Nectarine salsa

For a light accompaniment to my pan-fried sea bass fillets and barbecued garlic chicken, I made a nectarine salsa with whatever was already available in my not-so-full fridge. So technically this is not a salsa in the strictest sense, but nonetheless refreshing and complemented the mains well.

Nectarine salsa

Easy beef pot roast

I treated myself to a 29cm oval Le Creuset casserole a couple of weeks ago. The first dish I made with it was the Taiwanese three-cup chicken, a nod to my roots. But to really test out the cookware, I made a simple pot roast with neither bells (herbs/spices) nor whistles (thick gravy). 

Beef pot roast

Wild pigeon with honey roast beets & onions

I had pigeon first on holidays last summer at Marcus Wareing's restaurant 'Marcus' at The Berkeley, and it was perfect. But pigeon isn't something one finds at the local butchers or supermarkets that easily. Imagine my surprise and delight when I happened upon wild pigeon fillets at my local supermarket.

As it was my first time cooking pigeon, I decided to keep it simple and pan fry the fillets and dress with a beurre noisette. Honey-roast beetroots and red onions and paprika Rooster wedges accompanied the game.

Wild pigeon, honey-roast beets & red onions, paprika Rooster wedges

Apple compote

Ever since I started shopping more at my local butcher's, I'm eating more pork than ever and I've come to enjoy pork chops (though still not a fan of ham fillets). Lately I've been trying to think of new ways to cook or serve pork. While classic, plain applesauce isn't something I like all that much, perhaps because it reminds me too much of baby food. But inspired by the classic combination of pork and apples, I made an apple compote to go with the pan fried pork chops for dinner tonight.

Pan fried pork chop with apple compote on a bed of blanched Romaine lettuce, served with fried sesame aubergine

Ginger carrot soup

A delicious warmer on a cold winter day. I left out potatoes as I wanted a cleaner, lighter soup as part of a hearty meal, but feel free to add in one small to medium russet potato to thicken the soup.

Ginger carrot soup with pine nuts

Aubergine lamb rolls with tzatziki

We were on holiday in Abu Dhabi for 10 days in late June. The hotel was lovely and the food wonderful, fresh and very high quality. After returning home, I wasn't in any mood to cook, so we lived on shuǐjiǎo (boiled dumplings) for a few days. Even though they were tasty, the wheat used to make the pastry didn't agree with me (I don't need to say more...).

When I finally put in an order for grocery, I decided to extend the holiday feel a bit and make tzatziki, something that was available at breakfast and dinner in the hotel, to go with lamb. And the resulting dish was grilled aubergine rolls stuffed with lamb and feta, drizzled with tzatziki. 

Grilled aubergine lamb rolls with tzatziki

Sea bass with chunky mango salsa

Pan fried sea bass fillet, served with chunky mango salsa and blanched tenderstem broccoli

Lamb vindaloo

After a visit to Asia Market and sourcing lots of wonderful spices and herbs, I decided to make curry from scratch for the first time. I was able to find lamb stew meat at the butcher's, so I went for a lamb vindaloo. Again, my mini chopper proved to be a terrific buy. 

Lamb vindaloo with wholegrain basmati and blanched green beans

Pan fried cod with salsa cruda

Pan fried cod with salsa cruda, served with sautéed broccolini & green beans 

Buttered pork tenderloin with apple

Buttered pork tenderloin with apple, served with turmeric basmati and charred Brussels sprouts