Minestrone Soup

The last of the warm air is trickling away to be replaced by a brisk chill; grey clouds are gathering to shower trees whose leaves are stripped away by quickening gusts of wind:dressing the pavements in varying shades of gold.

Yep, it's definitely Autumn now which means soup is in order. This is my favourite soup, full of Italian flavours and delicious vegetables, that can be a meal in itself or served with warm, soft bread oozing melting butter.

This soup cooks quite quickly, but is fine to slow cook over a longer duration if you want to bring out the flavours more. It works well with loads of different vegetables so have fun trying out your favourites. For meat eaters, a couple of sausages can also be grilled, chopped and thrown in to the pan as well. For the pasta, there's lots of different ones to try. I used small shells in this one, but my favourite are tiny pasta stars as in the photo below.

Minestrone

Packed with veg, pasta and lots of Italian flavours, this hearty soup is perfect for cold evenings. Serve with garlic bread and a sprinkling of grated parmesan or cheddar.


Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 onion, chopped finely
• 1 reduced salt vegetable stock cube made up with 1 litre boiling water
• 500g passata
• 3 cups of vegetables - peas, pepper, carrot, courgette or whatever you fancy!
• 2 tablespoons parmesan
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning/basil/oregano
• 1/2 cup small soup pasta

Method

1. Add oil, garlic and onion to large saucepan. Cover with lid and let soften for 5 minutes.
2. Add stock, passata and vegetables, bring to the boil, then simmer for 10-15 minutes until vegetables are soft. It will seem quite watery at this stage but the pasta will thicken it.
3. Add the parmesan, seasoning and pasta and continue to simmer until pasta is cooked through. Serve!

Pontefino, Gunthorpe

Italian food is by far my favourite food - I grew up eating home-made gnocchi and pizza and could quite easily eat it everyday. It's also Tom's favourite and we're always on the lookout for a new Italian restaurant to try out.

Pontefino is out in Gunthorpe, Nottinghamshire, in a quiet residential area next to the River Trent - a lovely change to the bustle of town on a Friday night.

We started off with garlic pizza bread and arancini (risotto balls filled with mozzarella and fried). The bread was the thinnest, crispiest base lightly topped with garlic and tomato so wasn't too heavy to start with, while the arancini were packed with flavour and beautifully served with a dash of a tomato sauce.

Our mains consisted of the calzone rustica, which had a perfect crust and was absolutely stuffed with prosciutto, cheeses, and spinach; and linguine alla Sofia Loren (I'll admit it was the name that initially caught my eye!). The linguine was coated in the type of sauce I almost always end up choosing - creamy tomato with just a hint of chilli and a sprinkling of chicken, pepperoni and olives.

We were both so full by this point but couldn't resist dessert (I'm pretty sure there's a special stomach just for dessert anyway so we couldn't leave it unsatisfied, could we?). Pannacotta arrived in a huge wine glass, smooth and creamy with a fruity berry coulis adding a tangy contrast.

Overall the food was some of the tastiest, most flavourful I've had out in a while and we agreed while still devouring pasta and calzone that we definitely needed to bring family and friends here. Service always makes a place for me and everyone was friendly and welcoming, so a winner all round!

Sorry for the lack of photos of the food; I don't really enjoy taking pictures while I'm eating out any more, apart from the odd one here and there.

Have you discovered any new restaurants recently?

Lost in Desserts

What better way to celebrate finishing the end of my Nutritional Sciences course than by a huge amount of sugar, chocolate and cream? OK so kinda contradictory but it's definitely all about balance when it comes to food and health in my opinion. And every last bite of these were worth the extra gym session I'm probably gonna need to fit in this week.

I drove down to Leicester to meet up with a friend from my course for end of year celebrations. We'd both had our ups and downs throughout the year but could finally say we'd got through the course together! She introduced me to a place in the city called Heavenly Desserts - this place definitely lives up to that. Apparently she'd tried to visit before but people were queuing outside (and this is quite common to get in?!) so had decided to wait before trying again. Thankfully we didn't have to queue and got a table in the restaurant straight away before being handed the book of a menu to choose from. You can get waffles, crepes, cookie dough, sundaes, milkshakes, shots of Belgian chocolate... let's just say it took me a while to pick. I finally went for white chocolate and raspberry cookie dough, which was served warm so the chocolate was melting and the cookie gooey, and topped with ice cream, cream and fresh raspberries. Oh. My. God. So good. And I was very glad that I'd only had a salad earlier so I could leave room for all that chocolatey goodness.

