Feeling fig

The title of this post should be "feeling fit" as I was due to run in the Royal Parks Half Marathon tomorrow... but, I've had cold and been feeling very sorry for myself for the last couple of days. I slept for 11 hours last night to try and get over it and it has almost done the trick but I know I am not fully fit. But in case I make a miraculous recovery, I've taken it very easy today, been drinking lots of water, and made myself a lovely pasta dinner to give me my energy boost for tomorrow.

I have a passion for figs, usually served with prosciutto or serrano ham and shavings of parmesan then drizzled with a lovely balsamic dressing in a salad, yum. I had never thought of putting them with pasta until I discovered this dish in the River Cafe Pasta & Ravioli pocket book. The combination of lemony cream, caramelised fig and slight hint of chilli is quite delicious.

Tagliatelle with fresh figs and chilli - serves 4

350g dried egg tagliatelle

8 black figs, stalks removed, cut into quarters

2 dried red chillies, crumbled

zest of 2 lemons

juice of 1 lemon

100ml double cream

50g freshly grated parmesan

extra virgin olive oil

Here's how:

Mix the lemon zest and juice into the cream and season. Cook the tagliatelle in boiling salted water until al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, heat a frying pan large enough to hold the figs in one layer. Add 2 tbsps of olive oil and when smoking, place the figs in the pan, turning them immediately to caramelise on each side. Remove from the heat, sprinkle with the chillies ans season.

Drain the pasta, return to the pan, then stir in the cream mixture and toss together. Add the figs and serve with the parmesan sprinkled over.

new year, new way of eating

I feel that i have been neglecting my blog! My excuse is that i had a hectic and very sociable weekend, and i haven't quite mastered the art of cooking for other people, being hostess AND taking photos to post on here!

Last Friday was a mexican night in with the girls, when i produced my famous guacamole, nachos, beef fajitas and vegetable chilli (Lee's Hippy Farm Beans from the Leon cookbook). Dessert was the most delicious Chocolate Pots from Nigella Bites.

Saturday was spent eating leftovers from the night before and going to a fantastic wedding reception in the evening.

Sunday was all about planning and preparing a roast dinner for a friend (who happens to be a very good cook - no pressure then...) when i made Jamie Oliver's perfect roast chicken (taken from The Naked Chef), crispy roast potatoes and parsnips, sweet potato gratin (from Ottolenghi The Cookbook) and some simple peas and carrots. I hadn't cooked a roast for ages, but it all turned out well and we finished it off with some home-made apple crumble and cream (should have been freshly made custard but it curdled beyond repair...).

So tonight, i was determined to cook AND blog! But first i will explain my new year way of eating. I have spent the last couple of weeks sorting out my finances, my cupboards, my life in general... This was brought on by reading The Thrift Book by India Knight which is a modern day guide to living well and spending less. Tying in with all things credit crunch, i have decided if i make less visits to Waitrose each week, i will definitely save money and not waste so much food. It is all too easy for me to get carried away deciding on a must-cook recipe and ignore the actual contents of my fridge. So, i am making the most of the food i have and only shopping for fresh essentials as and when i need them. The secret of this is having a well-stocked cupboard which, thanks to the aforementioned Waitrose, I do!
A book i will be referring to often and which i have had for a good number of years is off the shelf by Donna Hay. Tonight i needed to use left over roast chicken and this recipe was perfect:

lemon chicken pasta

I didn't realise there were so many recipes on her website so i am off to explore some more...

Note to self: do not post too many pasta recipes!