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As mentioned in Day 53 of The Challenge This is the first recipe I learned to make myself, and I was very proud as a young teen to have been the one to introduce it to the family rotation. I originally got it from a cookbook, but it has evolved quite significantly since then, and it has truly become mine over the years. It is a very simple, very easy dish with a surprising amount of flavour for the effort that goes into it. It can be served with any number of different things, including bread, rice, polenta or pasta. This time we served it with steamed greens and polenta. There are a number or ways of making polenta. For this, as the chicken dish is rich and acidic, I went with a creamy polenta, cooking it in milk rather than broth, water or wine. Ingredients: 2 chickens, dismembered 2 heads of garlic 6-8 potatoes, smashed 5-6 tomatoes 2-3 lemons, sliced the juice of 1 lemon 1 c white wine 3-4 tbsp olive oil 2-3 sprigs of thyme salt and pepper to taste For the polenta: 1 tbsp butter 1 1/2 c coarse corn meal 3-4 c milk salt and pepper to taste 1) Place the dismembered chickens parts in a large oven proof dish. Scatter the garlic cloves still in their paper around the chicken. Tuck the smashed potatoes under the chicken pieces. (Smashing them allows the chicken juices to penetrate better to the centre of the potato, cooking it from the inside as well as the outside). Tuck the tomatoes in on top, and place then the lemon slices over everything. 2) Drizzle the lemon juice, olive oil and white wine evenly over the top, then salt and pepper to taste. Place the thyme sprigs on top. 3) Bake at 180°C for 35-45 minutes, until the skin is a crispy golden brown and the chicken juices run clear. 4) Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the corn meal and stir. Once the corn meal is all coated and the colour has deepened, add the milk. Stir (almost) constantly as the polenta thickens. Salt and pepper to taste, and serve with the chicken. Simple satisfying and balanced, this is one of my favourite meals! I hope you enjoy it too!

Day 37 of The Challenge (I lied. We cooked tonight rather than eating leftovers before leaving on our trip). We roasted the last of our Georgia candy roaster pumpkin this evening, and had 250g of chanterelles left. It was either pumpkin pasta with a mushroom sauce or risotto. We opted for the risotto, and the pumpkin pasta will have to wait (although not to long. I do so love it and it had been a little while since I pulled out my pasta maker). This was creamy and filling (and orange) and very tasty. Ingredients: 250 g of Arborio rice 1 1/2 c roasted pumpkin in chunks 3 onions, chopped 1/2 head of garlic, peeled and chopped 250 g of chanterelles 3 tbsp olive oil 1 c of milk 1 1/2 - 2 c of water, broth or reserved mushroom water (like from prepping a chanterelle tart) 1 1/2 tsp sumac 1 tbsp lime juice 2 tsp thyme 1 tsp sage 1 tsp urfa biber (Turkish black chilli pepper) salt and pepper to taste Parmesan for sprinkling 1) Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan and sauté onions. When they go translucent and then begin to char a little on the bottom, add in the garlic and then keep them moving. 2) Heat the rest of the olive oil in a saucepan and add the rice. Stir until translucent then add the water/mushroom water/broth. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed. Add milk and stir. 3) Once garlic is soft, add the chanterelles, the thyme and the sage and lower the heat. Cook gently, allowing the mushrooms to give off their liquid. 4) As the rice cooks and absorbs the liquid, add the pumpkin and stir. Add sumac, and once the milk is absorbed, add lime juice and urfa biber. 5) When the rice has thickened and cooked, add the mushrooms and onions to the rice and mix. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle desired parmesan over the top. Super tasty. I love making risotto and find them relatively quick and easy once you figure them out. They are endlessly adaptable too. The flavours played off each other beautifully in this tonight. It would have worked with bacon, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that it lost out by not having any.

