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...

It's A Little Chilli (...Con Carne) Outside

I refuse to spend the month of January hungry.

According to my Instagram and Facebook, the majority of my friends are living strictly lettuce-only-lives over the forthcoming frosty weeks.

Now I'm all for eating healthy and everything, but come on! It's bloody freezing outside and a pile of iceberg is gonna do nothing but make me downright sorrowful.

Instead of repenting my Quality Street related sins like a good girl, I'm rebelling.

I'm going to chow down on a bowl of Chilli Con Charlotte and you're invited to join me!

Rich, packed full of flavour and totally home-made I don't want to hear a peep from you about having this as a 'cheat' meal. This is good-for-the-soul, proper winter grub.

Knock up a batch midweek and take the leftovers in for a corker of a packed lunch the next day. I promise you now, you're going to love it! 

To make enough for four servings, you're going to need:

800g tinned chopped tomatoes

400g kidney beans

1 can baked beans (I like Heinz Five Beans)

2 white onions, diced

2 red peppers, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Small bunch fresh coriander

2 heaped tsp cinnamon

3 heaped tsp ground cumin

3 heaped tsp chilli powder

3 heaped tsp paprika

500g lean minced beef

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Dollop of crème fraîche

I serve mine up with fluffy white rice & pitta's, jacket potatoes or salted corn chips.

In a big pan, drizzle in a little olive oil and add the chopped onions and garlic. After a minute or so, throw in the peppers and turn the heat down to medium.

When the peppers have softened, add the spices and season well. Drain the kidney beans and add them to the pot too, along with the baked beans and balsamic vinegar.

Give everything a stir and throw in your tomatoes. Fill one empty can up with water and add that too. Sprinkle in your sugar, pop on the lid and leave to simmer.

In a separate pan, brown your mince and season with salt and pepper. Begrudgingly drain off the excess oil and add the beef to the chilli sauce. Have a taste and adjust the spices accordingly. I always end up throwing in more chilli powder and cumin!

Pop the lid on and simmer for 45 minutes, giving it the occasional stir and taste test (very naughtily eat some and groan). Meanwhile, boil your rice and toast the pitta's.

Just before serving, sprinkle over the coriander and swirl in your crème fraîche.



Enjoy! And remember to keep some for tomorrow's lunch if you can stop yourself from devouring the whole pot. It really is the bomb diggity the next day.

Granny's Low Carb Chicken Hotpot

With just two weeks to go before the big day, we're officially smack bang in the middle of Sniffle Season. Now I don't know about you, but I've spent many a Christmas unwrapping presents in quarantine.

Eleven months of the year, I'm the picture of health. I take my vitamins, work out bi-weekly and eat at least four of my five a day. But when it comes to December, a time for parties, get togethers and festive earings, I'm a certified snotty mess.

If like me you're prone to the Christmas Plague (medical term), I come bearing a fool proof solution which can be whipped up in under half an hour. It's a hand-me-down from J's Grandma and the only reason I'm able to write this post without readjusting the tissues which are usually lodged up my nostrils at this time of year. 

Grandma's recipe has been curing coughs and splutters for years. It's a traditional war time supper made from the most simple ingredients and one big pot can feed up to eight people, in true Grandma style. To make yours, you'll need:

2 x large onions

5 x large carrots

3 x chicken breasts (use leftover roast chicken and boil the carcass to make the broth if you have the time)

1 tin of sweetcorn

A handful of wholegrain rice

A kettle of boiling water

A few handfuls of chicken gravy granules

Pop the kettle on and grab your chopping board. In a large pan, fry your chicken in a little olive oil and seasoning until cooked through but not crispy, you want it as succulent as possible for your hotpot.

Slice your onions into fine strips and roughly peel and chop your carrots.

Add your onions to the cooked chicken and pour over your boiling water. Use however much you see fit, around 3/4 of a kettle full or so. You can always add more later on. Leave it to bubble away for a few minutes.

Throw in your chopped carrots, rice and gravy granules. You want the broth to be nice and thin, so be careful here. The granules help to bring out that deep chickeny flavour, so keep tasting as you go.

Add your sweetcorn. Frozen corn works just fine in this, so don't fret if the cupboards are bare. This is a wartime meal after all, so making do with what you've got is all part of the fun!

Season, give it a twirl and pop the lid on. Leave it alone for 15 minutes and go distract yourself by laying the table. If you've already been struck down with the Christmas Plague, take this opportunity to replace earlier mentioned nostril blockers and/or beg loved ones for cuddles on the sofa. I'd suggest a combination of puppy dog eyes and threatening to wipe snot on their arm should do the trick nicely.

Once times up have a taste, add a big knob of butter and grab your ladle. It's hotpot o'clock, baby.

Serve in deep bowls with crusty french bread. I like to add an extra dollop of butter and a sprinkle of salt in my bowl when nobodies watching. I wont tell if you don't.

A cold busting winter warmer that is totally delicious and ridiculously low in carbs. If you're planning on cutting back in the New Year, a batch of Granny's Hotpot can be frozen for up to three months in an air tight container. Enjoy!

Minted Pea Smash

Mashed potatoes regularly visit my day dreams around this time of year.

 

I'm not quite sure who invites them along, but I'm pretty certain that the bed of crunchy leaves outside my doorstep or the fleecy pullovers hanging in my wardrobe might have something to do with it.

 

My point is, as soon a it gets cold, all I want to do is curl up with a dollop of creamy mash and hibernate the winter away. The problem? Those pesky little calories doing a little snuggling of their own down in my bowl.

 

Some things in life are truly unfair. But never fear, young chef. I come bearing a winter warming alternative.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you my Minted Pea Smash.

It's low calorie, super delicious and easy peasy (no pun intended, I swear!) to knock up in a jiffy.

 

Serve it up as a mid-week dinner for two or put it on your dinner party menu. It's just as comforting as mash potato and it's looks a thousand times fancier. It's also a trillion (approx.) times better for you.

I served mine with piri piri roasted chicken and lemon mayo, but lamb cutlets or turkey would work fantastically. To make enough for two people, you'll need:

250g frozen peas

1 x fresh red chili, finely chopped

1 x large handful of fresh mint, roughly chopped

A squeeze of lemon juice

Salt and pepper to season

Boil your peas until they float to the top of your saucepan.

Drain them off and place in a big bowl. Now, grab your masher. Squash them about a bit so the peas pop and slightly mash. Don't go overboard here, you don't want to be left with bowl of soggy mush.

When you've got them to a good stage, add your chopped chili and mint. Give it a good mix and season to taste.

Just before you serve up, squeeze in a little lemon juice. The lemon gives the peas some zip zap zop and sets the chili off beautifully.

Plate up with your choice of meat and woolf it down like nobodies watching, totally guilt free.

Each serving rings in at around 130 calories, which is under half the amount in a serving of mashed potato made with semi skimmed milk. What's not to love?

Peaaaaaaaa-utiful.