26.11.08: Lamb Lasagne

Trying hard to make up for last week's baked dish disaster, He went to work cooking up a minced lamb, spinach, carrot, onion, peas and many cheeses lasagna. A radish, spinach and physalis salad poked its head 'round the corner.

HE SAYS: I haven't cooked minced lamb before and I'm not adverse to eating or cooking lamb usually, but I quickly realised that cooking the minced variety is gross and the smell makes me want to gag. So I was put off my food from the start, and the rest of the ingredients, including the sea of cheese, could not hide the lamby taste of the lamb. Now even the thought of it makes me feel ill. I should've just used minced beef instead or the quorn alternative. The salad was a refreshing refuge and helped fill me up. Aaaarrrgh.

SHE SAYS: This is one of those rare nites when we completely differ in our dinner reviews. I absolutely loved this indulgent pasta pie. Prob'ly helps that I didn't cook the mince. (I do recall feeling similar revulsion when attempting to cook minced turkey years ago.)

Truly, this dish was really just a lamb and cheese conveyor, but I thoroughly enjoyed the very lamby taste he despised, and thought the lasagne would have had little flavour without it. Really not so in favour of the quorn substitution unless a heavier flavour playa is introduced next time, too - maybe some sundried tomatoes? Meanwhile, the salad played its role of fresh crunch provider with slightly acidic dignity thanks to the physalis.

25.11.08: Fusion broth with grilled chicken

She whipped up this fragrant winter warmer of a dish: Jamie Oliver's fusion broth with dry-grilled chicken plus ginger, Chinese greens (pak choi), and rice noodles. A spinach salad of pear, radish and chopped beetroot waited in the wings.

HE SAYS: This dish was lovely and warm in my tummy on this cold night. You can't go wrong with juicy grilled chicken swimming in a nice and savoury, salty broth. Add in some red pepper for some heated distraction and lime for a zesty, piquant overtone and I'm a happy camper. The pear and radish in the salad did their usual magic too.

SHE SAYS: Def. one of the most delicious healthy dishes we do - can't believe it's been hiding away in the Naked Chef book all these years (about 8?). Brothy and tangy and everything He said. The main risk is adding too much soy sauce at the end, and I was afraid I did, as the soup turned an ominous shade of brown, but the first tentative taste reassured me it was just shy of overload. (Note to self - less than 1/4 cup, more like a Tbsp.) Salad was sweet and crunchy as par, but not attracting me whole lot tonite.

13.11.08: Mac n' cheese and Quorn with fennel salad

Using one of the culinary treats brought back from the States, She enthusiastically put together the evening meal which included Annie's rice pasta mac n' cheese, quorn cutlets and snap peas. The fennel, radish, and spinach salad felt jealous and missed its pomegranate companion.

HE SAYS: Yum. It's been a long while since we ate mac n' cheese at home and it felt sooo good. Since it was wheat-free it also felt oh-so-virtuous. The quorn was crispy but I missed its usual pasta sauce accomplice to aid in alleviating the dryness quota (the mac n' cheese was too good on it's own to combine with other bites). The snap peas were nice if a little boring but they helped highlight the taste sensation of the pasta even more.

SHE SAYS: This meal was like a throwback to 2003, when we ate Annie's mac 'n' cheese every week, with Boca burgers. I reeeeally wish we'd brought home a crate or so of this v. American delicacy, but have you seen what they're charging for overweight luggage these days? anyway, it was perfectly creamy and tasty, and the pasta lost nothing for being rice, not wheat. Agree with him the quorn could've used some saucy assistance, but I speared the plain but perfectly al dente snap peas with some of the quorn bites to help.

09.10.08: Pea, pesto and mushroom risotto

He gathered up the ingredients and proceeded to create this infamous risotto consisting of peas, pesto and mushrooms paired with a salad of rocket, mixed leafs, radishes and figs. All dressed up with a dressing of Her design, consisting of Colman's mustard, a splash of white wine vinegar, Tasmanian leatherwood tree honey ('with a lychee flavour', how innaresting), a pinch salt and pepper.

HE SAYS: Having prepared the risotto earlier in the day it had time for its flavours to mature and strengthen. Was happy with the outcome and enjoyed the severe savouriness of the dish. The parmesan supplied a salty edge, and the basil, a nice freshness to the taste. Her salad dressing was also great and added a hot and sweet mix to the surrounding greenery.

SHE SAYS: It was my nite to cook, but He handily put this together and had it in the fridge for warming when I came home, bless 'im. And it was a fine batch, too, one of the best. The fragrant pesto and intense parmesan (a truly excellent and well-priced Tesco variety) mixed with the mild, humble peas and plain yet meaty mushrooms to play on every tastebud I've got. In a word, yummilicious. My new salad dressing is no wasabi-lime, but the Colman's is almost as nose-wrinkling as the green goodness, and the honey gave it all a gorgeous floral note.

02.10.08: Magic Lentils

She rounded up the ingredients, cooked and stirred up a pot of coconut dal with spinach, plus a salad of mixed leaves, pear, physalis and radishes.

SHE SAYS: This was def. the Yellow Dinner, complete with a bargain of a sauvignon blanc to tentatively celebrate the end of a headbanging couple of weeks at work for Her (and I ain't talkin' 'bout the Motley Crue kind). Gingery and just a tad above mildly spiced, the dal proved its worth all over again, being so easy to make and yet so decadently delicious to eat.

