14.11.08: Pollo alla Cacciatora and beetroot, mozz and avo salad

Instead of going out to eat as is usual on a Friday nite, they instead stayed in as He rustled up this familiar favourite resplendent with cannellini bnz, chix thighs, pancetta, crushed tomatoes and the usual herby goodness. A mozz, sweetfire beetroot, and avo salad served as its willing accomplice.

SHE SAYS: Perfect herb-heightened and tomatoey, chicken-brothy flavour, marred only by the firm-skinned bnz, which really needed some stewin'. He took Nigella at her word and served up after merely stirring them in. They've got to mellow, dude. Mozz was a pleasing surprise, subtly creamy in taste and with that fun pull-apart stringy texture.

HE SAYS: I should've cooked the bnz a little longer as they were a little less then tender but still edible. I added twice the recommended amount of the pancetta cubes although I felt it ultimately didn't benefit from the indulgence. The addition of a few shakes of hot sauce helped brighten its taste, adding to the richness, and after adding the forgotten capers (which are not part of the original recipe), the bowl delivered on its delish promise. I went back for a second heaping bowlful, obviously. The salad had a good balance of creaminess from the cheese and fruity sharpness thanks to the sweetfire beetroot; I managed a second serving of it and thus cleaned the bowl, burp.