Author: Menu Mistress

Cooking has always been something I've enjoyed, I have an extensive collection of cookbooks, some are well thumbed whilst others collect dust on the shelves; I can’t bear to get rid of any cook book, just in case one day I might use it for that one obscure recipe - light on a rainy day! I enjoy eating out and discovering new flavours, whether it’s just a local haunt or a ‘dress up’ to dinner restaurant - food is my hobby! In my opinion food is the one of the most important pieces of knowledge you need to know about any culture in order to really understand it, so when we go away, it’s not the local sights that I’m googling but the best place to eat! I'm not one of those fortunate cooks who can throw something together by looking at the contents of their fridge, I need a plan to work with, then I organise my fridge around the recipe. I am however a very organised person, you might even call me a control freak! I love the orderly fashion of a recipe, I find it soothing to have a plan in front of me, so the thought of trawling through my recipe books and trying new recipes is my idea of a perfect afternoon. But I realise that this is not everyones idea of fun, hence the birth of this blog. This blog is essentially for people who adore food but don’t have the time, patience or energy to search through cook books to find that winning recipe – that’s the job of Menu Mistress!

‘Blast From the Past’ Recipe

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Rigatoni with Sweet Tomatoes, Aubergine & Mozzarella (Serves 4)

February calls for a pasta dish which is instantly gratifying and I think that this recipe which I first shared in March 2021 ticks all the boxes! It’s been one of my family’s favourites for many years. It’s a Jamie Oliver recipe from one of his older books, ‘Jamie’s Dinners’, and is his take on the classic Italian dish of ‘Pasta alla Norma’. The wonderful combination of aubergines and tomatoes is enriched by the addition of mozzarella, as the cheese melts it becomes deliciously ‘stringy’! I prefer if without the addition of the dried chilli flakes, but if you like a bit of heat you could add some.

1 large aubergine (or 2 small)

Olive oil

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 onion, chopped

2 x 400g tins of plum tomatoes

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

A bunch of fresh basil, leaves picked and stalks sliced

4 tablespoons double cream

455g rigatoni or penne (gluten free if required)

200g mozzarella cheese

½ teaspoon of chilli flakes (optional – see note above)

Grated Parmesan cheese to serve

  1. Remove both ends of the aubergines and slice into 1cm slices then slice these across to form 1 cm cubes.
  2. In a large frying/sauté pan heat 5 tablespoons of olive oil. When it’s hot, add the aubergine cubes and stir them around so that they are lightly coated in the oil. Cook for about 10 minutes over a medium heat until softened.
  3. Add the onion and garlic, cook for a few more minutes. When they have a little colour, add the tinned tomatoes, the balsamic vinegar and the sliced basil stalks (if you want to add some heat you could add the chilli flakes at this point). Simmer gently for 15 minutes, season with salt and pepper, then stir in the cream.
  4. Meanwhile cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet, until al dente.
  5. When the pasta is ready, drain it and add it to the aubergine and tomato sauce. Tear up the mozzarella and fresh basil leaves, and stir them through the pasta and sauce – the mozzarella will start to melt, becoming beautifully stringy (it can be a little messy to serve!). Serve sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese.

Tuesday Treat

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Manhattan Coconut Cookies

This is a rather grand name for what is essentially coconut macaroons with dark chocolate chips. I found this recipe in the cookbook, ‘Cooking’, by Michelin-starred chef, Tom Aikens. Most of his recipes are rather fancy and convoluted, however, these are ridiculously simple to make so naturally they caught my eye! It’s important to use dark chocolate chips as they cut the sweetness of the coconut. I like to make them small, just big enough to pop easily into the mouth with a strong espresso on the side. The perfect pick-me-up for February!..

125g icing sugar

125g desiccated coconut

2 egg whites

60g unsalted butter, melted

60g dark chocolate chips

  1. Place the desiccated coconut in a dry frying pan over a medium heat and gently toast.
  2. Place the sugar and toasted coconut in a bowl then add the egg whites and mix together. Add the melted butter, then when the mixture is cool, add the chocolate chips. Place in a container and chill for 20 minutes
  3. When the mixture is set hard, roll it into balls about 2cm in diameter. Place on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven, 180’c for about 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

February 2024

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Just when you think the darkest days of winter are behind you along comes February and more darkness! Fortunately Valentine’s Day offers a little light in the tunnel. Forget it’s significance, in my mind the 14th is my marker that the long winter season is almost at an end – spring officially starts in just over a month! Plus, let’s face it, it can’t be a bad thing to have a day that reminds us to tell each other that we love each other, especially when it often feels like the world is crumbling around us. We’re not necessarily talking romantic love here, but just the love for all of those that we often take for granted. You don’t have to send them a card, instead how about cooking them your favourite dish or one of this month’s Menu Mistress recipes!..

