Lamb Ragu

I'm not a huge fan of lamb, as you'll see if you click on 'Lamb' in the cloud on the right. However, in my frenzy to cook as much as possible from Nigellissima: Instant Italian Inspiration and because the picture looked so damn yummy I decided to try  out her Lamb Ragu. She also describes it as one of her 'go to weekday suppers' and well, I was having friends to supper, it was a Thursday, I thought I'd give it a try. Typically it was the picture that made me want to cook, and eat, this recipe and what with feeding the baby, putting him to bed, cooking and drinking vast amounts of wine I forgot to take a picture. I'll add one next time I cook it. And there will be a next time.

Nigella always bangs on about these exciting types of pasta that I vow to get next time I'm near anywhere that sells such a thing but I always end up ordering online from Sainsburys, so instead of the mafaldine or pappardelle that the recipe requires, I used good old tagliatelle and it worked just fine.This is a great alternative to normal bolognaise as the lamb mince can be in the freezer and everything else is store cupboard stuff. I have to admit that I left off the fresh mint and I'm not a huge fan and added a squirt of tomato ketchup towards the end of cooking as I felt it needed a little sweetness... whether you decide to do that or not is up to you.

Lamb Ragu

Serves 2

1 ½ tbsp garlic oil
1 banana shallot, chopped
1 tsp dried mint
1 tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp dried chilli flakes
250g minced lamb
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
2 tsp redcurrant jelly
1 ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt
pepper
200g mafaldine or pappardelle (or whatever pasta you can find)
Fresh mint, to serve (optional)

I doubled the quantities and cooked this in a round le creuset but a heavy bottomed saucepan with a lid would do just as well. Whatever you usually put your bolognaise in basically. I also cooked this on a low heat for about double the amount of time because that was easier when you have people coming over.

1. Put a large pan of water on to boil, then warm the garlic oil in a small, heavy-based pan (with a lid) and cook the shallots, stirring, for 2 minutes.

2. Sprinkle in the herbs and chilli, stirring again in the hot pan before adding the mean and cooking for a couple of minutes, stirring to break it up with a wooden spatula or spoon until it loses a bit of the pinkness.

3. Add the tomatoes, redcurrant jelly, Worcestershire sauce, pinch of salt and some grindings of pepper, give it a good stir and bring to the boil, then partially cover with the lid and simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Salt the pasta water and cook the pasta according the instructions, and your taste.

5. Once the pasta is cooked, and not too efficiently drained, return the pasta to the pan and dress it with the ragu. Spinkle a little fresh mint and serve.

Vietnamese/Thai Dressing

I have always been convinced that my mother is possibly the worlds greatest cooks and one of the contributing factors (apart from her ability to get everyone to like cooked cabbage) is her genius with leftover turkey. My family all love turkey but I have a particular horror of leftovers... any leftovers. All greasy with secret bones and grisly bits they really make me sad but not so the leftover turkey in the Holmes household. My mother manages to make genuinely yummy things with anything that remains from our festive bird including an amazing Thai salad with noodles, lots of mint and the most spectacular dressing which I have only recently discovered she pinched from Nigella Bites. Joe and I have deployed it twice this week - firstly with left over pork belly in a normal salad and then with defrosted beef strips in a noodle salad.The recipe for the dressing doesn't include mint but if you are Thai-ing up leftovers then get some mint... it's the only time I can stand it apart from in Mojito's and Pimms.

Vietnamese/Thai Dressing

Makes enough for a salad for 2-4

1 red chili, seeded and minced
1 fat garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 tbsp sugar
1 ½ tsp rice vinegar
1 ½ tbsp lime juice
1 ½ tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)
1 ½ tbsp vegetable oil
half a medium onion finely sliced
black pepper

I use a shallot for this as that's what I usually have - can't bear to have half an onion loitering in the fridge.