A couple of days later, back in Nottingham, my best friend treated me to a dessert plate from The Cheesecake Shop to say congrats (I have the best friends ever :)). I chose the strawberry shortcake cheesecake topped with curls of white chocolate and it was served with fresh fruit and a dollop of cream. I've been to the cheesecake shop a few times as it's fairly local and it has to be one of my favourite places to get pudding. The mudcakes they do are seriously tasty as well. There's quite a few around Nottinghamshire but I'm not sure about the rest of the UK, but definitely worth a visit if you're round here.

So it's a been a weekend of stuffing my face (and enjoying every last bit of it) but I think I'm definitely gonna feel better after a good Aerobics session this evening ha.

Citrus and Sugar Summer Days

Popping back home for a few days meant time to catch up with friends and family over lots of good food. In Nottingham there's plenty to choose from. One night consisted of amazing tapas at Las Iguanas, including fried plantain (new favourite!), a chorizo dish with plenty of ciabatta, and of course, nachos. The perfect meal to enjoy while chatting and trying out some delicious cocktails. An evening spent at a country pub is also always a must, especially in this beautiful weather. We finished our meal with a slice of red velvet cheesecake, with just the right amount of creaminess and sweetness to not be overwhelming.

Time was also spent on purely relaxing, enjoying the sunshine in the garden with a new foodie magazine. After what seems like a long time of being uninspired in the kitchen, turning to the same few old favourites each night that were quick to make and eat in between revision sessions, I can't wait to try out new recipes and ingredients.

A cake in the June issue of delicious magazine caught my eye, a simple bake enhanced with the summery flavours of lemons and blueberries, two of my favourite additions to a cake batter. The lemon is tangy and light, while the blueberries burst and make the cake moist and colourful.

My tin was too small for all the mix, so I ended up with cupcakes as well, never a bad thing! A sprinkling of lemon zest on top of the icing is an easy pretty way to decorate these cakes. Just the sort of thing to enjoy on a sunny afternoon with an ice-cold drink.

What are your favourite summer flavours for cooking and baking?

Carrot Cake and Procrastination

I must be getting old as time is just whizzing past at the minute; just a few more months and I'll be finished with uni! Such a scary thought, while I've been looking forward to finishing my degree and going off into the big wide world pretty much since I first got to uni, the realisation that I'm actually almost there is a little strange. Worrying too, as there is still a hell of lot of stuff to get done before then. I'll probably have to be pretty quiet on here until after my exams, but I'm hoping to properly get back in the swing of things over summer.

But today ended up being a much needed, unintentional day off. A lovely Saturday morning lie in (again, unintentional, thanks to my neighbours screaming at each other half the night...) followed by popping into town and the hairdressers. I always forget how pretty Plymouth is until we have a gorgeous sunny day like today, so I may have lingered a bit longer, before getting home and spending the afternoon baking. 

Tom and I aren't that into Valentine's Day, and I was working on Thursday anyway, so we decided to have a home made meal together tonight. Tom made chicken burgers with garlic mayo and cheesy curly fries - absolutely delicious, he really should cook for me more! 

I'd been wanting to bake (and eat) carrot cake for ages, so decided to put one together for pudding.

To make it a bit more Valentine's themed (and just because I love making things heart-shaped!) I tried to top the cake with walnuts in a heart shape... the icing turned out to be a tad too runny for that to work properly, but it still tasted pretty good, if I do say so myself. 

So now with my cake cravings satisfied, and feeling slightly recharged, there's nothing left but to just get on with the rest of my course I suppose. Maybe my procrastination is because I'm not actually sure I'm really ready for it all to end yet, it's a scary world out there!

Italian Treats

Being a total foodie and lover of all things Italian due to my Italian Grandma, her and my mum put together an amazing hamper full of delicious treats for my Christmas present. I've been steadily experimenting with them throughout the month and can't wait to get around to trying out the rest. I thought I'd share a selection of some of my favourites with you.

I have yet to try out the olives, but I think they would go perfectly in a big sauce or stew type dish, or cooked with beef and cherry tomatoes in a Nigella-inspired Beef Pizzaiola, after a nibble or two of course. 

The Wild Rocket pesto has been used in a lot of things recently - stirred into veg as a flavourful side dish, drizzled over home-made pizzas, and spread onto baguettes with cheese to serve with pasta. I adore pesto anyway, and the rocket gives it an extra, subtle tang. I have a feeling that the sun-dried tomato paste used in place of normal tomato purée will bring out even more rich flavour in sauces.

