Over the Christmas holiday my mum served a lovely Cauliflower and Spiced Lentil dish. I am not a big fan of cauliflower but it was so good and I had seconds and thirds.

I really wanted to give Em some to try she certainly loves her lentils,  but was worried it might be a bit spicy so  I have made a version of this for her without the chillis , can’t wait to see if she likes it. We had a spicy version  it’s great to make ahead and reheat and so good that after having it with Tandoori Chicken Livers for Saturday dinner we were eating it again for Sunday breakfast

Cauliflower and Lentil  Daal

1 large onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 tbsp of sunflower oil
2 green chillis left whole
1 tsp of mustard seeds
1 tbsp of garam masala
1 tsp of Asafoetida
1 tsp of tumeric
100g of red lentils
100g of chana dal
300g of cauliflower cut finger length pieces
1 tbsp of fresh coriander finely chopped

1. Fry the onions until softened and begging to brown in the oil
2. Add the garlic , tumeric, garam masala and mustard seeds
3. Fry until the onions and coated and the scent is rising
4. Add the lentils and cauliflower stir and quickly add enough boiling water to cover the lentils plus a cm. I like the cauliflower to be well cooked but you could add it halfway through the cooking if prefer it crunch
5. Cover and simmer on a low heat until the cauliflower is soft and the lentils have absorbed the water
6. Once cooked add the nigella seeds and some salt if required

Chicken Livers are one of my favourite ingredients in fact any liver, liver really works with spices. Tandoori Lamb or chicken livers are great cooked on skewers on the BBQ but work well under a hot grill too. Ready in minutes and instantly addictive delicious dipped in yogurt with mind and cucumber.

Tandoori Chicken Livers

1 tbsp of tandoori powder
3 tbsp of yogurt
200g of chicken livers

Remove any membranes from the chicken livers
Mix together the yogurt and powder
Toss the chicken livers in the mix
Place under a hot grill for 4 minutes turning halfway.

Somewhere between a stew and a risotto this was going to be your standard beef stew til I realised we didn’t have many vegetables , you could use less pearl barley for a sloppier stew.  The beer gives a lovely malty taste to the chewy barley, salty olives, tender meat and sweet butternut squash.

Beef, Butternut Squash, Barley, Beer and Stew

Makes enough for 4
4006 of stewing beef cubed
500g of Butternut Squash cubed
200g of pearl barley
1 pint of dark ale
1 tsp of dried thyme
2 tbsp of plain flour
1 pint of beef stock
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
1 medium onion finely chopped
1/2 tsp of ground black pepper
1 tsp of sunflower oil
4 tbsp of black olives stoned and roughly chopped

1. Season the beef with the pepper and flour
2. Fry the onions , garlic , and brown the beef
3. Add the butternut squash, thyme and pour over the stock
4. Place on a low simmer or in a medium oven and cook for 2 hours, you may need to add more stock
5. For the last hour add the pearl barley and olives

Alternatively is you are using a slow cooker 6 hours on low with the barley added for the last hour.

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1. Beer Braised Beef Ribs, 2. Wet Garlic and Preserved Lemon Risotto with Slow Roasted Tomatoes, 3. Orange and Cardamom Baklava, 4. Damson Ice Cream, 5. Stubby Beans, 6. Caldo Verde – Spring Green , Chorizo, Broad Bean Soup, 7. Sausages with Slow Cooked Beans, 8. Macaroni Cheese, 9. Cucumber , Radish and Broad Bean Salad with Radish Leaf and Feta Pesto, 10. Tacos with Slow Cooked Pork in chipoltes en adobo, 11. Persian Chicken Stew with Pomegranate and Almonds, 12. Spiced Beef, 13. Spaghetti and Meatballs, 14. Profiteroles, 15. Slow Roasted Pork Belly with Lentils and Slow Roasted Tomato Salad, 16. Rhubarb and Almond Tart, 17. Five Spice Pork Belly with Pickled Vegetable Salad, 18. Javanese Lamb and Runner Bean Curry, 19. Portabello Stuffed Mushroom Burgers with Tomato Salsa, 20. Chicken Chorizo and Parsnip Pie, 21. Spiced Whiting with Coconut Fennel Lentils, 22. Oxtail Star Anise, 23. Pea Lettuce and Stilton Soup, 24. Smoked Ham Hock with Beans and Vegetables., 25. Pasta with Peas Broad Beans and Feta and Spinach Pesto, 26. Homemade Bagels, 27. BBQ Lamb, 28. Gochujang Pulled Pork with Spicy Beansprout Salad, 29. Smoked Salmon with Pickled Cucumber and Red Onion Salad, Hot New Potato Salad, 30. Chocolate Date Cake, 31. Fennel and Potato Gratin, 32. Tomato, Onion and Potato Tart, 33. Hummus with Olives Peppers and Jalepenos with Sumac Spiced Flatbread, 34. Turkish Flatbreads with Lamb Haggis & Pomegranate, 35. Steak Pudding, 36. Lamb and Chickpea Balls with Watercress and Radish Salad