1. Combine all the ingredients into a bowl and put to one side for half an hour. Then deploy.

Healthy Ham, Egg and Chips

Since having a baby I have been unable to read. Not literally, I'm not some sort of medical anomaly, but I just can't bring myself to read a book. It's strange, and slightly tricky as I still do one day a week working for a publisher. Magazines I can just about do however and Good Housekeeping is my magazine of choice. In fact it is Good Housekeeping and Nigellissima that have got me back into the kitchen even if what I'm choosing to cook isn't all that taxing. At least I'm cooking.

I never make ham, egg and chips. It's partly that it's one of those things that I think you can have in the pub and partly that whenever I do have it in the pub it comes with fat chips... which I loathe. I also think that if I were to have it at home it would morph into Brinner - bacon instead of the ham, bread instead of the chips and beans on the side to please Joe.

February's GH mag had a load of recipes that I wanted to cook in it and a rather lovely interview with Jennifer Saunders... added bonus. One of them was this Healthy Ham, Egg and Chips which seemed like a good way to use up some of the potatoes that have been hanging around for some time. I have also got into the habit of buying 12 eggs instead of 6 - mostly out of laziness - but it turns out that it's quite hard to use 12 eggs if you are not baking.

The recipe uses pulled ham hock which is apparently available in some supermarkets but they suggest using thick sliced ham if you can't find it. Tesco Metro didn't have either so Joe got two gammon steaks (250g) and grilled those up before starting the recipe which I think is what we'll do in future. Unless we can find any illusive ham hock. We also didn't have any fresh thyme (we used a sprinkling of dried), too few mushrooms and tomatoes and we ate it all quite happily between the two of us (not that I'd advise that... it was terrible gluttony on our part). I don't think I would have wanted any more tomatoes in it actually... it was very nice with the 150g we used. But here's the recipe as it should be - feel free to tinker with it at will.

Healthy Ham, Egg and Chips

Serves 4

3 medium potatoes, skin on and cut into 2cm dice
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
400g small closed cup mushrooms, halved or quartered as you like
4 fresh thyme sprigs
250g cherry tomatoes (although 100-150g fine as far as I'm concerned)
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
4 large eggs
125g pulled ham hock
chopped fresh parsley or chives to garnish

All the ingredients

 Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. You will need a large non-stick roasting tin and that's it!

1. In your roasting tin toss the potato cubes and onion in well seasoned oil and roast for 20 mins.

2. Add the mushrooms and thyme and toss together and then return to the oven for 25 mins or until the vegetables are tender and golden.

Adding the mushrooms

 3. Toss through the cherry tomatoes and mustard. Then make four spaces in the tin and crack in the eggs.

4. Return to the oven for 8-10 mins or until the egg whites are cooked.

Topped with ham and herbs

5. Top with the ham and herbs and serve.

What to pack in your hospital bag

OK so there are lots of blog posts on this but I want to have my say. Here’s what you really need to pack in your hospital bag, plus a few extra’s that I was really pleased I had. I made this list when I came home as I had my sister and a few friends due a couple of weeks after me and there are so many lists out there it’s hard to know what you really need.

Quite often now you are sent home the same day as you had the baby but you never know what your labour is going to be like so better to have too much stuff than too little. My hospital keeps everyone in for 24 hours as a matter or course so you can be monitored and your baby can see the paediatrician. So all this is based on 24 hours in hospital in a ward.

• 2 towels – I took 1 and had a shower straight after having Ned and then needed another one for my overnight stay... which was annoying.
• Shower gel
• Deodorant 
• Razor (sounds bizarre but when you've had a sleep and the baby's sleeping and you get a chance to have a proper shower you really want to freshen up and I was sad not to have my razor) 
•  2 nighties 
•  Big, comfy black undies 
•  Maternity pads (Boots are the most comfortable, Sainsburys own brand are good too) 
•  Maternity bras (1 is fine though you'll want a couple more for when you get home - I like these) 
• Breast pads (Johnson and Johnson are by far the best but not individually wrapped Lansinoh or Boots own brand are also good)
• Nipple cream 
• Baby wipes (suitable for newborns) 
• Nappies 
• Nappy bags 
• 5 baby vests 
• 5 sleep suits
• 1 or 2 cellular blankets 
• 2 baby hats (they will probably wear one the whole time they are in the hospital 
• Dressing gown for you (it is unbelievably hot in the ward but you will be going to the loo etc so it’s nice to have a dressing gown) 
• Flip flops or slippers (my feet were too swollen for slippers) 
• Eye mask (if you like to sleep in total darkness) 
• Hair ties 
• Plastic bag for your dirty laundry 
• Flash wipes for the bathroom etc (the bathroom where I was was really clean but... well, you leak and it’s nice to just have something to hand to have a bit of a clean up after you’ve had a shower etc).

