16.09.08: Butterbnz with chorizo and rocket

She was determined to have a nice dinner after so many recent disappointments, and so went with the can't-miss butterbnz stirred up with chicken stock, sage, oregano, chorizo and rocket. A virtuous attempt to re-introduce veggie roughage and some enzymes resulted in a plain carrot and radish salad.

SHE SAYS: Aaaah....finally, a comforting, tasty dish I can eat with joy, not just need. No extra seasoning or touch-ups needed, this was velvety and savoury, with satisfyingly intense bit of chorizo upping the treat factor. For balance in health and colour, the salad proved a winner; even after a few months of introducing it, I'm still finding the texture and sweetness of professionally shredded carrot ridiculously pleasant.

HE SAYS: Back in NYC and dinner with family which included a pork loin roast with roast potatoes and green beans, and a yummy orange infused gravy (not pictured). The pork was great, nicely cooked, moist and not dry at all. The potatoes were crunchy, and the green bnz added a little freshness to the plate. The orange sauce or gravy was especially nice and I had seconds and thirds of the whole shebang. A fruit salad medley including raspberries finished things off nicely.

13.07.08: Butterbnz with chorizo plus carrot-pumpkinseed salad

Sunday comfort food: butterbnz with chorizo and rocket, plus a salad of young mustard leaves, carrots prepared with the KTOTY, roasted pumpkinseeds, and an improvised dressing
of apple juice, lime juice, fresh basil, grated ginger and olive oil.

SHE SAYS: The butterbnz with chorizo never fail to fill me up right, all savoury and creamy, with a virtuous crunch of sorts from the rocket. I say this every time we have chorizo, so I might as well immortalise it here: I can't believe when I tried chorizo for the first time (2005), I hated it. And I know now it was v. good chorizo, too - thin slices not overly smoky or spice-hot, just salty and fatty. Yum! If I could turn back time...but anyway, the salad was excellent, this is such a great way to eat your carrots, but the dresssing (inspired by Mildred's) was only so-so. prob'ly needed more ginger, and maybe some cider vinegar.

HE SAYS: I luved the butter beans, even without the chorizo this dish would be a winner. Although traditionally a winter warmer, with the summer we are having you could eat it every day if you felt like it. With an intense gravy and herby stew-like consistency this one fills you up but don't bloat you out. The salad with the thin crunchy carrots and the fruity dressing made a fitting side dish and companion to the more umami packed bowl o' beans. More please.

19.06.08: Butterbnz with chorizo and watercress

She concocted butterbnz with chorizo, hot pepper, white wine, sage, dill, green onion, oregano, chix broth, and a flutter of watercress to fill in the corners on an almost-Friday nite. Salad of romaine, sweetfire beetroot, and leftover torchi chfenaria (carrot and caraway salad, when it's at home, made previously for lunch) held its own on the plate.

SHE SAYS: Divine, if I do say so myself. Perfect balance of smoky, salty, spicy and herby - we even forgot the obligatory hot sauce. Salad was very crisp and fresh with virtuous veg, but couldn't quite compete in the flavour stakes.

HE SAYS: Another really authentic comfort food beanie special, this number definitely had a lot of rich flavours and herby goodness. The fluffy butter beans made every bite a silky delight. The chirozo wasn't totally needed but it rounded out the tastes with some rich, salty, spicy goodness. I luv me some beans, yes I do.

01.05.08: Butterbnz with chorizo, whole carrots and salad

Good cookin' and good lookin: She used up the other half of the chorizo in a simple butterbean stew pimped up with some white wine and rocket, spooned over some leftover brown basmati, wild and red camargue rice. Whole organic boiled carrots and a salad of Apetina, physalis, radish, and various leaves.

SHE SAYS: The bnz were made quite the treat with that smokey intense chorizo, though even without they would have made more than passable filler. Carrots were ok, but not nearly as tasty as the Chantenay variety, though I still found myself reaching over for one more skinny stalk...and the salad was typically praiseworthy, with equal elements of tangy, soft, salty and crunch.

HE SAYS: I like me some butter beans, they are nice and soft and potatoesque in texture, one thinks. Chorizo was a tasty treat, fried to a crisp, bacon-styley and crumbled into the stew a lá posh baco bits, yumm. I though the carrots had quite an intense carrot-y taste which you sometimes lack in the larger varieties, the taste mimicked the smell of 'em, if that makes any sense. Salad with the newly discovered Apetina tickled the tastebuds once again.

06.04.08: Spring prawn, tomato, and green bean stir-up

Something a little lighter for spring, even if it is snowing: She turned her hand to a slight adaptation of the 'pan-cooked giant prawns with mangetout, peas and butterbeans' from Jamie's Dinners, subbing fine green beans for the mangtout (snowpeas) and less-than-giant prawns, plus sneaking in a couple of slugs of white wine near the beginning The salad nudging in on the scene brought pear, grapes, Apetina feta cheese and mixed leaves to the party.

HE SAYS: A nice, lighter meal compared to recent dinners. Thought the inclusion of white wine was a genius stroke, as it proved the vital base note for the other flavours after simmering. The organic butterbeans had a very interesting and complex taste to them. Will have to try and include them in more recipes. The salad was greatly improved by the inclusion of my favourite feta (I'm very particular about my feta, anything remotely goaty makes me gag) - its saltiness and sharp flavour do it for me, baby.

SHE SAYS: Tasting as I went along, I wasn't sure this was going to be anything but a bland, soupy mess, but the lemon juice and parsely stirred in at the last minute really pulled it all together. Also, I thought this combination of stuff surely cried out for a few cloves of garlic, but I'm so glad I stayed my hand: the result was tangy and shrimpy, with a hint of bisque to it, and garlic would have disrupted the lightness of flavour with a taste too pungent. Felt rather virtuous to chomp down all those green veg as well, esp after last nite's brunchy extravaganza. Like Him, I enjoyed the intensely salty feta, but as you may already know I have a soft spot for goaty cheeses, too - bring on the feta in any form, sez I!

24.01.08: Home and away

SHE SAYS: The M&S crayfish sandwich is always decent filler on the train when I have to jet to a nighttime activity. I prefer their poached salmon sandwich, but this one was tasty and soothing, with just enough rocket to give it some kick.

HE SAYS: A quick, improvised dish of trofie pasta with king prawns, butterbeans, spinach and canned crushed tomatoes. Turned out nice, but the pasta could have been cooked longer, it was more al dente than I would have liked. Next time, I would add a little olive oil to the pasta...