recipes – Page 2 – ¡Comemos!

Butternut Squash, Blue Cheese and Pear Puff Pastry Tart

24th May 20201 Comment

I love puff pastry. The pre-prepared kind, that is. I’ve never attempted to make it myself, and maybe one day I’ll give it a go, but for now, ready-rolled is an absolute lifesaver.

I love the crunch as you bite into it, with little flakes floating down everywhere. It has a lightness that shortcrust lacks, and a delicious butteriness that you don’t get from filo.

Because you don’t need to make the pastry, this tart is so simple to make, and can be served as one large tart, or smaller, individual versions, using exactly the same measurements.

I used the amazing Beauvale blue cheese from Cropwell Bishop Creamery, which is local to me, as it’s incredibly creamy which is ideal for creating the dreamy melted blue cheese topping, rather than an equally as delicious, but not so practical crumbly Stilton.

From the photos, you’ll notice that there are two versions of this tart that I made. The first used all the ingredients, but I wasn’t happy with the base, so decided to remake it, and the second version was spot on. Having said that, I didn’t have enough puff pastry or any pears the second time, hence the smaller tarts and fewer toppings.

You can absolutely get the tart to cook through completely without the bottom being soggy, but don’t be afraid to let the outside edges brown a little more to do so. Baking the pastry blind beforehand will also help to ensure it’s completely cooked through.

I won’t even lie, the first time I made this, I ate the entire tart in one go. I just kept going back for more it was so good, so now, over to you…

Makes 1 large rectangular tart and 4 individual tarts

Ingredients:

½ packet of ready rolled puff pastry

½ butternut squash

salt/pepper

rosemary

1tbsp cornflour

1btsp honey + 1btsp balsamic vinegar (combined)

1 pear

75-100g blue cheese (the creamier the better)

1 egg, beaten

chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 180.
Cut squash into thin discs and add to a baking tray with olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary, and roast until soft. This shouldn’t take long – around 10 mins, depending on your oven.
Unroll the pastry and fold over the edges to create a crust. Bake the puff pastry until puffed up and starting to brown slightly (5-8 mins).
Remove pastry from the oven and flatten out the puffed up centre.
Sprinkle the cornflour over the pastry base so that any excess moisture from the filling will be soaked up.
Layer over the squash, pear and chunks of blue cheese, then brush the edges with egg wash before placing back in the oven to bake until golden and cooked throughout. You will need to monitor the base as this will cook slower than the edges which will brown quickly, so turn the heat down if need be.
After removing from the oven, ensure base is not soggy, top with the chopped walnuts and drizzle with the honey/balsamic vinegar dressing.

I topped the finished tart with my favourite spice mix, which is a Spanish brand, including garlic, onion, thyme, chilli flakes and some other spices in there, but you can top with whatever you enjoy – whether that’s a sprinkle of chilli flakes, a few sprigs of rosemary, a dusting of pepper, or just leave it as is!

Once you’ve baked your first tart, you’ll realise how easy it is to customise and make it your own. There are so many different toppings you could experiment with, from Italian caprese, to goat’s cheese and honey, or a classic cranberry and Brie. So get experimenting, and…

¡Comemos!

Homemade Vegetable Scraps Stock

18th May 2020Leave a comment

This one’s a little bit different, but I’m here to show just how easy it is to make your own stock at home, using up all the leftover bits of your veg that you’d normally throw away.

Why spend money on packets of stock when you can use scraps to make your own that tastes just as good, if not better?

I can’t tell you how much this’ll make, because as per, accuracy is not my thing. Add as much water as you deem necessary to create a concentrated stock, so the more veg scraps you have, the more water.

Ingredients:

Vegetable peel (butternut squash, carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, onion, shallots, leeks etc. Think vegetables that have some kind of sweetness or pungency)

Diced onions and garlic

Salt/pepper

Nutritional yeast

Thyme

Worcestershire sauce

Water

Add oil to your saucepan and sauté the onions on medium heat.
When cooked down and translucent, add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Chuck in all the vegetable peel, salt/pepper and thyme, and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add in boiling water, Worcestershire sauce and nutritional yeast flakes.
Bring to the boil then turn down to the lowest setting and leave to cook slowly for an hour or so until all the flavours have emerged.
Sieve out all the chunky bits before using in cooking.

