Last week at work was all quite exhilarating lets say and I am now moving departments to hopefully a more manageable job in the hours I work (9 till 3). My friend is also moving departments which means our food banter on a daily basis will no doubt come to an end. What a shame!! The good news is that she brought a recipe in anyway and said it was the best thing she had cooked and tasted in a very long time.

A fairly quiet weekend this week as the weather has been fairly rubbish again! Promised the kids we would go cycling today with the promise of a picnic but the weather looks horrid so we played Cluedo instead - Jon pipped me to the post and had blatantly ignored the fact it was for the kids not him!

Anyway - just sharing a rather nice recipe (I do like my comfort food!!) that I made with the help of my girls yesterday- this is great in summer OR winter - a nice hot pasta dish but containing salmon, prawns, white wine and tomato but a good dollop of mascarpone cheese to enrich it. You can use any fish you have in the freezer but I tend to use salmon & prawns as they add texture and colour. I believe that Parmesan with prawns is a supposed food faux pas but I don't care! I always add it at the end for extra flavour but you don't have to if you are adhering to the food police!
The girls thoroughly enjoyed helping and this always means that they eat loads as they know what's gone in it!


So check out my Salmon and Broccoli Pasta on the website and give it a go - it is really scrumptious!

Despite being the middle of summer, the rain made it seem the right time for some French Onion Soup.



Really tasty especially if served with Gruyere Toast.

If you fancy trying some yourself, have a look at the recipe for French Onion Soup

Serves6

Ingredients

Stew

• 900g ( 2 lb ) Stewing or braising steak


• 3 tbsp plain flour


• Vegetable oil


• butter


• 3 carrots


• 2 large onions


• 1 tsp tomato puree


• Few springs thyme


• A bay leaf


• 1 pint good beef stock


• Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper


• Chopped curly parsley (to serve)

Dumplings

• 110g (4oz) self raising flour


• 50g (2oz) shredded suet


• Chopped parsley


• Crusty bread to serve

Method

Preheat the oven to 150C (300F) gas mark 2.

Trim the meat of excess fat, dice into cubes (at least an inch square) and roll in seasoned flour.Peel and chop the carrots and onions into large chunks.

In a heavy based lidded casserole pot (or a separate frying pan) add some oil over a high heat, brown the meat on all sides and set aside. Turn the heat to medium, add a knob of butter and add the carrots & onions and cook, stirring for about 5 mins.
Put the carrots, onions and meat in the casserole dish over a medium heat, add whatever flour is left and stir to cook a little.

Add the tomato puree and herbs then slowly add the stock and stir.

Season and put in the oven for a good 2 hours.

In the meantime make the dumplings. Mix the flour, suet and parley together then slowly add drops of water and use your hands to pull the mixture together into a dough. You do not want it wet and soggy so as it starts to pull together add literally a drop at a time.Roll into small walnut sized balls, turn the oven up to 180C (350F) gas 4, and add the dumplings to the stew.

Cook for a further 30 mins until the dumplings are big and fluffy.
Garnish with parsley to serve.

This is delicious with fresh crusty bread but can also be served with baby new potatoes.