The 'Lievito Pane Degli Angeli' (literally translating to Yeast Bread of Angels) is a raising agent that can replace baking powder in recipes, but is made that extra bit better by also including vanilla flavouring, and therefore smelling absolutely amazing! I could quite happily just sit and smell the packet all day... but when I do bake with it, it adds a wonderful lightness to my usual cupcakes. 

The pasta is tiny star shapes that would be perfect in soups. I've been meaning to start making soups for the past couple of years now and still haven't got round to it, so hopefully having these in the cupboard will push me to finally get on with it before Winter is over.

This nougat is by far the best I have ever had. Tom and I couldn't believe just how delicious this is - soft, squidgy nougat with huge crunchy chunks of almond, with strips of rice paper on the top and bottom - amazing!

A friend of my Grandma's brought this to England from where she's from in Italy, making this an extra special treat. 

And for a place to get started, I received the Quick Cook Italian book, which includes 3 ways to cook different dishes using similar ingredients, such as tomato risotto, tomato and rice soup, or tomato and rice salad, offering even more flexibility depending on the exact ingredients and time you have available. Basically, even more recipes! So far I've tried out lemon and rosemary pork with a cannellini bean salad, and chilli and lemon cod; both were straight forward to cook and tasted incredible.

The latest Nigella Lawson cook book is also brilliant. It's actually the first one of hers I've got hold of and I'm already in love with it. Whereas I tend to avoid 'celebrity' cook books, due to the recipes seeming too complicated with fancy ingredients, this book is perfect for everyday meals. The Italian Tray bake with Tuscan fries is already a favourite with my fiancé. 

A huge thank you to my family for getting me these, I couldn't have asked for a more perfect gift! :)

Afternoon Cuppa at Number 29

Tom and I decided to take a break from uni work this afternoon to check out the recently opened coffee shop in the Barbican, Number 29. I've always thought the only thing the Barbican was in need of was a place to spend an hour or so enjoying a coffee and some cake, and this place fills that gap perfectly.

We ordered mugs of tea and coffee to warm us up - despite the fact that Plymouth seems to be the only place in the UK that hasn't seen snow, I can assure you it's still freezing here!

The drinks came with yummy buttery biscuits on the side, a lovely little extra.

A range of cakes are also on offer, including a coffee cake of which we couldn't resist ordering a huge slice.

Number 29 also sell a variety of deli goodies, including jars of chutney, olives and chilli sauces, as well as bags of chilli hot chocolate which I'm very tempted to go back and try. The owners were happy to point out the different products on sale, and their friendliness combined with the cosiness of the café made the time away from our desks the relaxing break we needed.

Now it's back to work I suppose!

Cherry, Almond and Chocolate Trifle

You can never have too many indulgent treats this time of year. Last year I made a chocolate and orange trifle for Christmas Day dessert. For a family party this week I decided to give it a new twist, taking advantage of the Amaretto that is hanging round in my parent's kitchen. I adore this chocolate custard - some can be quite thin which means the trifle ends up a bit all over the place. This is rich and creamy and makes the dish something special.

This recipe is a mix of favourite dessert flavours all in one: the cherry, cream and chocolate combination of a Black Forest Gateau; the almond flavour topped off with cherry inspired by Bakewell tarts; all layered in the traditional trifle style. Perfect for an indulgent but reassuringly old fashioned dessert to be served at a family gathering.

I hope everyone has had a lovely Christmas!

Cherry, Almond and Chocolate Trifle

Layers of vanilla and almond sponge, topped with raspberries and cherries, a rich chocolate custard, and whipped cream, topped with cherries, almonds and grated chocolate.


Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 large raspberry and vanilla Swiss roll
• 4 tbsp Amaretto 
• 200g raspberries
• 200g cherries
• 3-4 tbsp raspberry or cherry jam
• For the custard:
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 200ml milk
• 200g dark chocolate, melted
• 250g tub ricotta
• 225ml double cream (or other cream suitable for whipping)
• Flaked almonds, to decorate
• Grated chocolate, to decorate

