24.12.08: Black bnz and a pomeflowertini

He decided to make the Eve a little more festive with the purchase of some pomegranate-elderflower cordial for an after-dinner drinx mixer, resulting in the aforementioned pome-flower-tini (cordial, vodka, pom seeds). Purty, innit?

And She was more than happy to make black bnz for Christmas Eve complete with the usual polenta and avo accompaniment. Salad of pear, radish and soft leaves contributed to the celebratory atmosphere.

SHE SAYS: A good spicy batch of bnz, and this time the polenta came out thick and plain, just the way We like it. always good to have something easy and delicious in your pocket for the evening before a big holiday...though I daresay he had it less easy, bzzy as he was with a special b-day project for Moi in the kitchen...

HE SAYS: Nish batch o' bnz. They were very herby and aromatic yet again and the polenta demonstrated the best consistency we've had, not too solid and not too mushy. The pear added the shweet to the radishes' salt, and so all was well in the salad kingdom.

16.12.08: Chickpeas with cumin and sherry

Wearied by a ridiculous pre-xmas work sched, she turned to our fave chickpea recipe for ease and comfort, topping it off by boiling an egg and placing it neatly on top, next to the dollop of ho-made harissa. A pear, avo and mulled wine spiced beetroot salad saddled up for the ride.

SHE SAYS: A pretty good batch, if I do say so myself. Sometimes I let the cumin seeds cook a little too long, but this time they were perfectly toasty, without that slight bitter taste of blackening. I'm liking the holiday beetroot with its heavy-on-the-allspice m.o., and vote to make it our exclusive beetroot add-on for the season.

HE SAYS: The homemade harissa and boiled egg do a perfect job of elevating the flavas of this dish beyond what you would expect, adding an exotic saltiness and creamalicious element to the proceedings. The mix of the avo, pear and limited-edition beetroot satisfied all my salad fixin' tasty requirements too.

07.12.08: Fusion broth with fruity salad

Just the ticket for a sniffly Sunday: He pulled together the fusion broth with dry-grilled chicken, rice noodles, and Chinese greens. Salad of tomato, watercress, pear, pomegranate and avo looked on.

HE SAYS: The broth was a little on the spicy side (I think some stray shreds of chili got in the pot as it was cookin'). Good thing it had loads of ginger which made it still fragrant and light. I especially enjoyed the addition of the baby corn, which added a crunchy element to each mouthful. The salad was a shweet affair, maybe too shweet. An experiment with salad fixin' combinations gone too far, perhaps?

SHE SAYS: The chicken was perfecto, but the broth was way too spicy for a fragile throat - I normally prize this dish for its mild nourishment. Still pretty good and I did spoon up my fair share. Could be I was just in a sickie mood all-round, but the salad seemed a bit damp with too many ingredients (not a fan of pear and tomato mixin').

28.11.08: Re-run of risotto and lasagne episodes

Does what it says on the tin: He had yesterday's risotto while She heated up Wednesday's lamb lasagne. Good plan for a Friday nite, yes?

SHE SAYS: Same as Wednesday, though I don't think it improved in the fridge as some casserole-type-things do. Although it's a shame He didn't enjoy it, I'm quite pleased to have all the leftovers to myself (the rest will play a lunchtime role, Methinks).

HE SAYS: Unlike Her meal, I think this risotto benefited from a night out in the fridge with its food friends and seemed to mature a bit in flava and gooey loveliness. I remembered to sprinkle some parmesan to top it off nicely. A salad of sweetfire beetroot, avo, pear, carrot and mixed leaves left me fulfilled and extremely satisfied.

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.

23.11.08: Leftovers, a little bit of everything

She warmed up the extras from last night's 'do plus some red prawn and mango curry from earlier this week. The scallop-looking spuds are also from yesterday, but they're the ones that got away (from the frying pan). She'd boiled up a lot of potato slices in prep for the panch phora part of the programme, but after two fry-batches, She raised a little white flag and stored the rest of the parboils in the fridge.

