Thomas the Cook

Last Thursday was a friend's birthday and thankfully she chose one of my favourite restaurants, Miah's in Swansea. To a passerby it doesn't sell itself as much as other restaurants on the same street, no coloured lights or bright signs. Like a metaphorical Kinder Egg, Miah's has the best stuff inside. A grand oak staircase takes you past the huge glittering chandelier and as you get up to the seated area upstairs your eye is drawn to vast wooden beams, stained glass windows and high ceilings. Yep, Miah's is a converted church, with the decor as beautiful as the food.

I've spent a few of my birthday celebrations there as well as many members of my family, and we've partaken in the Sunday buffet a few times. Every time the food as arrived promptly, the staff are very helpful (most notably when helping my grandfather to pick a dish to suit his tastes), the atmosphere is relaxed and subtle waves of spice aromas whirl around.

I would and could go into detail about anything I've eaten there, as it was so well executed that I took snapshots of each bite. But I'll resist the temptation and just inform you that everything from the tender lamb pasanda to the creamy, perfectly seasoned and spiced dals, is spot on. I envy the chefs there and how well they know their spices, it's the ultimate balancing act.

I recommend this place to everyone, and it's easy to find right opposite Joe's Ice Cream by the Brangwyn Hall in Swansea. Enjoy!

I finally got my table and chairs delivered this weekend, so I knew that I'd have to cook something a bit special to celebrate. It feels like me and The Fella are proper peoples now we have a dining table!

These tapas dishes are easy to make, and I already had the ingredients in the cupboard and fridge. They all work really well together but they're delicious on their own too. The honey, cheese and bitter vinegar notes really work well with the mellow soft beans. The patatas bravas are crisp and saucy at the same time with satisfying background heat. The chorizo balls are beautiful when dipped in the aioli, and the fella calls them 'meaty surprise breads'. Bless him...

Blue cheese and bean salad

1 tin butter beans
Handful of crumbled blue cheese (I used Saint Agur)
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sherry vinegar (balsamic is fine too)
2 tsp clear honey
1 tsp mustard

Mix the oil, vinegar, honey and mustard together. Stir in the beans, crumble the cheese on top and fold it all together.

Patatas bravas

2 tbsp oil
1 onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 tbsp sherry or dry white wine
400g tinned chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp balsamic or red wine vinegar
2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp chilli powder or flakes
1 kg potatoes

Cook the onion in oil for 5 minutes until transparent, then add the garlic and stir through. Add the wine and vinegar and let it bubble a bit if it doesn't straight away. Add the tomatoes, chilli and paprika. Let it bubble away for 10 minutes until it thickens a bit. Set aside while you make the potatoes.

Cut the potatoes (ideal new potatoes) into large bite size chunks. In a pan, heat about 2 cm vegetable or sunflower oil and add the potatoes. Cook on medium-high heat until the potatoes are cooked and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper and season, spoon over the tomatoes and enjoy.

Marinated aubergine
1 aubergine
1 tbsp parsley
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
Few glugs of olive oil

Cut the aubergine in half and score the cut side deeply, making 1 cm deep incisions, criss-crossed. Pour the oil over and rub it in a bit. Put it cut side down in a casserole dish and drizzle the skin side lightly with oil again and sprinkle the parsley, garlic and half the lemon juice. Bake in an oven about 190c for about 40-45 minutes. When you go to serve put it skin side up and sprinkle over the tbsp of lemon juice to freshen the flavour up a bit.

Chorizo bread parcels

200g strong bread flour
1.5 tsp dried yeast
0.5 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
125ml warm water
120g chorizo

Mix the flour, yeast, salt and sugar together in a bowl. Add the water and bring it together until it forms a smooth ball, you'll need to knead it for about 10 minutes. Put in a bowl and cover with clingfilm or a tea towl, and put it somewhere warm for an hour to rise. When it's doubled in size, take it out of the bowl and punch the air out of it by kneading it again for a few minutes. Take small balls off and flatten and roll out in circles about the size of the palm of your hand. Put a chunk of chorizo in the middle and bring the corners up together, and pinch it to seal. Place on an oiled baking sheet seal side down, and bake in a 200c preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Aioli
1 egg
1 tsp mustard
1 finely minced garlic clove
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper

In a large bowl, add the egg then the mustard and lemon juice. Whisk together and gradual drizzle in olive oil and sunflower oil (equal quantities for taste, but it doesn't matter which goes first). Add the garlic towards the end and whisk until thick. Season to taste.

(P.s. I'd like to say thanks to The Fella who is always very patient when I shout 'don't touch it yet! Blog picture!' to stop him tucking in.)