Method

1. Cut the Swiss roll into chunky slices. Lay these in a large serving dish, filling in any gaps with small pieces of sponge.
2. Sprinkle the Amaretto over the sponge to soak in.
3. Wash and pat dry the raspberries. Layer these on top of the sponge slices. Wash and chop the cherries, reserving 10 whole ones for decoration. Add these to the raspberries.
4. Spoon enough jam over the fruit so there is a thin coating over the sponge to keep it moist. 
5. Mix the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a large bowl to make a paste.
6. Heat the milk in a pan until it reaches just below boiling point. Pour it over the egg mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Return to the pan and heat through, stirring continuously, until the mixture is thickened and smooth.
7. Return the custard to the large bowl. Add the melted chocolate and the ricotta and stir until combined. Pour over the fruit, smooth with the back of a spoon and leave in the fridge for an hour, or until set. 
8. Whisk the cream until slightly thickened. Spread over the custard layer, or pipe if wished. 
9. Arrange the remaining cherries over the cream. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds and grated chocolate. Store in the fridge until ready to serve. 

Mince Pie Slices with Lemon Icing

While I may begin making Christmas plans and buying presents before December hits, the one thing I manage to save until the 1st is indulging in Christmassy treats. Then I can't help but dig into chocolates, fruit cake, and my favourite, mince pies. Living next door to a bakery this year has been both brilliant and dangerous for my taste for thick buttery pastry encasing rich fruity mincemeat and sprinkled with sugar. I have had some of the best mince pies, but probably a tad too often than I should. Though isn't that the definition of this time of year?

I first made these mince pie slices last year and they went down very well. I do admit to cheating with the pastry; while most of the time I try to ensure everything I make is from scratch I feel there are some things that are acceptable to include a short cut. There is enough busyness in the kitchen at Christmas that sometimes it's more important to have these ready with as little stress as possible, and focus that extra time on spending it with loved ones.

This recipe is easily adapted to suit different tastes - include whichever dried fruit and nuts you fancy. Flaked almonds, pistachios or a few chopped glacé cherries would look particularly attractive in my opinion.

Mince Pie Slices with Lemon Icing

Adapted from Good Food

This twist on a Christmas favourite combines an extra fruity mincemeat filling with flaky puff pastry, drizzled with a zesty icing


Cuts into 12 slices

Ingredients

• 400g jar mincemeat
• 1/2 apple, cored, peeled and finely chopped
• Zest of 1 lemon, plus 2 tsp juice
• 40g dried cranberries
• 25g chopped nuts
• 1 heaped tbsp ground almonds
• 375g pack ready-rolled puff pastry
• 50g icing sugar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas Mark 7. 
2. Combine the mincemeat, chopped apple, lemon zest, cranberries and nuts in a bowl.
3. Roll out the pastry and trim the end to make a 23cm square. Lay on a baking tray.
4. Scatter the ground almonds evenly over the pastry. Spread the mincemeat mixture over the whole of the pastry, right to the edges. 
5. Use the spare pastry to decorate the top of the slices. I cut strips and lay them over the mincemeat in a lattice pattern, making sure they are secure to the pastry base. Or cut shapes from the pastry (stars, hearts) and lay them equal distances apart. 
6. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, until the pastry is risen and golden. Leave to cool.
7. Once cool, mix the icing sugar with the lemon juice. A little water may be needed to reach the right consistency. Drizzle the lemon icing over the mince pie and cut into 12 slices. 

Christmas Food Post Round Up

That this is a hectic time of year is an understatement. Despite recently beginning my break from uni for Christmas, I have been trying to get on top of my workload so I can relax a bit when I head home. Hopefully then I can fully appreciate all the things I love about Christmas, my favourite of course, being the seemingly non-stop preparation and consumption of delicious food.

I haven't done much of my own Christmassy cooking/baking yet (apart from these snowy-effect chocolate crackles), so I thought I'd do a quick post of some of the best ideas and recipes I've come across on the internet so far. 

First up, I think these cookie gift ideas from Spoon Fork Bacon are brilliant! The packaging is cute, modern and seasonal, and the cookies themselves look absolutely delicious. Check out the post here.

I adore truffles; in my opinion there's nothing more indulgent than tucking into a box of rich chocolate truffles with a light dusting of cocoa powder. These chocolate truffles from Pastry Affair flavoured with red wine add an extra sophistication and would be very welcomed as a gift or served after dinner, I'm sure. Recipe here.

And of course, not forgetting the main attraction, Christmas Day dinner itself. This twist on turkey and potatoes from Mama's Pantry looks incredible: perfectly cooked meat with a golden finish, served with crispy potatoes - what more could you wish for? The recipe here has started off my roast dinner cravings!

