Tuna and Mushroom Spaghetti

Her turn to cook today and a quick, but tasty dinner is what she makes, which is some kind of Tuna and Mushroom stirred into Spaghetti with peas, creme fraiche and dried chilli flakes. About 3 quarters of the way through cooking, I hear cursing from the kitchen and and warning not to come in as asthetically the dish doesn't measure up to her standards. Indeed a peek over her shoulder reveals a mess of spaghetti, tinned tuna flakes and crème fraiche - but once on the tongue it tastes just fine.

Tuna and mushroom spaghetti

Cheese on Toast

She wants to go out for cocktails tonight, so it's another quick dinner tonight, Cheese on Toast but not your typical. After toasting one side of the malt grain bread, I spread the other side with garlic cream cheese and topping with thinly sliced spring onion, strips of ham and blue French cheese, before melting under the grill. Tasty. I brush my teeth before heading out.

Cheese on toast

Chilli Con Carne

At Hers for dinner tonight as she's promised to use the slow cooker to make Chilli Con Carne. I'm excited, as in general stews and ragus such as this love the slow cooking, being left to infuse all day over a low heat - brilliant.
She's a slightly unconventional cook is the the missus; she pre-warns me that she's added balsamic vinegar to the dish, but more than she wanted as it came out so quickly! Never heard of balsamic being added to a chilli and sure enough it is it's sweetness that comes through with just a hint of hotness - She likes her food quite mild. We ladle it onto our plates with the classic chilli accompaniments: rice, nachos and soured cream. I went back for seconds.

Chilli con carne

Creamy, Spicy Beans on Toast and Apricot Tart

Having been fed by others over the past couple of days, a peek in my fridge and cupboard reveals that I have a range of food starting to go bad and in need of eating... now.
The outer pods of the broad beans are starting to go black and soften, so I open them up and double pod the beans that are still edible. The bright green inner beans, I add to chopped chorizo once I have fried it to the crispy stage and stir with some leftover thyme. After picking the mould off the bread (yum!) I cut it into thick slices before toasting and while it does this, I open and sniff at the double cream (it's okay) and stir it into the chorizo and beans. After letting it bubble for a few minutes I pile it onto the bruschetta for Creamy, Spicy Beans on Toast.

Creamy, spicy beans on toast

Hmmm... these apricots are getting pretty soft and the puff pastry in the fridge is drying at the edges. No problem, as I cut the pastry into a circle discarding the dry extremities and poach the halved apricots, before drying and placing on the pastry and baking in a hot oven until the edges become crisp. An Apricot Tart: Juicy and sweet with a crispy base. No cream or ice cream required.
 

Apricot tart

Pork Stroganoff

Now, I'm more familiar with Beef Stroganoff, but having seen recipes for Pork Stroganoff, I try to consider why this is anything but just as good. I use chopped fresh tarragon and fresh parsley in this as well as a teaspoon of paprika while cooking the meat; all very inauthentic but tasty enough for her and I to enjoy.
So I slice and soften mushrooms and an onion in a saucepan before setting aside and turning up the heat. I then quickly cook strips of pork escalope with the paprika until they are brown and return the veg to the pan. I add a dash of Vermouth which I bubble off before adding the soured cream and herbs, which I stir into the pork and veg for a couple of minutes. I serve on stark black plates with white rice and a garnish of chopped herbs.

Pork stroganoff

Warm Smoked Mackerel with Broad Beans and Tarragon

I'm cooking dinner for Her and I today, which shakes me from a little run of home cooking laziness to do something a little different, in this case Nigel Slater's Warm Smoked Mackerel with Broad Beans and Tarragon.
I curse myself when just starting to double pod the broad beans as I remember what a time consuming process it is! Nevermind though, as my first forkful of the finished dish remind me why it's worth it; I especially like how you can taste every component of the dish. The smoked fish and pancetta are the big flavours here, but there's also the freshness of the beans combined with the savoury base from the spring onions and a creamy finish. Stabs of subtle aniseed from the Tarragon compliment the creamy sauce.

Warm smoked mackerel with broad beans and tarragon

Creamy Bacon Spaghetti

I'm absolutely starving tonight after an evening cycle ride so speed is of the essence; the contents of my fridge and cupboard lends itself to Creamy Bacon Spaghetti. I brown some lardons in a frying pan and remove when crispy. I add a thinly sliced onion and 2 crushed garlic cloves to soften in the lardon fat and in the meantime cook the pasta. Once this has cooked and the onion and garlic has softened, I return the lardons to the pan, add the pasta on top of that and stir it all together with a generous tablespoonful of soured cream and chopped parsley. The whole dish takes 15 minutes.

Creamy bacon pasta

 

Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff must be the only dish of Russian origin that is commonly consumed by people outside of that region and is liked. Anyone for stewed cabbage and potatoes? Didn't think so, so I have this version using soured cream. After softening the mushrooms and onion and setting aside, I quickly brown the steak pieces before returning the vegetables to the pan and stirring with the cream and chopped parsley. For my money the addition of paprika and lemon juice would add to the dish.