300ml tepid water
1.5 tbsp dried yeast
500g strong bread flour
1.5 tbsp table salt
3 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and olive oil (to finish)
2 sprigs rosemary
Small handful olives

Mix the yeast in a small bowl with a little bit of tepid water, leave it for 5 mins to get bubbly.

In a big bowl mix the salt and flour together. Add the oil to the yeast mixture and incorporate into the flour until you get a smooth ball of dough that doesn't stick to your hands. Use more flour if needed but be careful not to add too much.

Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm and let it rise for 1.5 hours.

Take it out and punch the air out of it. Leave for 10 mins and arrange it into a baking tray or tin, with about 1.5 cm thickness.

Leave to rise for 30 mins again. Prod holes and push rosemary and the olives into it, drizzle with oil and sprinkle over salt.

Bake in a preheated oven at 200c for 25-30 minutes.

I recently moved to a new area of Aberdare, a former mining town called Cwmaman. On the way to view the house we noticed a tea room around the corner and were pleasantly surprised to find it there. It looked quaint and inviting and if I'm honest, it did factor in our decision to take the new place.

When we got back we Googled it and found that it has its own website complete with tea and coffee menus as well as info about the free wifi and food and pastries available.

http://queenti.agilityhoster.com/menu_coffee.html

The weekend before we moved house, I went to the new place with a friend to clean and do a spot of painting. Before we picked up the paintbrushes we decided a caffeine boost was badly need. We took the short walk to the tea room, Queen Ti's tea room, and shared a cafetiere of the punchy Guatemala Cloud Forest coffee.

After the heavy lifting and stress of the actual move, The Fella and I went to use the wifi facility and indulge in some coffee and snacks. The Fella had the lushest carrot cake that was so moist with fresh cream icing. I also realised how immersed in local history the place is. The kind owner showed us files she had compiled about the history of the area with lots of photos, as well as albums with photos about the Stereophonics who are local boys. She also had some heartwarming anecdotes about Stuart Cable, the late drummer.

Local charities and events are also supported with posters on the walls and musicians in the area can rent the space to practice.

All in all, I feel so lucky to live so close to a place like this and urge anyone within driving distance to visit!

1 large onion finely chopped
2 apples or 1 cooking apple peeled and chopped
1 tbsp thyme (fresh or dried)
25g flour
200ml apple juice
300ml milk
3 tbsp double cream
1 tbsp English mustard
Ham or gammon torn in chunks
1 pack of puff pastry
1 egg beaten with a drop of water

Fry the onion until slightly golden, then add the chunks of apple and cook off a little bit. Then add the juice, milk and cream. Season to taste. Add the thyme and mustard, and mix in the gammon chunks. Place the filling into an oven proof dish and put a puff pastry lid on it, cutting a cross in the middle as a vent and brush with egg. Cook for about 20-25 minutes and enjoy with buttery mash.

Today is Pancake Day and I'm going to make my famous coconut and banana pancakes. They are delicious and exotic tasting and a mile away from soggy piles of batter and sultanas.

Banana and coconut pancakes

110g plain sifted flour
2 eggs
200ml coconut milk
75ml water
Bananas
Pinch of salt
Dessicated coconut or flakes (optional)

Mix the wet ingredients together and pour into the dry, stir in the eggs to make a batter. Get a pan hot with a smidge of butter and fry sliced bananas (about 5mm thick). Set aside to cool while you make a pancake. Lay the pancake out and sprinkle over the coconut, put the banana slices down the middle, roll up and demolish!

 The Fella has a few star dishes that he sticks to, and one of them is his bread salad. It's like garlic-laden squidge heaven and is absolutely delicious and simple to make.

Bread salad

2 small punnets of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber diced
1 French stick
Glug of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tin of tuna chunks
Olives (optional)

Put the halved tomatoes and diced cucumber in a massive bowl, put in the lemon juice and parsley. Stir in the garlic and flake in the tuna. Mix it quite roughly so the tomato juice binds it together and makes the bread soak up the parsley. Break the bread into bite size chunks, mix it together and drizzle the oil over it. Season if needed.

Fresh bread is fine for this but leaving it a day or two is even better as it has a bit more bite.

I can't believe I haven't posted a recipe for winter minestrone! I swear I put in different ingredients every time I make it, to suit what I have in the fridge and what the weather is like outside. Today it's freezing outside with snow on the mountains, so I shall make a wintery thick soup. And it'll taste even better tomorrow!

