26.09.08: Brekky for dinner

After a particularly trying week, She was pleased to slip into something a little more comforting: sausages with chunks of apple and generous sprinklings of sage; scrambled eggs with bits of chorizo; plain bagels; and pan-reduced balasamic tomatoes. Avo, leaves and sweetfire beetroot made a nod to enzymatic health.

SHE SAYS: Breakfast for dinner always feels like a treat, and this one especially so. Sausages AND chorizo bits? I was in salty, porky, protein heaven, esp with a touch of maple syrup to highlight the contrasting herby-apple flavour of the sausages. I nudged my eggs off my half-bagel (His plate, with a whole one, is pictured above) and spread the jammy tomatoes on it instead for a uniquely savoury-sweet brekky bruschetta. Salad acted as a spiky palate cleanser with a drizzle of leftover wasabi-lime.

HE SAYS: Agree with Her. Egg on toast with sausages equals divine culinary experience. The jammy tomato hot compote helped spread the luv all over the plate. The salad eased our healthy consciences and offered a respite from their fellow indulgent meal pals.

30.08.08: Scrambled eggs with chorizo, black bnz, and fennel salad

This was a lot easier than it looks: We already had the black bnz and corn-studded polenta from Thu nite, and it doesn't take much to throw chorizo and eggs in the pan. Meanwhile, a bulb of fennel finely sliced, fresh pea shoots, and tomatoes carried off a lime and peanut oil dressing without a whisper of complaint.

HE SAYS: Chorizo, black bnz and scrambled eggs make good comfort food with the polenta bringing all the elements together. I luv me some crunchy fennel and enjoyed the subtle hint of aniseed in the salad, especially mixed with the lime dressing. Easy-peasy and tasty, this fast slow-food was light on the washin' up to too. Now that's what I call a meal deal.

SHE SAYS: I love chorizo - that salty, fatty, paprika flavour can tango with my tastebuds anytime. why can't it be as good for you as, say, beetroot? But anyway. Salad countered all that cleany with crunch and fiber, while the beans and polenta, which only improved in the fridge, gave everything a smooth-goin' herby twist.

07.08.08: Big Salad and black bnz

They both put together the big, big serendipitous salad which included prawns, eggs, beetroot, tomatoes, physilis, radishes, and carrot with wasabi lime dressing. The leftover bnz helped fill in the corners.

SHE SAYS: It was impossible to plan dinner tonite due to work overload mixed with potential (but not realised) social calls, but various freezer and fridge odds 'n' ends came to the rescue. while overall it was v. good, and it was fun to have the bnz as a sort of hot treat rather than centre-plate, there was one letdown - those frozen prawns were wrinkly, tough and not-nice in flavor at all. Only the wasabi dressing made them palatable. All the rest made a great combination, though, and it was quicksmart to boot.

HE SAYS: The big salad was a big hit with me. The egg was the crowning glory of the plate, agree with her that the prawns were a little tasteless and rubbery. I added a few slices of smoked salmon to my serving (She didn't fancy it, even though She is a smoked salmon fiend) and drizzled on the dressing o' the week (or the year?), thus making the big salad a little bigger and a smidgen mo' tasty too.

05.08.08: Milanese risotto redux and scrambled eggs with salad

On their tod tonight, He finished off the risotto from last night...

...while She later pulled together one of the fastest cooked dinners in anyone's repertoire: tossed salad and scrambled eggs, plus the famed lime-wasabi dressing.

SHE SAYS: More filling than it might seem, and much more appetising to look at the the photo indicates! (Could not figure out why camera was darkening every pic on any setting with greenish hue.) My simple crunchy salad of radishes, tomatoes and a bit of avo was lifted to the level of yum with the nose-tingling wasabi dressing, which actually has some of the sulfuric bouquet of egg - again, a more pleasant happening than you might think! I like my scrambles pretty dry, and this batch was perfectly to taste, and I ate it it happily with pinches of kosher salt.

HE SAYS: Just as good if not better then last night, the flavours had a chance to intensify in the fridge. A very nish dish to come home to and scoff before rushing off to take care of bizness. Forgot to pull together a salad plate, but the beetroot is set to make an appearance on my plate soon enough. Stay tuned, 'till next time, tarrah for now.

03.07.08: Peasant salad with squeaky cheese

She was a blur of prep-in-motion: boiling, slicing, pan-frying, roasting, peeling and whisking to put a feast for the eyes as well as the tummy on the table. Physalis, roasted red pepper, gem lettuce, watercress, radishes, jersey potatoes, green tiger tomatoes, halloumi and a boiled egg all took a bow as the powerful lime-wasabi dressing stood by.