(Really love the steam coming off the dish in this photo though!)

Beef stroganoff

Creamy Bacon and Onion Spaghetti

The label on the bacon lardons says 08 May 2012. This will be alright won't it? Bacon is not a million miles away from being cured fully so a few days won't hurt. I started the double cream 3 days ago. This looks fine though, a bit of skin on top but nothing visibly harmful. I look at the cheese. I feel the cheese. It's sticky. Third time is not going to be the charm as I toss it away.
With what I have I brown the lardons until crunchy to extract it's fat and after removing them from the pan I add thinly sliced onion, crushed garlic and some chopped thyme to sweat down until soft. Once this is done I start cooking the spaghetti and add a glass of white wine to the onion pan and boil until almost dry. I return the lardons to the pan, turn off the heat and stir in the cream, by which point the spaghetti is done too, as I combine it all in one pan with a handful of grated Parmesan and crushed black pepper. Service is in a bowl with more grated Parmesan, chopped thyme and black pepper. This Creamy Bacon and Onion Spaghetti is lush. And hopefully won't kill me.

Creamy bacon and onion pasta

Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta

This is something of a staple dish for me though I don't have it too often these days, but Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta is tasty, quick and easy to make. Dice onion, sweet pepper and chicken breast, then quickly brown the chicken before setting aside and lowering the heat. Add the rest of the diced materials to the pan to soften, stirring every now and then. After 20 minutes return the chicken to the pan with a squeeze of half a lemon and boil some penne pasta as per packet instructions. When cooked, drain and stir in double cream and then combine with the chicken mix for a dinner that hits the creamy, lemony and chickeny spots.

Creamy, lemon chicken pasta

The Vaults, Cambridge

I'm obviously far too sensible in my old age as I'm a little concerned that doing cocktails on a Tuesday night is a little much, but that doesn't stop me though as we take on Las Iguanas bar. Then sense kicks in again when the answer to the equation:

No food + cocktails;

is thought through to its logical conclusion.
Hence we have some food (and cocktails) in The Vaults. Worryingly we are the only people in the restaurant side of the place which usually starts alarm bells ringing in my head, so we order slightly warily.
The menu is set up tapas style, as in there are plenty of small dishes for all to share, rather than there being a Spanish influence, as is fitting for a bar, so we order Braised Beef Cheeks, Dauphinoise Potatoes, Scallops and Bacon and Mediterranean Vegetables topped with Haloumi Cheese. It turns out that my wariness was misplaced as everything is very edible with the beef in it's rich sauce being the best of our selection, dovetailing nicely with the creamy potato dish. Fun bar food and perhaps worthy of a more serious examination at some point.

Fish Pie

The snow flurries have started again! Looks lovely but I need something warming. Fish Pie? I believe I will... Though I haven't previously made this before. Ever. Let's see how we go:

Poaching the fish in milk with bay leaves & onion

Switch fish to a dish, top with boiled eggs & parsley

With the retained milk, a white sauce is made and poured over

Then top with potato & parsnip mash

Sprinkle with grated Parmesan & pepper; pop in the oven...

...until nicely browned!

A 2nd portion may have been consumed (not pictured)

 Creamy and warming, though I think that some white wine somewhere in the mix (while poaching the fish?), would give the dish an additional something... Otherwise, very good.

A stolen dish

Student Classic Part II: Chicken and Pepper Creamy Lemon Penne. No eating in the pub for me this evening so knocked this up in 20 minutes. Chicken chunks pan fried before adding diced pepper and onion. While that mixture softens and browns, the pasta is cooking. When it is nearly done add lemon juice to the chicken before pouring in the cream and cooked pasta with it. Stir and season. A little more black pepper suits me.

Strangely, I’ve previously had a variation on this dish stolen, insofar as such a basic meal can be. Following the end of a rental period on a shared house, I stayed on the sofa of a friend, D and his future wife, C for a week in the (mistaken) belief that my previous housemates and I could sort out another place to live in that period. In part payment of thanks for this I cooked for them a version of this dish but with sausage instead of chicken. At the end of that week, seeing that I was no closer to finding a house to live in and detecting I was starting to get under their feet, I thanked them for their hospitality, swallowed my pride and went to live my parents for a couple of months. Some weeks later with my independence reinstated and reunited with my old housemates, my housemate recalled how our mutual friends D and C had cooked this dish for him and called it their own! A form of flattery I guess.

Creamy lemon chicken and pepper pasta

Better than yesterday

Much better today! Creamy broccoli and smoked salmon pasta finished off with a chopped red chilli and a squeeze of lime. I especially like how the heat and sour contrasts with the creaminess of the rest of the dish. An excellent return after yesterday’s debacle and no washing up either! Or at least there is too little of it to be worth filling a bowl for…

Broccoli and smoked salmon pasta