Broadening our horizons

The broad bean season is short - even shorter than asparagus and you need to get the most out of it. This year I think I cracked it. I had been trying too hard. Broad beans are fiddly but worth it. First buy more than you think you'll need. You arrive home from the market with an enormous bag of beans and once you've podded them you have a disappointingly small pile in a bowl. Pod the beans and cook them in a pot of boiling water for 4-5 minutes - a bit less if they are very small. I put them into a pot of boiling water & boil hard with the lid off - I read that in Jane Grigson years ago & that's how I treat all greens I am boiling or blanching. Refresh them under cold water & then remove the skins. Some people don't bother but if they are a bit old the skins are really hard and may make turn you against broad beans for life. Even if they are young they are so much prettier sans skin. Just before you are ready to eat steam them for 2 minutes or put back in the original pot (you lifted them out with a slotted spoon & saved the water) & bring back to the boil. Then toss in a mustardy lemony vinaigrette - just lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper & grainy mustard. Turn into a serving dish & top with crumbled feta. I think you could substitute slices of mozzarella or bocconcini but I haven't tried it. This is the ultimate broad bean experience.

I bumped into Marie at the market last week & she mentioned that she had dined out on a broad bean past. It sounded something like this - and this was really nice. Prepare the beans to the skinned stage & boil the pasta water because none of this takes long. Mandy, you asked about an alternative to the salmon pasta & I think this is it. In a pan lightly saute a spring onion then add cream & heat - I just used the rest of a bottle I had in the fridge and added some mascarpone because it was there. Add lemon juice to give a tartness. Add half the beans & mash. You then have a slightly lumpy greenish creamy sauce. Add the remaining beans and stir through some crispy bacon - I added some prosciutto I had in the fridge. In the meantime, you have cooked your favourite ribbon egg pasta - remember it takes less than 5 minutes. Drain the pasta & mix with the sauce in the pan & turn onto a serving plate. I recommend adding the Parmesan at the table, only because it might make the sauce go gluggy. You could decorate with delicious pea tendrils if you have some.

Last week was the Thorndon Fair & I must mention Yummy Seeds - these are dry roasted seeds with soy sauce added, which you could do yourself but this seed guy does them so well. I have been buying them for years from fairs. They are fantastic sprinkled on a salad. Make your own or support the Yummy Seed guy - he's from Warkworth. He & his wife are delightful and they can really talk up seeds: tasty in salads - stir fry - sandwiches - steamed veges. I've been adding them to my salad lunches. Harriet can verify their Yumminess.

Birthday Dinners

October/November is birthday season in our family. For the 3 whose birthdays are in other months this might seem like an exaggeration but for those of us who are part of the Oct/Nov glut it just feels like non-stop feasting. One of Harriet's friends once suggested Harriet was snubbing her - she said "every time I ask you to do something with me you claim a family birthday". But it happened to be true. Of course there are fewer of us around these days so this year was a light season but I think Phoebe & I made up for it with the unctuousness of our feasts.

As I think I mentioned before, we have traditional birthday meals & mine is mixed paella, however with the seafood lovers out of the country I went instead for American Cobb Salad.

This is a fantastic salad which I first had about 10 years ago in San Jose. I never found a recipe until a couple of years ago & it is a firm family favourite. I found it in an issue of Cook's Illustrated magazine on American Classics, where it is described as every bit the starlet of Hollywood's Golden Age (the 1920s) as Jean Harlow & Rita Hayworth. There is a long list of ingredients -don't leave any of them out. Having said that you can prepare a separate platter for vegetarians without the chicken & bacon. This is not actually as fiddly as it looks and your diners will love you. The trick to perfecting this or any arranged salad, is to dress each component before you arrange on the platter. If you dress it afterwards you will have dry patches. So start dressing the lettuce in a bowl, then as you arrange on the platter, toss each ingredient in the dressing residue in the bowl, topping up the dressing as you go. This way you will find it is neither under nor overdressed.

Phoebe had her usual dinner of Chicken Za'atar & Fattoush which is an old Nigella favourite. This is really simple. The night before put a whole chicken cut into 8 pieces (I have done it with just drumsticks for a barbecue) in a sealable plastic bag. Pour in quite a bit of olive oil & sprinkle over some sea salt & 2 tbsp za'atar, scrunch around & leave to marinate in the fridge. When you're ready to eat, tip into a roasting dish & put in a very hot oven (220) for about 45 minutes. They should be browned & slightly crispy with the chicken falling off the bones.

