I’ve done a lot of cooking this week and there’s been a bit of a fishy theme. The sunny summer weather that we began the week with has given way to heavy rain and I even sought solace in making a wintery lentil soup! Here’s the week:

Tuesday – A Green Theme

A simple supper using up some greenery in my fridge – asparagus, peas from the freezer. A shower of freshly grated Parmesan. All quick and easy and no less delicious for it.

Wednesday – Baked Kofte

I took some of the lamb & pistachio kofte I made recently from the freezer for supper. I made some tomato sauce, browned the kofte in oil, then lay them on the sauce in an ovenproof dish and baked. I served on a bed of long grain & wild rice. I always like to make extra kofte to put this dish together easily at another time. It was such a nice evening I went for a walk round Twickenham Green afterwards, less than 5 minutes walk from my home. Here I am, a 20-minute train journey from central London, and yet a quintessential English village green on my doorstep!

Thursday – Fish & Summer

It was a lovely sunny day and so I made a summery fish dish – roast cod with gremolata and garlicky tomatoes. A walk down by the river at Richmond bridge in the afternoon made it almost seem holiday-ish.

Friday – Temptation

Living close to Richmond and therefore Gelateria Danieli is just too much of a temptation in the summer to resist. I sat with a small tub of salted caramel gelato & strawberry sorbet watching the world of Richmond Green passing by or sitting on the grass enjoying the weather. A quiet moment of perfect peace.

In the evening I used the rest of the gremolata to make the lovely turbot dish.

Saturday – An Italian Theme

I met Jonathan, Lyndsey & Freddie for coffee and croissants at Your Bakery Whitton in the morning. On the way out I couldn’t resist buying some focaccia and the weekend special of fagottini – one stuffed with spicy sausage and the other with tuna. We had them for lunch with salad and they were delicious.

In the evening I went back for a barbecue. Lyndsey’s mother had arrived from Wales and Jonathan wasn’t put off his barbecue by the rain that started to fall. We had steak and kofte and then the tiramisu I’d made in the afternoon.

Sunday – In Search of Warmth

After a morning visit to the V&A I stopped at Corto Italian Deli on the way home in search of soup  for lunch. It was raining and quite cold. They didn’t have soup so instead I enjoyed a delicious melanzane alla parmigiana for lunch and made lentil soup for supper!

Monday – A Weekday Favourite

I often make this pasta dish: gently fry a shallot in olive oil, add skinned and chopped fresh tomato, a pinch of chilli flakes, seasoning. When it’s cooked down a bit I add some pan-roasted pine nuts and handful of spinach leaves. I let the spinach wilt a little then tip in some cooked pasta and stir through. Easy and delicious.