SMOKED SALMON, CREME FRAICHE & DILL PASTA

Arabella loves pasta with smoked salmon but Pascal hates it so this was the perfect recipe to make whilst he was away. I wasn't very keen on having pasta as I always think carbs are "bad" and I am trying to be "good" at the moment, however I was very pleasantly surprised to see that this was only 300 calories a portion…..and for once I didn't need to add cheese.

I found this recipe in the Saturday Times magazine at my friend Nicci's house, last weekend - I think she thought I was a bit of a nutcase as I was photographing the recipe pages but it was definitely worth it and there will be more to come!

Ingredients for 2 people:

150g fresh pasta (I used tagliatelle but whatever you prefer)
100g smoked salmon (trimmings are fine)
2 tbsp creme fraiche (I used half fat)
Salt and black pepper
A few sprigs of dill

Boil the kettle for the pasta / boil the water in a pan. If you have fresh pasta it will only take 3-4 minutes however if you use dried it will take longer, maybe 11 minutes. If that is the case you will need to start cooking that first and go onto the next stage after about 5 minutes. 

If you don't have trimmings, snip the smoked salmon into small strips and put them in a small saucepan with the creme fraiche and plenty of black pepper.

Set the pan on the lowest possible heat and warm the ingredients so the creme fraiche melts and the salmon turns pale pink. You don't want it to boil and if it does just turn the heat off.

While this is cooking start the fresh pasta in salted boiling water.

When the pasta is ready remove half a ladle of cooking water (40ml) and add it to the small pan with the sauce.

Drain the pasta into a colander, tip it into a large serving bowl and pour the sauce over the top and then mix well. 

Using scissors snip the dill straight into the pasta and voila. Serve immediately.

What a simple but delicious meal. Very easy to cook and very yummy to eat. I will definitely be making this again. When discussing it with Pascal he said he would eat this but exchange the smoked salmon for tuna so we will definitely try that. Another alternative would be to add frozen peas or sweetcorn to the sauce before you add the pepper. Plus it would go nicely with a green salad as is not the biggest portion (probably why it is so low in calories)! Lots of play around with….a great way to cook pasta. 

CHEESY CHICKEN WITH LEEKS & SWEET POTATOES

I still had some sweet potatoes left over from when I cooked my pesto, lamb & sweet potato salad but had no idea how to cook them. Whilst I like sweet potato when I eat it, the thought of it isn't very appealing. I searched the internet and found lots of soup recipes which I am not interested in and nearly ended up cooking the lamb salad again!! Then I found this recipe which I did like the sound of…cheese, chicken, leeks - yum! 

It is an easy recipe to cook however I slipped into old bad habits of not reading the recipe properly. I was also rushing as we were late back from ballet and we still didn't have any heating so wanted to get Arabella and I wrapped up in bed asap. so I made several errors - doh! Thankfully it didn't matter as the recipe worked out very well despite my stress - and in the end this warmed me up!

Ingredients for 2 people:

20g butter or reduced fat spread for cooking
15g plain flour
150ml milk
200g mature half fat Cheddar cheese
125g lean cooked chicken breast, diced (I bought raw by mistake)
1 tbsp thyme
3 leeks, washed and chopped
250g sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced (I half chopped and half sliced)

Preheat the oven to 190 C / 375 F / gas mark 5.

Boil the kettle / water and add the sweet potatoes into a saucepan of salted boiling water for 8-10 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, melt 10g butter in a saucepan, then pour in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously.

Gradually stir in the milk, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 1-2 minutes until thickened and smooth. I didn't read this properly and poured all the milk in one go - after an initial panic that I had ruined the whole recipe, it thankfully was ok and didn't matter. Error number 1!

Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in about 130g (two-thirds) of the cheese and the chicken. However this is where I made my second serious error! I had raw chicken not cooked - doh!!! It didn't matter though and I rescued the recipe. So if you have bought cooked chicken just stir it in now, otherwise...

If you have bought raw chicken breast, you can cook it now. Melt the 10g of butter in a frying pan and cook the chicken for a couple of minutes. If they are in bite size pieces they will cook quicker. Then throw in the leeks and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Around now the sweet potatoes are ready and so take them off the heat and drain them. It doesn't matter if everything is ready at different times as you are going to bake it anyway. 

Once the leeks and chicken are cooked (always check the chicken is completely cooked through), stir in with with cheese, milk & flour mixture.