While the chicken is cooking, make the fattoush which is a traditional Middle Eastern bread salad. Dice 3-4 spring onions with a cucumber and 3 tomatoes. Mix in a bowl & add a bunch each of finely chopped mint & flat-leaf parsley and 1 clove garlic, crushed. Cut 2 pitta breads open lengthways so you have 4 thin round halves and toast on a baking tray in the hot oven above the chicken for about 5 minutes, taking care not to burn. When they are cooled snip most of them into the salad, in rough triangles then toss & dress with best olive oil & lemon juice. Season with Maldon salt & taste for the right lemoniness for you. I like mine quite sharp. Just before serving sprinkle on your few reserved pitta triangles & about 1/2 tsp sumac, which is a beautiful dark red middle eastern spice.

I also made Nigella's Old Fashioned Chocolate cake which is so quick & turns out perfectly every time. The pink flowers are from Cupcake Sweeties at the Sunday City Market. I had left over caramel from the Spanish biscuits & left over pastry cases from the Portuguese tarts & left over icing from this cake, so I put them all together & made Spaneenish tarts. They all groaned...but I note they ate them just the same.

Iberian Delights

I have enjoyed Portuguese food ever since Leonie & I visited back in...1982? I've recently been inspired by Spanish food and at least two of you have visited this year. Last week I bought a magazine - Gourmet Traveller - with a Spanish theme & this is the basis for this blog. In addition I have had a birthday & received a delightful fifties style apron which I think provided additional inspiration.

Let's start with Alfajores Payes. As soon as I saw these I had to have them. I immediately discovered that you needed to cook the condensed milk for 3 hours & cool for a similar time but by that time I was too involved. I was up until after 11.00 on Sunday night chocolate coating one half and up at 6.00 doing the other side before work. I took them in for my team on Monday and had great feedback which I will share with you. They are very rich - make them smaller. Some participants felt the biscuits were so delicious the chocolate was a distraction. If you think that, then make a version you just dust with icing sugar.

Then there is the Portuguese custard tart. Phoebe gave me Ladies a Plate - Second Helping for my birthday & there was a recipe. Just like a bought one, I thought. Phoebe's comment: don't roll the pastry too thin, which I think we did because we had 30 pastry cases & only enough custard for 24. The recipe suggested you would get 20.

Back to the magazine. We had Calasparra rice with chicken & chorizo for dinner this evening. This was excellent. Make sure you brown the skin well at the start & we did find the rice took a little longer to cook than suggested. Be patient. If you don't have a paella pan use a wide shallow frying pan - not too heavy bottomed.

The apron made me do it - the custard tarts left me with 4 egg whites so I dipped into Edmond's & rediscovered one of my mother's old favourites. I suspect she made it to use up egg whites too. Remember Lemon souffle, which she used to call Lemon Snow. Peter called it Lemon Fluff & Phoebe is calling it Lemon Flurry. Whatever the name, it is delicious. Very refreshing and the perfect vehicle for stray egg whites on a summer evening.

One last thought. We had a picnic at one of our favourite spots, Percy's Reserve. On the way home we were taking a turn in the rose gardens & came upon two young (18-20) women wearing aprons similar to mine, sitting on an elegant rug, tucking into the most amazing looking sponge cake, which appeared to be decorated with every kind of gummy sweet known to humankind. Our picnic wasn't nearly so inspired - but it was good all the same.