Menu One is ‘Chicken with Beaujolais, Prunes, Shallots & Thyme’. What can make you feel more loved than being cooked this dish?! The fruity wine creates a wonderful sauce around the chicken whilst the addition of prunes, garlic and Dijon elevate the dish to memorable realms. It’s just what the doctor ordered on a cold February evening! Menu Two is ‘Slow-Roast Hoisin Pork Shoulder’, this is a sweet and subtly spicy dish which everyone will love… and will love you for cooking it. Although the pork is cooked for over 5 hours it’s a very hassle-free dish – apart from basting the meat for the last hour of cooking you simply ignore it in the oven. It makes a delicious dinner served with sticky rice and a crunchy radish and cucumber salad. And finally, Menu Three is ‘Seared Beef with Pomegranate & Balsamic Dressing’. Steak is one of those cuts of meats which we associate with special occasions, so serving this dish to your loved ones will definitely make them feel special. It’s incredibly simple to prepare; the juicy slivers of steak are drizzled with a sumptuous sharp yet sweet sauce whilst the sprinkling of brightly coloured pomegranate seeds create a spectacular looking dish!

‘Happy February’! Here’s to feeling loved and the beginning of spring!..

Menu One

Chicken with Beaujolais, Prunes, Shallots & Thyme (Serves 4)

This is such a great recipe, the fruity wine creates a wonderful sauce around the chicken whilst the addition of prunes, garlic and Dijon elevate the dish to memorable realms.

1 chicken jointed into 6/8 pieces or 8 chicken thighs

50g butter

4 large or 12 small shallots, peeled (leave root on to help them hold together)

1 tablespoon tomato purée

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 thyme sprigs, plus ½ teaspoon picked thyme leaves

½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped, stalks reserved

2 bay leaves

200ml Beaujolais or another young, fruity red wine

16 pitted prunes

200ml chicken stock

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, plus more to serve

Sea salt and black pepper

  1. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
  2. Melt the butter in a casserole pan over a moderate heat. Add the chicken and fry for around 5 minutes until golden brown all over. Add the shallots and continue to cook for 5 minutes until they too have taken on a bit of colour.
  3. Turn down the heat and add the tomato purée, garlic, thyme sprigs, parsley stalks and bay leaves, stir gently.
  4. Then add the wine, stirring well to dislodge any bits of caramelised chicken stuck to the pan. Simmer for a few minutes, then add the prunes and chicken stock. Cook over a low-moderate heat for around 30-40 minutes, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
  5. Remove the chicken from the pan and leave it to rest on a plate, keeping it warm, while you reduce the liquid in the pan over a high heat for a couple of minutes to thicken it slightly. Add the Dijon and whisk to combine.
  6. Add the chicken back to pan. Check the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed.
  7. Remove from the heat and sprinkle over the chopped parsley and picked thyme leaves. Serve with more mustard on the side.

Menu Two

Slow-Roast Hoisin Pork Shoulder (with Radish & Cucumber Salad) (Serves 4-6)

This is another wonderful recipe from Diana Henry, it’s a sweet and subtly spicy dish which everyone will love. Although the pork is cooked for over 5 hours it’s a very hassle free dish – apart from basting the meat for the last hour of cooking you simply ignore it in the oven. It makes a delicious dinner served with sticky rice and a crunchy radish and cucumber salad (recipe below). *The skin is removed from the pork but rather than discarding it why not make some pork crackling?! – recipe below…

1.9kg shoulder of pork, boned, skin removed/ fat left on (*see note above)

125ml soy sauce (gluten free if required)

125ml runny honey

125ml hoisin sauce (gluten free if required)

125ml dry sherry

2 teaspoons five-spice powder

3cm piece ginger, peeled and grated to a purée

  1. Mix together the ingredients to make a marinade and put this in a large Ziploc bag with the pork. Marinate in the fridge for anything from 24-48 hours.
  2. Bring the pork back to room temperature for an hour before you are going to cook it.
  3. Place the pork in a roasting tin in which it will fit snugly (if there is too much room around it the juices and marinade will run off and burn) and pour the marinade into a bowl.
  4. Cook the pork in a preheated oven, 120’c fan, fro 4½-5 hours or until the meat is soft and melting.
  5. Ladle some of the marinade over the pork and return to the oven. Keep adding more marinade and basting the pork every 10 minutes for another hour, turning the meat over each time you do this. The pork should end up dark and glossy. If the joint starts to get too dark on the outside cover it with foil.
  6. Serve with Radish and Cucumber salad (recipe below) and sticky rice.

Radish and Cucumber Salad (Serves 4)

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 teaspoons caster sugar

2cm piece of root ginger, peeled and grated

1 large garlic clove, very finely chopped

1 cold cucumber, peeled in stripes and cut in half along its length

300g radishes (a mixture of colours if possible), cut into quarters or eighths

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds (or a mixture of white and black sesame seeds)

  1. Make the dressing by mixing the vinegar, sugar, ginger and garlic together with a pinch of salt.
  2. Scoop out the seeds from the cucumber and cut it into 4cm-thick pieces. Bash these with a rolling pin.
  3. Put the cucumber in a bowl with the dressing and chill for 20 minutes.
  4. Add the radishes and sesame oil, and toss the salad. Scatter the sesame seeds on top.

Best Pork Crackling

Oh yum, pork crackling, who can resist?..