Spoon the chicken mixture into an ovenproof dish and arrange the potato slices on top. My final error - I just chopped half of them, rather than sliced and so it didn't look as pretty as it should. Doh!

Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and the thyme, then bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. For an extra crispy top, place under a hot grill for a couple of minutes before serving. I think it is important to do this, as you know me, I am all about the cheese!!

It wasn't my prettiest looking dish and as I had mentioned I did make several mistakes but I am very happy to report that this was absolutely delicious. The chicken, cheese and leek mixture is just incredible, made even more so by the cheesy sweet potatoes. Arabella enjoyed it too. This is a perfect midweek supper - I would recommend it and definitely cook it again. You could serve it with some green vegetables but I don't think it needs it, it was perfect on its own.

MY OLD DUTCH, CHELSEA

I made the mistake of making pancakes a couple of years ago and they were absolutely revolting. No amount of nutella could repair the damage I did and so this year I made the executive decision to go out for pancakes! Our boiler is also currently broken and the house is 13 degrees so this also played a big part in my plan!

My Old Dutch on the King's Road has been there since 1958 and serves both savoury and sweet pancakes, salads, traditional dutch starters and puddings (menu). I love the sound of all the savoury pancakes so was at a total loss of what to have. We were lucky to get a table as the restaurant was rammed even at 5pm! I expect that this is because it was pancake day - by the end of our meal there were people queueing down the street.

Service was friendly and prompt, I had to ask the waitress to slow down as I had no idea what to choose. There are several starters (mainly dutch) like nachos (er Mexican), meatballs or even fried cheese parcels that sounded very interesting! There are many many pancakes - they have pancakes that are pizza - esque like a four cheese or a Hawaiian with ham, cheese and pineapple, they have other folded pancakes with fillings like chilli con carne or chicken curry and then they have create your own pancakes where you can add whatever toppings you like. I went for the Greek one in the end with aubergine, halloumi, feta, red onion, tomato, black olives and oregano.

It looked HUGE when it arrived like a giant pizza but the whole thing is so much lighter and softer, so I had no problem finishing the whole lot off. The flavours worked really well together, there was a perfect amount of cheese and the halloumi especially was cooked to perfection.

There was a children's menu for Arabella, with a choice of five different savoury pancakes like ham and cheese or a margarita with olives. She decided to build her own and had halloumi, a cheese mix, pepperoni and olives. I did have food envy when it arrived!!

She loved it - especially the halloumi! The pepperoni was delicious too (I obviously had to sample it for research purposes) - I will definitely adding it to mine next time.

Despite being full, Arabella just had to have a sweet pancake! I was even tempted as they looked so good - there were lots of different flavours available - sugar and lemon, maple syrup and butter, fresh fruit, chocolate etc. Arabella went for a Smarties one which came with vanilla ice cream, smarties (obvs) and icing sugar.

It was delicious - the ice cream all melted in the middle and so we folded it up like a crepe - I think I actually ate more than she did (this week is not the diet week I had planned)!

The restaurant also does other puddings too like apple pie, banana splits, butterscotch, waffles and even an 'ice cake'…..this is definitely somewhere for me to go when I have a sweet tooth. Although not for a while as my best friend Amanda and I have decided to give up sweets and chocolate for lent. Arabella thinks I am crazy, I am not holding my breath that I will last til Easter but I can try.

Anyway all in all a successful meal, I really enjoyed it, as did Arabella. It sometimes has a Monday Madness offer where all pancakes are £5 - I would definitely return for that. Otherwise I will be back Tuesday 17th February 2015 for sure and maybe even before! A great place to come with kids and they had a couple of big booths which would be great for families. All pancakes can be made gluten free and they have 'lite' options and salads plus they also do take away. There are another two branches - one in Kensington and another in Holborn - a must for pancake lovers!

My Old Dutch

221 King's Road
London
SW6 5EJ
Tel: 020 7376 5650

CHICKEN NUGGETS

Arabella has recently decided that her favourite food is chicken nuggets but I am loathe to start taking her to McDonalds or even buy ready made ones as you have no idea what is in them. I saw this video on You Tube once, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T67DvoH2H3E - and it makes your stomach turn - yuk!! I don't know if it is true or not, but it is gross!

Luckily I found this recipe in a Fay Ripley cookbook and it worked very well!

