From Carbonara to Pirozhki

That's our menu list for this week!

Spaghetti Carbonara
Same recipe, different pasta

We start out with Tagliatelle Carbonara and garlic bread, which is down on the list for tonight.  I don't know about you people, but I always get a bit nervous when it comes to the adding of the egg/cheese/cream bit, as pictures of scrambled egg float past threateningly.  However, some kind of magic always happens and I've never (yet) resulted in scrambled egg, fingers crossed.  I love this recipe, but we don't have it often as it is just too calorific - but versions without the cream just aren't the same.  So, we go for "little and not very often" with this one.

Wednesday's recipe is for Smoked Haddock Risotto.  I'll have to catch a photograph of this one, as it would appear we have always been too keen to eat it, to take photographs of it, in the past.  Risotto is one of Chillibob's specialities and he does a tremendous job with them, the Smoked Haddock version being one of our favourites.  Asda have a special offer on Smoked Haddock at the moment, which made this Risotto change from a Smoked Haddock and Black Pudding experimental risotto, to our old favourite.

Thursday, in honour of National Sausage Week, Chillibob is making us Sausages in Onion Jam glaze with Clapshot and peas.  We pondered on buying the onion jam/chutney, but as we'd just bought an enormous bag of onions for £1, it seemed particularly unadventurous.  Hence, Chillibob will have his first go at onion jam/chutney, which will be fun and I'm sure delicious.

I can't remember ever having Clapshot, although I suspect I probably have made it before - just not with the proper name attached to it.  Still, it'll be interesting and I'm sure I'll like it - Swede and Potato, what's not to like?

Photograph c/o BBC Good Food website

Friday and I'm back in the cooking saddle.  We're down on the list to have "Chilli Chicken curry with rice".  We love our curries and it's been a while since I made one.  This recipe doesn't deal with curry paste, but instead builds the curry flavour by degrees as you add the various spices.  I've done this one before and it was very successful, so fingers crossed!  Maybe I can ask Chillibob to make some of his Naan bread to go with it.

Saturday is an interesting one - Stuffed Peppers and Fennel & Tomato Gratin.  This one is completely new to us so once again we don't have a photograph and the stuffed pepper recipe is one I'm adapting from Foodista.  It was intended, originally, for stuffing Squash but I see no reason why it can't be used in a sweet pepper instead.  Watch this space for the final verdict!

As for the Fennel & Tomato Gratin, well that's an Ottolenghi recipe from "The Cookbook".  It sounds completely delicious and has a sweet crumble topping which is interesting.  Hopefully the creaminess of the Gratin will go wth the spiciness of the stuffed Peppers.

Next comes Sunday, where we've decided to have a standard Roast Chicken, with a very non-standard "Spicy Lentil" dish from Ottolenghi's "Plenty".  I am in two minds as to whether to serve some green vegetable or not, I guess it depends on how filling I think the lentils are going to be.

Monday means that Chillibob is back in the kitchen and he's going all out with a wonderfully adventurous meal of Pirozhki (meat filled dumplings) from Silvena Rowe's book "Feasts", except with a filling made from the leftover roast chicken.  To accompany them, we'll be having Baked Red Cabbage and Apple - which I adore - and Spicy Sweet Potato wedges.  I can't wait!

It's good to be able to afford to be a bit more adventurous again!