lovely! The onion is so sweet at the end and the potatoes the perfect texture. They would go with all meats and an alternative to the usual roast potatoes at a Sunday lunch. Cook them now! Good comfort food for this weather!