I received a cheese making kit from my in-laws for Christmas and tried it out for the first time today. I made my own ricotta, completely from scratch, using fresh unhomogenised milk from the local dairy. In planning to make this though, I was thinking, great, but what do I make with it. The natural conclusion had to be lasagne, but making my own ricotta, I wanted the flavour of the ricotta to get a chance to shine, and felt that in a traditional lasagne, that doesn't happen. Ricotta is an important component but it doesn't stand out. This being the case, I spent a couple of days musing and came up with a white lasagne recipe that I hoped would allow that to happen, and I am pleased to say that it did. The ricotta definitely came through and had a beautiful creamy flavour, while the whole dish was savoury and moreish and satisfyingly rich without being heavy. I also used the left over whey from making the ricotta as my cooking liquid for the chicken and spinach "sauce", and stuck with butter so the richness is all from dairy fats (a lacto free meal this is not). If you don't happen to have whey hanging around, then just use chicken stock. The chicken (and here is a pretty bit of meal planning) was the left over roast chicken from last night's dinner. It could easily be made either gluten free or keto friendly by omitting the noodles. I used them and enjoyed them, but the courgette slices could do just as well on their own. So here it is: white lasagne. Ingredients: For the sauce: 2 - 2 1/2 c shredded chicken, precooked (either roast leftovers or from somewhere else) 2 onions 5-6 cloves garlic 3 tbsp butter 4 big cubes of frozen spinach or 4 handfuls of fresh (given the season I used frozen) 1/2 tsp oregano 1 1/2 tsp rosemary 1 1/2-2 c whey (or chicken stock) Salt and pepper For the layers: 2 courgettes, thinly sliced along their length, salted and rinsed lasagne sheets (I used spinach ones, non home made this time I'm afraid) 2 c grated mild cheese (I used raclette as that is what I had on hand. Mozzarella would obviously work beautifully too) 1 tbsp melted butter 2 c ricotta, wet enough to be spreadable 1 tomato, sliced 1) Melt butter in a saucepan and sauté the onions SLOWLY over low heat (the butter will want to brown quickly otherwise). Add garlic and cook until onions are translucent. 2) Add chicken, spinach and herbs and stir, cooking for a few minutes then add the cooking liquid, a little at a time (you don't want it too wet! Take it a bit at a time and stop when you feel it is moist but not wet). 3) Brush a lasagne pan or an oven proof dish with melted butter. Layer the courgettes, then some of the chicken mixture, some lasagne sheets, melted butter brushed over the noodles (if you want it rich and decadent, otherwise skip this step), then ricotta and a sprinkling of cheese. (I left my ricotta sheets uncooked. As long as everything is moist enough they will cook in the oven). Repeat 2-3 times depending on your dish size. End with ricotta and melted cheese. 4) Top with sliced tomato and bake at 180°C for 45 minutes. I covered mine for the first 30 minutes, then uncovered for the last 15 minutes. It came out a little wet (I was scared, trying something new, that it would be too dry, and overcompensated!), but this was actually a blessing when reheating it as it was then no longer wet but moist and juicy. Otherwise absolutely beauteous though! Rich and creamy, but with firm flavour from the herbs and garlic, tender, but with some bite. Aside from cutting a little liquid, this is a keeper!

One of the rare days we didn't have soup for lunch, it was sunny and warm in the sunshine, but there was a nip in the shade with autumn coming on. This was quick and easy to whip up when I got back from running errands, and made for a great light lunch, with enough flavour and texture but no weight. A big hit with Hubby and Little Bit! Ingredients: 1 1/4 c flour (I used about 3/4 - 1 c of white flour and the rest was home ground barley flour. It is less finely milled, but the texture was great) 1 tsp Rosemary 2 eggs 2 c milk oil for cooking For the filling: Roast pumpkin wedges Mushrooms, sautéed in butter Grated cheese Bacon bits Fresh cheese or cream cheese of some kind (I used my homemade Fromage Blanc) 1) Place flour and rosemary in a bowl and add eggs then milk gradually, beating well after each addition, forming a thin batter. 2) Heat a crêpe skillet and oil it using a cloth or paper towel. Pour about 1/2 ladle of crêpe batter in and tilt to spread it evenly over the bottom of the pan. Cook over medium-low heat until the surface becomes matte, then flip using a spatula and cook for a couple more minutes on the other side. 3) Place on a warmed plate with about 1-2 tbsp fromage blanc or other cream cheese down the centre of the crêpe and other ingredients sprinkled over it. Roll and serve. I really enjoyed this flavour combination. We happened to have left-over roast pumpkin as well as the other bits and pieces so it worked out very nicely. The bacon could be left out for any vegetarians joining in this deliciousness, too. On some of the crêpes, we also added a little of our Carrot Ketchup for a little added flavour. I also, for the sake of science, tried a sweet version, with fromage blanc, pumpkin and date syrup (although honey or molasses would work too), and it was scrumptious. We had this for lunch, but it could easily work for breakfast or dinner too!