SHE SAYS: It was like one of those retrospective shows that clog the telly these days: instead of Best Comedy Catchphrases or Wrinkly Remains of '80s Pop Stars, we had Mealtime Hits o' the Week. Well, anyway. You already know what we thought of the individual elements. The curry played nicely and spicily with the other foodstuffs, and if there was a little tastebud confusion, it was a small price to pay for so much enjoyment and so little work.

HE SAYS: I admit, I wasn't convinced the shrimp red curry would still be be okay tonight. I was very wrong. It was better then alright, and so was the rest of the meal. The boiled potatoes reminded the rest of the plate that plain doesn't always mean boring: a little salt and pepper and a shake of hot sauce brought them out of their skins.

20.11.08: Blk bnz with a pear and tomato salad

He escorted this ole fave to the table. Herby blk bnz with avo were the headline while the pear, tomato and shredded beetroot salad offered moral support.

HE SAYS: Lots and lots of fresh coriander was duly chopped and placed in the pot for this batch (about a handful or two over the normal quota) and the result was herbtastic. Unfortunately I cooked up brown rice instead of the silky smooth palenta that we've come to know and luv, making it feel a little heavy on the tum. Still, a satisfying bowl of wonderfulness was had by all two of us. As for the salad - lovely, pear is the new radish this week for me.

SHE SAYS: Truly excellent batch o' bnz. Adding lots of coriander is one of the keystones of aromatic black bnz (selectively pureeing to release full flavour is the other), but he took it to a new height tonite. It really was too-too. I did wish we'd had polenta, though - perhaps you've noticed we're a little riced out this week? Wasn't sure how tomato would take to pear, but they traded sweet for acidic well enough.

17.11.08: Magic lentils with pear and tomato salad

She quickly whipped up the magic lentils tonight consisting of coconut dal with spinach plus brown rice with all the usual spices. A pear and tomato spinach salad pushed its way into the spotlight.

SHE SAYS: What He says.

HE SAYS: Creamy - check. Spicy - check. All round yummy - check. Another great batch of the splendific magical lentils. The salad weren't half bad neither (you can't beat a nice, ripe pear in a salad, that is fo' sure).

15.10.08: Quorn cutlets with tomato and veggie sauce

She masterly pan-fried two lemon-pepper quorn fillets. At the same time, She grilled a green and yellow pepper, spring onions and aubergine, then mixed it all up with a jar of Lloyd Grossman's chili-tomato sauce, shaved off some parmesan, and voila, tonite's dinner! A fig, physalis, pear, beetroot, watercress, spinach and rocket salad patiently stood by the side of the stage ready to perform.

SHE SAYS: Sauce was def. improved by a few slugs of wine, but I missed the fat, silky slices of regular onion. A quorn patty is like the best big chicken nugget ever, so just go from there in your imaginative assessment. Unlike Him, I was beginning to find our salad combo a little tiresome, but it was still v good by any normal dinner standard.

HE SAYS: Its been a little while since we had this culinary creation. The quorn was ever so crunchy and the sauce, mamma-mia! it was awfully tasty (I think the added red wine gives it a distinctly rich depth of flava). I didn't mind the spring onions replacing the regular variety She usually puts in the sauce and the peppers brought a sweet note and crunchy texture to the plate. I'm not yet tired of the figs or for that matter, sweetfire beetroot, in the salad and the pear was a nice touch too.

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.

24.09.08: Red prawn and mango curry

He once again wheeled out the family fav, red prawn and mango curry made with butternut squash, sweet potato and mango, courtesy of Nigella Express. A rocket, pear, tomato and radish salad tried to get in on the action.

SHE SAYS: Curry had that nice tangerine hue that signals plenty of coconut milk, and the soft yet substantial sauce did not disappoint. Really good balance of sweet to savoury, with a pleasing mango zing pulling it all together. Mildly sweet slices of pleasurably grainy pear made up for overly strong rocket in the salad - maybe rocket contains an especially high concentration of iron this time of year?