Three kinds of beetroot

It's been a while. I've not been able to get into the study due to exams. They're not over, however I have been granted entry to make a small post.
I thought I'd mention beetroot. I would happily eat beetroot every day & I suspect I do. It is one of the most versatile vegetables. It is wonderful with lamb. Recently I couldn't decide so I made 3 kinds of beetroot. First cook your beetroot. I bring it to the boil in cold water & then simmer until cooked. About 30 mins for baby beets & 40 mins or longer for larger ones. Then skin them. Allow one large beetroot per person
A hot beetroot dish. Cut 2 large beetroot into six pieces each - halve then cut each half into 3. Put them in a roasting dish just big enough to fit snugly. Toss in olive oil, season with salt & pepper & roast in a hot oven about 25 minutes. Meanwhile make a dressing - whisk 1/2 tbsp liquid honey 1 tbsp balsamic & 2 tbsp olive oil, add 1/2 dozen black olives, chopped rosemary & season. When the beets are roasted, slice some goats cheese or any good feta on top & drizzle over the dressing.
Beetroot salad. Slice a red onion & steep in a small dish with 1 tbsp red wine vinegar & olive oil for at least 1/2 hour. This softens the onions & renders them a beautiful translucent pink. Slice the beetroot onto a dish, then artfully arrange the onions on top. Tip on the vinegar & oil residue. Drizzle over a little more oil, the sprinkle sea salt, grated orange zest & finely chopped mint.
Or chop the beetroot into chunks. Make a dressing of yoghurt, crushed garlic, caraway seeds, salt & pepper. Stir the beetroot through the yoghurt & sprinkle a little paprika as a garnish on the top. Or chopped mint is nice.
I had my 3 kinds of beetroot with lamb on skewers. Mix 400g lamb mince with 3 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 preserved lemon rind - finely chopped, 1 dozen finely chopped sundried tomatoes, olive oil, finely chopped parsley & thyme, salt & pepper. Divide the lamb into about 18 portions. Flatten the lamb & wrap around a small piece of bocconcini - you want about 3 bocconcini balls, and roll into elongated balls. Cook the meatballs in a frying pan , then when cool enough to handle tread onto skewers with cherry tomatoes & basil leaves. I make 2 skewers per person with 3 lamb balls & 3 tomatoes on each. It goes lamb, basil leaf, tomato, lamb, basil leaf, tomato etc to end with tomato.
Finally I make salad for my lunch for most of the summer. I have cos lettuce, baby spinach, capsicum, spring onion, radish, puy lentils, quartered baby beetroot, left over lamb or chicken, left over roast potatoes, left over peas are yummy, feta cheese topped with pea tendrils, puy lentil sprouts, micro greens. Drizzle over some vinaigrette. You get the idea - just what I can find in the fridge.

Meat and three veg

I love a small piece of lean meat with a selection of vegetables. There are lots of cuts of lamb you can treat this way. Leg steaks, backstrap, fillet or rack all work well. I like to rub my piece of lamb with salt, pepper & cumin & leave to sit before cooking. Or with a bit more effort make a paste of garlic, olive oil, rosemary, cumin, cinnamon & lemon zest. Another favourite is a paste of anchovies, lemon zest, Dijon mustard, capers, red wine vinegar, olive oil & garlic. Serve the lamb with couscous - I usually toss a spring onion in a hot saucepan with olive oil, add the couscous, cover with the same quantity of boiling water, clamp on the lid & leave it to do it's thing. When you're ready to use, fluff up with a fork, stir through some olive oil, toasted pinenuts & parsley. Try roasting some asparagus. This is really popular at our house. In a dish lightly toss asparagus spears, very fine slices of garlic, a sprinkling of chilli flakes, some colourful cherry tomatoes, olives, olive oil & a good handful of fresh basil. Season with salt & pepper & put in a hot roasting tray, in a hot oven (225), and roast for about 12 minutes. Turn a couple of times during cooking if you remember. Steam seasonal vegetables and before serving toss in a little olive oil & season. Experiment to see what tastes good to you. I like lemon infused garlic oil with asparagus, or orange infused with carrots. I cooked asparagus in the tinfoil parcels with baby carrots & added slices of lemon. That worked. This is the time of year for ratatouille. I'm sure you'll have a recipe somewhere. And add potatoes if you need them - sauteed, crushed & roasted, or hasselback work well with all these dishes.

Or cook a beautiful fillet of pork - rubbed with a paste of juniper berries, flat leaf parsley & black pepper. Sear the pork fillets first in a pan then roll in the juniper mixture & roast at 175 about 8-10 minutes. Don't forget to leave your meat to rest before serving. This gives you time to finish off the veg or make a sauce. Put the roasting pan on a hot element, add a little wine & beef stock (maybe 1/2 cup of each) & reduce by 1/3. Pork is good with mash - try adding celeriac or kumara - and cabbage or chinese greens such as bok choy.

