I had a rude awakening recently when I realised that my son was very much an adult. If you have ‘grown-up’ children you will no doubt, like me, cling to the idea that your children are always ‘children’, but one day the moment will come when you really can’t deny any longer that they are very much adults, your contemporaries. This happened to me not when Felix left home for university, nor when he started working professionally or even when he officially left home to live in his own flat. No, instead it happened recently when he cooked us dinner and I discovered that it was a recipe that I would have to share on Menu Mistress! Felix has always enjoyed cooking but in the past he had always asked me for recipe recommendations. However, on this occasion he cooked us a recipe that we had never tried, his own, independent choice that made me, ‘head chef of the family’, redundant (for that day anyway!). His gamble paid off and I discovered a great recipe which I could share with you this month!

Drum roll please for Menu One, ‘Felix’s’ ‘Pot Roast Chicken with Herby Salsa’, a recipe from Jamie Oliver’s ‘5 Ingredients Mediterranean’ cookbook. It’s fantastically simple yet incredibly easy – the sort of chicken dish you can cook on a weekday evening or make, as Felix did, for a more special occasion such as a weekend ‘family & friends get-together’. My other recipe this month is perfect for September when there is that ‘end of summer’ feeling in the air and you want dish which offers a little comfort. Menu Two is ‘Pappardelle with Mushroom Ragu’, although it’s a ragu there’s no meat in this recipe making it light, but because this mushroom sauce is a slow- cooked it’s wonderfully tasty – pure comfort.

Enjoy your September and if, like me, you’re sad to be saying goodbye to the summer, remind yourself of all the wonderful recipes that autumn will bring – roll on October!..

*Over the summer I’ve been enjoying a new, eclectic playlist and now that I’m back home in my kitchen it’s continuing to make smile with it’s upbeat vibes – you too can listen to it, just click on this link… Music to Cook to…MenuMusic Twenty-Eight!

Menu One

One Pot Chicken with Potatoes, Herby Salsa & Roasted Garlic (Serves 4)

My son, Felix, discovered this recipe. When he cooked it for me I was so impressed by its fantastic flavours that I knew straight away that it would be a recipe that I would have to share with you. Not only is it delicious but incredibly simple to cook – a one pot roast which would be easy to cook any day of the week. This recipe is by Jamie Oliver who is renowned for his simple yet tasty dishes but I think he’s excelled himself with this one!

1 x 1.5kg whole free-range chicken

1kg potatoes

1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley (30g), stalks and leaves seperated

1 bulb of garlic

40g blanched hazelnuts

Extra virgin olive oil

1. Rub the chicken all over with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper, then brown in a large casserole pan on a high heat, removing it to a plate once golden all over (roughly 5 minutes).
2.  Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and chop into 5cm chunks. Pour 700ml of water into the pan, then add the parsley stalks, garlic bulb (reserving 1 garlic clove for later) and the potatoes. Bring to the boil on the hob for 15 minutes, season lightly.
3. Place the chicken on top and place in a preheated oven, 180’c fan, for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the chicken is golden and cooked through.
4. Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the reserved garlic clove, very finely chop the parsley leaves, and roughly chop the hazelnuts. Decant into a small serving bowl, stir in 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 3-4 tablespoons of water, and season to taste.
5. Transfer the chicken and potatoes to a serving platter, spoon over the herby salsa and serve the garlic bulb on the side, for squeezing over.

Menu Two

Pappardelle with Mushroom Ragu (Serves 6)

There is no meat in this ragu, but the mushroom sauce is a slow- cooked so it’s wonderfully rich and tasty – pure comfort. I found this wonderful recipe in Debora Robertson’s cookbook ‘Notes From A Small Kitchen Island’.

25g dried porcini mushrooms

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 shallots, diced

1 small celery stick, about 35g, trimmed of any tough strings and finely diced

1 small carrot, about 35g, finely diced

3 fresh thyme leaves

1 bay leaf

800g chestnut mushrooms, sliced about 5mm thick

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

250ml white wine

2 tablespoons concentrated tomato purée

1 x 400g tin of cherry tomatoes

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

½ teaspoon sugar

A good pinch of chilli flakes

A small bunch of fresh parsley, stalks removed, leaves chopped

360g dried pappardelle pasta

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Parmesan cheese, grated to serve

1. Put the porcini into a small bowl with 500ml of just-warm water. Leave to soak for at least 30 minutes. When ready to use, use a slotted spoon to gently lift them out of the bowl and put to one side. Strain the remaining liquid through a sieve lined with kitchen paper to remove any grit, keep in a jug for later.
2. Meanwhile, place the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over a medium-low heat and sauté the shallots, celery and carrot with the thyme sprigs, bay leaf and a good pinch of salt until softened, about 10 minutes.
3. Raise the heat and add the mushrooms, sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt. Cook them over a high heat. Once they begin to release their liquid, continue to cook, stirring often until the liquid has evaporated – about 15 minutes.
4. Lower the heat and add the garlic and the reserved, drained porcini and stir for a minute more. Add the wine and simmer for a few minutes until the liquid is reduced to a third, then spoon in the tomato purée and give everything a stir.
5. Add the tinned cherry tomatoes, the reserved soaking water from the porcini, the vinegar, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, the sugar and chilli flakes. Let the ragu simmer gently, uncovered, for about 50 minutes, until the sauce is rich and glossy and thick. Fish out the bay leaf and thyme sprigs from the sauce.
6. Finally, stir in the chopped parsley, taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
7. To serve, cook the pappardelle in salted, boiling water, according to the packet instructions, until al dente. Toss the pasta in the sauce. Serve immediately with the Parmesan grated over generously.