18.11.08: Vegetable cottage pie

He picked up this recipe from the local Waitrose and proceeded to construct this vegetable pie. Hiding underneath the parsnip and apple mash topping was a quorn, carrot, onion, tomato, peas and redcurrant jelly filling. A side of grilled thinly sliced courgettes and baby sweetcorn stood by. Nestled next to it was a pear, beetroot and rocket salad.

HE SAYS: Unfortunately this pie looked a lot better on the recipe card then it tasted in person. Too, too sweet and the ingredients sort of clashed with one another. It was quite the undertaking to get this one to the table so my disappointment level was larger. The side of courgettes and baby sweetcorn was pretty nice and lifted my spirits somewhat, but there weren't enough of them to jettison the pie and treat them as the main part of the meal. Hot sauce did manage to pep the pie up at least to make it edible. Thankfully, the pear-beetroot combo was a treat in the salad portion of the programme.

SHE SAYS: Um, not so much, I'm afraid. It was edible enough I couldn't justify binning it, but it was not nice to work thru: as He says, a strange combo of sweet and bland, as well as stodgy and almost dry. Not the gravy-pie experience I was hoping for. This is the kind of dish that gives vegetarian food a bad name. It's not His fault, though - a closer look at the recipe shows this ickiness was inevitable.

The courgette and sweetcorn dish was surprisingly yummy, the olive oil adding depth to the roasty sweetness. Salad offered welcome freshness, though I was in no mood for more sweet stuff.

15.07.08: Gnocchi with fresh tomato sauce and courgette strands

In the ongoing quest to reduce wheat while yet employing effective sauce transport, She got Him to pick up some spinach, carrot and potato gnocchi from Waitrose and then boiled it up. Roasted peppers and portobello mushrooms, lots of fresh tomatoes, a few splashes of red wine, and a big handful of basil leaves cooked down into a sauce, while she julienned the the courgette with the KTOTY* and fried up the delicate strands on high heat to make a Ramsay-esque topping. Salad of avo, physalis and leaves looked on.

SHE SAYS: This had an understated roasty flavour that perfectly suited my appetite on a night warmer than usual, but. But but but. I'm not convinced that the elbow grease I put into fresh sauces like this is worthwhile when Lloyd's sauces are just as good. (Sad, but true.) My courgette topping was good - courgettes in the UK generally lack flavour, and even this good performance was not great - but next time I would try using peanut oil to have a better chance at crisping them.

HE SAYS: No knead to knock the gnocchi, it was yum. The sauce waz flavourful but subtle in taste compared to the off-the-shelf jar. I was tempted to lunge for the hot sauce but paused and contemplated enjoying the softer palette-pleasing attributes of the sauce á naturale, which I proceeded to do with gusto. I was pleased I abstained, the tomatoes were especially sweet and tangy. The salad tried to compete with its inclusion of physalis in the tomato-esque taste stakes and did well but perhaps not enough to deserve a photo finish...still, we obliged.

*KTOTY - kitchen tool of the year