ghoti_mhic_uait

I tried out one of those 'we send you the ingredients and recipes and you don't have to think about it' boxes, Hello Fresh recently, and I quite liked the food, and the less confident cooks in the family like that they don't feel they need my assistance as much to try new things. Now I've got four codes for free boxes for other people if you'd like a go? I have to give them your email address, and then you probably have ot sign up then cancel, that's how my introductory offer worked. Except we decided not to cancel, but rather to only have the deliveries we were interested in.

So, for example, I didn't bother the week that included pesto (which I normally make myself but no blender atm), stir fry and enchiladas, because it's too similar to what I normally cook; this week's is freekeh salad, paella, and aubergine and paneer curry, which I'm mostly getting because I've never had freekeh before (apparently it's a wheat or wheat relative?), and Colin was excited about the veggie paella. Aubergine and paneer curry is pretty similar to what I might cook except I actually haven't done a cheesy curry for ages.

Anyway, if you want one, lmk and I'll send you a voucher in your email.

Yesterday, I made dinner from CCCP Cook Book, a present from

fivemack. It's a delightful book, as full of anecdotes as recipes, and I'm enjoying it immensely, but this is the first time I cooked from it.

I made cheburek (with quorn instead of lamb) and vinegret (which according to the book, is in Russia a name used for chopped game and boiled vegetables with a vinegary dressing). The book is very Russian - witness the Good Reads reviews which tend to say 'hmm, the author didn't leave Moscow much' - but from my pov that's OK. It's like the criticism of the Gok Wan book that 'it's too Hong Kong'. I'm not looking to recreate my childhood, I'm looking to expand my horizons.

Anyway, that was all very nice, and then I made sweet syrniks for pudding, which are a kind of pancake made mostly of quark, and therefore a perfectly plausible breakfast idea, I probably will make again.

One day I'll make the cake calling for 14 eggs, which looks fun.

During this, I watched Goya Exposed with Jake Chapman. I love the Chapman brothers. Their art makes me stop and think, while also retaining a sense of inevitability, explaining the world a little bit more: or as Jake put it in this show, extorting as much meaning as possible. Jake's language is so precise, his explanations as concise when speaking as in his art.

I've been enjoying watching more iPlayer stuff, on a laptop or my phone, and thinking of expanding my TV horizons. Mostly, I'm watching Firefly on DVD when I get time to watch by myself, and enjoying it a lot more second time round. This all came up when a stranger made a recommendation based on my email address: Snow Leopard: Beyong the Myth and Andreas and I cuddled up and watched it together, and lo, it was greatly pleasing. Then I got interested in what else was available, and we watched Darcey's ballet heroes, leaving A much inspired by the works of the Royal Ballet's resident choreographer, Wayne McGregor, in particular.

I think TV while I cook if I'm cooking alone, or grabbing some TV time when the children are half busy but might want to joing me, is a good idea and I should do more of it.

Tonight I'm having a dinner party and am making a modified version of this as a starter.

Take 100ml of soya milk and 150ml of double cream. Whisk in a sachet of vegegel, and bring to the boil. Add 2 dessert spoons of wholegrain mustard, a dash of lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Whisk until combined.

Pour into moulds, and put in the fridge to set.

Clean and boil some beetroot - I'm using a mixture of candy and golden, for prettiness - in a pan with a sprig of thyme. When it's soft, leave to cool, then peel and cut into chunks or cubes.

Boil 200ml each of white wine vinegar and sugar, until reduced by about half. Chill that too.

To serve, unmould the panacotta, and surround with beetroot and salad leaves. Pour over the dressing.

Crumble some goats cheese , add roasted mixed seeds, stir to combine, and sprinkle over the plate.

I snuck some panacotta and beetroot for lunch, and the sharpness of the mustard and sweetness of the beetroot worked fabulously. So I have good feelings about this.

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A recipe: mustard panacotta with beetroot

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