Thomas the Cook

I caught the green fingered bug... wrong metaphor. Well, I caught something in January when I bought a chilli growing kit from Wilkinsons. I bored by friends to death by posting pictures up on Facebook everytime one sprouted and tended to them every morning. I bought a mini greenhouse stand and put the 20-odd chilli plants in it. It was soon joined by mini herb gardens and fledgling peppers. The mini greenhouse was loaded with soon-to-be goodies but I lost them all in a storm. The greenhouse blew over and everything was destroyed. Soooo annoying!

I quickly started again and now have a new sturdy greenhouse literally bolted to the floor and filled with everything from tomatoes to Persian cumin, from aubergines to spearmint. Now comes the next task: finding out how to best use these ingredients as they grow and ripen.

The first thing I will turn to will be the herb growing most abundantly and in need of chopping back, the frilly-looking Persian cumin aka caraway. I've had a nibble and it tastes like strong parsley with a faint aniseed hint. I'll spend the time until the next blog entry finding a worthwhile recipe and letting you know more about caraway.

Thanks for reading!

(And it's Fiona, as in Shrek)

Today I had one of the lushest things I've had in a while. It's easy to forgot how fabulous mushrooms can be, but cooking it like this will make you appreciate them all over again.


Mushroom ravioli con lushness

Take one pack of mushroom ravioli from the fresh pasta section of the supermarket. While it's boiling ( for about 5 minutes, maybe less so keep an eye on it) heat some butter in a pan. Don't try using margerine because it's not the same taste and it won't brown nicely.

If you just so happen to have some truffle oil or porcini mushroom infused oil (mine was a forgotten Christmas present) add it now to the butter. Once the butter is slightly browning, add some ripped basil leaves and leave them impart their flavour.

Once the ravioli is cooked, drain throroughly and add to the butter. There'll be no need to season it as the saltiness comes from the next step: lots of grated Parmesan on top (or Pecorino if you have it).

Enjoy!