Ingredients for 2-3 kids:

2 plump skinless chicken breasts

3 tbsp red pesto

5 heaped tbsp couscous

1 tsp harissa paste (optional - I don't add it as I don't like spice nor does Arabella)

Preheat the oven to 180 C fan / 200 C / gas mark 6. Then slice the chicken into bite size pieces.

Mix the pesto and chicken together so the chicken is completely covered. If you are adding harissa, add it now as well.

Add the uncooked couscous and toss through to coat again.

Spread the chicken pieces out on a roasting tray or baking tin with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Once the chicken is crispy and cooked through it is ready!

I served it with cucumber sticks and Arabella loved it. I also loved it and stole a couple of "nuggets". They were delicious and it is nice to know exactly what you are eating. I would easily serve this for adults as well as either a canapé with a blue cheese dip or barbecue dip or as a meal with coleslaw and potato wedges or even cold for a picnic. If you like it hot, you can always add more harissa. 

A very versatile meal for everyone!!

SALMON & HERBED SOUFFLE OMELETTE

I feel like I haven't cooked in ages - I have been trying to shift a couple of pounds this week as I got carried away with the Quality Street (and the rest) in France….thankfully there wasn't too much damage - skiing definitely does burn calories!!

Wednesday is almost always fish night in our house but I was at a total loss at what to do as I wanted something low in calories for me but also something healthy that Arabella would enjoy. One of Arabella and my favourites is smoked salmon and scrambled eggs but that isn't really "cooking" so instead I decided to do this salmon & herbed soufflé omelette recipe instead. Protein & omega 3 - very healthy. I was originally put off by the "soufflé" in the title as I was imagining something super complicated…but it really wasn't!

Ingredients for 2 people:

4 large eggs, separated
1 x 135g pack honey roast salmon flakes
1 tbsp finely chopped dill
2 tbsp finely chopped chives
85g light soft cheese (I used lightest Philadelphia)
1 tbsp olive oil
Crisp green salad, to serve (optional)

The first mistake I made when cooking this recipe was tasting the honey roast salmon flakes - they are absolutely delicious and I found it very difficult to stop eating the entire packet. I will definitely be buying these again as a protein snack or to have with a salad.

Anyway to the cooking! The first thing that needs to be done is to preheat the grill to a medium-high.

Then separate the egg yolks and whites into two separate bowls - I obviously managed to break one!

Chop the chives and dill, (I used scissors as always). You could add more dill if you like, however as I was cooking this for Arabella & she was already eye-ing up the herbs with her nose turned up, I stuck to just one tablespoon.

Lightly beat the eggs until they are foamy and then mix in the salmon flakes and herbs.

Then add the soft cheese in small spoonfuls and stir to combine (the cheese will remain in lumps).

It actually mixed much better than I thought. 

Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks - I have no idea what this actually means! I just beat the whites and then gently folded it into the egg yolk mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a non stick frying pan over a high heat. I made my second mistake here…I thought the recipe said a 16" saucepan but actually it said 16cm - so my pan was far too big! Pour in the egg mixture, reduce the heat to low and cook for 4-5 minutes or until just set at the base.

Finally grill (about 6cm from the seat source) for about 4-5 minutes or until golden and just set.

Serve immediately.

It was a quick, delicious and very healthy meal - full of goodness. This dish is packed with protein, which the body uses for growth and repair. It is also a good source of vitamin A - an antioxidant that helps prevent the body's cells from damage. Finally the eggs provide a quarter of your daily zinc requirement which helps to support the immune system.

I made a couple of errors - next time I would definitely use a smaller frying pan, my omelette was so thin I overcooked it, plus there was a lack of salmon as I pigged some beforehand (!). Arabella adored it though, she ate everything….as did I. It was a successful meal - under 400 calories for half the omelette. A green salad or tomatoes would be a perfect accompaniment although we certainly didn't need it.

LE REFUGE, MERIBEL

I have been a bit slack at writing this recently as I am obsessed with my new book and can't stop reading it. I downloaded it for book club months ago but never read it (or went back to book club) but as I ran out of books in France, I thought I would give it a go. It is Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer - not my normal reading material, I'm more of a Jilly Cooper / Penny Vincenzi / E L James kind of girl, but this shows that it is good to try something new!

When we were in France over half term Arabella and I tried a new restaurant in Meribel centre - the restaurant wasn't new, we just hadn't been there before. According to certain people, it is Meribel's most popular eatery - it is good for both food and drinks and has a very buzzy atmosphere. There is a pizzeria and brasserie downstairs and then a smarter restaurant upstairs open in the evening. 