I could add a photo of my stock, but to be honest, it was very difficult to photograph in a way that looked appetising. You’ll just have to trust me that when I used it to cook with later in the week, it tasted great, and didn’t have the same overly intense saltiness that I find lots of crumbly stock cubes have.

Super simple, and a satisfying way to make use of your leftovers before binning them. Why not give it a try?

¡Comemos!

Bourbon Pecan Pancakes

18th May 2020Leave a comment

So the other day I posted a photo of my Bourbon Pecan Pancakes on Instagram and got a pretty good reaction. People seemed to be loving the flavour combination and so I decided that I had to put the recipe up.

Interestingly as I was making them I sort of lost any hope of success, as the outside of the pancakes just didn’t look right. It was only when I actually tried them that I realised just how light, fluffy and tasty they actually were and so I decided to ignore my previous judgements, ignore the dodgy aesthetics, and learn to appreciate the great flavour and texture.

The recipe had been long overdue to be honest, ever since I came back from New Orleans (luckily, just before the Coronavirus travel restrictions), with a suitcase full of southern Louisianan goodies. Typical flavourings and ingredients including Bananas Foster, Pecan Pie and Pralines all influenced these pancakes, but don’t worry that you don’t have the specific foodie souvenirs that I brought back – there’ll be plenty of alternatives that you can use, which I’ll list at the end of the recipe.

These pancakes are sweet and sticky, with a satisfying crunch, and I would say they’ll leave you wanting more, but to be honest, you’ll probably be so stuffed full of deliciousness that you won’t want to think about pancakes for a while…

Makes a stack of 4 pancakes

Ingredients:

Butter

120g flour

120ml milk

1 egg

1tbsp brown sugar

Splash of Bourbon

½ tsp baking powder

1sp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Toppings

Handful of pecans

Bourbon maple syrup*

Bourbon praline sauce*

Bacon brittle*

Combine the dry ingredients then mix in the wet, making sure not to overwhisk – some lumps are ok.
Chop the pecans and put them in a saucepan on a low heat with the syrup, stirring occasionally.
Heat a knob of butter in a non-stick pan on a low-med heat (I use a mini frying pan which is the perfect size for American pancakes so the batter doesn’t have room to spread out too thinly).
Add 2-2 ½ tbsp batter at a time and flip the pancake when bubbles start to form in the centre of the pancake (Not brave enough to risk flipping it properly, I raise the frying pan and tilt on an angle so that the pancake starts to slide out, then I can use a spatula to turn it on its back).
When golden brown, remove from the heat, keep warm and repeat for the other pancakes.
Stack the pancakes with a layer of the praline sauce between each one and top with the syrupy pecans (the syrup should’ve reduced to a thick sticky coating) and cover with crushed brittle. Finish with one final drizzle of the Bourbon syrup then get stuck in!

*Replace Bourbon Maple Syrup with normal syrup heating up with a splash of Bourbon. I used the online store ‘Just Miniatures’ to get a tiny ‘fun-sized’ bottle of Bourbon as I didn’t want to spend lots of money on a big bottle that there was no chance I’d ever drink!

*There are lots of recipes online to make your own Bourbon praline sauce, although they look to be much thinner in consistency that the jar that I bought in NOLA. If you don’t want to go to that kind of effort, adding more syrup between each pancake would be a simpler alternative.

*Again, there are recipes online for Bacon Pecan Brittle, or for those in the US, Leah’s Pralines (where I bought mine) sell packets in their online store. A really delicious alternative would just be to use actual bacon, and you could always glaze it in syrup for added sweetness.

Hopefully now you’ll be on your way to creating your own New Orleans-inspired pancake stack whether you stick religiously to the recipe above, or customise it in your own way. Whatever your toppings, as long as your pancakes feature pecans, Bourbon and maple syrup, you’ll definitely taste those sweet Southern-inspired flavours!

¡Comemos!

Creamy Marsala, Mushroom, Chestnut and Pancetta Tagliatelle

9th May 20209th May 2020Leave a comment

A bit of a long-winded title but seriously, all the elements that go together in this dish deserve as much credit as each other.

