LA PIZZICA, FULHAM ROAD

As I have mentioned several times in the past Gola is my favourite restaurant and I enjoy everything on the menu there, the atmosphere and the wonderful owner and staff…therefore I am very wary of trying other Italian places. However one of my mummy friends at school has been raving about this newish place La Pizzica and so I had to try it. I went about 10 days ago with my lovely friend Ceri but we were so busy gossipping that I forgot to take any photos!!

Anyway last Friday Pascal and I had enjoyed a lovely morning riding the Boris Bikes up to Chiswick and back along the river…well it was lovely until a dog came jumping out at me, I crashed into it and fell off the bike arse over tit….and now I am covered in bruises. I was very shaky after my "near death experience" and so needed a good bowl of pasta and a glass of wine, Gola was closed so it was time to go to La Pizzica again.

La Pizzica is at the bottom end of the Fulham road and while the restaurant has only been open for a few months, the owners have had a very nice deli on the Fulham road for a while. The food is traditional Salento cuisine and the menu consists of various starters such as antipasti boards, burrata, beef tartar, calamari fritti. Then there are pastas, pizzas, meat and fish as well as daily specials. 

When I went with Ceri we started with "Antipasto de la pizzica" which is a selection of traditional starters from Solento. This was absolutely delicious but other than the mozzarella and tomato, I had no idea what I was eating!! It was all great though and I suggested having it with Pascal but he preferred a pizza so we had Pizza Vio Pasquale - mozzarella, sausage, broccoli and olives (similar to what we have at Gola).

I have to say it was very good - a delicious base (I never eat the crusts but for once I did), the olives are a great addition and the wild broccoli plentiful. My only complaint was there could have been more sausage…but then again I am a piglet!

For mains Pascal had Tagliatelle with Porcini Mushrooms.

It was full of mushrooms and in a tomato sauce. He enjoyed it very much but it was nothing to write home about (certainly not Gola standard). 

I on the other hand had a brilliant pasta dish - Paccheri with aubergine caviar, prawns and black truffle oil. It was absolutely delicious!!

I would definitely have this again in a hurry, it was amazing, plus the restaurant passed my Parmesan test - they left the Parmesan on the table which is essential for me and my love of cheese!

At the end of the meal we were offered a lemoncello - of course I couldn't say no!

Service was very hospitable and friendly, the food mostly very good and the place has an easy going relaxed atmosphere. It doesn't replace Gola as my top choice but it is a great place, I think a very good lunch spot. I certainly will be back and judging by the others in the restaurant, they already have a good number of regulars.

La Pizzica

764-766 Fulham Road
London
SW6 5SJ
Tel: 0207 371 3762
Email: lapizzica@hotmail.com

FAY'S HANGOVER SUB

Our lunch in the sunshine at Brasserie Blanc turned a bit messy. We ended up meeting my brother, going to TGI's and having a long island iced tea in memory of my father who loved going there for them. Obviously we had too many….

The next morning I wasn't feeling too fresh…after a coffee, aspirin and a vitamin C, I needed something substantial to get me going and thankfully Fay Ripley had a recipe to save me. Pascal popped to the shops to buy the ingredients and luckily even in my disastrous state I could follow the instructions.

Ingredients for 2 people:

8-10 rashers of streaky smoked bacon (Fay said just 6 but this wasn't enough, I think it depends on the size of the rashers)

1 small baguette

4 tsp of tomato puree

2 tsp of Dijon mustard

1 large tomato, sliced

1 ripe avocado, halved and sliced

100g cheddar, grated (I didn't actually measure how much I put on)!

Preheat the grill to medium high and grill the bacon - you could fry it however I thought it might be healthier to grill (especially after the excess of the night before).

While this is grilling, cut the tomato and avocado.

Cut the bread in half and lightly grill on both sides (I put it in the oven at the same time as the bacon).

Spread two teaspoons of tomato puree over each baguette half.

Then a teaspoon of Dijon mustard.

Then the bacon.

Then the tomato and avocado.

And finally the cheese.

Put the baguette halves back under the grill for a couple of minutes until the cheese melts.

Wow - this is just what I needed and it really hit the spot….the mustard gives it a real kick, the bacon is deliciously crispy and the avocado and tomato full of flavour….and of course the cheese absolutely makes it. It definitely made me feel better and gave me the energy to move from the bed to the sofa so I could watch non stop TV - I am currently addicted to The Following - a brilliant series. 