Arabella and I went for lunch one snowy day, unfortunately there wasn't a children's menu which came as a surprise as it is very well liked by families. Despite that the menu was vast and full of good suggestions. Unfortunately I can only find a sample menu online - here - but there was actually a lot more choice than that - pizzas, pastas, salads, savoyarde cuisine, steaks etc.

As always I was torn on what to have but as I was in France I went for Le Grand Croque-Monsieur which was excellent.

Lots of melted cheese and ham served on crusty bread with a delicious side salad. I demolished the lot and would definitely have it again. I wish more places in Meribel / France did smart versions of comfort food - the only places I seem to find a croque monsieur is in shitty take away sandwich shop. This one was incredible.

Arabella wanted pasta (they had several different types) but that was my plan for the evening meal so she had pizza instead - a margarita with ham - it practically took up the whole table when it arrived - it was HUGE!

It was also very good - thin, crispy and plenty of topping. I will admit it wasn't as superior as La Flambee but it was still an excellent pizza and I was very happy "to help" Arabella with it.

Another successful meal, I would recommend it, - not only was the food delicious but the service was friendly and attentive. The service was much more french than the other restaurants and some of my french obviously didn't translate….I asked for a pen for Arabella….the waiter came back with chilli sauce?!!! I obviously need some lessons….

Le Refuge
Meribel Town Centre
Meribel 
73550
Tel: 04 79 08 61 97

LA FLAMBÉE, MERIBEL

I have never skied as much as I did this morning - 2 and a half hours non stop on my own (Pascal was working & Arabella was at ski school so I was Billy no mates). By the time I finished I was sweating & my thighs were burning, & I was extremely relieved I was still in one piece - I was hoping I had burnt many a calorie so I could indulge in a substantial meal! All this skiing had made me starving - thankfully Arabella finished just before lunch.

The weather was closing in so we decided to have lunch at La Flambee, a cosy restaurant in the centre of Meribel. I have been here before but it was many years ago & so couldn't remember it however Pascal had promised me it was good. A couple of days ago Arabella & I went to Le Grange so we could sit outside in the sun....I thought it looked smart, Pascal said it was rubbish....he was right....my tartiflette was freezing and then after I sent it back it was returned burnt to a crisp!!

Anyway we arrived at Pascal's recommendation & sat down at a table for 2 and I ordered in my best French an apple juice for Arabella, a Ricard for me & some olives. Thankfully all appeared while we were looking at the menu.

The menu was great - pizzas, pastas, salads, steaks, fish and Savoyard specialities like fondue plus a kid's menu. There are both lunchtime choices like spag bol and smarter evening ones such as scallops with lentils and foie gras. Arabella had the choice of pizza, pasta or steak hache....she went for pizza. I was torn as I wanted pizza, truffle ravioli and burrata but ended up choosing a goat's cheese salad.

The waiter noticed that Arabella was drawing on her napkin and immediately came over with a children's sheet of paper covered with activities and some colouring pens which put a huge smile on her face.

The food arrived pretty promptly.

Arabella's pizza was one of the best I have had - I was gutted that it was children's size so she could eat most of it…..less for moi!! Although obviously I managed a couple of slices!

My goat's cheese salad was beautifully served with bresaola, lettuce, endive, pine nuts, tomatoes and of course goat's cheese on toast. It was delicious - I wish they did more salads like this is England. Arabella was also a fan and kept nibbling at my cheese - only fair though as I was doing the same with her pizza!!

I decided to order a half bottle of wine and chose their house red….when in Rome and all that!

Arabella's meal included an ice cream, I tried to order a strawberry one but they only had one choice and it was better than Arabella could have ever imagined - coca cola flavoured ice cream with haribo in it - what kids' dreams are made of!!! She was super impressed (as was I)!!

A fantastic meal - fab food and brilliant friendly quick service. I didn't have a pudding but judging by the other tables' choices they were obviously spectacular - very well presented and they looked delicious.

The centre of Meribel isn't inundated with good restaurants, most of them are crap and the good ones are all on the slopes. I was too nervous to take Arabella up the mountain for lunch and then ski down together so wasn't happy with the lack of choice in the town centre as you all know how important a meal is to me. However now we have been to La Flambee once, I have a feeling we will be back time and time again!!

La Flambee

L'eterlou,
73550
Meribel
Tel: 04 79 00 31 70