What I've been cooking #11: Nothing Fancy by Alison Roman


I am sure I have mentioned this before but I am obsessed with anything Alison Roman cooks. I am constantly watching her videos on youtube, follow along with her stories and always looking for any excuse to cook one of her recipes myself. I just adore all the flavours she puts together. She just knows what works. Nothing Fancy is her newest cookbook concentrating on entertaining friends and family but without any of the stress which can come with it. The book is about 'having people over' rather than entertaining. The recipes can easily be halved but I usually cook them as they're written then enjoy leftovers for a few days. I really couldn't recommend this book more and it is one I refer to at least once a week since I have had it. It is a beauty of a book!


Lemony turmeric tea cake
I have made this twice now and it is still one of my favourite lemon cake recipes. The trick is to really slice the lemons thin before you put them on top of the batter as they are prone to sinking. It gives you a bit of a sour shock when you bite into the cake and come across a sunken lemon. The numeric colours this a vibrant shade of yellow which makes a great talking point when you cut into it.   The sponge is so soft and light thanks to using yogurt in a cake,


Tiny, salty, chocolatey cookies
These didn't turn out very tiny in the end! But they were delicious. They had a brownie texture rather than a traditional cookie one. They come out of the oven extremely soft and are still quite delicate by the time they harden up. I think this is why Alison suggests to make them as small as you can. You need smaller balls than you think as they are prone to spreading!


Overnight Focaccia
This was not as quick as I first imaged it would be, it has a lot of proving time! But it was absolutely worth the extra effort as it was delicious. Next time I would add more red onion and maybe some rosemary. It's a great recipe to make on a Friday night to enjoy over the weekend. You can have it dipped in a pasta sauce, as a sandwich or used to dunk into a soup.


Sticky roasted carrots with citrus and tahini
I love a honey roasted carrot and this is basically a step up from them with maple syrup being used instead of honey. I loved the use of tahini although my boyfriend did find it a bit overpowering. Alison really knows when to add citrus to a dish to give it an almighty kick. This will be great served with some grilled fish or as part of a Sunday roast.


Slightly sticky walnuts with sesame and sumac
I made these for our New Year Eve's gathering and they went down a treat! The walnuts were so incredibly moreish and I loved the sweetness of the maple syrup with the slightly tart flavour of the sumac. I would definitely make these again when I host a dinner party. They'll be great to shove on the table for guests to nibble as you're finishing up in the kitchen with dinner.

Labne with sizzled spring onion and chilli
I made this to take round a friends evening when she invited a couple of us round for a catch up. It was really simple to do and very refreshing. I couldn't get the oil to go a bright orange like the book. But I read in reviews that not many people could so I don't feel as bad now! I would definitely make this again if I had some friends over. It makes a nice change from hummus.


Slow roasted oregano chicken with buttered tomatoes
Ever since I first picked up this book I had been dying to try the cover image. Hannah gave me the push to finally cook it! This was great. The chicken was really juicy and I loved the buttery tomatoes. It isn't my all-time favourite roast chicken recipe but I would definitely recommend trying it out.

Spicy pork meatballs in brothy tomatoes and toasted fennel
I didn't get a picture of this as it was pretty dark by the time this was finished. But I have to recommend you make this! We ate it with huge hunks of bread and it was one of our favourite dishes from the book. It was the ideal dish for a dark, winter's night and I imagine it will work just as well in the warmer months. It felt very indulgent yet not too heavy.
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Exploring Ireland: Monea Castle, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland


We did the drive from Derry to Dublin back in July and passed through a few places in Northern Ireland we had yet to visit. We stopped off halfway at Enniskillen for some lunch. After a quick search on Tripadviser to see what was nearby, we stumbled across Monea Castle and decided to give it a whirl. As with so many attractions in Northern Ireland, the castle was deserted and we luckily had it all to ourselves.




Dated back to 1618,  it became the residence of the governor of Enniskillen in 1688. The castle was gutted by a fire in the 1700 and abandoned, that is the ruin you see today. It is free to enter and to be honest there isn't too much to do. But on a dry day, its a little gem to walk around and explore. There really is something special about having a ruin all to yourself. It feels as if you are on a secret that no one else knows about. I wouldn't go out of way to visit it but it's well worth a stop over on a road trip. I imagine it would be lovely in the summer sunshine with a picnic! It's not too far from the Fermanagh Lakes so would be good to combine the two.



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#52recipes: recipes 37 - 41

 

Kimchi and gochujang noodles from Bon Appetit
I saw this about three times on Instagram and took it as a sign to make it! I had randomly picked up some kimchi from our local Asian supermarket so had this languishing in my larder. I overcooked the noodles but this was so incredibly simple to throw together - making it perfect for a weeknight. It had just the right amount of heat and was so addictive, Definitely one I'm going to add to my bank of recipes..


Ottolenghi halva and walnut loaf
Halva is one of those ingredients I had no idea even existed until mid 2019. But I've discovered it's a great ingredient for baking to help bring something extra to the cake. This Middle Eastern sesame and honey sweet treat is very sweet by itself. But it really comes into its own when you bake with it. It helps to add a great nutty flavour. I'd say it's kinda like tahini. I can't wait to use it in more bakes. I'd highly recommend this recipe if you haven't popped your halva cherry. It'll make you fall in love with it!


Roasted red pepper hummus from BBC Good food
I love Hummus and swear by this recipe on Jamie Oliver's website made by blogger Leyla. But for a girls night I wanted to try something different. I came across this red pepper hummus recipe on BBC Good Food and decided to give it a shot. It was a bit of a labour of love as I decided to roast the peppers myself rather than buy them ready-roasted but it worth it. It's still not as nice as my normal hummus but was still delicious with lots of crisps dipped in it!

Meera Sodha's cucumber and mint raita from Fresh India
I genuinely think this book was my most used of 2019 and I'm still excited by it to try even more recipes. I want to make more of her snacking recipes and this raita was a start! It was unbelievably simple to do, hardly took any time at all. It tasted really refreshing and is delicious on warm summer evenings.

Diana Henry's Mumbai toastie from Simple
I couldn't find a photo of this which is a shame as it was stunning. I absolutely loved it and still can't quite believe I have yet to make it again! Over the last year I have really started to enjoy making more of an effort for breakfast at the weekend. It feels so indulgent when I only have wheetabix during the week at my desk. This was like a pimped up version of a cheese toast - the added chilli was a revelation.

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