I'll share any Christmas cooking I get up to over the next couple of weeks and let me know of any yummy looking recipes you come across too! I've also been wanting to check out some new blogs, so feel free to leave me your link below :)

Chocolate Crackles and a Fox in a Jumper

Bundled up in burgundy gloves and a big woolly scarf whilst running around shops crammed with people, products and Christmas decorations, hoping to find the perfect gift for a family member. I'm not having much luck finding stuff for people this year so I end up popping into shops constantly, spinning around for ages but not actually finding anything. Too fussy for my own good.

As always I'm really looking forward to Christmas; a chance to go home after a few months of being at uni and get cosied up with my family and friends, laughing lots and eating too much. Because of all the moving around, my usual Christmas tree and decorations have been forgotten about, left in the loft back home, so instead I've picked up this cute little real tree, sprinkled with glitter and with a fox wearing a jumper to finish it off (just what every tree needs!). A few bits of tinsel and some lights and we'll still be able to get the flat all Christmassy feeling.

I spent the afternoon baking these chocolatey cookies from the Great British Bake Off book (How to bake the perfect Victoria sponge).

They turned out better than I hoped, soft and squidgy in the middle, almost brownie-like, with a crispy sugary outside.

The pavement-covered-in-snow type effect is made by rolling balls of the biscuit mixture into icing sugar just before baking, so it cracks as they spread out in the oven.

Perfect with a big mug of tea on a Winter evening!

Cake and Cocktails

I'm officially a year older now and spent the day getting thoroughly spoilt by my amazing family and friends (thank you!). I let myself have a day off and a bit of a breather from recent madness, starting off with a delicious home cooked breakfast.

This cardigan is a present from my bestest, I love the length of it and it's so comfy.

Safe to say I spent the day all snuggled up and relaxed wearing this and my new Boux Avenue slipper boots. Normally I slide all over the place in these kind of slippers but these fit perfectly and I'm love with the design.

And then there was cake... lots and lots of cake. Which is never ever a bad thing, birthday or otherwise.
My fiancé spent the evening before baking cakes to surprise me with when I got home from work. To say these were the first cakes he'd made, they look and taste pretty damn good!

My family couldn't get down to Plymouth to come visit but surprised me by sending some gorgeous flowers and getting a box of cupcakes delivered from Choccacino. How brilliant do these look?!

I have been after a leather jacket for ages now and finally came across the perfect one in Superdry a few weeks ago, so this was my present to myself. I don't normally splash out on stuff but this jacket ticked all the boxes of what I've been looking for, it fits gorgeously and the leather is so soft, I just couldn't walk away.

After a pretty lazy day, we got dressed up and headed out to The Village, a lovely little Greek seafood restaurant in the Barbican. We indulged in tiger prawns and scallops in garlic butter, pitta bread with taramasalata, crab and calamari, followed by a plate of lemon sole and john dory accompanied by chips and Greek salad.

A wander towards the sea was in order after the extravagant amount of food - one of my favourite things is seeing the sea in the dark with just the twinkles of the boats further out, everything around so calm and quiet.

We then headed to Annabel's to check out the music and burlesque acts on for the evening, while hanging out in the cabaret-esque bar, sipping on strawberry daiquiris (poor quality photo I'm afraid).

I drifted home, sleepy and happy, and above all for grateful for the amazing people in my life who always put a huge smile on my face.

Monty's, Plymouth

Watching Pulp Fiction always makes me crave breakfast. Towards the end of the film, when John Travolta is tucking into a huge plate of pancakes, bacon and maple syrup = instant craving for my own plate of sticky fluffy pancakes topped with crispy bacon. Ok, so I'll admit that's probably a bit weird, and not the reason why I love Pulp Fiction (if you have yet to get round to watching this film, do it!).

I've always found American-style breakfasts a bit strange, and I couldn't understand what the attraction was of putting bacon on to one of the sweetest breakfast dishes you can get. So obviously I had to try it.

I first popped into Monty's for just a quick coffee break while out and about in the Barbican during my first couple of years studying in Plymouth, and checked out the menu while I was there to see if it looked good to revisit. Monty's is a modern cafe serving breakfasts and lunch all day, along with a selection of drinks and cakes. And among the numerous tempting breakfast options they also offer pancakes, bacon and syrup - I had finally found somewhere I could try the dish that had intrigued me for so long. I dragged Tom back a few days later and we indulged in an amazing, beautifully presented breakfast. I must admit pancakes with bacon is pretty damn good, and I'm slowly coming round to the whole mixing sweet and savoury thing.

We started off last weekend trying out some of the other options on the menu.