Salad Days

Caesar salad with chicken is a quick after-work meal. It's everywhere now but, like most food trends, I first discovered it in Sydney. The dressing was perfect and when I came home I looked for a recipe but I couldn't find anything that felt right. I came up with this. Let me know if you have any ideas for improvement. First heat the oven to 180. Use about 100g chicken per person & first brine in 2 cups cold water with 1 tbsp each salt & sugar dissolved, for about 1/2 hour. This keeps the chicken moist when you grill. Meanwhile make your croutons. Cut as much bread as you want -use a French stick or something similar - into chunky cubes. Toss in 3 tbsp garlic infused olive oil. Spread on a baking tray & bake 12-15 mins until golden, stirring occasionally. (If you make too many don't worry, they keep for ages in an airtight container.) Make the dressing. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil & carefully lower 2 eggs into the pan. Cook 45 seconds & remove. Cool just enough to handle & crack yolks into a small bowl discarding the whites. Add 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, pinch of salt, ground pepper & whisk until smooth. Add olive oil whisking until the thickness you want. Up to 1/3 cup. It's is very much based on judgement and I end up with a yellow creamy dressing not as thick as mayonnaise. You can add anchovies to the dressing or separately on the salad. Now back to the chicken. Pat dry & place on a lightly oiled grill tray. Grill chicken about 8 minutes on each side. Test that it's cooked through at the thickest part but that timing works for me. Maybe a little more on the first side. Set the chicken aside to cool & put the water on to poach the eggs. Begin to assemble the salad. Mix torn up leaves of cos lettuce in a bowl first with the dressing, then lay in individual plates. Add croutons, anchovies for those who like them, then slices of the chicken. Pour over any leftover dressing. Poach the eggs & put one on the top of each dish & finish with very thin slices of Parmesan. I use the potato peeler. This salad is not only delicious, it's not nearly as fiddly as it sounds and works for the fussy family. Everyone in our family bar Peter & I have this without something.

For a green salad with a bit of a difference try beans, broccolini & asparagus. Cut the veg how you like them. Steam lightly - to al dente & toss in your best olive oil. Leave to cool slightly then season & toss in a bowl with toasted almonds, diced radishes & a dash of lemon juice.

I love eggs - I may have already mentioned this? Eggs & chicken are perfect in a salad as we have seen above. Try slicing a chicken breast in half horizontally, then saute both pieces in a little olive oil until cooked through. Set aside & add 1/2 cup verjuice to the pan & boil until reduced & syrupy. Return the chicken to the pan & coat with the glaze. Set aside to cool in the pan. Cut an iceberg (or similar crunchy) lettuce into wedges and arrange on a plate. You want chunks of crunchy lettuce. I have a lettuce knife I bought a few years ago & it cuts lettuce without bruising it. Great for shredding. I actually bought it because I was hoping one day to find a recipe for Cobb Salad and many years later I did but that is another story. Slice the chicken thinly against the grain & toss with pan juices then lay on the lettuce with the eggs cut into neat little wedges with your multipurpose egg slicer. Drizzle with aioli - you could make your aioli using verjuice instead of vinegar if you like. Scatter over capers, anchovies, olives, flat leaf parsley and then anything else you find in the fridge that seems suitable. You know I like scattering.

This time of year I usually start making Salad Nicoise too. Well it might not be Nicoise in the true sense, so just call it tuna potato salad. Boil some Red Desiree potatoes in their skins - you can use any waxy potatoes but I like the red skins in this salad - and cut into largish chunks. Leave to cool a little. Line a serving bowl with bite size pieces of cos lettuce then build up the rest of the ingredients in an order that pleases you. Include tinned tuna, boiled eggs (in neat wedges), steamed french beans and/or asparagus, halved cherry tomatoes (I like to use a couple of varieties), anchovies, capers, olives, the cooled potatoes. Drizzle over some vinaigrette - I sometimes use lemon instead of vinegar for this salad.

I have to tell you about the lunch I ate today. Nikau is open again and Peter & I had a relaxing lunch there today. I had scallops on creamed spinach with an amazing lemon salsa. I'm going to play around & see if I can recreate it. If I do I will share with you. It would be delicious with any fish & probably chicken as well. Maybe haloumi. It had chunks of lemon zest & was so sharp that it was only just on the right side of tart which was perfect with the richness of the scallops. It's been a little cool and wet in Wellington so Peter had a warming parsnip and fennel soup - delicious!

