Coq Au Vin

Whilst cooking is one of my favourite pastimes, lying on the sofa reading my book while someone else cooks for me is just as enjoyable. For Sunday dinner last weekend, Chris cooked an amazing chicken casserole. Coq au vin is great as you use chicken thighs and drumsticks which are not only much cheaper than breast meat, but also don't tend to dry out as much. I like to roast the shallots for half an hour before adding them to the sauce, as they soften and caramelise, making them even more sweet and delicious. Chris used a recipe from Delia Online; Nigel Slater also has some good recommendations for making the 'perfect' coq au vin. Served with plenty of mustard mash to soak up the delicious red wine sauce, it was an extremely tasty, if not particularly healthy meal.

Before adding the vin:

Served with mustard mash & broccoli:

Smoked Mackerel Salad

On Saturday my old housemate Lucy came to stay for the weekend. I love being out on the balcony on the rare occasions when the weather permits, seeing as it was so beautiful I decided to make a salad for dinner - perfect for some al fresco dining.

Mackerel is both good for you and cheap; it cost just £2 for three fillets compared to £4.50 for two salmon fillets. It's an oily fish so it's high in omega 3, along with the avocado and olive oil the salad contains plenty of 'good' fats. The new potatoes bulked out the meal, but if you're having this for lunch you could leave them out.

Serves 4

4 peppered smoked mackerel fillets

1 bag rocket, spinach & watercress

1 avocado

4 spring onions

Cucumber

400g new potatoes

For the dressing:

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

3 tbsp olive oil

1. Put the potatoes in a pan of water and boil until tender, this normally takes around 20 minutes
2. Meanwhile chop the cucumber, spring onions and avocado. Place on 4 separate plates with the salad leaves
3. Once cooked through, slice the potatoes and add to the salad along with the mackerel
4. Drizzle with the dressing and serve with plenty of creamed horseradish

Tasty salad:

British Pie Week

Well hello to you, and welcome to my food blog. In honour of British Pie Week, I decided to make dinner for my lovely friend Fran (who is turning 24 this week – happy birthday!). 

I’ve always loved traditional English cooking. My mother is a fantastic cook and every Sunday I would help her make our evening meal. Sunday was the one day where the whole family got together and ate dinner, even when my sister and I got older. I learnt to cook during these Sunday afternoon cooking sessions, to start with my madre allowed me to do the easy jobs – chopping onions, frying the meat in batches, etc. As I got older and more proficient I was allowed the honour of making the gravy, which to me is the highlight of any good roast.

I’ve tried to continue this tradition in 2011, so every Sunday this year my boyfriend and I have cooked a ‘proper’ Sunday meal. His fish pie and my Chinese braised lamb being a highlight. 

This Sunday I made steak & roasted shallot pie. It’s a recipe from Good Food, which is my favourite website for cooking inspiration. You can find the recipe here. I served the pie with buttered leeks & peas, braised red cabbage and parsnip & horseradish puree. Overall it was a success, although the meat was a little tough. I often find when the recipe instructs you to cook the filling on the hob, you can’t get the temperature low enough and the meat doesn’t soften. If I make this again, I’ll put it in the oven instead, on a very low heat.

Pie, yum yum!

Zero points for presentation, but it tasted gooood: