3BM Kitchen : Double Chocolate Walnut Brownies...

I don't know about anyone else but now that winter has officially rolled in, I'm finding it practically impossible to lead a healthy life! With dark frosty mornings it's hard enough to peel myself out of bed let alone contemplate an early morning jog or gym visit and after a long day in the office and freezing commute home, a salad is the last thing I'm craving...more like a bowl piled high with carbs!   

There's only one thing for it...if we're going to be bad let's be really bad and do it properly!! All I can say is thank God it's the season for cosy dressing...kick those crop tops to the curb and grab that over sized knitwear! 

 

So let's kick this sinful season off with a corker...double chocolate, nutty, gooey brownies! 

 

I blogged a few weeks ago about my November Flavour Full Stop box which opened my eyes to Doorstop Baking. To you and me, that's a glass jar with all the essential ingredients ready for you to assemble in a matter of minutes and devour! Saves you having to lug heavy bags of flour home from the supermarket and you can do away with weighing scales painfully converting grams to cups, spooning and measuring! 

 

All you need are the wet ingredients (which obviously wouldn't be too pretty in the jar) and are fridge staples anyway - eggs and butter - throw all together and hey presto you're done! And what's more...they are D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S! 

 

This is how...

 

 

If brownies aren't your thing then there are many others to pick from...American Pancakes, M&M Cookies, Chocolate Orange Muffins...I can already feel the pounds piling on just typing those words...!!

 

3BM Kitchen : Salmon in Chraimeh Sauce...

There's been so much going on lately that we've barely managed to eat a good home-cooked meal let alone blog about one! So we thought it was time to take some down time this weekend and dig out our trusty Ottolenghi Jerusalem cookbook! 

Now, this one sounds simple and nothing too crazy, which is all true, however it's oh so delicious and will have you your dinner guests licking every scrap from their plates! The perfect solution if you've got friends round and don't want to spend hours holed-up in the kitchen alone. From start to finish, it'll take you about 30 minutes. The flavours from the spices, garlic and chilli create a deep intense sauce and, if you get your cooking times bang on, the fish is so tender it melts in your mouth!

Here's how this little winner is done!!

You Need...

55ml sunflower oil
2 tbsp plain flour
2 salmon steaks, on the bone (we used fillets and it was super tasty!)
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tbsp caraway seeds, dry-toasted and freshly ground
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 green chilli, roughly chopped
75ml water
11/2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp caster sugar
1 lemon (to serve & 1 tbsp juice)
1 tbsp roughly chopped coriander
Salt and black pepper

How To...

1. Heat two tablespoons of oil in your pan over high heat.

2. Add the flour to a bowl, season with salt and pepper and add the fish. Turn to coat well. 

3. Shake off any excess flour and sear the fish for a few minutes until golden. Remove and put the fish to the side.

4. Add the garlic, spices, chilli, and 2 tablespoons of the oil into your food processor and whizz together to form a thick paste.

5. Pour the rest of the oil into your pan, heat well, and add your paste. Cook for 30 seconds stirring at all times so the spices don't burn.

  

6. Add the water and tomato puree to your pan, bring to a simmer and then add the sugar, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

7. Add the golden fish to the sauce, bring to a gentle simmer and cover the pan for 7-11 minutes.

8. Serve atop a bed of rice, sprinkled with chopped coriander with a wedge of lemon and enjoy!! 

3BM Kitchen : Paella...

Most of my very favourite childhood memories are set during the three week long holidays we used spend as little girls in Macaret, a small Spanish fishing village in Menorca. We'd go back every year to the same villa, in the same little square and pick up exactly where we left off.

The locals would always be there to greet us, we'd get fresh pastries from the same bakery each morning, play with the same local children all day and evening and eat at the same restaurant every night which boasted the most delicious Spanish food served up in the most beautiful Menorcan crockery. Everyone would be gobsmacked to see the three little blonde English sisters shaking their heads to eggs and chips and instead digging into bowls of fresh chiperoni (baby squid) and steaming plates of paella! Our love for real food started from a very young age!!

As us London Mice have just returned from another lovely trip and are in need of a little of the holiday spirit to get us through the first few dark days back in the office, we thought we'd pay homage to one of our favourite dishes of all time - paella!

This is a super easy one to make, and in my opinion you simply can't beat a big bowl of this deliciousness all washed down by a chilled glass of wine! If only we could also magic ourselves back to Macaret we'd be in pure heaven!! However for now this will do...


You Need (for 4 people)...

300g paella rice
2 packets pancetta cubes
1 chorizo (sliced)
100g frozen peas
½ teaspoon saffron strands
500ml chicken stock
1 onion (finely chopped)
3 cloves garlic (crushed)
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

4 chicken breasts (cut into cubes)
100g king prawns
½ lemon juiced

How To...

1. Heat the oil in a wide paella dish ideally (otherwise use a normal pan as we had to!) on a medium heat and add the onion. 

2. Cook the onion for a few mins then add the chopped garlic. 

3. Add the chorizo and pancetta and cook for 5 mins. 

4. Add the chicken and cook for approx 10 mins until the chicken is cooked.

5. Prepare your stock, add the saffron and stir

6. Season with salt and pepper and add the saffron-scented chicken stock, rice, peas and prawns. 

7. Cook for 15-25 minutes on a medium heat stirring occasionally until the rice has absorbed the stock and the peas and prawns are cooked.