I will definitely be cooking these subs again - a perfect breakfast, lunch or brunch - I just hope next time I have it I won't be feeling so hungover!!

BRASSERIE BLANC, COVENT GARDEN

As soon as the sun comes out, I dream of a lovely lunch in the sunshine, with a gorgeous bottle of Provence rose at somewhere not obscenely expensive but with tasty food….is this too much to ask?? There are some lovely pubs with gardens near us but terrible ribena coloured rose and there are some lovely restaurants that sell gorgeous rose but have no gardens or terraces. I tried square meal, google, urbanspoon etc and one restaurant kept popping up but it didn't come under the "reasonably priced" category…Coq d'Argent! In the end we decided to head over to Brasserie Blanc in Covent Garden although as you can't book a table on the terrace (another peeve) we had to wait half an hour!

Anyway Covent Garden is one of my favourite places in London and we enjoyed people watching and having a drink while we waited. Brasserie Blanc is an amazing setting, with a fab bar, a great terrace and a conservatory style restaurant all over looking the market.

The place was packed - lots of pre theatre goers and tourists. The restaurant has a varied french based menu and also does a very reasonable set menu - two courses for £14.00 and three courses for £16.45.

We decided to share a charcuterie board to start and then I had mussels and Pascal had a burger. Service was very swift although all the waiters / waitresses were rushed off their feet and would very obviously only work "their section".

The charcuterie board arrived very quickly and while it all tasted very good, it wasn't as impressive as it sounded on the menu. It was described as having Bayonne ham, Rosette de Lyon salami, pork rillettes, coppa, herbed Savoyard sausage, pickles and sourdough bread.

It was just one piece of each meat - I was expecting more, It was definitely enjoyable although they need to improve their pickles!

We had it with a rocket and Parmesan salad which was perfect.

I was torn between the moules mariniere for main or the burger - I went for the mussels and I am very pleased I did. They were brilliant, a great white wine and onion sauce which I ate like a soup and I enjoyed the fries with mayonnaise too….a very Belgium meal….makes me think I need to make a foodie trip over there one day.

Pascal had the cheeseburger - they could only cook it medium (he likes it blue) and he said it was OK, not exceptional. He regretted not having the mussels like me.

It was a pleasant meal - not the best but a nice way to join the sunshine.  Now my new mission is to find that restaurant with a sun terrace, nice food and good rose - the weather forecast for the week is rain so no rush. If anyone can recommend somewhere else to go….if we do have another sunny day….I would greatly appreciate it!

Brasserie Blanc

35 Market Square
Covent Garden
London
WC2E 8RF
Tel: 020 7379 0666

FETA, BACON, & COURGETTE PESTO PASTA

Arabella is on holiday and the house is so quiet without her constant singing…she is a die hard Frozen fan and she sings "Let it go" repeatedly….even Pascal knows every single word now! As you can see from all the recipes I cook, Arabella is a very good little eater however she does dislike a few things - duck, aubergine, mushrooms and courgettes…so I thought this is a perfect recipe for when she is not here.

This is another recipe from Fay Ripley's new cook book (although I have made a few alterations)….you will be seeing a lot of these as it is full of goodies!

Ingredients for 3 people:

2 courgettes (250g)
14 rashes of bacon
250g tagliatelle

For the pesto:

10 g bunch of fresh mint leaves
40g walnuts
75g baby leaf spinach
2 garlic cloves, peeled
150g feta, crumbled
85ml olive oil

First of all you need to make the pesto - this can actually done up to three days in advance. In a food processor, whizz the mint leaves, walnuts, spinach and garlic until chopped up finely.

 Then add in half the feta and all the oil and season.

Whizz again!

Now this is ready I would transfer it into a bowl until you need it.

You need to make "courgette ribbons" and to do this run a potato peeler down the length of the courgette and keep going all the way round until you reach the seeded bit (which goes in the bin).

Start boiling the kettle for the water for the pasta.

Dry fry the bacon in a non stick frying pan - Pascal added some butter in it towards the end to make it really crispy, it worked a treat - once cooked, set aside. I put it in the oven under a very low heat.

While the bacon is cooking, put the pasta in a large pan of boiling water and cook according to the packet's instructions.

Fry the courgette ribbons in the bacon fat for 3/4 minutes until they start to char - you may need to do this is batches but I just bunged it all in the pan.

Finally drain the pasta and then mix it with the pesto and courgette ribbons.