Wow it’s been quite a year, pregnant or with a newborn but I still managed to pack in a lot of cooking. While pregnant I ate very healthily and towards the end when Baby Emily was very overdue I consumed a lot of pineapple ( quite happy if I never eat that again)

Having a newborn around the the slow-cooker has been a lifesaver, even sleep deprived I can throw a load of thing in at some point in the day and have dinner on the table without the risk of anything being burnt, Beer Braised Beef Ribs

Our hob also broke part way through the year meaning I became pretty adept at using the microwave a device I have always avoided but it is brilliant for  cooking rice and pasta and means even now when distracted by a baby-emergency we do not end up with burnt offerings.

My other find for the tired mind is definitely a pressure cooker, being able to have dried pulses useable in less than half an hour is fantastic in combination with the pressure cooker it produced a stand out dish – Stumpy Pumpy Beans adapted from Valentine Warner and a real winter warmer

With less time on my hands I  have done a lot more meal planning, Sundays we sit down and work out what we will eat for the week ahead. Having the local farmers market has been fantastic.  We are often there as the stallholders set up, pushing Em and munching on bacon rolls.

Towards the end of the  year I have begun giving Em some real food , pureed veg so far, it’s so lovely watching her eat and she makes some very happy umming noises.

One regret I have not managed nearly enough foraging this year some damsons and walnuts from local trees and a few mushrooms but Spring will be just around the corner and I will be back to form.

It’s going to be another big year, no resolutions yet but watch this space

This Christmas I decided to make most of the presents I gave no mean feat with Emily increasingly demanding my attention – thankfully she was a willing model for the Grandparents present a calender featuring her lovely self.
The rest of the gifts with edible , oatcakes , lime pickle and some little Pork Pies
all tried and tested recipes but I wanted to try something new The Times featured a Mrs Beeton recipes to coincide with the updated version issued for Christmas

I used a supermarket cut of beef , and took half down to my Mum’s where it went down well miraculously considering we were all well and truly spoilt by Mum’s excellent cooking.

The outside cures becoming firm but leaving the inside very soft perfect for cold cuts and canapes. I had lost the recipe by the time I came to make it so was working from memory but this recipe worked well

Mrs Beeton Spiced Beef
1kg silverside/topside of beef
100g of salt
25g of brown sugar
2 tbsp of black peppercorns crushed
1 tbsp of juniper berries crushed
1 tsp of coriander seeds crushed

1. Mix together the marinade ingredients
2. Rub the mariande over the beef seal in a plastic bag
3. Leave in the refridgerator for 5-7 days
4. Remove from the refridgerator allow to come to room temperature and wipe of the marinade
5. Place in the oven at 160degC for 45 minutes
6. Return to the fridge for 3 days wrapped tightly in clingfilm, it is easiest to slice when very cold.
7. Finely slice and serve with some celeriac remoulade

Horseradish Celeriac Remoulade

1 celeriac outer skin sliced off and flesh finely grated ( peel using a large knife as you would a squash rather than a potato)
1 egg yolk
1/4 tsp salt
Juice and zest of a lemon
6 tbsp of rape seed oil
1 tsp mustard ( I use wholegrain but traditionally you should use dijon) , but I substitute horseradish to go with the beef
2 tbsp of chopped fresh parsley
Pinch of salt

1. Beat together  the egg yolk, salt and mustard until well mixed
2. Finally whisk in the oil and lemon juice
3. Stir in the grated celeriac and parsley
4. Leave for at least at hour to allow the celeriac to cure and soften

A couple of dishes either to get you in the mood with some Christmas flavours or a way to use some leftovers.

