Wot I Et: Minute Steak on a Friday Night

You know how Fridays are the ends of long weeks, and your energy is like the last little bit left on the soap-on-a-roap?? An easy dinner is what needs to lay the week to bed.

Wot I Et: Paprika Chilli Prawns on Squid Ink Pasta

Aqua on Walcot Street, April

Okay so it was my birthday in April and I didn't get a post in. I confess. My food blogging ability is only minimally improved since last year, so I better stick to Wot I Et, which is like a cafe version of a food blog.

I had a few celebrations, April is the cruellest month for cake in this house.

My littlest and I share a birthday, so we went out to Aqua for a posh I-talian.

The service was polite, and the children, very grown up, managed their cutlery without much mishap. They had pizza and garlic bread which looked like the same thing except the garlic bread had no tomato on it...

I had the seafood skewer to start - something with pesce in it. The maitre was somewhat approving of my accent while ordering.


It was juicy and came on a bed of rather delicious, tender green beans.

Mr G had the gorgonzola porcini. I was permitted one bite.



The mains were well cooked but not terribly exciting, however, perfectly nice as a family lunch. G had the stuffed chicken with chorizo on the bed of spinach and cream sauce and I had the calves liver with gnocchi. It was pretty good. It came with mushroom and onion. I'm always a little fascinated by the carb power of gnocchi, and the bits of sage involved.

I think Aqua is a chain restaurant and they have one in Bristol as well. It's nicely laid out, and when we arrived at 12 noon, there was no problem seating us, though we had booked ahead. They were nice to the kids, which is a plus in the UK. Many places are not very child friendly, though italian places usually are fine.

Well, viva la dolce vita, then. Another year passes by.

Sublime Juxtapositions

Who came up with the sublime juxtaposition of hot fat, fluffy potato and salt? These little critters probably contribute to the obesity of the western world, but oh, how many people can refuse some, just a few? I always nick a few off the children's plate if I make them with fish fingers and brocolli. They are only nice hot and crunchy out the pan, steaming in the middle, with the lovely shock of salt and olive oil. mmm.

Wot I et: for dinner - Autumn Chicken

Autumn chicken with chorizo - a warming dish made with one whole spicy spanish sausage, red with paprika. Onions, garlic and 5 bay leaves, generous grindings of black pepper. Cubed Maris Piper potatoes, butternut squash and carrots. Fried chorizo first, then added diced onions and chunks of garlic into the mix as the paprika flavoured oil seeped out. Then the bay leaves and black pepper. Two whole chicken legs on the bone, thigh and drum, skinside down. Layer the vegetables: squash, carrots, then a layer of potatoes with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Add enough water to cover the chicken legs and cook in oven at about 190 celsius for one and a half hours or until chicken is tender. An all in one comfort dish! Err...not for dieters!

Wot I et: for lunch or comfort food in pouring rain

oo-er, is that a sausage or are you just pleased to see me?

Tortellini Malaysian Style - wot I et for lunch

Mr G has taken to buying enormous packs of tortellini, which the children prefer in a soup - tortellini en brodo, I believe it is called. But there is only so much tortellini you can have in a week! And who is left to correct the food balance in the house? So for my lunch, I really really fancied pan mee, not that this is a craving from my childhood - we never seemed to have it in our house or when we went out! I figured the tortellini would do, as the fresh pasta is egg noodle dough, so I boiled it up with Marigold brand vegan low salt soup powder (!! don't ask!! Delia uses the regular kind, same brand.) and added two handfuls of Waitrose rocket, watercress and baby spinach salad from a bag, some mini corn and a big spoonful of chiu chow chilli oil. Happy!

And what else makes me happy? A bowl of lovely ripe summer cherries!

Wot I et this weekend

I put my mouth where my blog is and cooked a wild garlic omelette - mmm...like ku chai or chinese chives, with a very light oniony taste. Not bad, if I were foraging in the forest, I would definitely choose this!

If only I knew how to identify safe mushrooms...







I also made rendang, but we ate it before I could take a picture. I obviously have not got the idea, plus since I used brahim rendang sauce, as I was busy, felt like it was not real cooking!

I only had one chance with this cheese on a cracker because I then ate it - it was blue enough to walk I think, so I ate it fast. Or I was impatient. I think I am too impatient to be a food blogger because I just want to eat the food, forget about shooting a nice pic of it!

(all this while pondering my reader impressions...aiyah, must have food for thoughtlah!)