chorizo hot pot

One of those "Feed Your Family For A Fiver" things from Sainsbury's. I can't help but embellish though.

Two onions (two onions? Insanity!) and my old friend, sliced chorizo are fried together til crispy. Then tinned tomatoes, veg stock and some conchiglie are added. This is where I chuck in oregano and paprika, cos it just sounds too bland. Twenty minutes later there's frozen peas in there, and once they're done, we're done.

To my surprise it didn't need any seasoning at all. Nice one J Sains.

balti beef

A dreadfully-named dish this one; but it inverts a standard cooking cornerstone in a way that really baffled me. It came from a Weight Watchers book of all places, though it has dubious dietary heritage.

Rather than the time-honoured tradition of: sweat onions in oil, then add meat, the method for this is to dry-fry mince until it starts to leak oil and then chuck the onions in. I suppose this is marginally healthier. I add grated garlic to this, then some patented Gary Masala and turmeric, with seasoning. Allowing these flavours to develop for a few minutes I then add a good puddle of beef stock, frozen peas and a tablespoon of mango chutney. It sounds utterly perverse, but after just a couple of minutes simmering you get a spicy, fruity, meaty bowl of food that is immensely satisfying.

pea & leek tart with asparagus

Some friends were coming over, and I wanted something a little elegant and classy as a starter. I was cooking for a vegetarian friend, so there are considerations there. This was a recipe from Jason Gillies, actually from a magazine she had bought me, so it had a serendipity to it.

It was a bloody long process - definitely worth it, but a long process. It started with fried leeks and peas simmered with cream until tender, egg yolks added for richness, then blitzed. This was then piled into a pastry case and topped with wilted asparagus, and a little parmesan. A short burst in the oven browns it off and just sets it. Creamy, rich, yet very elegant.

I don't have a picture but I made Pizzoccheri for main, a thoroughly filling dish apparently for skiers. It's named after the pasta that it's supposed to be made with, but as it's so impossible to find I used trimmed lasagne sheets instead. Made with fried onions, blanched cabbage, par-boiled potatoes, Emmental  and a bechamel sauce, it's then baked together in an enormous dish and fills you up like nobody's business.