My mum would always use Marsala in cooking, particularly in pasta and risotto dishes, and despite having no idea what it was, or that it even existed (nothing to do with Garam masala), I knew that every dish I tasted that had a splash of Marsala added was just that little bit tastier. This fortified Italian cooking wine, combined with salty pancetta and meaty mushrooms and chestnuts make the perfect combination. You can buy it from Italian delis or online. You should also try to use deli-style thick pancetta rather than the super finely cut supermarket slices, which just don’t have anyway near as much flavour.

This was also my third time making pasta. You absolutely don’t have to make the pasta yourself, and I’ll openly admit that I haven’t got it spot on yet. I absolutely loved the finished result, but I know this isn’t the classic light, silky fresh pasta you’d expect served to you in a restaurant, so feel free to either skip that step or use your own recipe or techniques. I actually ditched my pasta machine this time round because I found it way too fiddly to use, and a good old-fashioned rolling pin on the kitchen table did the trick, providing you persevere, getting the dough super thin.

I’d also like to highlight that the pasta dough recipe below is not my own, and is taken from Gino D’acampo’s Gino’s Pasta.

The pancetta does add a delicious crisp saltiness to the dish, but you could also use egg-free pasta and skip the pancetta for a plant-based meal. A small amount of miso paste could be a decent replacement just to hold on to some of those umami flavours.

Serves 2

For the pasta:

200g strong white flour

2 eggs

1tbsp olive oil

For the sauce:

150g mushrooms (button/chestnut)

50g cooked chestnuts

50g pancetta, diced

splash of marsala

100ml double cream (or plant-based alternative)

pinch of nutmeg

salt/pepper

a few sprigs of thyme

fresh parsley (optional)

Sift the flour onto a work surface and make a well in the centre.
Add the eggs, salt and olive oil.
Mix the wet ingredients with the dry, slowly combining from the inside out (bring the flour on the inside of the well into the wet ingredients first and work your way outwards).
Gather and knead to a soft dough (8 ish minutes).
Roll into a ball and leave to chill for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile start on the sauce. Brown the pancetta in olive oil then add the mushrooms and chestnuts.
Pour in the Marsala, add the thyme and seasoning and cook on low-medium heat to reduce.
Now back to the pasta. Remove the dough from the fridge, roll out very thinly so that you can see your hand through the dough either using a pasta machine or a rolling pin.
Fold the rolled dough in half and slice into ribbons of equal width.
Toss with a small amount of olive oil to stop the pasta from sticking together.
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the pasta. It will cook super quickly and generally is ready when it rises to the surface. Drain, reserving a tiny bit of the cooking water for the sauce.
Finish off the sauce by adding a couple of tablespoons of pasta water, the double cream and nutmeg. Allow to cook for a couple of minutes before removing from the heat and tossing the pasta through the sauce.
Serve immediately topped with a little extra thyme and/or fresh parsley.

Pasta-making aside, this recipe is super straightforward, and the sauce is easily customised. The creamy Marsala is beautiful on its own and so even if you didn’t want to add the mushrooms and chestnuts, it should still taste fab.

Enjoy, and…

¡Comemos!

Butternut Squash and Spinach Curry

27th Apr 2020Leave a comment

I love following recipes. When I’m conscientiously working step by step through someone else’s instructions for a masterpiece, I’m learning.

More recently, however, I’ve started to think that although I do love other people’s recipes, the only way to take my cooking to the next level, is to trust myself a little bit more, and take what I’ve learnt, trying to put that into practice to produce my own recipe-less meals.

I had an Indian takeaway the week before last, and realised that my absolute favourite kind of curry is that creamy, thick, slightly sweet sauce. Sort of like a korma, but sweeter. That’s not to say that I’m not good with spice, because I love the heat, but I’m just such a sucker for sweetness.

I don’t think I’ve ever followed a cookbook or internet recipe that has successfully emulated this sweet and fragrant kind of curry sauce, so that’s where my mission came in.

I’m very happy with the paste I’ve managed to produce. It’s so full of flavour, and could be adapted to work with a variety of main ingredients, so if you’d rather try chicken, or wanted to substitute the spinach for chickpeas, etc., it would work.

This curry didn’t end up being as thick and creamy as those I’ve tried and loved in the UK, however, thinking back to my recent visit to India, curries over there really aren’t like that at all. They tended to be either slightly more runny, or towards the other extreme, lacking in sauce and instead focusing on the paste as a sort of coating.

