All posts filed under: DO NOT USE

‘Proper Black’ Barbecoa braised short beef ribs

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I’m quite pathetic when it comes to cooking meat. I just don’t have it in me. Unforutnately neither does Jack – don’t tell him I said that though. The thing is, we just don’t tend to buy it. I’ll happily order a meat dish at a restaurant because I know it’s going to be so much better than my attempts. But when the email from Barbecoa arrived in my inbox telling me about a fantastic competition called #BBshortrib, I couldn’t resist. All I needed to do was pick five short ribs up from Barbecoa Butchers on Friday 10th February, cook them over the weekend and take them to be re heated at the restaurant on the Monday evening. It all sounded easy. As usual, I was slightly unprepared with my recipe but I knew I wanted to do something a bit different. I had a feeling that lots of entrants would be BBQing them, or braising them in red wine. So I did something a little different – I braised them in ‘Proper Black’, a …

WIN herbs and spices from Gourmet Garden

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Moving into my first rented flat with a friend in my second year of university was incredibly exciting. No more student halls, no more shared kitchens, no more noise keeping me up all night, no more mess (well, almost). I can positively say that I was a bad cook at this time in my life. My specialties, as most students can claim, were spaghetti bolognese and a steak sandwich. Or the odd jacket potato with cottage cheese, baked beans and salad. Oh dear. Luckily my friend was a good cook and every so often she would make the most amazing Thai chicken curry. I would beg her to make it for us and most of the time she caved in. I remember she used to use squeezy tubes of garlic, lemongrass and ginger. It was so easy and utterly delicious. It wasn’t until recently that I was reintroduced to those very handy squeezy tubes. Gourmet Garden produces a wide range of herbs and spices that are simply washed, chopped and put into tubes. The amount …

Burns Night at Vinopolis

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Phil, please stop, you’re too funny – whoever the heck Phil is. You see, I know Phil because his name was written on his placemat at the Burns Night celebrations at Vinopolis last week. But the thing is, Phil scuppered me somewhat by not turning up. I was sat on a round table of 10 with my guest to my left, but on my right was a big gaping space where Phil and his friend were meant to sit. Naughty Phil. But enough of him, let’s talk about the people that did turn up and more importantly the food and drink we consumed on the evening. A champagne reception was followed by a cocktail of Chivas 12 year old with apple juice and monin cinnamon. We were ushered into the joining room to enjoy a short bagpipe parade before being seated at our table for the evening in the vast function room set in the arches of an old Victorian railway viaduct. Sound impressive? It was. We snaked past the tables full of suited and …

Pearled spelt risotto with butternut squash and spinach

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December is a very decadent month for me. First of all, it’s my birthday, followed closely by various Christmas drinks, dinners and parties. And if that’s not enough, then there’s Christmas itself. Not to mention a boozy New Year. Throughout the month, all I kept thinking to myself was that come January I would be better to my body. So here comes the healthier eating. The thing is, I do love healthy foods. A quinoa salad is one of my favourite lunch dishes and I adore pulses, brown rice and wholewheat pasta. I’m also a fan of pearled spelt, commonly known as faro. So one of my first healthy New Year recipes comes after I swapped the usual white risotto rice for Sharpham Park pearled spelt. The pearled spelt gave the dish a crunchy texture and nutty flavour, which I prefer. I also much prefer the fact that pearled spelt is more easily digestable than wheat and higher in nutrients. Try it, not only will you taste buds love it, your body will too. Pearled …

Huevos Rancheros

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Knowing that I would be feeling slightly fragile on New Years day, I took a trip to the supermarket and prepared to make a delicious hang over busting breakfast – Huevos Rancheros. I was inspired by Valentine Warner’s recipe in his newest book, The Good Table, but I seem to have misplaced it so I created my own version. I feel like I cheated slightly with the tin of refried beans but as soon as I locate my cookbook, I’ll be making Valentines version from scratch. Ingredients 1 tin of cherry tomatoes 1/2 tin of refried beans 1 red chilli, finely chopped 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped small bunch of coriander salt and pepper to season 2 tbsp tomato puree 1 tbsp red wine vinegar 4 free range eggs 1/2 avocado, chopped 1/2 lime, sliced into wedges 4 corn tortillas 8 tbsp vegetable oil for frying Method 1. Heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan and fry the chopped chilli and garlic on a medium heat for 3 minutes, or until soft 2. Add …