SHE SAYS: Immensely satisfying, if a bit too much work for a Thursday. You can't go wrong with the halloumi though this cheap Tesco variety was not as tasty or springy in texture as some others we've had. Not a hint of mint, either - points deducted! The fresh roasted pepper was a treat I wanted each forkful to deliver, so I did my best to cut it into small enough pieces. It esp complemented the halloumi and the potatoes.

HE SAYS: Salad days are here again. Quite an indulgent variety tonight with the bacon of cheese - halloumi - and the boiled egg and potatoes. Still, mighty tasty, and smothered with the hot and tangy dressing it served us well as a main and salad course combined.

25.06.08: Peasant salad with hot salmon flakes

Gettin' fresh: She pulled together a peasant salad of boiled Maris Bard new potatoes, grilled sweet peppers, asparagus, radishes, soft-boiled egg, and Jersey Jewel tomatoes, then flaked over some hot-grain-mustard-coated smoked salmon. Nigella's wasabi-lime dressing took it all onto another plane...

SHE SAYS: Feasted me eyes as well as me tastebuds on this one. The dressing and salmon gave it just enough piquant qualities to keep my tongue a-tingle, while the soft egg made a subtle, velevty accompaniment for the asparagus. I'll have to say it again - the MB new potats are exquisite simply boiled and put to fork, plain as you please. Did I almost forget the Jersey Jewels? Biting into one whole rewarded me with a burst of just-plucked tomato-stem tang. Well worth their non-sale price during a time when most tomatoes are half their usual price.

HE SAYS: This was a big salad...and a nice one too. Who says salads are for wimps? I found this very satisfing with the protein element of the salmon and egg, and the tasty potatoes definitely filled me up just like a hungry man meal. Could do this salad thing for dinner again and maybe add some beetroot next time for good measure.

17.06.08: Chickpeas with rocket and egg

Nigella's chickpeas and rocket, without rice, but with a nice boiled egg on top, plus a salad of young mustard leaves, cherry tomatoes, avo, boiled prawns (prawns!) an the last-minute star of the show, Nigella's wasabi lime dressing.

SHE SAYS: Always a convenient, wholesome option, but I couldn't get the chickpeas to develop that velvety texture I prefer. Wonder if the organic ones we use now are less prone to the velvety thing? Firmness seemed to be a theme: I boiled the prawns too long, which detracted from the aura of 'extra special' we wanted to add to the salad. But my quick mixin' of the wasabi dressing lifted it all up to another level of flava-flav and made us wonder why it took us so long to make this green goddess of a dressing again.

HE SAYS: The chick peas like she said were a little on the tough side, still tasty and not at all musty like some other canned verities can be. The salad dressing was wonderfully tart, zesty and hot at the same time, could have this more often and same goes for the prawns, nish touch.

05.15.08: Chickpeas with sherry and salad

A little bit of easy after a tough day: Nigella's chickpeas with sherry and a salad of leftover bottled peppers and some tomatoes added to the remains of last nite's salad.

SHE SAYS: Perfectly fine, though the chickpeas were a little dry (there's a thin line between 'dry' and 'velvety'). Salad had a slight, welcome vinegary tang from the peppers.

HE SAYS: Increased the egg portion of the show by half (1.5 eggs each, extra half missing from pic), and although a little hard boiled, they increased the yum factor significantly. Bought the non- organic chickpeas this time and although larger they lacked intensity. Peppers in the salad acted the part of the sun dried tomatoes with panache.

14.05.08: Frittata and callaloo

Officially, Nigella calls it a Spanish omelette, but She prefers to call it by its fancy danicin' name: frittata. This one packed in potatoes, eggs, manchego cheese, roasted red peppers and green onions. She also boiled up a couple of cans of callaloo, plain as you please, and freshened up last nite's salad with some tomatoes, grapes and more leaves.

HE SAYS: Nice nosh tonite, frittata was light, fluffy and flavourful. Manchego cheese added a delicate taste sensation to the overall dish and the the peppers created a sweet note. Adding more potatoes than the official recipe called for could've turned the omelette into a brick but She was on the money with the deviation. I found the callaloo easy on the tasebuds and with a splash or two of Chipotle Tabasco, more-ish. The mix of beetroot and grapes in the salad was a new combo but I whole-heartily approve and give my blessing to the couple.