So there’s my excuse for the consistency of this delicious, healthy curry.

As always I come with disclaimers – my oven behaves like a bonfire, and so any recipe that says roast for 40 minutes, in my oven, has to be converted to about 20 to prevent a lump of charcoal emerging 40 minutes later. Therefore, timings may need to be adjusted accordingly to account for differences in appliances. Just use your common sense.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

½ butternut squash + seeds
olive oil
chilli or paprika flakes
1 tbsp turmeric
200ml coconut milk
2 mini packs of raisins
2 handfuls of spinach
small handful coriander
rice of your choice to serve

For the paste:

1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
2tsp ginger paste or thumb of fresh ginger
1tbsp curry powder
½ tsp cinnamon
1tsp cumin
½ tsp chilli powder
1 tsp fenugreek
large pinch of salt
seeds of 1 cardamom pod
large handful of coriander
handful of almonds
4 dates or 2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp water

Preheat overn to 180
Cube the butternut squash then rub the cubes and seeds with olive oil and chilli or paprika flakes
Roast for 10 minutes (ish) or until almost cooked through. Then put to one side.
Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onion and garlic. It doesn’t particularly matter how they’ve been chopped, as they’ll end up blended anyway.
Add all the paste ingredients to a blender and blend to a smooth paste. Don’t worry if the colour doesn’t look particularly appetising; we’ll correct that shortly.
Begin to cook the paste in a pan, adding the turmeric, coconut milk and raisins.
The coconut milk will make the curry very runny so around 20 minutes on a medium heat should allow it to reduce and thicken slightly.
5 minutes or so before the curry has reduced to your taste, add the butternut squash, making sure to reserve the seeds for later.
Seconds before you remove the pan from the heat, throw in the spinach and mix through so that it wilts slightly but not completely.
Serve with rice, sprinkling over the squash seeds and chopped coriander.

This would also be wonderful served with naan to soak up all the delicious juices.

The paste is absolutely the star of the show, so as I said, the bulk ingredients (meat/veg) are pretty interchangeable so feel free to adapt this as you wish.

The lovely thing about making your own pastes and sauces is that you know exactly what’s gone into them. This is definitely one of my favourite things about cooking from scratch – no dodgy added ingredients with long-winded scientific names.

So next time you fancy a curry night, try and give those jarred curry pastes a miss. This time it’s down to you, throwing in as much or as little spice as you need to create your own Indian masterpiece.

¡Comemos!

Spicy smoked cheese omelette

26th Feb 202026th Feb 2020Leave a comment

What is that?? I hear you ask. The deadest, most unphotogenic breakfast of all time?

Well, when it comes to unphotogenic, maybe, but I was so surprised how delicious this spicy cheesy omelette turned out that I just had to do this spontaneously basic post. I debated not including a photo because it looked so shit, but ultimately I felt like a recipe with no photo was a bit of a cop out, and I may as well open with something that looks a bit grim to grab your attention. Despite the world of instagrammable symmetrical plate aesthetics that we live in, let’s not forget that if you genuinely care about food, it’s all about the enjoyment of eating it rather than what it looks like, although a pretty plate is a pleasant bonus.

I used to find eggs so incredibly boring to eat and dull in flavour, which is a madness considering how versatile they actually are.

So now I’ve gone the other way; jumped on the ‘add a fried egg to everything’ bandwagon – burgers, toast, rice, you name it, there are very few dishes that can’t be enhanced by the addition of a fried egg.

But anyway, today isn’t about fried eggs, at least not in that sense. My breakfasts (when I actually have them) typically consist of something that I don’t deem to be time-consuming – granola, porridge or some kind of frozen leftover treat that I just need to reheat. This morning, however, I decided to push the boat out before work and cook an entire omelette!!

Obviously this whole notion of it being more effort is flawed anyway as stovetop cooked porridge probably takes longer and requires more patience and standing around, but still, I felt that this morning was going to be a major commitment.

Granted, only an idiot wouldn’t know how to whip up a standard omelette (if that’s you, yes, you are an idiot), but this one turned out to be so delicious that I had to share my satisfaction. With the kick of chilli and creaminess of the melting cheese, this breakfast was an absolute winner.

