Chilli feta

Saw this recipe on the telly the other day, from one of the few chefs I can bear to watch, Nigel Slater. He doesn't ponce about doing complicated stuff, he does simple and quick.

And this is both. Chop up some spring onions and as many fresh chillies as you dare, fry them in a bit of oil for a couple of minutes with some garlic and a bit of fresh thyme, then add a piece of feta cheese and fry on both sides til it starts to melt. Put it on a plate, sprinkle on chopped fresh coriander and eat with some nice crusty bread.

Brilliant :-)

(Chilli) Chowder

So after having to make carrot soup three times as Éowyn has been eating it non stop for two days, I decided to try and come up with something different. That doesn't contain carrots......

So I fried up some leeks and bits of bacon (I managed to find some proper British bacon in the freezer, but I guess those lardon thingies they have over here would do just as well), added a load of chicken stock, put in a couple of chopped spuds and peppers (Éowyn likes chopping peppers for some reason so that bit was very easy for me), salt & pepper and a few sneaky chilli flakes when no one was looking. Left it to boil along merrily for 20 minutes or so, then added a tin of sweetcorn to heat through and there you go.

Bluddy loverly, even if I do say so myself......

Winter warmer....

It must be cold.....I felt compelled to make soup. Well it is cold, -15 C last night.......so I dug out the pumpkin from the freezer my neighbour gave me back in the autumn before south west France became an arctic wasteland.......and made this:

Obviously it wasn't complicated. Chop an onion, fry it in lovely sinful butter for a bit, then add a pint or so of veg or chicken stock (oxo, naturally), a couple of chopped carrots (had to defrost them from the horses' supply in the barn) and some chopped pumpkin. Then leave it to simmer til the veggies are soft, add seasoning of your choice, I used ginger and chilli but nutmeg or cinammon go just as well, bit of salt and pepper and whizz it up til it's smoothish. Naturally I have one of those hand held things you stick straight in the pan to blend it, less washing up afterwards!

Really nice with a bit of fresh baguette.......