I took an ipod and speakers which I didn’t use. Anything else you need your husband or friend can bring you after you’ve had the baby. A lot of people recommend ear plugs but from my experience newborns actually sleep quite a lot and I would have been too anxious about him if I'd had earplugs in.

Meatzza

My husband has never been able to pronounce things correctly. So much for his university education. When I met him he would say burlesque to rhyme with barbecue, it was only a couple of years ago I sorted out the Arkansas problem for him and literally months ago that we had a sit down discussion about reneged having a hard ‘g’. I thought it was all over but no, thanks to Nigella and her lovely new book Nigellisima I now have to deal with regular requests for the ‘Meatatza’. He means Meatzza. 

On second thoughts maybe this annoying inability to pronounce quite a simple word was a deliberate ploy to get me to cook it so we could move on. It worked. I cooked it for our romantic Friday night that I’d been planning involving booze and a new Midsommer Murders that actually ending up being me and Most Haunted while Joe wolfed his Meatzza and returned to his computer to get his award for slowest. Worker. Ever.

A quick word on Nigella’s latest series – loved it. Far less simpering and saucy sideways glances, amazing figure, amazing clothes, updated fab makeup and yummy recipes. A big improvement (although I did watch and love Kitchen she was a bit OTT wasn’t she?). And the accompanying book is just lovely – completely different to her usual look and easy to follow.

Now for the Meatzza which she says is the most requested recipe in the book. It was delicious and very simple to make but kind of hefty. Admittedly the recipe is for 4-6 people and there are only two of us, and yes we did finish it (see my constant twitter complaints about how I’m not losing weight even though I’m breastfeeding). But on its own for 4-6 people I feel it would need something with it – salad or tagliatelle perhaps?

Also would like to add that mince doesn't photograph well... I tried.

Meatzza

Serves 4-6

500g minced beef

3 tbsp grated Parmesan

3 tbsp breadcrumbs or porridge oats (not instant)

3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 clove garlic, peeled

salt and pepper to taste

butter, for greasing

1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

1 tsp garlic oil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 x 125g ball of mozzarella (not Buffalo), halved then sliced

few leaves fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas Mark 7. You'll need a large mixing bowl and a round baking tin,  although I used a round Le Creuset, about 28cm in diameter. I didn't add enough salt, do not be afraid of salt in this recipe, it is your friend, if in doubt heat up a small frying pan and fry off a tiny bit of the mince mixture to try it for seasoning.

1. In a large bowl, using your hands, combine the mince, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley and eggs. Grate in the garlic and add some salt and pepper. Do not overwork it, just lightly mix together, or the meat will become compacted and dense. 

2. Butter your dish or baking tin and turn the meat into it, pressing the mixture lightly with your fingers to cover the bottom of the dish. 

The mince base

3. Make sure you've drained as much juice as you can from the chopped tomatoes, then mix the tomatoes with the garlic oil, oregano and some salt and pepper and spread, using a rubber spatula, lightly on top of the meat base. Arrange the mozzarella slices on top.

4. Cook for 20-25 minutes by which time the meat should be cooked through and the mozzarella melted. 

5. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes then cover with the basil leaves and cut into wedges like a pizza to serve.

This says it all...

Normal blogging should be resuming soon but for now Happy Friday...