Winter minestrone

2 tbsp oil
1 pack of pancetta cubes or 2 bacon rashers snipped with a scissors
2 carrots diced
1 large onion
3 stalks of celery diced
3 garlic cloves
2 baby cabbages shredded
4-5 leaves of cavolo nero
1 tin beans (borlotti, cannellini, butter)
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon of tomato purée
Sun dried tomatoes in oil (optional)
2 handfuls of dried pasta
Salt and pepper
Herbs (e.g. basil, parsley)
Parmesan

Add the pancetta cubes to the oil and fry until golden. Add the diced celery, carrot and onion (or make a sofrito if you're a foodie!) and cook until they go translucent. Add the cabbage and cavolo nero and heat them through the mixture. Add the tinned tomatoes and bring to a very gentle boil.

Add the beans and torn sundried tomatoes. Add some pasta pieces (any dry type really) that you have crunched up into small pieces. You're looking to match the size of the vegetable chunks if you're using something like penne or spare lasagna sheets, or 2cm in length for things like spaghetti or linguine.

Before you let it all cook through (this depends on how thinly things are chopped and the pasta pieces so keep an eye on it after 15 mins) stir in the tomato purée and herbs. Taste for seasoning.

When it's ready serve with Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of oil, crusty bread and most importantly, in a BIG bowl.

Enjoy!

This is my aunt's pug, Talulah Peaches. And she's mains operated as you can see. Apart from the dribble of scrambled eggs, doesn't she look like Carol Vorderman without the fringe and mutton dress?

This recipe has been improving and changing for a good few months. It started with just chicken and leeks, then mushrooms were added, and finally some ham. It's evolved into the best chicken 'n' misc pie recipe and I'm so proud of how it tastes that I have to share it with you.

NB: the picture above is obviously not my own and was stolen from a Google image search as myself and The Fella were too greedy to stop and take pictures of the pie before we demolished it.

Ultimate Chicken Pie

For the shortcrust pastry:
125g plain flour
Pinch of salt
55g butter, cubed
2-3 tbsp cold water
(Double this recipe if you want a whole pie crust rather than a pastry topping)

For the cheesy sauce:
Flour
Butter
Milk
Cheese
Salt

For the filling:
Mushrooms
Leeks
Ham

Rub the flour and butter together with light movements until it resembles bread crumbs. Gently squeeze until it forms a ball.













Wrap the pastry in clingfilm and put it in the fridge until you're ready to roll it out.

For the sauce you'll need to make a cheesy white sauce. My version is a mixture of techniques but it always turns out the way I like it. You'll need to start by making a roux, which is butter melted in a pan then a tbsp ish of flour added to make a thick paste. Let it bubble away to cook out the floury taste.


Add milk very slowly and stir constantly to make sure there are no lumps and it thickens evenly. Season and add grated cheese and Philadelphia if you have any to make a cheesy sauce.


Now the filling is pretty easy to get together. Stick chopped mushrooms, leeks and diced chicken in a pan with a little oil or butter and cook until the leeks are softened and the chicken is white. I happened to have leftover gammon from the night before so I tore this into thick chunks and added it to the mix. Pour in the cheese sauce and check if you need seasoning. Pile into the pie dish and put the pastry on top, making a vent in the middle for steam to escape (dab water on the dish edges to help it stick if you need to) and brush the top with milk.

Bake on 200 c or until golden. And enjoy!

It's that time of year when we're all making an effort to start anew with our diets and incorporate more fresh fruit and veg into our meals. I've been doing pretty well at this healthy eating lark (apart from the potato gratin and slow cooked pork I made yesterday) and have relished the chance to reassess the way I cook my food. I'd fallen into the habit of eating what I wanted when I wanted it, and that can't continue forever. It doesn't help that I've only been living with The Fella for about four months and we treat every meal time as an opportunity to show off our kitchen skills and eat comfort food during our cwtchy nights in. However, I cannot go on holiday to Portugal in September and complain I'm not happy with my body when I've made no discernible effort to change it.

Today's recipe will be the first of a new wave of healthier recipes, which I will endeavor to make just as tasty as the comfort food. Stay with me!

Salmon with pepper salsa

Salmon fillets (with skin)
1/2 yellow pepper
1 shallot (or  1/2small onion)
1 lime
1 tomato
1 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
Small dollop of mustard

Finely chop the pepper, shallot and tomato. Mix together and add the oil and juice of the lime. Add lime zest and chilli to taste.

Get a frying pan really hot with about 1 tbsp of veg or sunflower oil (don't use olive oil as this needs to be hot and olive oil will burn). Once the pan gets too hot to hold your hand over it, lay the salmon fillets skin side down first until they go brown at the edges and crispy. Quickly sear the sides of the fillets by holding each side for a few seconds until seared. Then place the fish skin side up to finish the cooking. Take the pan off the heat while you assemble the other ingredients.

I made a dressing for the salad by draining off some of the juices/oil from the salsa and mixing with a bit more oil and a tiny dollop of mustard to thicken. Then mix the salad and dressing together and plate up with the cool punchy salsa, succulent salmon and any other veg you have lying around.