Makes 1 omelette

Ingredients:

2 eggs

Splash of milk

1/2 chilli (I used scotch bonnets but they don’t have to be this fiery)

Oregano

20g ish of smoked cheese

Mixed spices

Butter

1. Beat the eggs and add the milk, oregano, crumbled up cheese and chopped chilli then swirl to combine.

2. Heat a knob of butter in a non-stick pan over a medium heat.

3. Pour in the mixture and leave to cook and set.

4. When starting to set on top, use a spatula to examine the underneath to check when it’s golden with some darker brown patches. If you’re satisfied with the colour, instead of flipping the whole thing, just fold one half over the other.

5. Flip the folded omelette and leave for 30-60 seconds longer.

6. Serve up with your choice of seasoning. I used a mixed Spanish spice from the brand Toque which I think you can get online.

This is such a simple recipe but the flavour and the textures still wowed me. Feel free to alter the amount of chilli to your taste. You could also serve with a salad or even chips for a main meal. A drizzle of pesto would also be delicious on top.

This will make getting up for work in the morning so much easier, I promise.

¡Comemos!

Poffertje Porridge with Pancetta, Maple Syrup and Pecans

7th Feb 2020Leave a comment

Porridge is typically a breakfast meal. And it’s one that when I was growing up, seemed to carry connotations of unappetising, Oliver Twist-style force-fed gruel. There was an almost onomatopoeic disgust to the way we would stretch out the sickly sounding syllables.

Yet now, it’s experiencing something of a rebirth. This is partly due to health, fitness and nutrition bloggers, and the customisability of the dish which lends itself perfectly to the millennial Instagram aesthetic. Frequently referred to as oats and oat bowls to avoid that dreaded word, this revival of a time-old staple has got me hooked.

Now back to my first point – typically a breakfast meal, yes, but I’m never one to stick to the rules. Sometimes on a cold evening, or after a long day at work, it’s porridge that I crave.

But hold it right there. Because what happens when I’m not only craving a lovely, warming bowl of porridge, but also a stack of light and fluffy pancakes topped with salty bacon and a drizzle of maple syrup? No one could possibly eat both.

Until now.

This is my poffertjes porridge with pancetta, maple syrup and pecans to satisfy every single one of your cravings.

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 egg

Plain flour

Milk (I use soy milk)

Porridge oats

Pancetta cut into cubes, or more specifically cuboids if you’re using the good stuff like I have (you want the good quality thick deli stuff that comes in slabs, not supermarket wafer thin slices)

Pecans

Maple syrup

Cinnamon (optional)

Disclaimer: As I’ve mentioned before prior to going into my recipes, I’m not going to be precise and focus on measurements. I’m not a recipe developer and so instinct and a bit of common sense should be enough to work things out!

Crack your egg into a bowl and add as much flour as you think you might need for 3 mini pancakes (told you it wasn’t precise…). If in doubt, use less than you think as it’s always easier to add more.
Mix until smooth and then add a tiny bit of milk. Because you’re looking to make mini American style mini pancakes, the batter needs to be pretty thick so it doesn’t spread out in the pan. If the mixture is too loose, you can add some more flour at this point until your batter is the perfect consistency for dolloping in the pan.
In a pan, heat a tiny amount of butter or oil and fry the pancetta until crispy on the outside then remove from the pan and set aside.
Heat another small amount of butter in the same non-stick pan and dollop your batter into the pan in tablespoon size blobs. You should be able to do a few at a time. Cook for a few minutes and turn over – the base should be golden brown. Repeat on both sides until you have all of your poffertjes.
Meanwhile put the oats into a saucepan and add enough milk and/or water to just about cover them. Cook on a low-medium heat until soft and creamy. You can add cinnamon at this point if you wish.
Pile the porridge into a bowl and add the poffertjes. Sprinkle over the pancetta and pecans and finish with a drizzle of maple syrup.

This may not be a conventional meal, but it certainly was satisfying. Why stick to the same old flavours, following the same old rules when you can be a bit more creative? A comfort meal with a twist – do let me know if you try this one!

I’ll leave you with a few other porridge ideas that have gone down a treat…

Vanilla porridge with desiccated coconut, marshmallows and raspberry jam

Cinnamon porridge with chopped dates, chocolates chips and maple syrup

Vanilla oats with poached pears, honey and flaked almonds

Blue porridge with magic stars and funfetti sprinkles

Orange flavoured porridge topped with semolina halwa

¡Comemos!