Pork skin, scored

Malt vinegar (or if gluten free use cider vinegar)

Sea salt


1. Set the pork skin on a rack and pour over boiling water. The water will drain away.

2. Dry the skin, rub with vinegar and salt and set aside for 20 minutes.
3. Place the skin in a roasting tin and roast in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for an hour, until crisp.

Menu Three

Seared Beef with Pomegranate & Balsamic Dressing (Serves 4)

This recipe is incredibly simple to prepare; the juicy slivers of steak are drizzled with a sumptuous, sharp yet sweet sauce whilst the sprinkling of brightly coloured pomegranate seeds create a spectacular looking dish! The recipe is from Sabrina Ghayhour’s wonderful cookbook ‘Persiana’ (I’ve halved the dressing as I felt that the original recipe made too much sauce but feel free to double it up).

4 sirloin steaks

2 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

1 bag of rocket

100g pomegranate seeds

For the Pomegranate & Balsamic Dressing:

100ml pomegranate molasses

40ml syrupy balsamic vinegar

½ tablespoon olive oil

1 heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard

  1. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a jug, then set aside.
  2. Lightly brush the steaks with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and a little black pepper.
  3. Heat a frying pan until very hot. Place the steaks in the pan and cook for about 1½ minutes of each side for rare or a little longer depending on your taste. I also like to turn the steaks on their ‘fat’ edge, for 30 seconds to crisp it up.
  4. Remove the steaks to a plate to rest for 5 minutes. Then thinly slice the steak into slivers and arrange them on a platter. Take a generous handful of rocket leaves and place in the centre of the platter, then drizzle the sauce all over the beef (reserving some for the table). Finally, sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.

Cocktail of the Month

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Boozy Hot Chocolate (Serves 2)

What better way to warm yourself up on a cold, gloomy day than with this ‘cocktail’?! Yes, this isn’t strictly speaking a cocktail but it definitely isn’t your average hot chocolate!..

2 tablespoons cocoa powder (I use ‘Green&Blacks’)

500ml whole milk

A pinch of cayenne pepper

A pinch of cinnamon

1½ tablespoons caster sugar

50ml single cream

50g dark chocolate (I use Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa Dark Chocolate)

3-4 tablespoons very peaty scotch whisky (such as Ardbeg)

  1. Put the cocoa in a jug and mix with just enough milk to make a paste. Put the rest of the milk in a small pan and heat until simmering. Add the cayenne pepper and cinnamon.
  2. Whisk the hot milk into the cocoa paste until smooth, then pour back into the pan. Add the sugar, cream and chocolate, then heat gently until hot. Stir in the whisky and serve in mugs. Enjoy!

‘Blast From the Past’ Recipe

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Salmon with Chilli Ginger Sauce (Serves 4)

This is the type of recipe that will cheer everyone up on a gloomy January evening.I first shared it back in November 2020 after my sister recommended to me, she had found it in a ‘Hairy Bikers’ cookbook some years before. I must say that it’s a fantastic recipe and it makes a great midweek treat as it is super easy; just remember to marinate the salmon for 30 minutes before cooking it. I like to serve it with Japanese Sticky Rice and Stir Fried Swiss (or Rainbow) Chard (recipe below).

4 salmon fillets, skin on (about 120-150g each)

2 balls of stem ginger in syrup (and 2 tablespoons of the syrup)

3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly slices

3 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 orange, juiced (and the grated zest of ½ an orange)

½ large red chilli, thinly sliced

Black pepper

  1. Slice the ginger balls thinly, then slice these into matchsticks.
  2. Place the ginger ‘matchsticks’ in a bowl, with 2 tablespoons of the stem ginger syrup, garlic, chilli, soy sauce, orange zest and juice; mix well. Add the salmon fillets to the bowl and cover with marinade, seasoning with lots of black pepper. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
  3. Line a small baking tray with baking parchment. Remove the salmon from the marinade, wiping off any excess bits of marinade. Place them on the baking tray, skin side down. Season with more black pepper.
  4. Bake in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 12- 15 minutes depending on the thickness of your fillets.
  5. While the salmon is cooking prepare the sauce. Place the marinade ingredients in a small pan and bring to the boil, simmer for about 6 minutes until it has reduced and the garlic has softened – you want enough sauce to pour over the salmon but not swamp it!
  6. Remove the salmon from the oven, carefully lift them on to plates, lifting off the skin as you do so. Spoon over the hot sauce and serve with sticky Japanese rice and stir fried swiss (or rainbow) chard (recipe below).

Stir Fried Swiss (or Rainbow) Chard (Serves 4)

1 bunch of fresh Swiss Chard

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, sliced

Pinch chilli flakes

¼ teaspoon whole coriander seeds

  1. First rinse out the leaves of the chard, cut away the stalks and cut these into 1inch pieces. Chop the leaves inch wide strips.
  2. Sauté the garlic, chilli and the coriander seeds in the olive oil for about 30 seconds, then add the swiss chard stalks, lower the heat and cover, cook for a bout 3-4 minutes.
  3. Add the chopped leaves and turn over in the hot oil, cover once again and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.
  4. Taste to check it is cooked – it should be al dente (still have some bite), cook for a little longer if needed. Check the seasoning and serve straightaway.