HE SAYS: Since the store was out of ready-cubed squash, potato and mango I picked 'em up fresh and chopped them by hand. This didn't take any time at all and I would do it again (the packaged stuff yields less and costs more anyway). Because of the larger amounts of key ingredients I let the curry cook longer then usual and a lot of the sweet potato dissolved nicely, creating a more substantial portion and a creamier texture all round. This was quite a hot and spicy batch and I may have put a touch too much curry paste in but was careful not to over do it with the fish sauce. Overall, I was pleased with the results, a very rich and comforting meal with low prep is always nice. The reappearance of the pear in the salad was appreciated and the I enjoyed the mix of soft and crunchy bites (of pear and tomato vs radishes) too.

22.09.08: Grilled salmon, charred broccoli, and mash

Better than it looks: Salmon marinated in olive oil and a Mexican spice mix, then inadvertently blackened, anchored the plate while high-heat stir-fried broccoli coated in ho-made harissa shared space with fluffy salt-n-pepper-n-a-bit-of-butter mash. Salad of beetroot, pear and avo on leaves looked on.

SHE SAYS: The near-burn experience the salmon had actually sealed in the juices and didn't detract from the overall goodness, though perhaps we lost some spice kick. Harissa makes any veg a standout, and brocca benefits especially from the chili-garlic-mintiness. He pounded out the potats and gave us a clear winner in the comfort food stakes, esp with that touch of fresh-ground pepper tickling the tip of my tongue. Salad gave us a much-needed sweet, piquant note among all the salt-lickin'.

HE SAYS: Like Her, didn't mind the blackened quality of the salmon, it really was cooked just right. The broccoli was nice and spicy, stir frying really brings out its subtle flava, who boils broccoli these days? Mash was just right, not too stodgy and cloying, mmm, very tasty. I really enjoyed the pairing of the pear and beetroot in the salad, a fine shweet treat leaving no need for dessert.

03.09.08: Black bream with chermoula, kale, and panfried potatoes

Not your average fish 'n' chips: He slashed and stuffed some whole black bream with herbs, baked it with lemon, and whizzed up some decidedly sexy chermoula, all at the suggestion of Ramsay's Fast Food. Kale boiled with onion and a dab of liquid smoke, plus the ever-popular panfried potatoes added plenty in the way of substance, while salad of pear, avo, rocket and tomato rounded off the menu.

HE SAYS: Very yummy even if I do say so myself. This has been "try new recipes week" and I believe this one is maybe the best yet. The bream really didn't need much fussy dressing to shine but the chermoula brilliantly added an intense counterpoint to the mild yet fulfilling texture and taste of this fish.

We are suckers for citrus-infused dishes, it seems, and what with the sliced lemons and added juice, this recipe resembled our fav lemon chicken dish, but of the sea, see? It was tempting to add more liquid smoke to the greens but I held back, using only a few drops of the stuff, and glad I did as the true flava of the onions and kale were not overpowered by an artificial smoke taste. The potatoes took a long time to get crispy but perhaps I should have used peanut oil instead of olive? Nonetheless, with a few added sprigs of rosemary to the pan it was worth the wait.

I'm really enjoying the pears' run in this week's salad offerings. This time the pear was paired with avo and tomato, so it seems there's no veg it's met and hasn't got along with.

SHE SAYS: This would have been such a treat to sit down to on any evening, but it was esp effective to take the edge off an annoying day. The chermoula had an intensely zingy effect that only heightened the cumin and paprika notes. But even without the sassy sauce, the bream would have made me pause and give thanks for its delicate texture and clean, lemon-inflected taste. Crispy potatoes quickly disappeared from my plate, and the greens did their mild duty as virtuous veg quietly and well. Salad filled any little corner I had left - I think pears in salad will always be a fork magnet for me.

01.09.08: Spelt tagliatelle with roquefort sauce

Fancy-pants pasta land, here we come: We snapped up some handcrafted spelt tagliatelle from Spitalfields yesterday, and while we were standing there, the stallholder slipped us each a fateful smudge of intensely creamy, pungent roquefort cheese. Slightly dizzy, we forked over a little more dosh than we meant to in order to take home a chunk of the heavenly blue.