HE SAYS: Very creamy batch this time 'round, and just enough curry powder to make it spicy enough without it being too overpowering. The garlic and ginger are very detectable and fragrant in this dish that I never get bored of. The salad fulfilled its fresh, sweet and savoury objectives with aplomb and served as a nice palate cleanser, too.

06.08.09: Magic lentils

She settled on the easiest Saturday nite comfort food possible after a long browse in town: the coconut dal with spinach, plus a salad of sweetfire beetroot, radishes, and special guest star, St Agur blue cheese.

SHE SAYS: Extra ginger and addition of garlic oil for the initial saute didn't quite intensify this one as much as I expected, but then the quantity was nearly doubled, and it still went down a treat: creamy and mildly savoury, with the bits of transparent, sweet onion offering unusually pleasurable texture variation. I mean, chopped onion is usually a workhorse, not a standout element, innit? Many, many thanks to the round-the-corner store for being open to provide said root veg when the few other shops open had none. The speshy blue cheese compensated somewhat for the week's early loss: it's creamier and less intense than last Sunday's find, but v nearly as aaah-worthy.

HE SAYS: The magic element of these lentils is the fact that we've eaten them so may times this year without becoming bored, disillusioned and going right off 'em. It's hard to tire of or question such velvety, creamy goodness week after week, so we don't bother trying. The salad weren't too shabby neither with the sweetfire returning to the fold after a few days off with it's best mate the carrot.

03.05.08: Spinach omelet, facy veg and salad

Something hearty before the party: He perfected the spinach omelet with gruyere, mixed in some edamame with another pack of fancy veg (hey, it was 3 for 2, so watch this space!), and concocted a salad of avo, radish, grapes, more spinach, and some Castello blue cheese.

SHE SAYS: I'm totally jealous of His omelet technique, whatever it is, but I'm glad I get to eat the results. This was perfectly fluffy on the inside, toasty on the outside, and had just enough filling to make it mmm-worthy, but not soggy. The edamame came already blanched in a very affordable pack, and added just enough variety to the 2nd pack of fancy veg...we'll be seeing that li'l green bean again, in a different capacity. The salad had a creamy richness thanks to the joint efforts of the avo and blue cheese, which was gloriously brie-like, but disappointed slighty only because we were expecting the intense flavour we all know and love in a blue. We'd neglected to read the package's fine print of 'a subtle and incredibly creamy blue cheese with a well-balanced flavour'. Ah well, it was still a treat...

HE SAYS: An easy quick fix before a night out on the town, she describes it so eloquently, not much to add apart from it was brill!

05.03.08: Black bnz and beet-apple salad

He made the black bnz tonite, and, along with the usual add-ons of homemade salsa and avo, a treat dollop of creme fraiche left from Saturday nite took top honours. A crunchy salad of spinach, sweetfire beetroot, radish and...um...green apple rounded out the evening.

SHE SAYS: Beans were nicely flavoured, if a bit spicier than usual, and v. satisfying. Rice needed a little more cooking time. Adding the apple to the salad was an inspired touch, but I thought the different, fancy brand of beetroot we bought was not as good as the bog-standard one.

HE SAYS: Beans were pretty good, though a little too hot in my opinion, but the creme fraiche definitely helped cool them down a bit. I agree the rice was a little undercooked. Salad was simple, but the apple made it more tangy and interesting than usual.

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.

07.02.08: Lamb cutlets with kale and cauliflower

Nice veg: Cauliflower sauteed according to an Alice Waters recipe, with garlic, cumin, turmeric, and fresh coriander; kale boiled with onions and liquid smoke; no-fat lamb cutlets grilled with a spice rub; and a lively salad of radish, conference pear, mixed leaves, and finely chopped preserved lemon.

HE SAYS: Not too keen on the lamb cutlets, but thought the cauliflower was a hit, and I liked the greens with a little liquid smoke. Also enjoyed the salad with the nice 'n' salty preserved lemons. And with my favourite, radishes, what's not to like?

SHE SAYS: Agree the lamb was tough and tasteless, despite quick grilling - nonfat is not the way to go. Liked the cauliflower immensely, looking forward to exploring more of Alice's book, The Art of Simple Food. Greens were subtle but not boring, and the lemony salad combined sharp and sweet nicely.

26.01.08: Posh crab curry

He decided to splash out on this Southern Indian Crab Curry recipe from Cook with Jamie, which includes both brown and white fresh crabmeat plus some divinely fragrant spices. Sideline: cucumber, radish and mixed greens salad.

SHE SAYS: Creamy and thick and packed with luxurious crab. Lots of spice, yet somehow subtle. I can see why Pixie says it's fine to make with tinned crab, as the crab contributes much more to texture than flavour. Taste tests of picked crab from the fishmongers and prepared crab from Tesco were telling: the first was noticeably sweet and the second was bland (though quite fresh).

HE SAYS: I used three chilies, but I think two is enough; the heat tended to overpower the subtle crab flavour. Texture was very nice, but I had to reduce the liquid for a lot longer than Jamie's recipe stated to get it down to 'double cream' consistency. Not bad for a first go.

PS...
Decided to revisit some of the margarita ice cream a little while later.

SHE SAYS: Mmmm! It's kept well. Nice boozy treat.

HE SAYS: A fine indulgence - smooth and tangy.