SHE SAYS: The frittata needed to be thick, and I was worried our lovely Le Creuset pan was too wide, so I made an executive decision and pulled from the depths of a cabinet our smallish cast iron skillet. I'm so glad I did! The texture of the frittata was perfect, and the flavour much more complex and satisfying than I expected (I only chose this b/c it looked quick and easy). I used twice as many potatoes, and would have put in another egg if we had one, but it was all v. yummy, anyway. Note to self: bottled roasted peppers were cheaper than fresh and really not bad, though you have to be ok with the slight vinegar taste that lingers. Callaloo is not as nice on its own as its close cousin spinach is, but I'll continue to throw it into other dishes as a spinach subs. Salad - enh, it did its enzymatic duty and that's all I have to say about that.

11.05.08: Scrambled eggs and salad

Just a little sumpin' sumpin' for Sunday: scrambled eggs and spinach salad with fresh tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, and a big ball o' mozzarella. He augmented his plate with a Marmitey bagel.

SHE SAYS: Just what I needed: quick, easy and filling, but not too filling. The herbs and oil clinging to the sundried tomatoes added a subtle pizza-like flavour to the salad, which was quite welcome. The only thing I would have added was another egg or two - scrambled eggs are v. moreish!

HE SAYS: After a boozy picnic lunch, this meal hit the spot - breakfast comfort food. Salad was perked up with SDT and mozzarella, which tasted better then the posh "taste the difference" Tesco variety we tried last time.

08.05.08: Fridge raiding and frozen pizza

Working late unexpectedly led to a fend-for-yourself scenario. She considered stopping in at M&S, but realised there was plenty enough in the fridge to make such a £6-£8 detour unnecessary. A toasty white bagel spread with baby avo and leftover sundried tomatoes on one side, plus marge, Marmite, and one perfectly soft-boiled egg on the other fit the bill.

Later, He popped into Waitrose on 'is way home and picked up a salami, ricotta, and olive pizza for this unusually diversified dinner. (No, She wasn't jealous. Really.)

HE SAYS: Well, this was my first convenience food experience of the year and it was, yes, disappointing. The double zero flour boasted in the ingredients didn't help elevate the crust's brewer's droop, flaccid and lifeless; no amount of extra minutes added to the recommended cooking time helped. The salami was nice and the olives added a little something but I was left with a feeling of ennui after the last mouthful. Apparently this pizza won an award in some chilled pizza contest, the cheek of it.

SHE SAYS: Much more satisfying than the packaged sandwich and salad scenario I was contemplating on the bus. Something about a boiled egg on Marmitey toast after a thoroughly disgusting day is just naturally, deeply soothing. The avo-spread half was just as tasty in its own way, with the salty tang of the sundried tomatoes adding just enough flavour. Then too, the satisfaction of a good improv added its own seasoning, if you know what I mean.

04.05.08: A real palaver

A mix-up in plans left Us with two distinctly different dinners. We were both going to have burgers from FBC at a relative's house, but the never-so-hot FBC neglected to put her Greek Lamb burger on the order, which of course went undiscovered until we were all at the table. Oy.

So he had a deluxe original with hand-cut chips, while she nibbled some unremarkable 'chopped salad' with 'ranch' dressing 'til they could scoot home and She could boil up an egg, fix some toast, and have some real salad leftover from last nite and dressed up with few more spinach leaves and a dab or two more of the blue cheese.

HE SAYS: Burger was a tad disappointing, overdone and the bun was soggy, but I was frickin' starvin' Marvin. I ate it up quick-smart and then feasted on the chips which were better than Nando's offering from a week or two ago. Shame about the order screw-up, it's always fun to have dual reportage in the field.

SHE SAYS: They call that ranch? More like mayo with a touch of garlic. The so-called salad was mostly radish and odiferous red onion (had to keep picking it out), with a few soggy rocket leaves for colour and an insulting pair of 'croutons'. My quick egg-on-toast was far better, and the salad held up quite well - I was glad to have it.

05.04.08: Brunch for dinner

She rolled up her sleeves, tied on the pinny, and set to work assembling this cheerful plate o' brunchish vittles: new and improved black beans adorned with avo, pan-fried polenta, balsamic cherry tomatoes, fried eggs (sunny-side for him, over hard for her), and your basic pear-n-mixed-leaves salad.