And tonite, She paired up the pasta and cheese, adding dabs of yoghurt and splashes of white wine for good measure to make a sauce that also coated some shallots, chestnut mushrooms, peas, and spinach. Pinches of dill and grindings of black pepper topped it off. Standing by: salad of pear, radishes, beetroot, watercress, spinach and rocket.

HE SAYS: I was a little disappointed the roquefort didn't make the sauce creamier but the taste was great: intensely blue cheesy and salty. Ahh, the power of cheese. The spelt pasta also had a uniquely tasty tang, more earthy then your regular white flour pasta. The salad rocked, 'nuf said.

SHE SAYS: Well, it wasn't bad at all, but that whole dense slice of richness disappeared into a dun-coloured soup. I was trying not to load any more big fat into the dish, so instead of adding cream for thickening, I tried yoghurt - and it totally soupified. Could have stirred in some flour, but that would have cancelled out the bloat-busting good of the spelt pasta (and would have made us feel stooopid paying more for a special-grain noodle).

Spinach was the star in terms of pasta veg, and black pepper heightened the roque-y flavour - a good tip for next time we get seduced by speshy cheese, when the only added accompaniment will be a (spelt?) cracker.

28.08.08: Black bnz

He whizzed up the herby black bnz, added some corn kernels and a little aged cheddar to the polenta, and artfully arranged the avo on top. Salad of pear, toms, and M&S beetroot got all sweet and fresh with us.

HE SAYS: Lovely velvety blk bnz again. This time even more delish with the added corn and incy bit o' cheese added to the polenta, bringing the flava to new heights. The beetroot in the salad was nice and juicy, so much so, that it created a crimson hue to all other salad fixin's and a red ring round me chops. Mmmm...

SHE SAYS: The bnz were herby and savoury enough but not hugely oomphy. Like him, I shook up a little chipotle Tabasco to liven up the proceedings. I couldn't taste the cheese or marge in the polenta, but the corn was an excellent crispety addition, even without the cob-fresh roasting of yore.

27.08.08: Lemon chicken nite

He brought home the chicken...baked it up in a pan...and never, ever let me forget he's the man...'70s commercial lyrics tribute aside, folks, it's lemon chicken nite! With special guest, salad. Featuring: carrot, avo, pear and a choice of leftover wasbi lime dressing or mustard dressing (courtesy of Sunday's green bnz).

SHE SAYS: It's like your favourite chair or pjs - you don't know how much you love it til you need it. Lemon chicken was as good as it ever is, with the lemon and the garlic fighting it out for tastebud domination - and neither overwhelming. I plumped for the tingly citrusy wasabi lime dressing and ate more salad just to have more dressing.

HE SAYS: We sure like our lemon chicken but consistency is a good thing, huh? Discuss. I believe it allows you to tweak and tune a dish until it's perfect; others might say we are boring and lazy. Who cares? It's delishimo, all that lemony goodness over some crispy chicken and roasty-toasty 'taters and green bnz. What's not to like? the salad was pepped up by, once again, the carrot and pear combo and I reveled in the twin dressing offering, sampling both varieties one after the other in quick succession.

26.08.08: Chickpeas with cumin and sherry and salad with balsamic rose dressing

She fired up the wok for Nigella's chickpeas with cumin and sherry, served o'er brown and wild rice with a stir-thru of chili flakes. Not so unusual, is it? But the thought of orange blossom balsamic dressing for the pear, carrot, and toasted pine nut salad proved an itch She had to scratch. Unfortunately, Her supply of orange blossom water proved oddly insipid, with little actual orange flavour (it is set to expire in November...a clue?). Nonplussed but not defeated in the quest for a fun floral note, she reached for the rosewater, swirled it thru the vinegar, and took a pinky taste. Results below...

HE SAYS: This was a good batch of chickpeas, not too dry or chalky. I missed the harissa a bit but the chilli flakes nearly made up for it (although I added some more heat and vinegary goodness by a shake or two of hot sauce). The pear/carrot combo reappeared and again offered up a delicious sweet note offset by the tartness of the dressing (which I enjoyed but felt the rosewater seemed a little lost in the acidic balsamic vinegar).

