Patatas Bravas

Ever since we visited Barcelona, I've been obsessed with Tapas. Here is my take on the traditional Patatas Bravas. Done right, these are a beautiful accompaniment. I couldn't find one recipe that I liked the look of, so here was a merge of a few.

Potatoes - Cubed potatoes, Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper - Oven for on 200 for 30 minutes.
Tomato Sauce - Chopped tomatoes, white onion, 2 garlic cloves, bay leave, thyme sprigs, splash of soy sauce, 2 tsp paprika, good pinch of chili power, sugar, olive oil. Simmered for 10 minutes.
Soured Cream - Fresh Parsley and Lemon Juice.

Aubergine Parmigiana

A great meat-free dish. This Aubergine Parmigiana is layers aubergine which has been grilled first, a ragu style tomato sauce, plenty of fresh basil and oregano and lots of Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese. I like the Jamie Oliver recipe, and tend to use that mostly. Although the Balmasic does tend to sneak into the recipe.:)

Chicken Salad with a Twist.

This fiery little number is a great alternative to the plain old' chicken salad. The recipe is taken from the Persiana book again, it boldly combines griddled chicken, watercress, fresh red chilli, feta cheese and mint dressed with Greek yoghurt, lemon, garlic and sumac. I've made it a few times, and although not cheap dish, it's definitely one of my favourites of hers.

Chicken Skewers

Chicken Tikka and Red Onion Skewers with grilled naans, homemade tzatziki, rice and salad. I cheated and used a pataks curry paste, but works out as quite an easy midweek dinner.

Ras el Hanout Chicken Wraps

Wraps are a great versatile ingredient that you can put pretty much anything in. A great alternative to Fajitas that I like to do are Moroccan style wraps. This recipe was taken from Persiana, a book I got for Christmas and consists of marinating the chicken in ras el hanout and olive oil and serving it with a Greek yoghurt and sumac dip and a pomegranate salad.

I do feel this recipe is probably a little heavy handed with the spices, and would probably do a level tbsp of ras el hanout or even a little less, then same goes for the sumac. But definitely a one to have again.

Festive Bagels

This is a great breakfast for around christmas, but enjoyable at any time of the year! My own recipe, it consists of; sesame seed bagels, grilled streaky bacon, soft cream cheese, cranberry sauce, lettuce, tomato and red onion. A great alternative to a classic BLT.

Warming Celearic Soup

I knocked this up on Christmas Eve for lunch and we had it as an amuse bouche for Christmas Day. These lovely wintery flavours of celearic, thyme and pancetta really work great together. I used this recipe for inspiration and adapted it slightly. Finishing the soup off with Truffle Oil brings this soup to a whole new level. A must try, even for those who weren't a fan of Celearic enjoyed this one!

Chicken Burger

You can't beat the classics. A grilled chicken breast, streaky bacon, macerated avocados, beef tomato, and leaves used with mayo in a brioche bun.

Jerk Chicken

Rum, Thyme, Scotch Bonnets and Lime? Whats not to love. Jerk Chicken, Slaw, Rice, Onion Rings and Salad. I like Jamie Oliver's Killer Jerk for this one, although be warned, those Scotch Bonnets can catch you out!

L'enclume - Restaurant Review

We ventured here for our anniversary and opted for the six course option. Each individual course packed so much flavour and the tastes were truly exquisite, ordinary ingredients like carrots were transformed by Simon's team.

The premise of not being able to choose what you want is unusual, and some courses I may not have personally picked myself, but when they arrived each was outstanding. The menu was very seasonal, using the freshest ingredients around at the time, I particularly enjoy rich earthy flavours such as venison and celeriac, it would be worth thinking about that before booking as this will heavily influence your menu choices.


We booked in advance and they were happily able to cater for one of us who couldn't eat fish or shellfish. The members of staff were very friendly and attentive and really engaged with the mystery and excitement of each course.


Simon's team take you on a culinary journey throughout their menu and is a truly unique experience. I believe he is doing something incredibly different right now, and wish him every success in his other restaurants.

We will definately be returning as we were slightly envious of those enjoying the 22 course option!

Griddled Chicken and Bacon Salad

You can't beat the classics. This griddled chicken and streaky bacon salad with beetroot and avocado never fails to disappoint, I use a simple Mayo/Lemon Juice/Water dressing with dried parsely instead of a Caesar, but thats just preference!

 

Chicken Hotpot

The Girlfriend has a cold, so i've knocked up this winter warmer. Inspired by living in Lancashire, i've adapted this classic using chicken thighs, leeks, onion, mushroom, sweet potato, carrots and potatoes to top it off. I used a tin of tomatoes and chicken stock to keep it saucy, with fresh sage and thyme and plenty of seasoning.

Cannelloni Recipe

A more student friendly recipe, Cannelloni, provides a very cheap but tasty dish that yields a completely different texture to that of Bolognese.

The recipe I used is a Nigella one, i've done it a couple of times, and tend to scale it down for 2 but keep similar amounts of tomatoes and always finish it off with a drizzle of good quality balsamic!

BBQ Ribs!

One of my most favourite treats is BBQ Ribs, I don't have them very often. But when I do, I like to pile them high, cover them in BBQ sauce and serve with chips salad and coleslaw! Unbeatable.

Lamb Koftas!

Summer is here, and it puts me in the mood for Moroccan dishes. Specifically Lamb Koftas, homemade using Lamb Mince, a blend of spices (Cumin, Coriander, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Chilli) and lemon zest served with warm pittas, lightly pickled red cabbage, Portuguese carrots, tzatziki, houmous and salad leaves.

Barcelona!

 

With a recent trip to Barcelona, I have rediscovered Tapas food, slightly put off by the versions that are replicated over here, the traditional Tapas in Barcelona was to die for.

 

 And since have been on the hunt for the same standards over here. One particular restaurant I found was JoJo’s in Whitstable which was full of rustic charm by the sea.

 

Another gourmet experiences whilst in Barcelona was the Icecream! Vioko which was recommended online, had some really exciting flavour combinations. My absolute favourite was the violet and blueberry.

For more of my reviews in Barcelona, check out my Tripadvisor account.