I’m sure that we’ve all had the experience of taking a bite of a dish and being catapulted back in time. Our food memories are incredibly strong; not only is our brain triggered by a dish’s flavours, but also its smell, texture and even the sight of it. Many of the recipes on Menu Mistress are closely linked to my memory bank – just a glimpse of a recipe can transport me to past experiences, people and places. For example, last summer, whilst in Italy, I cooked ‘Pasta Diavola with Burrata & Basil’ quite a few times (it’s so easy!), since returning, just the idea of it propels me to our sunny Italian terrace with its relaxed summer mood. Another recipe, ‘Daddy’s Curry’ (the name is a give-away here!), is one of those childhood recipes which never fails to evoke many memories. Meanwhile, ‘Peppered Fillet of Beef with Port Sauce’ takes me to a New Year’s Eve dinner with old friends. I could go on and on…

Just recently, this link between food and memories really captured my imagination when I rediscovered a recipe in one of my files. It’s a simple recipe, in fact, I can’t quite believe that I haven’t shared it with you before (so many recipes, so little time!!). Seeing this recipe again for a ‘Pea & Pancetta Sauce’ took me straight back to my first trip with my Italian class; on that occasion, we went to Bologna. Bologna is a foodie’s dream; in fact, it’s nicknamed ‘La Grassa’ or rather ‘The Fat One’, referring to its abundant and high-quality cuisine! During our trip, apart from eating at every opportunity, we had a cookery class at the home of Rita Mattioli, who introduced us to this simple sauce. Just a few months later, I discovered that chef Rick Stein had also visited Rita in Bologna and was raving about his lunch with her – the aforementioned pasta dish! This month, finally, I’m sharing it with you so that you too can make your own happy memories…

Menu One, ‘Farfalle with Peas & Pancetta’, is incredibly easy to make. There’s no need to serve it with fresh pasta made from scratch (as Rita did), I simply use dried pasta – Farfalle goes particularly well with this sauce. This month’s Menu Two, ‘Coconut, Lime and Chilli Spatchcock Chicken’, has completely different flavours. It’s the perfect recipe to give your taste buds a little ‘zing’ on a cold February day. I’ve made this on numerous occasions for friends and family. However, the particular memory that this recipe brings to mind is the time that I made it for my friends, Maria and Alan; I was so busy chatting and enjoying myself (and a few glasses), that I took my eye off the ball  – this can be a common occurrence when I’m entertaining! Anyway, I forgot to add a key ingredient, the coconut milk, to the roasting tray. I discovered this error when removing the roasted chicken from the oven, so I had to improvise and add the coconut milk to the sauce at the end of cooking! Fortunately, it turned out alright (with a little reduction and extra seasoning!), not quite as tasty as it should have been, but we had wine and good company, so all was forgiven! What would cooking memories be if we didn’t make a few of these mistakes?!..

I hope you enjoy these recipes and that they inspire you to make some foodie memories in your kitchen!

See you next week for my Tuesday Treat…

In the meantime, do you need some new tunes for your kitchen?… check out what I’m cooking to: Music to Cook to…MenuMusic Twenty Nine (here!).

Menu One

Farfalle with Peas and Pancetta (Serves 4)

This recipe takes me straight back to my first trip with my Italian class; on that occasion, we went to Bologna. During our trip, apart from eating at every opportunity, we had a cookery class at the home of Rita Mattioli, who introduced us to this simple sauce. Just a few months later, I discovered that chef Rick Stein had also visited Rita in Bologna and was raving about his lunch with her – this pasta dish! It’s not a particularly sophisticated recipe, but its simplicity is very comforting, particularly when you need a quick midweek supper dish. It’s incredibly easy to make; there’s no need to serve it with fresh pasta made from scratch (as Rita did), I simply use dried pasta – Farfalle goes particularly well with this sauce.

100g shallots, finely chopped

30g butter

200g pancetta, diced

500g frozen petit pois

1 bay leaf

Sprig of thyme

400ml chicken stock

70g parmesean cheese, grated (plus more to serve)

400g farfalle (gluten free is required)

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat and sweat the shallots for 4 minutes or so until soft. Add the pancetta and cook for a further 4 minutes.
2. Now add the peas, bay leaf, thyme and stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
3. Finally, stir in the grated parmesan, mix well and season with salt and pepper
4. Meanwhile, cook the farfalle, according to the packet instructions, until al dente.
5. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. Stir to combine and serve with more freshly grated parmesan.

Menu Two

Coconut, Lime & Chilli Spatchcock Chicken (Serves 4)

This is the perfect recipe to give your taste buds a little ‘zing’. It’s a super easy, beautifully fragrant roast with a delicious broth. I like to serve it with rice. Thank you to cookbook writer Seema Pankhania for this wonderful recipe!

How to Spatchcock a Chicken:

On the backside of the chicken, using a pair of strong kitchen scissors, cut along either side of the back bone to remove it, then flip the chicken over and press down very firmly on its breast bones, it will give a satisfying crack as it flattens! Some people like to insert skewers to help keep the chicken flat during cooking but in my experience they make no difference, so I prefer not to use them as they make it more difficult to carve the bird.

Click here to watch the video on me spatchcocking a chicken on my Instagram Page!

1 chicken (about 1.5kg), spatchcocked (see above or as your butcher to do it!)

400g shallots, peeled and halved if large

1 x 400ml tin coconut milk (separated into 200ml portions)

Juice of 3-4 limes, plus extra wedges to serve

Handful of coriander and Thai basil to garnish

For the marinade:

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon chilli powder

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (gluten-free if required)

5 birdseye chillies, plus one extra sliced to garnish

6 garlic cloves

4cm piece of ginger, peeled

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

1. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a blender and blitz to a paste. Rub it generously over the chicke, front and back. Place in a large container, cover and marinate for at least 1 hour, ideally overnight.
2. Arrange the shallots in a roasting tin and top with the chicken, skin side up. Pour 200ml of the coconut milk into the tin. Roast in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 50 minutes or until the skin is blistered and the bird is cooked through.
3. Remove the chicken and shallots to a serving platter. Transfer the roasting tin with all its cooking juices to the hob, add the remaining 200ml of coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Stir in the lime juice, season.
4. Serve the chicken with the shallots and coconut-lime sauce with a scattering of the herbs, extra sliced chilli and wedges of lime.