Saturday Night Supper Suggestions

If you're searching for something to make for those dark, cold, winter evenings, look no further. Perfect for snuggling down with in front of the fire...

Lamb and Herb Stew - delicious. Make it as hot or mild as you want by adding more or less Harissa.

Oxtail Stew - you could spice this one up with the addition of chilli flakes.

Tartiflette - reminiscent of those bright cold ski days - one of my favourites, though make sure you do something during the day to deserve this winter treat!

Green Thai Curry - you don't have to make your own paste for this one, but the addition of onions and green pepper makes it even more tasty. Serve with coriander flatbread.

Gnocchi - very easy so don't be put off by making your own pasta. It's simple. And a range of sauces to choose from too.

Herby Lamb Cobbler - a great winter warmer for those chilly evenings.

Mushroom and Spinach Pancakes - if you use shop-bought pancakes it takes even less time to prepare!

Free Pasta!

Working in London does have its benefits for the OH. He returned home with free pasta a couple of days ago, so I thought I'd give it a try. It was 'Giovanni Rana', stuffed with spinach and ricotta: they must have just brought I out that day as I also saw the tv flooded with adverts for it.

Now, I knew OH wouldn't be full with half of the given packet, so had to think up another idea. For the Tortelloni I simply served it with a sage and butter dressing, the same as I used on the Gnocchi. The pasta itself was thin, and generally held together in the pan, altough a few pieces of 'stuffing' had fallen from their pasta wrap in the packet. The pasta itslef was very tasty, and the thinness helped it not become chewy, while the stuffing was also quite tasty, not as rubbery as some I've tasted!

I also heated some penne and some ragu 'sauce' left over from the Oxtail Stew I had made the night before, which I blitzed with the hand processor. It's always better to use a ridged pasta, such as penne with meat sauces or thick ragu as the ridges 'catch' the sauce and coat it better.

As usual, the OH preferred the penne with ragu, while my choice would be the spinach and ricotta tortellini with sage butter. Each to their own!