For fish lovers

A nage is a reduced stock/sauce which is delicious served with summer vegetables or fish or both. You need to leave the nage to sit for the flavours to develop so start preparing well in advance. Roughly chop a fennel bulb, 1 large onion, 4 celery sticks, a handful button mushrooms and add to a pan with zest of a lemon, salt, peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, thyme, 1/2 tsp fennel seeds & enough water to cover. Simmer 20 minutes, take off the heat, add 300ml white wine & leave to cool 2 hours. Strain & pour about 1 litre into a wide based pan. You can freeze the rest for another time. Add a few threads of saffron, bring to the boil & boil rapidly until it has reduced to 120ml. Transfer to a small pan & set aside. This will now be a really intensely flavoured sauce.

Blanch some fresh vegetables - beans, baby carrots, broad beans, broccoli cut very small -to set the colour & put aside. Steam the fish & shellfish - mussels, scallops, prawns, a delicate fish like John Dory. We usually steam the mussels open first then just heat through on the half shell. Add the veg to finish off/heat through and keep warm while you finish the sauce. Drain any fish juice/mussel licquor you have into the reduced stock, bring to the boil and gradually whisk in 100g butter in small pieces. This makes the sauce thick & shiny. Plate the fish & veg and pour over the nage. Here is another version.

I like to eat lots of scallops while they're in season. Try this for a quick weekend lunch. Allow 6-10 scallops per person. Warm about 2tbsp grated ginger, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp very finely chopped capsicum, 2tbsp olive oil. Cook the scallops - 30 seconds each side - in a very hot pan with a little oil & remove to the warmed sauce. In the scallop pan, wilt down a handful of baby spinach leaves mixed with lemon juice. Put on a warm plate, top with scallops, drizzle over marinade & left over pan juices.

During the season, eat whitebait at every opportunity. Make a light batter with 2 eggs, a scant tbsp flour, salt & pepper. Mix through 200g whitebait & fry in spoonfuls about 2 minutes each side. Serve with black pepper & lemon juice. These are a real taste of childhood.

While on seasons, I tasted a Te Matuku Bay oyster at the market this morning. I'd buy them again, however the season is nearly over. What a great start to a Sunday. Strolling along the waterfront slurping an oyster off a shell!

While we're on fish I should mention salmon risotto. This is the perfect spring risotto. Cut 300-400g boned skinned salmon into 2 cm cubes and mix with lemon rind & pepper then set aside. Make a basic risotto with a leek & add saffron with the stock. Blanch some asparagus or green beans. When the risotto is done stir through salmon, vegetables & lemon juice, cover pot & cook 2 minutes, then leave to stand another 2. Serve with lemon wedges.

And don't forget homemade fish & chips.

Warmer days

I'm going to run quickly through some spring dinners we have had over the last few weeks. A firm favourite in our house is a very simple dish with chicken thighs, new potatoes & cherry tomatoes. Preheat the oven to about 200. Boil some smallish washed new potatoes about 12-15 mins. Meanwhile skin tomatoes using last week's method. Because they're cherries, the skins will pinch off easily. Cut each thigh into about 3 pieces & rub with olive oil & salt & pepper. Fry in batches until almost cooked & transfer to a shallow ovenproof dish. When the potatoes are almost cooled squadge them with your thumb until they are slightly crushed. I do this a lot so when I say crush the potatoes that is just what I mean. I find this really burns my thumbs after a while & if I have a lot of potatoes to do, I use the back of a teaspoon. Crush a bunch of fresh oregano leaves in a pestle & mortar with some sea salt. The abrasiveness of the salt helps with the crushing process - salt is also good for crushing garlic on a board with the back of a knife. Add about 4 tbsp of your best olive oil, a splash of good red wine vinegar & a few good grinds of the pepper mill. Mix it up and add to the chicken, potatoes & tomatoes with a few more oregano leaves. Toss carefully and spread in your ovenproof dish. Bake for 40 minutes or so until everything is golden & slightly sticky. Perfect with a green salad.

Scallops are in season & we like to make the most of seasonal luxuries. Try a rather decadent scallopy pasta for 2. Put the pasta water on to boil. Fry 100g pancetta until crispy & set aside. Lightly brown the scallops in the oil from the pancetta & set aside. Pour about 1/3 cup of bubbly (I used prosecco because it's not too sweet) into the pan & bring to the boil. Take off the heat & leave to stand a minute then pour in a little cream. Add the scallops & simmer 3-4 minutes, which is about the time you will need to cook your pasta if you use thin egg ribbons. Try fettucine. Mix the scallops with the pasta, add chopped chives & the crumbled pancetta. You'd better finish the bottle of bubbly because it won't keep.

