Very Entertaining

James runs a wonderful blog full of wonderfully fresh thinking, quirky pieces and sometimes a great recipe post. Plus he has been noted in my top true gentleman blogger list ever since I read this piece. 

Today I was busy buying up stocks of food for weeks of Summer hostessing starting...now. I love cooking. I find it relaxing even if it's for huge groups. I planned an easy supper with the milder weather this week, consisting of spagbol. Your basic Spaghetti Bolognaise. Coincidentally James posted his favourite version of the recipe which sounds delish. So this is mine - based on Heston Blumenthal's. 

He's a chef who fascinates me. He's wonderful. Even if his food is super complex and artsy fun and even if he is busy overcomplicating a simple spagbol (6 hours cooking time? C'mon).  I cut the cooking time by a huge amount and this still comes out tasting amazing. My other favourite is a huge piece of slow cooked leg of lamb done Greek style with lemons in an oven, on a BBQ, in a pitfire or on a spit, until it pulls away like cotton candy.

If any of you have any great entertaining recipes then please drop them in below :) I need more please and I'll show my gratitude!

• Make a soffrito - fry onions, garlic, celery and star anise, add a slosh of rice wine vinegar and set aside
• Fry off pork and beef mince or chunkier cuts until browned not cooked, I like mine quick burned
• Deglaze the pan with a splash of vermouth :)
• Cook off the meat and soffrito with some milk until meat is tender and cooked through
• Make a tomato sauce - using a LOT of red wine, fresh cherry vine tomatoes and canned variety (i'm sad and make this stuff when I need to cook to unwind and then freeze it)
• Add the tomato sauce to the meat and soffrito and leave to slow simmer until you are a) bored b) pasta is ready c) guests are starving and about to eat their own legs. But the longer you leave it the better.
• Serve with wholewheat pasta if you are sugar/carb averse like me with LOADS of fresh parmesan

If you feel like being a tart you can serve like it Heston (and this guy who copied him on Flickr) all twisty fancy like, eh:

Better get going...and apologies for not stopping by your blogs to say hello. Gordon has some amazing smoke recipes up I noticed!

Comments

[daphne]

Yummy. Come cook for me, Alison. I promise to clean my plate.

Love the lamb done Greek style, so much tastier than the boring American version. Are you cooking for large crowds? I have a few dishes that are outstanding and can feed a roomful of refined palates without draining the bank account.

[alison]

Yes please :) hit me with them. I need 'em and will run out of crowd pleasers in about 3...2....1....

[jameshigham]

Oh my goodness [blush], I think I'm falling. What a recipe. Daphne's right.

[Charles in Texas]

The twisty pasta presentation is quite posh!

The heat here in Dallas is so bad right now that I don't even feel like eating. Luckily the beer's cold!
And daphne's right, americans don't do lamb well. Most cook it, if they cook it a'tall, old Testament style, until the smoke rises to heaven.

[Buck]

I love the wine glass photo!

Greek lamb has always been a fave... lamb done just about ANY way is always good. But my favorite is the traditional rack o' lamb, as long as it isn't overcooked... and that's where most Americans go wrong. Lamb should be served quite rare to my way of thinking, but it seems most of my compatriots have this thing about bloody meat... :D

[daphne]

I love bloody steak.

Oh, and those roasted Greek potatoes with lemon. I woke up hungry today.

I'll work on typing up the recipes this afternoon and shoot you some email.

Hey, Charles! It's been hot as hell, hasn't it? All 100's down my way.

[Charlotte]

Oh wow. I love the photos, writing, style on this blog. Just... wow.

[alison]

Thanks Charlotte

I have to say guys I like lamb well done and steak medium rare. Lamb is great when it's charcoaled!