I had a bagel topped with bacon, cheese and poached eggs. The bagel was soft with a lovely toasted crunch, perfect for soaking up the runny yolk oozing out of the fluffy eggs.

Tom had the breakfast bap, a huge floury cob encasing thick rashers of bacon, sausages and mushrooms.

Monty's is great if you want something a bit different from fish and chips or pasties that are everywhere around the Barbican, either for a coffee and cake break while exploring or a tasty lunch somewhere more modern and distinct.

'Sink the teeth and bat your eyes..'

Just a quick post before I get back to uni work, so much to do but hopefully I should be able to start running my experiment for my dissertation project from next week, so it's pretty fun at the moment. On placement I got to administer neuropsychological tests to patients most days and I really miss it, so it'll be nice to get back into something similar for a bit but this time working with students instead. Bit evil but it's so much nicer when you're in the experimenter chair and not the one being tested!

I'm also getting really excited for the new Deftones album, 'Koi No Yokan', released November 13th. These guys have been one of my favourite bands for so long now, since I was like 13 or 14, and their new stuff just seems to carry on getting better. I listened to the first 30 seconds of the new song 'Tempest' and had already fallen in love with it. Go to their website to check out the first couple of songs from the album, 'Tempest' and 'Leathers', or click on the video above for the audio for Tempest.

And before the last of the warmth and sun disappear into Winter, I whipped up a Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake for friends yesterday. (Excuse the wonky photo above though - was in a rush to tuck in!) I probably shouldn't have - this cheesecake is so deliciously fresh and light tasting that it doesn't feel like I'm eating dessert at all, so 'yes' to another slice seems like I'm almost making a healthy decision. Despite the fresh lemon and dairy from the ricotta and yoghurt, I realise the biscuits, butter and sugar probably aren't gonna feel so good in the long run. But hey, hard work equals more cake, right?

Sweet and Sour Chicken

It's one of those times where I wish I didn't need to sleep so much; I have so much to do and the days just aren't feeling long enough. As it gets colder I feel even more like burying myself in oversized jumpers and getting comfy in front of the tv with a big mug of tea - however my degree is kinda of getting in the way of those plans. It's final year though and amazingly I have been really enjoying uni so far, so I have no choice but to just get on with it. 

Of course this means making sure I'm full of delicious hot food full of healthy veg (especially because of all the bugs going around recently!). Which brings me onto the recipe below. 

I always want to try and learn how to make my favourite dishes. This has meant delving into numerous cookbooks in search of a sweet and sour recipe that I can shut my eyes and just for a moment maybe think I got this from a takeaway or restaurant. 

I think I'm there with this.

Obviously it had to be easy (and student budget friendly!) to put together. This uses mainly storecupboard ingredients with just a couple of fresh vegetables and chicken thrown in, so whenever I fancy this it's not long before I'm sat down in front of a fluffy pile of rice topped with steaming hot sauce.

Cheap, easy and healthy! And most importantly, warm and filling enough to get me through the ever-accumulating book chapters and journal articles that keep piling up!

Feel free to swap the chicken for pork, or extra vegetables can be easily added for a veggie version. This also goes well mixed in with some cooked noodles and served with chinese nibbles on the side.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

This sweet, mildly spicy sauce is quick and easy to make and full of delicious flavours, and goes perfectly with either chicken or pork. 

Serves 2

Ingredients

• Oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• Small piece of ginger, chopped finely
• 1 tsp chilli sauce
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1-2 chicken breasts, cut into equal sized pieces
• 1 red or yellow pepper, chopped
• 1 432g tin of pineapple rings in juice, rings chopped into eighths and juice reserved
• 2-3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 heaped tsp tomato puree
• 1/2 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
• 1 level tsp cornflour (optional)
• Boiled rice or egg fried rice, to serve

Method

1. Heat oil in a wok. Add garlic, ginger, chilli sauce and onion and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened. 
2. Add the chicken and a couple of tablespoons of the reserved pineapple juice to the wok, and cook through. 
3. Add the pepper and pineapple pieces and continue cooking for a further 2 minutes or so.
4. While the pepper and pineapple is cooking, make the sauce. Add the soy sauce, tomato puree, 5 spice and the rest of the pineapple juice to a bowl. Stir until evenly mixed. 
5. Add the sauce to the wok and let it bubble for a few minutes until thickened. If necessary, add a teaspoon of cornflour and heat through until the sauce is thickened to your liking. 
6. Serve over plain or egg fried rice.