A couple of Sundays ago it was almost like summer. Truly it was. Although I had been planning a completely different meal, I made a spontaneous decision to have ham & salad. I did crushed rosemary potatoes - that's boiling & crushing as above, tossing in olive oil, sprinkling about some salt & pepper with rosemary & roasting for 40 minutes or so in a hot oven. We had sliced free range ham, hard boiled eggs, grilled haloumi, salad, served with a selection of home made relishes. I also did my first asparagus of the season using a method I saw at the Clevedon Farmer's market once. I think I remembered it right. I put the asparagus in a large piece of tinfoil, seasoned with salt & pepper, squeezed on some lime juice & drizzled over some olive oil. I then loosely wrapped up as a parcel & steamed in a hot oven for about 12 minutes. It was perfect. By the way the Manurewa Hungarian sausage guy who has a stall at Clevedon also has his sausages at Moore Wilson now. I haven't tried them yet but always mean to. Has anyone had them?

Still on the tinfoil theme, we had to get dinner over quickly one night last week so I fished out a spicy bean stew, (July 5th), from the freezer & topped it with a fillet of terakihi steamed in a foil packet. I remembered my mother doing something similar with fish. In addition to olive oil & salt I added a bay leaf & a slice of lemon. It cooked in about 12-15 mins at 180.

For morning teas I have made a great loaf twice now. To your favourite Madeira loaf, add about 2 tsp finely chopped rosemary & leave out the lemon. On top sprinkle about 2 tbsp rosemary sugar before baking. I keep a jar of caster sugar with a stick of rosemary, similar to vanilla sugar. I usually use it when savoury sauces call for sugar. The loaf was delicious as some of you can testify. The other cake in the picture is a treacly gingerbread loaf with a lemon icing.

Spring pasta

Every now and then we get a day that reminds us spring is imminent and on those days I like to eat as if it were already here. Pasta & salad make a lovely spring meal and as well we are getting back into dinner salads. There will be plenty of those over the coming weeks.Ribbon egg pasta with a light sauce of fish or vegetables is the ultimate spring dinner for me. Try tagliolini with peas & prosciutto. Boil the water for the pasta. Gently heat about 50g butter in a pan, gently saute 1/2 dozen spring onions, thinly sliced, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup frozen peas - I only use fresh when I have them in the garden - with a splash of water and simmer a minute or so, then add 75g roughly sliced prosciutto and cook another minute or so. Put the pasta on at about the same time as the peas and cook for 2 minutes. Drain leaving a little of the cooking liquid. Put into the pan with the pasta & reserved cooking liquid, add 50g grated Parmesan & salt & pepper to taste. Serve with a salad.
Or try a variation on an old spaghetti favourite in our house. Everyone liked this when they were younger and fussier and they all still do. The basic idea is spaghetti with fried breadcrumbs. Apparently, the crumbs, known as pangrattato, historically were used as a substitute for Parmesan by people who couldn't afford cheese. Process 1/2 cup fresh white breadcrumbs and bake in the oven at 200 for 8-10 minutes. Season with salt & pepper. Cook your spaghetti according to the packet and try these alternatives. Heat olive oil & garlic until the garlic begins to colour, then add a good handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley with 1/2 tsp each of chopped rosemary & thyme. Cook about 30 seconds. When you have drained the pasta, add it to the herbs in the pan & toss with about 1 tsp chopped basil and the baked crumbs. This was how we started but have now discovered this works beautifully with the addition of fish, or prawns or chorizo or salami. Try this version from Cuisine. We recently did a lemony version with gurnard which was really delicious. Make the breadcrumbs as above. Cook the spaghetti according to the packet. Heat some olive oil in a largish pan, add 400g well seasoned gurnard fillets and fry 2-3 minutes each side. Add chopped flat-leaf parsley and zest of a lemon, season with sea salt, pepper & toss well, breaking up the fish. Drain the pasta & add to the fish. Always reserve a couple of tablespoons of the pasta water when you drain and add to the sauce. I don't know why but it works. Sprinkle with the crumbs. The plain herb version is good for a vegan.
And lastly another family favourite. Spaghetti with chilli prawns & fresh tomato. Leave out the prawns if you don't eat them. Our vegetarian loves this sans prawns, although with prawns was probably the very last non-vegetarian meal from which she weaned herself. First get your tomatoes ready. Take about 500g good quality, well ripened tomatoes. Score a cross across the core, place in a bowl, pour over boiling water & let sit a couple of minutes. Drain, cool slightly unless you have asbestos fingers like my grandma. Then peel off the skin, it should come away easily. Don't leave it in the water for too long or it will start to cook the tomato. Quarter the tomatoes and with the point of a knife flick out as many seeds as you can. Chop out any hard bits of core, then chop the flesh into small pieces. The original recipe said leave to drain for an hour but we are impatient so 10 minutes is enough while you're getting everything else ready. You may be thinking this all sounds a bit fiddly for me & you're right. This is a Peter recipe & I suggest that you hand over the tomato preparation to a man in your household who is sure to have more patience for it than I do. E, this is a job for you.Cook spaghetti according to packet. Chop 2 tbsp parsley & mix in a bowl with 2 tbsp small basil leaves, 1/2 tsp chilli flakes (I've long given up chopping fresh chillis), a clove of crushed garlic, a dozen pitted black olives (the recipe suggested chopped but they're more easily avoided by non olive lovers left whole). Add 3 tbsp best extra virgin olive oil you can afford then add the chopped tomatoes. Heat a little more oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and cook prawn cutlets (that's skinned but with tails on, and 1/2 dozen per diner) for a couple of minutes until starting to pink up. Turn them over and crumble over a generous pinch of saffron and a little more crushed chilli. When it's cooked add tomato oil mix and quickly incorporate the prawny residue. Add the drained pasta, add a little more olive oil if you like.
For all these meals choose spaghetti, spaghettini, or linguine - whichever you prefer. And I like to serve followed by a green or garden salad.
You may be wondering two things. What have I been doing the last couple of weeks? Banned from the study due to exams... And what keeps me cheerful when I am in here blogging...?