SHE SAYS: The polenta took rather a long time to brown, but it was such a treat. When you put a bit of fried egg, a touch of tangy tomato, a scoop of herby beans and a nice chunk of polenta all on one fork, you are on the verge of tastebud heaven! (If I do say so myself.) The beans were a revelation: no tomatoes, no store-bought sauces, just lots of herbs and the ever-present primo chicken broth. I'm not sure what possessed me to rethink the whole thing, but I do I think I've finally arrived at the best-ever black bnz recipe, so it's worth sharing. See below, and if you like it, please click the little Bite This fork and vote for it!

HE SAYS: The new black bean variation was supremo, m-m-mmm, just like ya mamma's, could've-eaten-them-by-themselves good. Polenta was very nice with a little hint of parmesan cheese in the mix and grilled to a golden brown. Oh, and it also aided the mopping up duty for my eggs, which is always a plus. The tomatoes in balsamic were sweetly, tartly bliss and since the new beans forgo any hint of that veg, it delightfully offset the herby saltiness of the rest of the plate. Salad was raised to another level by probably the best pear I've EVER tasted EVER! Praise the Lord.

Herby Black Bnz
Ingredients

I bunch green onions
Tbl olive oil
2.5 Tbl cumin (yes, that much!)
1 Tbl chipotle paste (edit)

3 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 pint (400 ml) chicken stock
1 heaped tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried oregano (edit)

1/2 tsp dried thyme (edit)

good handful fresh coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped, stems incl
few pinches kosher salt
avocado

Directions

Chop the green onions, white and green bits.
Heat oil over med heat in a heavy-based saucepan or pot and saute the onions for a couple of minutes.
Add the cumin and stir in to toast the spice, then add the chipotle paste (edit).

Stir in the beans, then add the broth and all of the herbs.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer until most of the liquid is gone.
Add salt to taste, then puree about half of the beans with a hand blender (easiest!) or food processor. This is essential to release the flavours, so don't give in to the temptation to skip this step. ;o)
Serve with slice sof avocado on top.
I paired this with pan-fried polenta, fried eggs, and balsamic tomatoes, and it was positively dreamy. I've been tweaking my black bean recipe for at least four years and this is the best combination yet!

28.03.08: Chickpeas with rice and egg

He cooked up something fast and filling for Friday: Nigella's chickpeas with rocket and sherry, over rice with a soft egg on top. Special guest star in the mix: plum tomatoes.

SHE SAYS: Really can't go wrong with this one. The tomatoes were a nice addition, but not quite as stunning as when they were pan-grilled with balsamic vinegar and spooned on top. Vegetarian comfort food, fo' sho'.

HE SAYS: A quick, tasty dinner; the tomatoes gave it a little varition, colour, and sweetness. A yummy, nutriionally virtuous dinner.

19.03.08: Chickpeas with sherry, rocket and egg

Protein galore: Nigella's chickpeas with sherry take the suggested option of an egg on top and get the North African treatment with a swirl of Her ho-made harissa, while salad with avo and granny smith apple does its bit to tart things up. (He also put some leftover spiced rice from Sunday into the mix for his portion.)

HE SAYS: A light and healthy meal with uncomplicated flavours was what I was craving, and that's what I got. I'm enjoying the new addition of the boiled egg, though soft-boiled would have been better. It's hard to resist splashing on some Crystal to give it some pep. The salad was also a hit and I added some balsamic vinegar, which intensified the zing of the apple.

SHE SAYS: A little disappointed in my hard-berled egg - last time, the egg demonstrated the perfect ratio of firm to gooey. Never mind, the fragrant cumin seeds and velvety chickpeas more than made up for it, and it all nicely filled in the corners even without rice. Can't get enough of the granny smiths at the mo'; I suspect they have a couple more appearances to make this very week.

21.02.08: Nigella's chickpeas, with a twist

She made Nigella's chickpeas with rocket and sherry with the added bonus of a soft boiled egg on top. A simple improvised salad of greens, tomato, avo, radishes and black olives kept it company.

SHE SAYS: I always love this dish but the egg made it superb. V. proud of getting the soft boiled egg yolk to just the right creamy consistency.

HE SAYS: Agree with her, enjoyed stiring it all up and as always adding a little Crystal for kicks.

25.01.08: Friday Nite Frijoles

Hot out from under the grill: a multilayered treat of huevos rancheros to wind down a Friday nite.

HE SAYS: Great comfort food; the eggs were nice and runny. Never fails.

SHE SAYS: Hit the spot!