A christmassy pasta dish well it contains , brussel sprouts, bacon (crumbled sausage would work well too, if you have some chipolatas hanging around), nutmeg and cream all pretty classic items you might have smalls the fridge around Christmas , you can make your own gnocchi but since this is a bit of a leftover dish I use bought ones

Chrismassy Gnocchi

400g of gnocchi
2 rashers of bacon
2 large handfuls of brussell sprouts or other greens spring cabbage , spinach etc finely shredded
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1/2 tsp of nutmeg
1/2 tsp of ground black pepper
4 tbsp of cream.

Fry the bacon and garlic until it is begining to crisp
Add the shredded brussell sprouts and some addition greens if you fancy spring greens, cabbage, here I used some particularly leafy purple sprouting broccoli.
Meanwhile simmer the gnocchi in a pan of warm water
Once the greens add the nutmeg and black pepper
Stir well then add the cooked gnocci and a dash of cream just to bring everything  together

Stilton is another thing we often have some leftover, and some stale bread this is a great soup that can be made with tinned , frozen  or fresh spinach .

Spinach and Stilton Soup

Dahl is something we have every couple of weeks , I find it a strangely soothing dish. Here the addition of some sweet potato makes it a filling meal with some pitta bread or chappati. I leave the seeds whole  since I like the crunch but you could definitely grind the coriander.

The reason we have sweet potatoes is this month we started weaning Em . Of course had visions of her happily gobbling my home made purees instead of course she has rejected both freshly prepared 
lentils and sweet potato in favour of horrible wallpaper paste tasting
baby rice. She actually blows raspberries with food that displeases her sending it flying in my direction, with the baby rice she grabs the spoon and jams it into her mouth. Here she is eating her gloop.

Sweet Potato and Lentil  Dahl

1 large onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 tbsp of sunflower oil
2 green chillis left whole
1 tsp of mustard seeds
1 tsp of coriander seeds
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of tumeric
1 tsp of nigella seeds
1 tsp of fenugreek
1 tsp of Asafoetida
1 tsp of tumeric
1 tsp of paprika
200g of  red lentils
200g of sweet potato peeled and cut into 1.5 cm cubes

1. Fry the onions until softened and begging to brown in the oil
2. add the garlic , tumeric, paprika , asafoetida, cumin, coriander and mustard seeds
3. Fry until the onions and coated and the scent is rising
4. Add the lentils and butternut squash stir and quickly add enough boiling water to cover the lentils plus a cm
5. Cover and simmer on a low heat until the sweet potato is soft and the lentils have absorbed the water
6. Once cooked add the nigella seeds and salt if required

Many years ago now I went with my freind Nick to stay in a cottage in Wales in November we arrived to find the heating was broken ( it’s pretty cold in November in Wales ) so we decamped to the pub a leave a joint of belly pork low in the oven.
After a few ciders we returned to find it was still very cold in the cottage but the pork belly was cooked to perfection delicious crispy skin , melting meat. To this day I cannot say if it was the belly pork, the wine or the cold but we left that cottage more than friends.

Last night for our anniversary I said a prayer to the god of babies  and popped a joint in the oven. Belly Pork is fatty and I think best served with something to cut through, I love these spicy pickled salads, they wake you up, if don’t fancy the thai taste, cabbage , carrot and apple works well too dressed with lemon juice and black pepper.

Five Spice Pork Belly

750g of pork belly
4tbsp of five spice
1 tsp of salt

1. Leave the pork belly in the fridge overnight to dry out
2.  Score the fat layer on the pork
3. Rub the pork belly all over with the five spice and salt
4. Roast in the oven at 160degC for 2.5 hours
5. Allow to rest for 20 minutes before serving.

Thai Pickled Vegetable Salad

3 large carrots shredded
1/2 white cabbage shredded
1 large red chilli finely chopped
Handful of fresh coriander leaves
4 tbsp of pickled ginger

Dressing
40ml of tsp rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp fish Sauce
1/2 tsp of minced garlic
1/2 tsp of minced ginger

Dress the salad  and leave to pickle for at least an hour.
Serve the pork belly in slices on top of the pickled vegetable salad

I have been getting organised sorting through the freezer and making a list of the meat contents which we are slowly working our way through – mostly to make way for more goodies.

For some reason I had a very small bag of minced pork too small for even bread-padded meatballs or haslet . Nick suggested dim sum which pre-baby we would often make together and eat for Friday night dinner .

They really are not that labour intensive to assemble we churned out 40 in about 15 minutes using ready made dim sum wrappers also from the  freezer ( left out for 30 minutes to defrost) . Once assembled dim sum can be kept in the fridge for up to 24 hours before steaming or even popped into the freezer. They can then be cooked from frozen add 5 minutes to the steaming time.

