Pinot King Prawn Pasta

Now here's my kind of supper. 

Shrimple, but effective.

Yep. SHE'S BAAAAACK!!!

So in a matter of weeks, garden furniture up and down the country will be packed into sheds, locked up and forgotten about until next year.

We'll resume our places around the dinner table, or nestle into sofas with plates on laps, and forget all about lazy BBQs as we slurp on a chicken casserole. 

Now I for one found relaxation in those outdoors suppers.

The fresh air (and let's face it, separation from an earlier massacred kitchen) unwind me, and this is the dish I've chosen to enjoy whilst the curtains to a summer full of living are finally drawn.

Here's what you'll need:

Large handful of linguine. I use the gluten free dried stuff but fresh works just fine.

1 red chilli, roughly chopped

3 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 red onion, finely diced

Handful of mixed small tomatoes

1 large glass white wine

500g cooked and peeled king prawns

Handful fresh parsley, chopped

1 lemon

Cook your pasta in salted boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes until al dente. 

Whilst it's boiling, chop your chilli and garlic into chunks

Pop them in a food processor (if you don't have one just chop as small as you can)

And blitz until you're left with something like this:

Heat a pan with a little olive oil and give you pasta a twirl

And throw in the onion, chilli and garlic

Fry until softened, season and pulse your tomatoes

You don't want them liquidized, so go easy here. Pour them into the pan

By now your pasta should be ready, so drain, rinse off and put to one side

Go back to your sauce, glugging in the wine as you go

Drop in your prawns

Squeeze in the juice of a lemon and top with a sprinkling of chopped parsley

Season, add your pasta, stir it all together and leave it to bubble whilst you lay the table.

Light a candle, pull up a chair and soak in the evening.

Bye bye for now, al fresco suppers. Until next year...

The Countryside Rehab

Last weekend I awoke to the Mac Daddy of all hangovers.

I rolled over, dry mouthed and bleary eyed, frantically searched the duvets for my iPhone, gulped down a pint of water & assessed my creative choice of sleepwear.

Fully prepared to surrender to my mattress for the day, I rolled over and saw this:

I immediately felt a pang of zen and everything (head included) felt better again. 

After another pint of water, paracetamol, ibuprofen, a resolve and a mug of sugary tea (kids, don't try this at home) I began to feel human again. The sun was shining and it soon became apparent that I was in dire need of a good Sunday lunch.

Naturally, this meant a trip to the countryside. The Boy and I hopped in the car, popped the roof and headed to the parentals house.

Ok, ok. We may or may not have made a quick stop-off for a spot of deep fried sustenance en route and that may or may not be a Sausage & Egg McMuffin.

We drove along happy and windswept, chatting about nothing all the way there.

Upon our arrival, we ditched our bags, jumped into wellies and set out into the sunlit fields in search of the family.

We met a little mother frog who was guarding her young spawn along the way.

But she hadn't seen them since feeding time for the fish earlier that morning. 

Just as we were nearing the paddock, K appeared in her glamourous truck!

We hopped on board and she took us out into one of the fields where M and C were hard at work. The roof of their horse shed had been blown away during the bad weather, so we shouted directions and to and fro'd until the mission was complete.

Worn out and starving, we finally sat down to Sunday lunch.

 

 

C served up roast beef and we piled our plates high with crispy roast potatoes, green veggies and yorkshire puddings.

I'm a firm believer that the human body includes a second stomach solely for the use of pudding, so I made sure I ate my fill of supper before the pie came out.

Normal and pudding tummies nice and full, we bounded in to the television room for rugby and homemade buttery flapjacks. (NB - I can always room for flapjacks).

And just as the sun began to set, we packed away our things and made our way back home. We cruised along with the roof down and heaters blowing all the way there.

 

I don't know quite what it is about the countryside that relaxes me so much, everything just seems a little slower out there. As much as I love London, it's nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life every now and then, even if it is just for roast beef and a cup of tea.

What are your plans this weekend? Make sure you let me know if you're heading anywhere lovely.

Lick-The-Bowl Lamb Curry

If my Mum ever finds out that I've shared this recipe with you, I am so dead.

 

I kid you not, it has taken me twenty two years to get my grubby little paws on this recipe. By the time I hit 'publish' I will have already fled the country and be living in a small straw hut, shelling coconuts for a living and teaching locals how to twerk.

Life will be a hard slog from here on out, but seeing as it's you, I think it's worth it.

For as long as I can remember, this curry has taken pride of placemat at my Mum's family get together's and glamorous grown-ups-only dinner parties alike. 

As a child, she would sneak bowlfuls upstairs for me and my sister and we would sit in bed, feasting on fragrant lamb and sticky white rice, whilst laughter roared from the dining room below and the scent of freshly chopped coriander wafted up the stairs.

It took a bit of eyelash fluttering, but finally, she showed me how to make it. 

 

To make a pot big enough for 8-10 people, you'll need:

A good curry paste. This is the most important step & creates the basis for a fab curry. Buying spices can be costly but once you've got them, they last for months. I use:

2tbsp fennel seeds, cumin seeds & coriander seeds

1/2 tbsp fenugreek seeds & black peppercorns

4 cloves & 4 cardamon pods

1/2 a cinnamon stick

You'll also need to fetch yourself:

1.5kg of lamb shoulder or any other meaty cut

800g chopped tinned tomatoes

1/2 pint of chicken stock

2 red onions

10 cloves of garlic

2 fresh chillies, red & green

2 inch chunk of fresh ginger

Two big handful of chopped coriander

1/2 pint natural fat-free yoghurt

A bag of spinach

2 big tsp butter

Half a lime

I know, I know. It sounds like a right old fuss. But this isn't a dish you'd knock up on a daily basis. This is a meal for special people at special dinner parties only. Ok? 

Right. Pre-heat your oven to 180, weigh out your spices and toast them over a low heat for two minutes. When they're ready, grind them up with a pestle and mortar.

 

In a food processor, whizz the onions, garlic, chillies, ginger & half of your coriander.

 

Throw in your spice dust and blitz everything together until it's paste-like.

Heat a large, oven proof dish over the hob and spoon in your butter. When it's melted, add your curry paste. Take a whiff of that, right? Unbelievably yummy.

After a few minutes, pour in your tinned tomatoes and chicken stock.

Pop on the lid and put your sauce in the oven for around an hour and a half. In the meantime, cut your lamb into bite size chunks and brown in batches.

 

Check on your sauce every 30 minutes and top it up with stock or water if it's looking a bit dry. When the house is smelling irresistibly delicious and your will power begins to lapse, add your browned meat and give it a stir.

It's not ready just yet, buster. Good things come to those who wait... and drool.

After another two hours in the oven, it should be ready to go. Throw in your spinach and pop the lid back on. It will quickly wilt, so stir it in and grab your yoghurt.

Dollop it over your sauce and stir thoroughly. Your curry will become lighter in colour and take on a deliciously creamy flavour. Squeeze over your lime juice and season.

Mum always serves hers up with sticky white rice and roast cumin potatoes, drizzled with fresh yoghurt and lashings of freshly chopped mint.

Scatter over the remainder of your coriander and plate up straight from the pot.

Dishing up is strictly prohibited when making Lick-The-Bowl Lamb Curry, it's far too much effort after all that hard work in the kitchen. Now, go seek out a large glass of wine and praise yourself for being the wondrous chef you truly are.

Mum, I'm sorry. Forgive me for blog blabbing.

It's off to the airport I go.