Day 28 - Salads & Slow Cooker Experiments

Today I visited my good friend, Crummy Mummy and her new baby. Even though I saw her quite recently, the little girl is growing so quickly and she is still the cutest thing in the world. Since it was such lovely weather we took advantage and went for a lovely long walk by the canal before going home and fixing a feast for lunch.

Crummy Mummy actually picked out a recipe which I love and have made once before, great minds think alike it seems!  She actually put a nice twist on it though as the original is quite a summery salad, whereas she made it a more comforting winter warmer.  It was a Warm Lentil, Roasted Vegetable & Halloumi Salad.

First, we chopped up a selection of fresh vegetables to roast including; one aubergine, cubed, one onion, chopped into wedges, one red pepper, roughly cut, and several halved cherry tomatoes.  These went in the oven with a good splash of olive oil at around 225C for around 30mins.  If we'd had more time we could have left them for longer at a lower temperature but with the wonders of fan cooking they were nicely tender when we took them out. Meanwhile, we simmered the green lentils for around 20mins until tender.  Next she made a quick dressing from a couple of crushed garlic cloves, lemon juice and olive oil and tossed the cubed halloumi in it, before giving it a quick sizzle in the frying pan until just soft.  Finally everything was assembled on the plate and served with a dollop of houmous to make it all slip down that little bit better. Perfect. No picture unfortunately as I practically inhaled it. Fresh air certainly gives me an appetite! It was a really lovely way to spend an afternoon, I love getting out of the city and nothing is better than whiling away the time with a good friend, who puts on awesome grub!

I planned out what to make for dinner that evening on the train home. I recently acquired myself a slow cooker and was very much looking forward to trying it out for the first time. I had left it a little late though, getting in at almost 5pm, so opted for something that I could still prepare in the slow cooker but required a shorter cooking time.  A risotto seemed like my best bet and since I'm not a big fan of the whole 'adding stock' process to stove prepared risottos (because it can be pretty laborious) I was keen to see if this method would work just as well.

I chose a simple green bean and pea risotto with the intention of serving with a pan fried salmon fillet.  The prep was pretty simple; 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1 tsp olive oil and one chopped onion went in a saucepan for a few minutes to soften. Then 200g arborio rice was added for 1 minute, followed by 2 litres of stock, bringing everything up to the boil.  Then it was just a case of pouring it all into the slow cooker and letting it do its thing for the next couple of hours on a low setting.  Once time was up I added 2 tsps of basil pesto and lay the frozen peas and green beans just on top of the rice.  This was then cooked for a further 15mins on a high setting.  It was served topped with the salmon fillet, which I'd pan fried for around 7 mins.

The end result? Well, maybe it was my ratio of water to rice, I didn't have quite enough rice for the amount of stock that I used but having read the slow cooker instructions it said to make sure the crock pot was at least half full, therefore I dutifully obeyed.  However, I think given its slightly mushy consistency there was too much liquid.  Also, although I'd added pesto and then another on serving it all tasted rather bland.  It wasn't really a patch on my normal risotto that I make on the stove.  Still lesson learnt and I will attempt another purely because I do love the fact I can sit back and let it do its thing while I busy myself with important duties such as TV watching. I think my slow cooker and I will become firm friends.

Green Bean & Pea Risotto

Day 19 - Adventure Day

Gerry and I were off to the coast today. I'd decided that it would do us good to get out of the city and spend some time together, just the two of us.  The plan had been to go ice skating first but with a slightly later than planned start it was straight down to Brighton instead. We got there in good time, with the sun desperately trying to peak through the clouds, and headed straight for The Lanes and lunch. I'd booked at Terre a Terre.  It's a vegetarian restaurant and with Gerry having a penchant for this sort of thing and the fact I'd heard very good things about it, I couldn't wait to try it out. It also has a good deal on at the moment where a selection of tapas, chunky chips and a carafe of organic wine for 2 all weighed in at only £35.  I wish I'd remember to take a picture of the tapas when it came because it looked amazing. All of the tapas were beautifully presented with amazing colours and brimming with flavour. I can imagine that quite a few people might dismiss it as an option because it serves no meat or fish but I wholeheartedly encourage you to give it a try if you are ever in Brighton! I'm an avid meat eater but the adventurousness of the food meant I didn't miss it at all. Apparently many of the chefs who have worked here also go on to work at Heston Blumenthal's restaurant The Fat Duck.  I would list down what we had for our tapas platter but I think that the 'not knowing what's coming' was half of the delight. I will tell you though that we indulged in one of their puddings - The Big Lemon and Icy Mother's Ruin. A fantastic lemon tart with the crispest glaze, served with a gin and tonic infused sorbet and fresh raspberries. All washed down with a 500ml carafe of organic Chardonnay. Pure heaven!

We rolled out of there a couple of hours later and went to check in at Hotel Una. It is a total gem and consistently voted the number one hotel in Brighton on Trip Advisor. We went for the Gaula room, despite being offered an upgrade, because we preferred the colours and light in the room. The staff are wonderful here, helpful without being intrusive. We collapsed in our room and relaxed letting lunch settle. Note to self here though, don't feed Gerry wine at lunchtime, her hangover kicked in a little more than 20 minutes after we'd left the restaurant!