Enjoy hot with a good cup of tea (or coffee if that is your thing.) Hot chocolate works too.

reminding me of Christmas magic and family time, so anything with chestnuts to me, is the ultimate comfort food! And now that chestnuts are available frozen, my desire for such food doesn't have to be limited to November On a smaller scale, the arancini would work as nibbles for party food. Just a thought...

Appologies for the break since the last recipe. A travelling husband and sick kiddies really put a hole in my schedule! (hurray for scarlet fever!) All better now though so I'm hoping to be able to post a bit more regularly again. Here's another winter warmer for those cold nights! It was snowing out when I made this, and it was the perfect dinner to feed everyone before Little Bit and my sister "kicked" the rest of us out of the house for the evening (We had a reception to go to, and they got an auntie and nephew date night). I've got to say, using the expression "kicking out" around a not quite 3 year old was not my best ever parenting decision... Not that he didn't like it. Quite the opposite! He loved it, but takes it rather too literally... Anyway, gnocchi are a bit of a labour of love to make, as it does take a little while to roll them out and cook them, but it is so worth it! I do it every once in a while and am always so happy with the result!I had made a load of apple sauce with my sister earlier in autumn when apples were in season and wanted to try apple sauce gnocchi. I must say, they came out delightfully! Recipe Cook Time: approx 2 hours -- Portions: 4 -- Cooking difficulty: Medium Ingredients: 3 c potatoes, chopped 1/2 c apple sauce 1 egg 2 tsp thyme 2 tsp sage salt and pepper to taste 3 1/4 c flour 1/2 c semolina 2 tbsp butter 2 onions, chopped 1/2 head garlic, minced 3 big cubes of frozen spinach (or 3 c spinach) 2 balls of Mozzarella, grated 2 tsp sumac 1) Boil the potatoes until soft. Drain well and mash. Incorporate the apple sauce, the egg and the herbs, and season to taste. Mix in the flour, kneading for a few minutes until you get a soft dough. 2) Sprinkle semolina on the counter. Cut off a fist-sized piece of dough and roll it out into a snake about a finger thick (just like with playdoh!). Cut off inch long pieces from the snake. If you want to get fancy, roll them off the tines of a fork to mark them. 3) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Plop in a few gnocchi at a time and boil them until they float to the top. Fish them out with a slotted spoon and drain thoroughly. Toss them in semolina to coat. 4) Meanwhile, place the butter in a shallow baking dish and put it in the oven at 180°c. When the butter is melted, stir in the onion and garlic. (If you're using fresh spinach wilt it briefly in boiling water at this point.) Using frozen spinach, I popped it in the baking dish once the onions and garlic were fragrant to allow it to melt while the gnocchi finished cooking. 5) When all of the gnocchi have been boiled and coated in semolina, remove the baking dish from the oven and add the gnocchi and mozzarella to it. Stir to mix thoroughly, breaking up the spinahc cubes as you go. Sprinkle with sumac and pepper, and place back in the oven for a further 25-30 minutes until the cheese is melty and crisping a little on top. This went down a treat! it took a little while in the making, but was quick and easy to serve up. and wash up afterwards. It hit the spot and was a very satisfying dinner. I would however add a little more cheese next time, and maybe a little broth in the bottom of the baking dish. This would bake off in the oven, but keep everything moist and provide just the tiniest bit of sauce. Maybe apple sauce instead of broth, to reinforce the apple flavour from the gnocchi themselves? Swaps and substitutions: Instead of apple sauce, an interesting variant of this recipe could use pumpkin purée for a seasonal twist, or tomato paste and a dollop of tomato sauce in the bottom of the dish. This recipe was great vegetarian but would also work very well with little bits of bacon or sausage stirred in when the gnocchi and cheese are, before being popped back in the oven. To vary the flavouring a little, or to suit your own fridge and tastes, try it with different vegetables baked in - broccoli, carrots, peppers or tomatoes would work great. Instead of plain white flour, I have used bread flour with seeds in for ghocchi before. The seeds add a beautiful textural variation to the gnocchi, and adding them, whether in the flour or separately could be a tasty way to add some more nutrients. For some extra crunch, try sprinkling some chopped walnuts over the top for the last 10 minutes of baking? If you have leftover nettles, try swapping them in instead of the spinach? (I blanch mine and keep them in the freezer until I'm ready to use them) Book pairing: With cold dark, snowy nights, my impression from when I made this is unavoidably accompanied by images of wooden ships caught in polar ice. My sister and I were reading Icebound together about William Barrents' polar expeditions. It is amazing to me how slow the men on those expeditions were to learn! They knew they were going North, and that there was a likelihood of encountering freezing temperatures, but the clothing they packed was totally inappropriate. They prioritised saving merchandise over themselves and surprisingly, saw polar bears that they killed as trophies only, rather than using the fur or the meat to help them survive. It was a very interesting read, if a little overly dramatic in places. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Mix one third of these into the mulligatawny roux, then carefully fold in the rest of the whites. 3) A little bite is good. 8) Dish, and drizzle a little pomegranate molasses over the top.

