Dear Brigitte,

You see, my state of domestic bliss was under threat as a certain someone isn’t happy with beans on toast (even yummy sourdough and fancy cheese sprinkled on top!) on those evenings when it nearly 10pm and you’ve spent all day at work and most of the evening in class. And then there was this; so simple because there is always pasta, bacon, broccoli and chilli flakes in the kitchen.

The pasta wasn’t penne, but as you can see it still turned out really well with its frilly edges. And the bacon, oh the little piggy was extra tasty because of the garlic-y olive oil you suggested it be fried in. And that green beauty of broccoli seemed much plumper and juicier after being boiled in the same water as the pasta.

I don’t write fan mail, (well not since my New Kids on the Block phase) but really this was my saving grace from seeing a glum face before the end of the evening. And really I much prefer creamy pasta with garlic and chilli to beans on toast - even if it is sourdough.

In anticipation of the colder months I have been pouring over past Delicious magazines, searching the Epicurious recipe database and dreaming up a variety of meals for when there is nothing more important than a warm bowl of comfort to make a cold winter evening perfect. The kind of meal which translates to a tightly wrapped scarf on a cold morning, fuzzy woolen socks inside the house and a hot mug of chocolate on a rainy afternoon.

Today was an overcast morning in my neck of the woods, with a little drizzle which made me take out the bag of polenta along with the oats while preparing my porridge for breakfast. I thought that since mother nature had decided to bring a bit of coolness to the Autumn day that I may as well prepare a meal and welcome it like a good friend I hadn’t seen for while. Could I have been a little sad when I saw the sun come out from the grey skies in the middle of the day? Well yes, but I was still committed to a dinner of creamy polenta and perhaps a beef stew with vegetables. And while the idea of slow cooking in the middle of the week may sound like a gregarious task; the time spent at the stove stiring the polenta into a creamy mass allowed me to take stock of the craziness of our busy lives and remind myself of the importance of eating good food and sharing a meal at the table. Kind of like food induced meditation!

Peppercorn & Clove Beef Stew with Basil Polenta

Peppercorn & Clove Beef Stew
1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
1 medium brown onion (diced)
3 cloves of garlic (chopped)
2 bay leaves
500g of chuck steak (diced)
4 cloves
10 black peppercorns
pinch of sea salt
3 small carrots (chopped)
4 small potatoes (peeled and diced)
2 tablespoon of tomato puree or paste
1/2 cup of vegetable or beef stock
1/2 cup of frozen peas

Heat 11/2 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat. Add diced onion, garlic and bay leaves and fry until translucent. Add diced beef, salt, peppercorns, cloves and allow to brown lightly. Once the beef has been sealed add potatoes and carrots and continue cooking on low heat. Add tomato puree and stir coating all the vegetables and beef. Pour in the stock and cover cooking on very low heat for 30 - 40 minutes. Once vegetables are cooked through stir in frozen peas. Serve with crusty bread or Basil Polenta.

Basil Polenta
1 1/2 cups of polenta
6 cups of water
pinch of sea salt
2 tablespoon of unsalted butter
1 sprig of basil

On medium heat and in a heavy based pot, mix 1 1/2 cups of water with polenta and salt until you have a thick paste. Bring to light simmer and continue mixing the polenta - a wooden spoon works well here. Add the rest of the water (4 1/2 cups)gradually, while mixing in with the polenta. Remember to scrape the sides and bottom of the pot to allow all of the polenta to cook evenly. Once all the water has been combined with the polenta cover and reduce heat to very low, allowing to boil. Every 3 - 5 minutes stir the mixture until you have a thick and creamy mixture ( about 20 - 25 minutes). Add butter and basil and stir through. Enjoy!

Just because I was thinking of my sister (the wooden citrus juicer is one of many utensils she left with me for safe keeping) and I needed a little kick start for an afternoon of studying Spanish.

Hope you are having a wonderful week.

I have been craving margherita pizza all week. The basil plant on my window sill taunted me every morning with its delicious aroma. So this evening with the working week behind me I started making the dough and tomato sauce ready for a night of pizza and dvd at home. The parmesan cheese was freshly grated and the basil leaves picked and ready. I realised it was also St Patricks day, so added a little extra greenery to the pizza. Happy St. Patricks Day!

I just spent the last 15 minutes in a rage because I thought I had lost a crucial part of my cookie press, even though I had made sure to wash, dry and pack away all the little pieces after the weekend baking session at my Mum’s place. I was the definition of ‘crazy woman with a torch pacing up and down the driveway’ because I thought The Boy had lost the ring of the press while he was bringing bags of cake making utensils from the car. I was pretty sure I had seen the box pop open and the little stainless steel nozzles and cookie discs drop out of their places.

I may have had the look of a crazy woman, all beady eyed and red with anger when he sighed with the look of “its only a cookie press!”

After a few moments of deep breathing I returned to the neatly packed box and found the small ring which secures the icing nozzle screwed on ever so tight, as if it had never come off in the first place. I could have sworn it was never there. Swear on my heart shaped cookie cutter. Alas the food blogger rage reared its ugly head. Please tell me it’s more than a cookie press….