Finally serve with broken bits of crispy bacon on top and scatter over the rest of the feta.

Wow - this has to be one of my favourite pasta dishes now, it was delicious - so fresh and the flavours work in harmony. I would really recommend it and will definitely be doing this again very soon. We had a portion left over which I ate the next day cold like a pasta salad - it worked well like that too. I think I will try and see what Arabella thinks of it as the courgettes could easily pass as pasta and I can't see how anyone could not be a fan!

SAN CHOY BAU / LETTUCE WRAPPED MEAT

Happy Easter everyone! Sorry I have been so slack at blogging recently but I have been super busy eating and drinking. I have been cooking loads out of my new Fay Ripley cook book but instead of writing about it, I have been lolling about on the sofa like a fat so-and-so. The scales are not my friend but I am too busy enjoying myself to do anything about it….I figured it's still Easter holidays anyway.

Fay Ripley's new cook book is full of fabulous recipes and I had so much fun going through it putting post-its on what I wanted to cook. I chose this recipe first as it is one of our family favourites at a Chinese - although we like to call it the very sophisticated…lettuce wrapped meat.

You can serve these as a canapé / starter for 4-6 people or as a main course for 4 people with a big noodle salad, or just have them on their own for 2 people (which is what we did):

Ingredients:

2tbsp peanut / sesame oil
500g pork mince
2 red peppers, deseeded and chopped
6 salad onions, trimmed and chopped (I used 3 big continental onions)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
2-3 baby gem lettuces, leaves washed and separated

First of all prepare all the ingredients - chop the peppers and spring onions, grate the ginger, crush the garlic and separate and wash the lettuce leaves.

Over a high heat, heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan or wok and fry the mince for 5 minutes, turning it and breaking it up as it browns.

Add the peppers and onions and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and keep stirring for a further two minutes. Then add the ginger, soy and hoisin sauces and mix everything together for another two minutes.

Once the meat is ready, spoon it on to your leaves and tuck in.

This was very tasty although unfortunately it wasn't as good as my old local Chinese in Sevenoaks, The Sun Do. I guess I can't compare it as they having been cooking excellent Chinese cuisine for over 30 years plus they include prawns, noodles, water chestnuts etc in theirs. 

I would definitely do these again however but I would add some water chestnuts or even some cashew nuts to them. One of the great benefits of these is that they are super healthy and I definitely expect kid friendly too (if they can get their heads round eating lettuce)! An alternative would be to serve the pork with some rice and noodles - I know Arabella would devour that….as would Pascal and I!!

SALMON WITH LEMON CAPER SALSA

After another week in France I am feeling the bulge!! As always there was cheese, cheese, wine, pasta, cheese….I always get so carried away when I am out there. I did ski nearly everyday but I don't think I burnt off a tenth of the calories.

Arabella and I flew home and I knew I had to cook something healthy preferably fish - Pascal was pleased he was remaining in France for a few more days!! I was desperate to cook something from my new Fay Ripley cookbook but Arabella wanted salmon so picked a recipe I had ripped out of Olive magazine. 

Ingredients for 2 people:

2 x salmon fillet, skin on
Olive oil
A lemon
2 tbsp of small capers, rinsed & drained
2 tbsp of parsley, chopped
120g couscous
Knob of butter
Rocket, to serve

I started off by preparing all the ingredients for the salsa - zest half the lemon as finely as possible and put in a small bowl, chop the capers and add these to the bowl with the parsley, black pepper and enough olive oil and lemon juice to dress everything well. I would taste as you do it as I way over did lemon!!

For the couscous - follow the packet ingredients - I had to cover mine with hot water for five minutes, then added some butter & finally fluffed it up with a fork.

Finally rub some olive oil onto the skin of the salmon, put skin side down in a pan and season the top of the fish.

Cook over a medium heat until the skin starts to crisp (a couple of minutes), then cover with a lid for 4 minutes.

Remove the lid and cook until the salmon is ready - I like it a little pink inside but it is a personal choice - it only takes a few more minutes.

Finally serve on a bed of couscous and rocket and spoon over the salsa.

Even though I was too heavy handed with the lemon, this was absolutely delicious. Everything worked amazingly - the rocket was a brilliant addition (something I nearly left off) and I have to say the couscous and salsa were brilliant and cooking the salmon with a crispy skin was incredible. I would definitely recommend it and will be cooking this again. One thing to remember though - open the windows and doors when you cook the salmon as it will stink out your house!!!