Pancetta and Mushroom Orzo Pasta

My housemate Sarah came back to uni with a lovely new cookbook, River Cottage: Veg Everyday, which has hundreds of gorgeous recipes for side dishes, soups and vegetable dishes in their own right. I would definitely recommend it if you're in a bit of a food rut and if you're trying to be more healthy for January  as the majority of recipes are really healthy. Of course, if like me you love your meat you can always incorporate meat into a dish somehow! Sarah and I loved the look of the Mushroom Orzo pasta so we decided to try it, but add some diced pancetta which just gives it a really gorgeous depth of flavour.

Ingredients to serve 2

150g orzo pasta (This pasta is almost like risotto rice in texture and to look at.)

1 tablespoons of olive oil 

knob of butter 

250g mushrooms (Hugh used 500g but we thought this was kind of crazy as that's a whole punnet each...)

2 garlic cloves finely chopped 

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 

about 75ml dry white wine (we used Chat-En-Oeuf which is nice and not too expensive) 

about 50ml creme fraiche 

salt and pepper to season 

a few sprigs of thyme, leaves only 

good handful of chopped parsley 

200g pancetta diced (your butcher/delicatessen will slice you a piece to the thickness you wish (approx 2cm) for you to chop up at home as you wish. You could also use smoked streaky bacon as a cheaper alternative.) 

Start by bringing a pan of salted-water to the boil ready to cook your pasta later. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pan, and cook your mushrooms on a high heat, turning often so they don't burn. In another pan fry your pancetta pieces. 

When the mushrooms are nearly cooked add the pasta to the pan for approximately 7 minutes or until it tastes al dente.When the pancetta is cooked and crispy drain into a bowl lined with kitchen roll to soak up any access fat. 

Back to the mushrooms... Add the garlic, thyme and balsamic vinegar, stirring for a minute or two. Add the wine and cook until there is hardly any liquid left. 

Add the crême fraiche, reduce the heat slightly and stir until it is just about simmering. Season with salt and pepper. If it isn't cooked already, wait to drain your pasta, then add to the mushroom mix with the pancetta. 

Stir and serve with lots of chopped parsley on top with some crusty bread and oils. 

Lamb Rogan Josh Curry

It has to be said from the start that I am not professing to be any good at cooking authentic curries... But this recipe is definitely a healthier and cheaper option to your Indian takeaway, and probably quicker too if your Indian restaurant is as busy as the ones in York!

The basis of this recipe is the Waitrose Rogan Josh curry paste which I think is a really good quality and flavour. Cooking for just myself I used 2 tablespoons, leaving plenty for another time. A friend told me her mum had used just half a jar for a family of four, so you do get your money's worth out of it! After the curry paste, all you need to buy is some good quality diced lamb from your butcher (200g per person is plenty), some chopped onion, garlic, fresh coriander and tinned chopped tomatoes. Again you can buy a pack of four Waitrose tinned tomatoes for just £2. Cooking for one, I only used half a jar, so that's just 25p... I meant it when I said this recipe was a lot cheaper than a take away! Its also nice that you can use up all the ingredients at another point in the week so nothing gets wasted. If you like your curries hot, I would definitely add some chopped chilli. 

The method for this couldn't be simpler or quicker: 1. Fry off some onion and garlic in a pan for 2 minutes on a medium high heat. 

2. Add your curry paste, stirring for another 2 minutes. 

3 Add your lamb and cook till brown for about five minutes. 

4. Add your chopped tomatoes and reduce down. At this point I would add a cup of water, not too much, but enough just to make sure your sauce isn't too thick or rich. 5. Reduce the heat slightly and let the curry gently simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. This is particularly important that you let it cook for enough time because at this time of year lamb isn't as tender as it is in the spring. 6. At this point I would cook your rice or any accompaniments. 7. When everything is cooked, stir in your chopped coriander and serve immediately! 

    

I actually ordered poppadoms and naan bread from the takeaway as a friend was getting one (unfortunately she doesn't like lamb!) but the supermarkets have plenty of products in this line on sale. 

NB: If you were being super lazy, Andrew's sell delicious fresh curry sauces which you can just add to the meat, letting you skip a few stages above... Unfortunately I was too many miles away to pop in and get one! 

Toad In the Hole: Suffolk Sausages in Yorkshire Pudding

This January my Instagram and Facebook feeds have been bombarded with pictures of fridges filled with salad, fruits and vegetables. Don't get me wrong, out of any one in the family, I eat the most green foods, often having a salad in place of their traditional Sunday fry-up... But carrot sticks alone are not going to get me through the winter! As the most depressing month of the year, I want to be eating glorious comfort food, that doesn't hurt my purse.

This recipe for Toad In The Hole is lovely eaten by itself but also nice with green beans, mash and gravy. For the Yorkshire pudding, I turn to Delia, who's recipe I will insert below; for the sausages, of course I turn to Andrew's! I've tried the supermarket ones that are made using artificial skins and they're just not the same, with either no flavour or too much fat. AND for this week only, all Andrew's sausages are 10% off! 

Heat your oven to 220C, then add a dish with sausages and a splash of cooking oil to the oven.

Now make the batter for your Yorkshire pudding. You will need:

75g plain flour - 1 egg - 75ml milk - 55ml water - salt and pepper to season 

Such a small amount (very cheap!) will make enough for four people, so just double and split between two dishes if you would like to make for a larger amount. 

Delia then says: "Make up the batter by sifting the flour into a bowl and making a well in the centre. Break the egg into it and beat, gradually incorporating the flour, and then beat in the milk, water and seasoning (an electric hand whisk will do this in seconds.)" 

The time it takes to do this will have left about 10 minutes for the sausages to start cooking and the pan to get really hot. The heat really is the secret behind a well risen Yorkshire pudding. The batter needs to start sizzling the minute it hits the pan. 

Once you've poured the batter over the sausages leave for 35 minutes until well browned and risen. Serve with gravy for a no nonsense cheap meal or with a few extra vegetables if you're feeling too guilty! 

For more about how Andrew's sausages are made, and another easy sausage recipe click here.