Beefy pasta supper

I have eaten meals that aren't based on beef this week - honestly. I had stirfried prawns in a tamarind sauce with rice the other night, and a mackeral salad last night (healthy guilt-food after a few glasses of wine - come on, you know you've done that at least once). And I had a panini with mozzarella and roasted peppers for lunch today - lovely and filling.

But tonight we finished the beef. We had brown pasta with a sauce made of mushrooms, red onions, a carrot, garlic, the end of the joint of beef with its juices, a bit of red wine and a Sacla sundried tomato and garlic stir-in sauce - I couldn't be bothered to make my own tonight as we wanted fast, warming food and I was feeling lazy. I added parmesan shavings (after this photo was taken) for a bit of extra oomph.

October Saturday food

Mushrooms on toast for a late breakfast. I know they don't look particularly appetising, but they tasted great. I gently fried a small onion, halved and sliced, in a pan with a clove of garlic, then added sliced chestnut mushrooms, a tiny sprinkling of mixed herbs, a couple of dashes of worcestershire sauce, lots of freshly ground black pepper and, to give some creaminess, a spoonful of natural yoghurt. Served on wholemeal toast, with heinz tomato ketchup - perfect.

I ate a stack of sesame ryvitas with Sainsbury's fresh tomato salsa in front of the telly, which I suppose counted as lunch, then in the evening I fancied doing some proper cooking, so made salmon, semi-poached in a foil parcel, potato dauphinoise, roasted veg and green beans. And, for those who might be interested, here is the recipe: for the potatoes, peel some big ones and slice as thinly as possible (no thicker than a coin). Wipe a halved garlic clove around an oven-proofed dish, then finely chop or crush the rest. Finely slice a white onion (optional) . Layer the potatoes, garlic and onion, and some seasoning, starting and ending with potatoes. Pour milk into the dish until it is level with the top of the potatoes. If you have cream (sadly I didn't - and this was another 'make what you can with what you've got in the fridge/freezer/cupboard meal) use half cream, half milk, mixed in a jug. Cover and shove in an oven at about 200 degrees centigrade, for at least an hour and a half and preferably longer, or until the potato is cooked through when tested with a knife. Take the lid off for the last 20 mins or half an hour of cooking so the top browns.

As I'd decided to cook dauphinoise, I thought I may as well use the oven as it was on, so I prepared chunks of veg to roast (organic carrots, a yellow pepper, a couple of small onions) and added them in a pan with a couple of whole garlic cloves, unpeeled, drizzled with oil and seasoned with black pepper. They went in for about 45 mins to an hour - about half an hour before serving I added cherry tomatoes, scored at the stalk end so they wouldn't burst.

And the salmon - I shoved two fillets in a foil parcel with a bit of milk, to give moisture, and some seasoning - cooked in the oven for about half an hour. Perfect.

Oh and I simmered some green beans too, for just a few minutes so they still had some bite.

And for pudding, would you believe it, but I still had a couple of plums left over from my fruit basket which, inexplicably, weren't mouldy yet. They had such tough skins I peeled them, then stoned and chopped them quite small. I put these in a pan with a couple of apples, also peeled and chopped into small pieces, a load of sugar (probably a bit too much) and splashed some water in, then simmered on a low heat as we ate the main course. The added a dash of bramble whiskey and served over Wall's softscoop ice-cream (cheap, but oh so nice).

The Barnsbury, 209-11 Liverpool Road, N1 1LX

12/10/06

I have eaten here a few times before from the lighter bites section of the menu and it has been consistently fantastic. Twice I've had a stack of moist aubergine, mozzarella, beef tomato and portobello mushroom drizzled with pesto and garnished with a few sprigs of basil (it was so tasty the first time I couldn't wait to have it again) and I've also shared a crayfish pasta in a creamy sauce and some crunchy, perfect chips - all can be thoroughly recommended. As can the good value bar snack of 'chorizo al inferno' (two skewers of chorizo lapped with flames from booze in a dish underneath, accompanied by a couple of chunks of bread), although it would be helped if the liquor was more palatable than the paint-stripping, toxic variety which looks much nicer swirled with the chorizo juices than it tastes. Anyway, I went back again last night on a bit of a whim. Aware that I salivate regularly as I remember the aubergine stack, when I saw the 'turkish-style aubergine' starter on the menu I couldn't resist. And I'm glad I didn't. It was just lovely - a substantial slice of aubergine cooked to a squidgy texture, topped with a portobello mushroom and a mix of spices, tomato and unidentifiable veg, set on a plate prettily decorated with dabs of creamy sauce and chutney. We shared it and it didn't last long. While my boyfriend chose the scallop starter as a main course with chips (well presented and perfectly cooked), I decided on the herb-encrusted, English (local - woo-hoo!!) rump of lamb with fine green beans and sweet potato mash. I asked for it as rare as they would let me have it, and that's how it came. Wow. Beautifully tender, sliced halfway through to show the pink meat contrasting with the crispy exterior - just how I like it - on a pile of beans surrounded with a dark and rich balsamic sauce, it looked great and tasted even better. The sweet potato mash was a little too thin and smooth for my liking, but the flavour melded with the lamb, sauce and beans very nicely. All in all, it was delicious. I was seriously full and couldn't even finish my boyfriend's chips... unusually for me. And we had a fresh and fruity bottle of Sauvignon Blanc which went down well, particularly with the scallops, and wasn't too budget-busting at around £14. The only annoying thing was that our section of the restaurant was too dark to really see the food (or photograph it successfully - we only had a 2 megapixal camera phone with us). But I won't let that stop me going back. The Barnsbury is not cheap, but it serves top gastro-pub food with charming and friendly service. Mmmmm. Yum, yum.