As mentioned in Day 65 of The Challenge This is my first original cookie recipe, all my own rather than just tweaking of an original. It started because we made tollhouse cookies with butterscotch. I find those too sweet, with too high a flavour note. I, therefore, decided to make my own cookies, changing the sugar types - reducing the granulated sugar, both white and brown, and using pomegranate molasses instead. Regular molasses would also have the effect of deepening the note, but pomegranate molasses has an added acidity to it. I then added dried orange peel, dates and ground almonds. These came out quite moist and light. If you want them a bit more substantial, and closer to the texture of tollhouse cookies, add an extra 1/4 c of flour. Recipe Cook time: 30 minutes -- Difficulty: Easy Ingredients: 1 c butter, softened 1/2 c white sugar 1/2 c dark brown sugar 1/2 c ground almonds 1/3 c pomegranate molasses 1/4 c dried orange peel 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 2 eggs 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp cloves 2 c flour 3/4 c dates, chopped 1) Cream butter and sugar in a bowl. add almonds and pomegranate molasses and mix well. Soak orange peel in a cup of hot water. 2) Stir in wet ingredients, then gradually add dry ingredients. 3) Drain orange peel. Add date and orange peel. Drop onto greased cookie sheet by teaspoonfuls. 4) Bake at 180°C for 8-10 minutes until golden on top. Cool for a few minutes then enjoy warm! I love these and am so happy with them! I will continue to tweak and play with these a little, but these are a keeper. They are fragrant with a beautifully balanced, complex and yet delicate taste. They are moist and soft, and though sweet and overall very satisfying. The dough is less tasty to eat raw though. When baked in a slightly under-preheated oven, the bottoms caramelised a little, which quashed the orange flavour and brought out the dates. They were also tasty, but with a much less delicate and complex flavour. Swaps and substitutions: You could use fresh orange zest instead of the dried orange peel. I personally liked the chewy pieces of peel, but if you don't have any to hand, the zest will do. You could replace the pomegranate molasses with regular molasses. It will not have the same zing to it, but it would still be a balanced cookie. Try replacing the ground almond with other ground nuts to see the difference. Replace the dates with dried apricots or prunes. If you want to use prunes, alternatively, you could check out the Grapefruit and Prune Cookie recipe. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Instead most of our food tends to be quite mild these days, then we add hot sauce to it to our own tastes