SHE SAYS: Balsamic rose is not quite the new wasabi lime, but it is exotic and bright on the tongue, and the floral mustiness immediately rises up after the acidity to balance it surprisingly well. Balsamic rose would complement a mild goat cheese like chevre superbly. Tonite, it added sweet complexity to a low-key salad and played nicely with the sugary pear.

Chickpeas were good and velvety, but I fear they will now always suffer in comparison to the harissa-dolloped or pomegranate-peppered versions. This near-naked variety was perfectly good filler, but I craved that sweet-tart juice popping and/or garlic-chili-mint stimulus.

24.08.08: Spinach & chorizo omelet and French green bean salad

It's the Sunday omelet made indulgent with chorizo and a little more healthful with spinach. a quick flip thru Jamie's Dinners brought us to a capery, shalloty, mustardy green French bean salad, for which she substituted the last two Tbs of wholegrain mustard. A salad of rosy toms, pear, and radishes kept it simple.

HE SAYS: The green bnz were great. They were nice and mustardy, with the capers adding a citrusy tartness. We don't eat many shallots and maybe we should begin to include them more, since they added a much more subtle flava then regular or red onions. The chorizo is always a crowd pleaser round these parts and was used to great effect tucked in the middle of the omelet with some mature cheddar and fresh spinach for company. I believe the omelet completed its mission to satisfy, with honours. The fragrant and sweet pear in the salad was yummy coupled with the ever-so-peppery radishes and the juicy tomatoes.

SHE SAYS: You can't go wrong with chorizo in every bite - and with chorizo, who needs bacon? Definitely got my fix. The green bnz were tangy and piquant with mild garlic flavour, definitely due for a repeat performance, but I might try French mustard for a slightly thicker consistency to the dressing next time. Salad gave Us the fresh and soothing contrast I was looking for, and the pear added a welcome sweet note.

27.07.08: Vindaloo, take two; and ung choi

Sunday staying simple: She freshened up the salad with another pear, heated up the leftover vindaloo, and steamed some ung choi greens with slices of ginger.

HE SAYS: I think this dish was a little nicer this time round, having a day to intensify did it good. The refreshed salad with extra pear excitement once again hit the right spot, under my boots and around ma toe. The greens were not the exciting event I'd hoped for: fresh, plain and healthy yes. Tasty, no...nil point.

SHE SAYS: Agree with Him, the vindaloo developed nicely in the fridge, only wish we'd had more sauce left. Star anise really came through in the rice, which was oh-so-nice. That ung choi, though, is nowhere near as delicately bitter and mmm-worthy as choi sum - won't be picking the 'pitcher vegetable' up on a whim from the Asian store again.

26.07.08: Indian pork vindaloo and crunchy salad

She dug out the pork vindaloo recipe, adding chunks of aubergine and an extra bottle of sauce to the pan of pork loin, plus more cinnamon and some star anise to the rice, to see us thru a lackadaisacal Saturday nite movie. Wielding the KTOTY*, she stripped a carrot for extra crunch in a salad of pear, leaves, beetroot, and toasted pumpkin seeds, all doused with an improvised dressing of juice d'orange, olive oil, fresh coriander, ginger, one mashed garlic clove, white wine vinegar, and salt-n-pepa.

HE SAYS: Pork and Indian are not two words that normally get along but this recipe brings them harmoniously together on one plate. The extra jar o' sauce helped make it a joy to mix in with the fragrant rice and with the new chutney atop of the curry mountain it was another Saturday nite taste sensation. The salad was also a hit with lots of sweet, tart, crunchy things going on, I was almost in Nirvana but stopped short to watch the movie.

SHE SAYS: Dressing was a dee-lite; would add more ginger but this time I only had a tiny stump in the fridge. Don't think I can get enough of shredded carrot this summer - juicy, sweet, and not too much work for the molars. Vindaloo def. benefits from extra sauce, but man, you need to cook it nearly three times as long as the recipe states.

*KTOTY = kitchen tool of the year