Paella de marisco

18th Jan 202019th Jan 2020Leave a comment

Paella is incredible. It’s one of the first foods from overseas that I remember loving. Holidaying in Spain fairly often when I was younger gave me loads of opportunity to get used to this beautiful seafood rice dish – surprising considering this was a time when I was incredibly fussy and actively disliked so many staple foods, even including plain white rice. I remember saying that I only liked ‘yellow rice’.

The highlight of my paella journey was probably having it for our Christmas dinner about ten years ago, and I can honestly say, with that incredible seafood, I didn’t miss the traditional roast at all.

There are many different varieties within Spain itself, paella valenciana being one of the most popular, and hailing from the city after which it’s named. You’ll find paella with a combination of seafood and chicken, some with either or, and sometimes vegetarian paellas are available.

Other variations that wouldn’t necessarily be classed as paella are arroz negro (black rice) which is made with squid ink, and fideua which uses short lengths of noodle-like pasta instead of rice. I’ve only ever had this once, but it was cooked by the abuela (Grandma) of the little boy I was looking after as an au pair in Barcelona. We went to stay in the grandparents house in Costa Brava for a weekend. She cooked this on the outdoor oven, and we sat in the sun by their pool (alright for some) enjoying this incredible meal. This was before I’d discovered my incredible appetite and I honestly struggled to deal with the amount of food they would try and pile into my plate, but they really did look after me.

I’m sure most Spaniards would be completely disapproving of any ‘paella’ recipe coming from elsewhere in the world, much as they were when Jamie Oliver added chorizo to his version, but you can guarantee that isn’t going to stop me from trying.

I browsed a selection of recipes online in the days before I was planning on attempting my own version, and so when it came down to it, I was able to wing this much-loved dish of mine.

When attempting dishes like this that are so adored in their country of origin, you kind of have to forget what people might think. Forget about how others might rip it apart, criticise every wrong turn. Just do it your way. Of course, if you are making any obvious major adjustments, it’s better to acknowledge this, and the fact that your version makes no attempt to follow the ‘traditional’ norms, but otherwise, you’re all good, and I don’t think I stray too far from tradition here.

Paella takes a bit of patience, but it’s actually very simple. My first attempt was certainly a raging success, even if I do say so myself.

Just promise me one thing – if you’ve bought one of those packets of frozen mixed seafood that no longer even bears any resemblance to seafood, not even an ounce of flavour, just don’t even bother with the paella. Not worth it hun x

Serves 2

1 red pepper

garlic

onion

Paella rice

Saffron

tinned tomatoes

pimentón

white wine

chicken or shellfish stock

peas

selection of seafood (mussels, squid, prawns etc.)

chicken thighs (optional)

lemon

Preheat oven to 180C.
Roast red pepper until it’s bursting from its skin.
Heat oil in pan and fry garlic and onion until fragrant and softened.
Add paella rice and coat with the oil already in the pan.
Add a small amount of the tinned tomatoes or normal salad tomatoes.
Add pimentón.
Make up the stock and add the saffron then pour into rice bit by bit along with a splash of white wine.
Add handful of peas and season.
Whilst the paella is cooking, cook the seafood (and/or chicken) separately if necessary and then add to pan when done along with the cooking juices. Prawns can cook simply by sitting on top of the paella, same with squid. Mussels should be washed and cooked along with a splash of white wine, garlic and butter until open. Use your common sense with anything else.
Keep adding stock until the rice is cooked through but still firm and there is no liquid left in the pan (if you overcook it the rice will go mushy so make sure you keep tasting as you go along).
Stir through the roasted red pepper and top with the seafood, ensuring everything is warm and cooked through.
Before serving squeeze lemon all over and serve with slices of lemon on top.

It may look like a lot of effort but actually the individual steps really aren’t. In terms of the ingredients, it can be as much or little effort as you like. Go for a simple chicken and/or prawn paella if that’s all you fancy. Or head down to your local fish counter to see what they’ve got in for a more ‘all-out’ dish like the one above, featuring mussels, monkfish, squid and langoustines.

Gonna end this one, bigging myself up a bit with something my friend said – apparently, after spending a year abroad in Barcelona, the flavour of the above paella that I cooked was better than any he’d had over there.

Need I say any more…

¡Comemos!