01.07.08: Black bnz

She put on the pinny, pulled out the pot, cooked up the beans, and served 'em up hot. Special guest star in the salad: green tiger stripe tomatoes from M&S, which have been MIA for some time now.

SHE SAYS: Well, I don't know quite what happened tonite, but even sfter the blending the bnz were kind of tastless! I kept sprinking in salt, then called in the cavalry: Chipotle Tabasco. [Suddenly while typing and glancing ruefully towards spice shelf, I realise that I put in paprika instead of my mystery smoky powder! So funny, I truly didn't catch on at the time and was completely mystified by the weak waving of the flavour flag by the coriander and cumin...] tiger tomatoes were not as good as I recall either. Still, with a littel doctorng here and there it was a satisfying if not stellar meal.

HE SAYS: Even though the taste quotient was not on par with most recent efforts this was still a fulfilling dish by anyone's standards. I suppose since we are spoilt by out of this world, to-die-for black beans, I cannot proclaim my luv for all things black and bean-like this time but am not put off for life. The black bnz will raise from the ashes and rule supreme next week I'm sure and since the salad was so terrific with both my fav ingredients, namely the oh so crunchy 'n peppery radishes and the oh so vinegary, sweet and citrusy beetroot, who cares?

25.04.08: Lamb korma, naan, and salad

The Friday nite curry: He browned some leg o' lamb, mixed in some korma sauce from Bombay Authentics (we keep trying!), and served it over brown rice cooked with lemongrass and onion seeds and quick chopping of fresh coriander. Some oven-toasted readymade naan and a salad of watercress and dark, green-striped tiger tomatoes did right by us as the weekend approached.

SHE SAYS: Three cheers for the korma sauce; blended with the broth of the lamb it was deeply savoury, but not at overcomplicated. I found the lamb to be tough and fatty, even though I know He trimmed it...maybe there's a better cut to choose for this quick-cooker, and the leg stands up better to a nice long braise? The crispy naan made for good scooping, and the salad was a real firecracker - watercress in season delivers a v. spicy kick! Meanwhile, the tiger tomatoes put the insipid waterbags you find masquerading on supermarket shelves as proper lycopersicums well to shame.

HE SAYS: I used two jars of the sauce, learnt from last time we tried a sauce from this range that one doesn't afford much sopping up action. The flavour was nice and creamy and fragrant but still had a spicy kick without the heat. Rice was pepped up with some lemongrass, a pinch of garam masala, onion seeds, and a teaspoon of the chicken broth that She discovered recently. Salad was tasty with the inclusion of the almost-green tomatoes. A pint of Cobra and a few naan helped recreate an authentic Friday curry nite out without leaving our kitchen.