For dinner we decided to take a rain check until later, choosing instead to hit a few bars. I had a mini lesbian pub crawl all worked out but as we walked past the first couple of pubs we chose to keep going. Brighton is obviously well-known for its gay bars and clubs but honestly from the ladies point of view it's a little disappointing. I'm sure if it wasn't a rainy Tuesday night in January it might have been a little more lively but even then I think it still leaves a little to be desired. We ended up at R Bar and kicked back with 2 very reasonable drinks. The place did start to fill up, it appeared to be Accoustic Karaoke night and a young lady was having her birthday party there too. It all seemed quite good fun, albeit it with lots of what appeared to be Skins extras, making us feel a little aged. Luckily we were reassured by a very friendly and chatty Italian girl, Lorena, who at the tender age of 23 told us that we didn't look a day over 26. Gerry still thinks we could have got away with 25.  I'd go back to the bar because as far as bars go it was pretty good. An eclectic mix of people and I hear on a Thursday night it can get quite wild...

We watched various talented and talentless individuals hit the stage for karaoke before we bid it adieu at midnight.  The plan was to go round the corner to Revenge, the club part of R Bar, but we were reliably informed by those in the know that it would be a little empty and not worth the entry fee so instead we chose to head down the road for fish and chips.  Now, they were no means the best fish and chips I've ever had but after a few drinks they tasted brilliant.  There is something so satisfying about using a little wooden fork to eat chips!  Night over we hit the sack.

It was a good evening for the most part, however, I think that our sociability precluded what Gerry and I needed to do most which was talk to *each other*.  This was kind of the reason I wanted to get away from the city in the first place. I hoped it would give us the time to focus on just us. However, even if one of you wants this it doesn't automatically track that the other will too. Maybe next time I need to be more explicit, although often other people and iphones can scupper the best made intentions. Plus, second note to self, don't let Gerry swap to cider after spirits, it can make the end of an evening come up a little short!

Day 17 - The Only Fish in the Sea

It's Sunday but because I don't work regular hours it really could be any day of the week. Despite my daily Wii Active sessions (now on Day 14 of 20) my energy levels are still at a low and I find the same old thoughts rotating round and round in my head. I know if I was a lot more proactive about work and relationships I might feel a little better but even when I am the knock-backs seem to abound and it dents my confidence quite a bit.  I'll try a little, just a toe in the water, but not too much, because what if I find what I'm actually dreading is true?  Sometimes when I'm surrounded by people, I'm find myself feeling more alone than ever, the only fish in a very big ocean. I'll lie in bed and wait for a reassuring touch for comfort and support but it never comes. I know everything is relative and I should look at what I have rather than what I don't but I'm finding life hard right now.

To this end and to take my mind of everything I threw myself into dinner. I'd bought some sea bass earlier in the week and aimed to pair it with the miso paste I had left over from Sushi night. Sea bass is one of my favourite fishes, it has a lovely subtle flavour and I had high hopes for my miso-infused version. I was inspired by a recipe from All Recipes and Nobu's signature dish 'Black Cod'. 

It made enough marinade for at least 2 sea bass fillets.

• 2 1/2 tbsp sake
• 2 1/2 tbsp mirin
• 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp soft brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tbsp white (Shiro) miso paste
• 2 x 175g Sea Bass Fillets

I put the fillets in a resealable plastic bag and poured the marinade over the top.  I popped this into a tupperware box in case of leaks and then into the fridge for as long as I could.  In this case for around 4-5hours I think. If I’d had my wits about me I would have done this yesterday but I think that the taste was good enough with just that amount of time.

I then put some jasmine rice on to steam and once done garnished with a little finely diced red pepper and cucumber with a squeeze of lime. Meanwhile I heated the grill up, making sure the oven rack was further away from the heat than normal, the middle shelf was about right. I put the fillets on a baking tray poured a little more marinade over them and put under the grill for around 7-8 minutes, until the fish flakes easily.

Then all that was left was plating up. I plated the rice, topped with the slightly blackened fish and sprinkled over a few finely sliced green chillis and red pepper. Dinner was served.

It was a light bright affair.  I’ve had the dish ‘Black Cod’ a few times now with a similar marinade but I can say with certainty that I much prefer it with sea bass.  The fish had a lovely subtle favour that went brilliantly with the sweetness of the miso marinade. Next time I shall endeavour to find some thicker fillets and serve it with some pak choi but it was absolutely scrumptious. Just not enough!

So, however flat I felt at the start of the day, at least for around 2 hours today I felt better.  Preparing and creating food really can be the best comforter.

Miso-Marinated Sea Bass

Day 1 - That Friday Feeling

Well it's my very first post and because it's a Friday, I think the day deserves fish and chips.  However, although I love shop bought fish and chips, the aftermath of guilt is never appealing. Therefore I decided to make my own healthy version of this classic, using inspiration from one of my favourite sites, Delicious Magazine.  The quantities coming up created a good size meal for 2.

• I used the more environmentally-friendly option of pollack, each fillet around 175g, and covered them with a mixture of baby capers, lemon zest, parsley, olive oil and brown breadcrumbs and popped it into the oven for around 15 mins. 
• For the chips, I used two medium-sized baking potatoes cut into nice, straight, thick-cut batons, boiled for around 5mins until just tender, then rolled in olive oil, seasoning and then into the oven for around 40 mins.  Turning when necessary.  
• Finally, a healthy version of mushy peas. I flash-fried 1 spring onion with 1 tsp of olive oil, then adding 300g of defrosted frozen peas, 1tbsp of reduced fat creme fraiche and a few mint leaves.  After the mixture was heated through I whizzed it all together with a blender and plated up.  The result is as shown!

My partner Gerry, and one of my best critics, said it was one of the best fish and chips she'd had for a long time. Brilliant and good start to the project I feel!