I can’t wait til we can get Em on the production line but at 4 months
old she is assuming a supervisory role from her new highchair.  Actually
we need to keep most of the food away from her as everything is
currently heading straight into her mouth for a good gumming.

Perfect fodder for when we have finally wrestled Baby Em into bed. Chewy and satisfying below are some pork mince recipes but it is fun to play around and tofu , mushrooms or chicken mince work well too.

Dim Sum Recipe

To make 40 dim sum

40 dim sum wrappers
100g of pork mince

20 Pork and Cabbage Dim Sum

50g of pork mince
100g of white cabbage finely chopped
1 small onion
1 tsp of minced garlic
1 tsp of minced ginger
1 tsp of red chilli
1/2 egg beaten

20 Pork and Prawn
50g of pork mince
50g of prawns  finely chopped
1 tsp of fresh ginger
1/2 tsp coriander
1 tsp sweet chilli sauce

To assemble

1. Mix together each set of  filling ingredients
2. to make a dim sum place a teaspoon of  filling in the centre of the wrapper
3. Dip your finger into a bowl of water, rub it round the outer rim of the wrapper
4. fold over the wrapper to make a half moon shape , making sure the edges are sealing in all the filling , then pleat the edges together.
5. place the completed dim sum on a sheet of greaseproof paper
6. Steam for 6 minutes over boiling water

Serve with soy sauce for dipping

Heading into her fourth month Em will go at the most three hours between feeds (that includes during the night). sometimes if she is feeling poorly or having a growth spurt or there is a “Y” is the day – she will feed breastfeed hourly – apparently this is all perfectly normal.

Perfectly normal is a phrase I hear a lot now …..

“So long as there are lots of wet and dirty nappies that rate of feeding is perfectly normal” say the Health Visitors.
“Acutually, we haven’t had any dirty nappies for two weeks.”
“Yes, that’s perfectly normal… Breastmilk is the perfect food so there is very little waste” they say cheerily.
“Is it normal to be so tired I hallucinate that I am feeding my baby and then she vanishes from my arms and I have to get up and check she is in her cot”
“Yes perfectly normal ,if you are tired. Are you resting when she is resting?”
“Yes, I lie.”

Because of course I am not resting, the second she closes her eyes I am trying to do stuff that actually makes feel perfectly normal cooking , reading and of course eating

Since I am the sole source of her food , I am course eating a lot too. I thought I had an appetite before I was pregnant but now it is supercharged. Guidance suggests an extra 500 calories a day,  the health visitor suggests cake , cheese and chocolate. I actually got told off for eating too healthily and not often enough.

So aside from eating constantly I am also trying to eat foods there are foods which stimulate milk production – lactogenic foods. Oats are one , another is  fennel , so “second breakfast” is porridge and fennel tea. Yes, I eat two breakfasts now.

Sadly fresh fennel is just coming out of season this uses the fennel bulb with potatoes packed dish which is great side for fish or chicken but delicious as a main too.

Potato and Fennel Gratin

1 bulb of fennel finely sliced
500g of potatoes finely sliced
100g of breadcrumbs
1 tbsp of fennel seeds
4 tbsp of olive oil
Salt and Pepper

1. Mix the fennel and potatoes with half the olive oil , season well with salt and pepper
2. Pack into a baking dish, cover with foil and place in the oven at 180degC for 40 minutes
3. For the last 10 minutes scatter over the breadcrumbs, fennel seeds and drizzle over the remaining olive oil.

Last week we had a large romanesco cauliflower in the vegbox, way too pretty to just eat as a side dish , I have made a   cauliflower risotto with anchovy crumbs before  but even quicker is this simple pasta dish.

Spaghetti with Cauliflower and Anchovy- Chilli Crumbs

Cook the pasta according to the instructions placing the cauliflower in the water for the last 5 minutes , it should still be slightly al dente drain and sprinkle with the anchovy crumbs

Anchovy and Chili Crumbs

Makes 4 servings

2 large handfuls of stale bread, torn into pieces
1 clove of garlic
1 small tin of anchovies, oil from tin reserved
1 tbsp of dried chilli flakes

To make the anchovy crumbs

1. Place the bread in the food processor with the anchovies including the oil , pulse until crumbs
2. Fry the breadcrumb mix in a hot pan until golden brown , add the chilli flakes