06.10.08: Frittata and chard

He gussied up Nigella's spanish omelet (known 'round these parts as a frittata) with thin slices of chorizo and red leicester cheese, heated up the remnants of last nite's chard, and called upon the radish, the avo, the baby fennel, the cherry tom, and the mixed leaf to do their enzymatic duty as salad.

SHE SAYS: Most satisfying, this humble potato-and-egg skillet combo - just moist enough, nicely browned, and a good balance of salty chorizo and cheese to mellow spring onion and yellow pepper. Salad was a crisp reminder of the happy need for good fresh veg, while the chard once again surprised and delighted with its sweetness, even when warmed over.

HE SAYS: A posh omelet on a Monday night tasted just right. I secretly added some cheddar and a few sprinkles of Parmesan to make it the trifecta of cheesiness. The chorizo added its usual deep spicy lushness to the mix while the grilled yellow pepper turned out distinctly shweet and yummy. The chard was a plain but pleasant distraction from the headliner, and the salad with the crunchy radishes and baby fennel gave my teeth a good work out and my cheeks a healthy glow.

16.09.08: Butterbnz with chorizo and rocket

She was determined to have a nice dinner after so many recent disappointments, and so went with the can't-miss butterbnz stirred up with chicken stock, sage, oregano, chorizo and rocket. A virtuous attempt to re-introduce veggie roughage and some enzymes resulted in a plain carrot and radish salad.

SHE SAYS: Aaaah....finally, a comforting, tasty dish I can eat with joy, not just need. No extra seasoning or touch-ups needed, this was velvety and savoury, with satisfyingly intense bit of chorizo upping the treat factor. For balance in health and colour, the salad proved a winner; even after a few months of introducing it, I'm still finding the texture and sweetness of professionally shredded carrot ridiculously pleasant.

HE SAYS: Back in NYC and dinner with family which included a pork loin roast with roast potatoes and green beans, and a yummy orange infused gravy (not pictured). The pork was great, nicely cooked, moist and not dry at all. The potatoes were crunchy, and the green bnz added a little freshness to the plate. The orange sauce or gravy was especially nice and I had seconds and thirds of the whole shebang. A fruit salad medley including raspberries finished things off nicely.

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.

11.08.08: Lemon chicken nite

He got out the big white roasting pan and cooked up some lemon chicken (with the judicious addition of lemon thyme) and assembled a bright spectrum of a salad with tomatoes, roasty pumpkin seeds, strawberries, avo, and sweetfire beetroot.

SHE SAYS: Such fab comfort food to come home to. I lingered over the we-be-jammy lemons and melty potatoes along with chicken that combined crunch and tenderness with lashings of garlic and lemoniness...well, really, need I say more? Salad was only slightly less a star, with deeply ripe strawberries mixing esp well with the toasty seeds.

HE SAYS: I think I reached the zenith of the lemony-oil-jamminess factor in this latest entry in the 2008 Zesty-Lemon stakes. it's only taken around, give or take, 30 or so tries this year to find the ultimate balance between how much olive oil to pour and how much lemon juice to stir into the mix. With crispy skin on the chix and still enough liquid left to spoon over, it was neither too dry nor too soggy. The salad was pretty much a "throw everything in from the fridge except the physalis" affair but it worked well, especially the added roasted pumpkin seeds, which were particularly exquisite tasting, if I allow myself to be so brazen as to boast.

17.07.08: Frittata and snap peas

Trying to sort out what to do with some leftover Jersey royal potatoes that would be easy-peasy before a weekend away, she hit upon the fritatta solution, which also used up a leftover roast pepper, some basil, and a couple of grated Li'l Moos cheese stix. Steamed snap peas plus salad leftover from last nite (freshened with some spinach, physalis, and half an avo) rounded out the pre-jaunt plate.

SHE SAYS: Good enough filler for the nite before a holiday break. Not the tastiest frittata ever - that happens with manchego cheese, methinks - but not bad. Too full to sample the salad, but the snap peas were crisp and juicy.

HE SAYS: Look, up in the sky, Is it an omelet, is it a quiche? No it's not a bad frittata. I agree with Her that manchego cheese would've improved it, a few more roasted peppers wouldn't've gone amiss either, but you do what you can with whatcha got. Salad was good but greatness it wasn't, the leaves were on their last legs, they tried their best to impress, could've done with less, I have to confess.

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.

18.05.08: Another wedding feast

Ceremonial feasting in Kingston Vale: red pepper soup with a swirl of creme fraiche to start...

...and a stylish plate of salmon with basil mayonnaise, chicken with broad beans and snap peas, herbed couscous, boiled new potatoes, and two kinds of green salad with fennel. An indulgent cheese plate of Shropshire blue, brie and sharp cheddar with an assortment of fancy crackers followed (not pictured).

HE SAYS: Salmon was poached nicely but I had to prompt the server for more then a baby-sized portion. Couscous was tasty and fresh as were the veggies. Was pretty famished beforehand and was relieved when we got to sit down and tuck into the soup, which was a little on the sweet side for my taste. Overall, great food and a great end to a smashing do and an eventful weekend.

SHE SAYS: Soup was light and sweet, and I thought the cold plate main meal was very refreshing and nicely paired with the wines. I was dipping everything in that yumsome basil mayo, must admit. Probably had more than my share of the deeply satisfying cheeses, if you pleases, but no one at the table was going without.

26.03.08: Lemon chicken nite

Lemon chicken, how do we love thee? Let us count the ways.

SHE SAYS: Truthfully, we enjoy lemon-saltiness to an almost indecent degree, and tonite's meal tickled that fancy for me just fine. Green beans and potatoes were perfectly tender-crisp, and the chicken had a v. satisfying crunch as well as excellent lemon flavour. Only one 'pick: no lemon- juice-and-olive-oil 'sauce' left to spoon over the chicken, which can get a teeny bit dry (He drained off the liquid near the end to help the potats roast faster). But that's a v. minor sidenote on an otherwise luscious dinner.

HE SAYS: What She said. Plus the salad with the added pear and my favourite, radishes, was extremely delishymo (a googlewhackblatt!)

12.03.08: Sherried pork chops and mushrooms

He prepared a somewhat decadent midweek feast of herby, sherried pork chops and mushrooms finished with single cream; potatoes roasted in duck fat; steamed sugarsnap peas; and simple cherry tomato and mixed-leaf salad.

SHE SAYS: The herby sherried mushrooms and onions gave a luscious dimension to the nicely browned chops. Crispy roast potatoes will never do me wrong, and the perfectly al dente snap peas balanced it all out with virtuous veggie goodness. Snips of Her ho-made preserved lemons raised the salad to yum level - an inspired touch.

HE SAYS: Once again deglazing the pan come up trumps. Have to thank Cooksister for her great recipe, will def. try again but perhaps with a little more single cream at the end. The slow roasted potatoes needed quite a bit of babysitting what with the consistent basting, but it was worth the effort: crunchy on the outside and fluffy in the centre. Loved the preserved lemons in the salad too, so salty, tangy and generally fab.

13.02.08: Lemon chicken

The chicken is kickin': Lemon chicken with potatoes and green beans brighten up a Wednesday nite, courtesy of Him this time.

HE SAYS: Nice juicy chicken breasts. The potatoes were deeeeelicious, with loads of lemony tang.

SHE SAYS: Happy sigh. The potatoes were good, but I still think the anyas are the best roasters.