Last weekend we experimented with one of my favourite cuisines:Thai. I made it as a main course, and although it was delicious, I think it needed some refinement. I also think it would make a stunning starter for a dinner party, as it can be dressed with an oriental inspired salad. It's one of those that needs just a bit of preparation and you can make the magic happen 5 minutes before serving.

Caramelized pork with Oriental salad (serves 6 as a starter)

For the pork:

5 Asian shallots (or 3 of the European version, if can't find them)

6 cloves of garlic

1 pork fillet

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar + 1 tsp

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

4 tbsp sugar (yes, it sounds like loads, but trust me)

For garnish finely chopped chili (optional)

For the salad

1 handful of radishes

1/2 cucumber

2 or 3 shallots

1/4 Chinese cabbage

1 big bunch of coriander

1 handful oh roasted peanuts for garnish

Prepare the fillet of pork by trimming all the fat and slice very thinly. Add the tsp of vinegar and coat well. Reserve. I always do this with pork as it cuts the fatty taste, making it light.

Heat a wok with a good amount of vegetable oil and fry the shallots, that you have sliced really thinly. When they are crisp and brown dry on kitchen paper and reserve. Discharge the oil, leaving only 2 tbsp. Peel and finely chop the garlic.

Meanwhile, for the salad, slice all the ingredients. The dressing will consist of boiling 6 tbsp of water, 2 tbsp of vinegar and 2 tbsp of sugar. Reduce to half and let it cool.

You can stop at this stage and finish it before serving.

To finish it all:

Heat the wok again until it smokes, add the garlic and stir around. Let it brown but don't let it burn. Add the pork and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the sauces and sugar and cook for 5 minutes or until it reduced to a shiny lovely caramel.

Finish the salad by dressing it and adding the peanuts. Plate a little pile of salad with the caramelized pork on top. Garnish with the fried and crispy shallots and add some chili for colour and heat if you prefer.

I challenge you to try it!

When I went to do my weekly shopping this week, I couldn't stop noticing that the butcher counter had expanded its range, in a very good way.

At 6 euro per Kg, there were big chunks of oxtail smiling at me!

So I brought them home.

Slow cook is the rule for this tasty cut and when I do this I like to use a cast iron pot for extra taste, but you don't have to. And don't be afraid if you never tried it! The flavour is different of course, but the texture is very similar to that " fall of the bone", " melt in the mouth" well known lamb shank.

Most recipes of oxtail call for a good amount of wine, which, I agree, would make it richer, but in a country with a prohibitive tax on alcohol, I think it defeats the purpose, in some ways, of a cheap cut.

I still used some boozy liquid, but in small quantities and the result, was a warm, rich and very tasty cold night diner.

Here's what you need:

1 Kg of oxtail (go for the bigger bits, as the small ones are more bone than meat)

2 big onions

3 garlic cloves

1 celery stick

4 or 5 carrots

1 bunch of spring onions

60 grams of pancetta (or 3 or 4 rashers chopped)

1 bay leaf

a few sprigs of thyme

salt and pepper

a pinch of hot paprika

a little flour

about 750 ml of good chicken stock

a good measure of brandy

Start by trimming the extra fat from the meat. However, don't worry too much if you can't do this proper because you will scoop it from the final result before serving.

Patch dry the oxtail, season with salt, pepper and dust with flour, just to cover it.

Heat a heavy based pan with about 2 tbsp of olive oil. Brown the meat and set aside.

In the same pot brown the bacon. Add all the veggies roughly chopped. Don't go too small because you want some texture in the end. Brown every thing and add the brandy. Return the meat to the pot. Add the herbs and the chicken stock and correct seasoning if needed. Once it's boiling, transfer the pot, lid on, to the oven at 180 degrees. Let it cook for 3 to 4 hours, stirring half way and checking the amount of liquid. You can always add a bit more stock if you need. Before serving, if you think it's to fatty, scoop it from the top, carefully, with a spoon.

Serve with a smooth mash potato, the juices and the veggies.

Last night we had Sea Bass for diner.

They were just arriving at our local fishmonger and I couldn't resist. And for me, when fish is this good, there's no messing around! Keep it simple and let it speak for itself. Salt, pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and grill. Wedge of lemon on your plate to taste. Done.

But it was the side last night that I thought worked really well. It turned out to be the perfect combination for my swimming little friends.

On a small roasting pan I put baby potatoes with their skin, peeled shallots and garlic cloves. The usual salt, pepper and a good bit of olive oil (about 4 to 5 tbsp). Don't forget the Sea Bass was grilled and the juices from this side are going to be your sauce.

Roast in the oven @ 180 for 40 minutes. At this point the potatoes were nearly done, so I added about 500grams of cherry tomatoes and 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar. Roasted for another 10 minutes. Taste and check if it needs a tiny bit of sugar. Sprinkled a generous amount of roughly chopped fresh basil and served with the fish.

The balsamic vinegar made it sweet but it also kept a little bit of the acidity, along with the tomatoes. Drizzling this juice over the Sea Bass just made it perfect.

For a rainy February evening.

My Chili con Carne

1 big red onion

3 cloves of garlic

1 green pepper chopped in chunks

1 full red chili chopped, seeds and all

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon of cumin

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

450g of good beef mince

1 tin red kidney beans

1 tin of plum tomatoes

1 small tin of sweetcorn

1 bunch of chopped coriander

salt and pepper

Drizzle a casserole dish with a little bit of olive oil. Slowly fry the onion, garlic, pepper, chili, bay leaf and spices. When it starts to get some colour add the beef and stir, making sure there are no big lumps and it's all coated evenly. Add the 3 tins with their liquids as well as the coriander. Season to taste. Reduce to a very slow heat and cover. Cook for about an hour stirring occasionally. Serve with some boiled rice, natural yogurt and fresh coriander. For added texture crumble a few tortilla chips on top.

Warm feeling from inside out - guaranteed!

Yesterday I wanted to have something special for diner. After all, I was inspired by the holiday!

Anyway, determined not to leave the nest to go to the supermarket, I had to work with what was in the fridge.

I had two beautiful chicken breast, but without the skin. So here's what I did:

On the food processor I quickly chopped 2 shallots, 3 garlic cloves and about 180 grs of button mushrooms, along with salt, pepper, fresh thyme and lemon juice. Sauteed the mixture fast in a little bit of olive oil and set aside. Opened the chicken breast, spooned in the mushroom mixture and involved it like a parcel in three very thin slices of parma ham. Placed these little beauties in an oven proof frying pan and drizzled with olive oil. Cooked for about 35 minutes in a high oven, basting once or twice until the ham was crispy and the chicken cooked through. Served with a melt in the mouth dauphinoise and french green beans.

Sometimes staying at home, pushes your imagination. Dinner, looked beautiful, smelt homely and tasted delicious. The glass of red Rioja made it!. Happy Valentines day.