It’s been a great foodie week with visits to a couple of old favourites, a new restaurant discovery and a little bit of home cooking. Here it is:

 

Sunday

Sunday at home and a delicious chicken dish made with mushrooms and Madeira. A perfect Sunday meal. Click here for recipe.

 

Monday

I was back at Bancone, which has become a favourite haunt since my first visit last summer, soon after it opened. In fact it was my second visit in ten days! I’d been there for a pre-theatre meal with a friend on the 8th and was back having a meal with my son on Monday the 18th. It’s the simplest of menus with just a few each of Antipasti, Pasta & Desserts. But it sums up what I love about Italian cooking – that a few ingredients can be brought together to make something stunningly wonderful. You can see the pasta being made early on in the front window and sitting at the bar (bancone!), watch the chefs cook as you eat. A nice little touch of excitement and a happy kind of drama. On Monday I had: ‘Strozzapreti, cavolo nero, pancetta, Cornish scallop & crispy onion’ (£14.50 – and the most expensive dish on the menu; the cheapest pasta dish was £8.50). Do book if you plan to go; it’s always busy. Click here for my full review.

 

Tuesday

Tuesday night is my book group night and I have to leave the house quite early, so I usually cook something simple and light; often an omelette. Last Tuesday I wanted to use up a portion of roasted ratatouille which had been in my freezer for a few weeks. I thawed and heated it through, put it into a small ovenproof dish, spread it out and made two dips into which I cracked two eggs. Into a hot oven for about 10 minutes until the whites had cooked but the yolks were still runny and there I had a perfect light supper. I had some lovely new sourdough bread which I dipped into the yolks. Delicious!

 

Wednesday

After seeing the wonderful Pierre Bonnard exhibition at Tate Modern, I ate an early supper with my friend Annette who’d recommended Bar Douro and booked a table for us. This was a fantastic find and I can’t wait to go back! Click here for my full review.

 

Thursday 

Thursday lunchtime I met my friend Kate in Corto Italian Deli in Twickenham. This has long been a favourite haunt of my family and it’s where Kate and I often meet as she loves it too. Neither of us wanted a heavy lunch so chose roasted vegetable salad with mozzarella but owner Romina gave us some bruschette too to start. It was all gorgeous and we were surrounded by enough Italians to even have a little sense of being transported to Italy. Click here for a fuller review.

 

Friday

A ‘home’ day when I finally got started on a work job which was waiting for me. I did however make some roasted celeriac soup for lunch, eating one portion and freezing more. And the evening was my habitual Friday tagliatelle with Bolognese ragu for supper – a very simple supper as a portion of the ragu was waiting in the freezer for me! Click here for recipe.

 

Saturday

After a early morning sortie to Waitrose, then watching some men fit a new dishwasher, I decided some serious work was in order. And I did indeed work (an editing job working on a cookbook). But with the sun shining in a clear blue sky outside, after a suitable time I decided I had to venture out for a walk. And the walk down to Twickenham town centre and along pretty Church Street led me to Corto Italian Deli. And how could I resist going in for a slice of homemade cake and some of the fabulous coffee? I convinced myself I deserved it!