Gnocchi with Chorizo and Butternut Squash

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

I love the flavour and the great meaty texture that chorizo gives to a dish and the sweetness of the butternut squash gives an excellent balance.
This is by no means a healthy dish with the chorizo, 2 types of cheese and cream, but I have added lots of vegetables and this isn’t a dish I would eat all the time so I think it’s OK!

It’s an easy one-pot meal, but if you don’t have an oven-proof pan then just cook it in a normal pan and then transfer to an oven-proof dish.

• Serves 4 (or 2 greedy people!)
• You will need: oven-proof pan and a large saucepan
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 5/375°F/190°C 

Ingredients:

• 3-4 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
• ½ chorizo sausage (I used Revilla Chorizo Pueblo from Sainsburys)
• 1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1cm cubes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Handful of mushrooms, sliced
• Some leftover cooked peas and sweetcorn
• 1-2 tablespoons double cream
• 2x 150g packs mozzarella (I used Sainsburys Italian mozzarella)
• 1x 400g pack of dried gnocchi, cut into chunks (I used Italfresco Gnocchi from Sainsburys)
• Handful of mature cheddar cheese, grated (optional) 

Directions:

1. Heat a tablespoon of oil and gently sweat the shallots until softened and slightly brown.
2. Add the chorizo and fry until nice and crispy.
3. Add the dried oregano.
4. Add the butternut squash and fry for about 10-15 minutes until soft and tender (adding a tablespoon of water and covering with a lid will speed things along).
5. Add the mushrooms and any other veggies to the pan.
6. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the gnocchi for a few minutes or until they rise to the surface of the water. Drain and reserve some of the cooking liquid.
7. Add the gnocchi to the pan, with the double cream and the mozzarella and mix thoroughly. Add a couple of tablespoons of the cooking liquid so you get a nice sauce.
8. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top, then put the pan in the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is starting to brown.

Kung Po Chicken

MUNCH RATING: 3/5

I used Simon Rimmer’s recipe that he made on Something For The Weekend as a base for this dish.

CHANGES TO THE RECIPE:
I made quite a few changes to his recipe by simplifying it. I also added more vegetables and substituted the whole dried chillies for a pinch of crushed dried chillies and I used balsamic vinegar instead of the Chinese black rice vinegar as I couldn’t get hold of any.

I also stirred in some cooked noodles, but this was a mistake as the sauce has such an intense sweet/sour/hot flavour, that I think it would have been better to serve the dish with just some plain rice.

• Serves 6
• Prep time: 1 hour to marinate
• Cook time: 15-20 minutes 

Ingredients:

• 600g chicken, cut into strips (I used thighs and it’s roughly 1 per person if they’re big thighs)
• 3.5 Tablespoons (50ml) shaoxing rice wine
• 3.5 Tablespoons (50g) cornflour
• 3.5 Tablespoons (50ml) vegetable oil
• Pinch of crushed dried chillies
• 5cm piece fresh ginger, grated
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into julienne pieces
• Some broccoli, cut into even pieces and lightly blanched
• 4-5 spears of asparagus, cut into pieces at an angle
• 3.5 Tablespoons (50g) soft brown sugar
• 75g cashew nuts
• 3.5 Tablespoons (50ml) light soy sauce
• 3.5 Tablespoons (50ml) balsamic vinegar 

Directions:

1. In a bowl, mix together the rice wine and cornflour until well combined, then add the chicken strips and mix until the chicken is completely coated in the mixture. Cover and chill in the fridge for one hour.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok over a high heat. When the oil is smoking, fry the chicken in batches for 2-3 minutes, or until golden-brown. Remove from the wok using a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.
3. Add the dried chillies and ginger to the pan and fry for 1 minute until fragrant.
4. Add the vegetables and chicken to the pan and stir-fry for a few minutes, then add the sugar, cashew nuts, light soy sauce and vinegar to the wok and stir-fry until the sugar has melted, the sauce is sticky and well combined and the chicken strips are cooked through.

Triple Lemon Cake

MUNCH RATING: 4/5

I made this cake up and I call it Triple Lemon Cake as there is lemon juice and lemon curd in the sponge mixture and lemon icing drizzled on top, so it’s nice and zingy! It’s quite similar to the Swirly Lemon Drizzle Fingers I made, except this sponge is super light and fluffy, whereas that one had more of a crunchy texture.

• You will need: loaf tin lined with greaseproof paper
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C
• Oven shelf: middle 

Cake Ingredients:

• 175g / 6oz butter
• 175g / 6oz caster sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 175g / 6oz self-raising flour, sifted
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (juice from 1 lemon)
• 5-6 teaspoons lemon curd (you can leave this out if you don’t have any) 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C.
2. In a bowl beat together the butter and sugar until light and creamy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time and mix in thoroughly until well incorporated. (You can add a tablespoon of flour with the each egg to make it easier to mix them in).
4. Add the flour, vanilla extract and the lemon juice and mix well. (Alternatively you can put everything into a food processor in the above order).
5. Tip the cake mixture into the loaf tin, then drop little blobs of the lemon curd on top. Using a chopstick or skewer, swirl the lemon curd through the cake mixture.
6. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes on the middle shelf until a skewer inserted comes out clean. If it’s not quite brown on the top, you can move the cake to the top shelf for about 5 minutes.
7. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack.

Icing Ingredients:

• 100g / 3.5oz icing sugar, sifted
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (juice from ½ a lemon)

Directions:

1. Mix together the icing sugar and lemon juice until you have a thick but running paste (It should fall off the spoon in a steady stream. You may need to add more icing sugar to thicken or some water to loosen).
2. Pour the icing over the cake and let it drizzle down the edges.
3. Leave to set for about 10 minutes before serving.