Scroll Up

Phoebe used to like cheesymite scrolls for school lunches but I decided that it was too much of a pain to buy them every week, not to mention costly, so I developed our own version. She is now the most popular girl in school - at least at lunchtime. And I also have some cachet with year 12 - my scrolls have been requested at Charities Committee meetings. This is a true story.

In a bowl mix:

500g white bread flour

1 sachet instant yeast

1 tbsp salt (use less to taste)

Add 5 tbsp olive oil to 300-400 ml warm water and mix with dry ingredients to make a soft but firm dough. Knead in your usual way until you have a smooth elastic ball then leave to rise in a lightly oiled bowl covered with clingfilm for about an hour.

When done split the dough in half.

Roll out one half to a rectangle roughly 30 cm by 10 cm. Might be longer - it should be quite thin. Spread the rectangle with tomato paste. Sprinkle on grated cheese - I use cheddar & Parmesan. Actually pile on the cheese - these are very cheesy scrolls. Then sprinkle with dried oregano - I tried chopping fresh but my customer prefers dried. Carefully roll up lengthways & slice into 3cm scrolls. I get 15 or so scrolls. Don't make them too big - they can always take 2.

Put on a baking tray covered with a tea towel for 1/2 hour or so to rise again. Bake at 200 15-20 mins.

While the scrolls are rising cut the top off a garlic bulb, drizzle with olive oil & loosely wrap in tin foil. Put in the oven with the scrolls & leave in another 20 minutes after you've taken them out.

Take your 2nd ball of dough and roll into another rectangle, this time more bulky - more 20cm by 15cm. Sorry didn't measure. Leave on a baking tray, covered with a tea towel to rise. Meantime whizz a handful of parsley in your food processor with the garlic you have just squeezed out of the roasted bulbs. Add some olive oil to make an emulsion - a thick pouring consistency. Make some dimples on the loaf - I use my knuckles. Then pour over the emulsion and bake at 190 for 20 minutes or so. Sprinkle with Maldon salt while still warm and drizzle on some more oi if you are going to eat straight away. I often freeze & drizzle the oil when I am warming up.

Some things to consider when making bread. Look for recipes that resemble the bread you like. This is a flat bread recipe but when I was looking for scrolls this looked the best & it worked. When I wanted to make fruit bread I added spices & fruit to a recipe for rye bread - that worked. The Mountain bread (2 August) replaced our weekly Vogel's loaf. So now I make the breads we used to buy. I use instant yeast. It's just easier. I knead my bread with the dough hook on my mixer. All this makes breadmaking simple - just part of our regular kitchen activities.