8. Stir in the lemon juice and serve.

3BM Kitchen : Scrum Summer Supper...

Another weekend and another BBQ, officially now my favourite eating style! The smokey aroma, the laid back atmosphere with the background bustle often being laughter and the popping of champagne corks - heaven! 

We attended an extra special one a couple of weekends ago for our good friend Gemma to celebrate her 30th. Her husband banished her from the house and put together the most amazing party with a little help from family - beautiful flowers, blankets strewn across the lawn, pale pink and white paper poms poms, candle lit lanterns hidden in the flower beds and of course one hell of a feast! This is where we stole the inspiration for a recipe we cooked up this week - a summer pearl barley salad. 

Not something I have ever cooked before but has seriously opened my eyes as it is so deliciously moreish and surprisingly fresh - I vow to start using pearl barley and quinoa more often - keep your eyes peeled for evidence right here!!

With a poorly Middle Mouse on my hands I decided I would cook up a super summer supper to build her strength back up and make her fighting fit in no time at all...well that was my hope! 

I opted for Madeline Shaw's salmon and courgette skewers with a side of squash pearl barley salad, and i'm pretty sure Middle Mouse was a smidgen brighter after clearing her plate! 

Here's how...

Salmon and Courgette Skewers

You Need...

2 salmon fillets
1 courgette
1 tbsp of coriander seeds
1 tbsp of cumin seeds
2 tbsp of coconut oil
A large pinch of sea salt
To Do...

1. Cut the salmon fillets into bite-size cubes

2. Slice the courgette length way in half and then into bite-size chunks

3. Grind the cumin, coriander and salt up with a mortar and pestle (or a mug and the end of a rolling pin if like me you have never got round to getting a mortar and pestle!!)

4. Add the salmon and spices to a bowl and mix around so that the spices are rubbed into the fillets, then add into the courgette and mix.

5. Melt the coconut oil on a low heat and poor this on top of the salmon and courgette, mix the oil around with your hands

6. Thread the salmon and courgette on the skewers

7. You can cook on the BBQ, in a pan or on the grill like we did. They will only take around 6-9 mins to cook.

Squash and Barley Salad

You Need...

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into pieces
1 tbsp olive oil
250g pearl barley
300g Tenderstem broccoli, cut into medium-size pieces
100g SunBlush tomatoes, sliced
1 small red onion, diced
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp small capers, rinsed
15 black olives, pitted
20g pack basil, chopped

For the dressing

5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, finely chopped

How To...

1. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. 

2. Place the squash on a baking tray and toss with olive oil. Roast for 20 mins or until cooked and crispy around the edges. (I was feeling lazy and got ready peeled and cubed M&S squash - these took a little less to cook so it will depend on the size)

3. Boil the barley for approx 25 mins in salted water until tender, but al dente. 

4. Whisk the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, then season with salt and pepper. 

5. Once done drain the barley, tip it into a bowl and pour over the dressing. Mix well and let it cool. (The recipe says to add raw garlic which I am not a fan off so left this out)

6. Boil the broccoli in salted water until just tender, then drain and rinse in cold water. Drain and pat dry. 

7. Add the broccoli and remaining ingredients to the barley and mix well. This will keep for 3 days in the fridge and is delicious warm or cold. (again the recipe says to add raw onion which I am not keen on - so instead i cooked the onion and garlic off in a little olive oil before adding and it was still delicious and flavoursome!)

ENJOYYYYY!!!

My Weekend in Pictures...

Two weeks on from our party fuelled Portuguese adventure the madness hasn't let up and without a moment to stop and recuperate it's fair to say we've morphed into dishevelled versions of our former selves!

Enough is enough...so I opted for a weekend of R&R, sunshine, great food and catch-ups with good friends. However, as usual, there's never a dull moment and along the way I stumbled across some blog worthy gems which definitely deserve a mention!

From Shoreditch to Peckham - this is my weekend round up...

Despite a depressing weather outlook on my iPhone all week long, I woke up to the sun shining and a blue-ish sky, so I braved it with my new summer Zara bargain and off I trotted with my umbrella buried at the bottom of my tote as back up!

 

First stop Netil360 - I'm so in love with this beauty that I actually managed to tot up two visits in one week - what a discovery it is! One of my besties Nikki took me down in the week to watch the amazing Little Shoes Big Voice perform a rooftop acoustics session and I instantly fell head over heels for both the location and music! 

 

Just imagine listening to this live...

 

 

With this view...

 

AMAZING!!

 

A few days later I took Middle Mouse back for a daytime visit and my crush became full blown love!

 

Located just a stone's throw from Broadway Market, Netil House looks pretty shabby from the outside. It's definitely one of those secrets that if you don't know about it already, you'd be pushed to just stumble across it. A shame for those not in the know but it's amazing to have a rooftop option without a queue and that doesn't require a fight to get served at the bar! 

The best thing about it is it's BYOB... I know! Literally heaven in the sky! Entry is £5 unless you're a member (find out more here) and then you can bring in anything except spirits and pay a small corkage fee per bottle. 

 

Panoramic views of London's skyline, your own specific booze choice at a cut of standard bar prices and if you pick your visit wisely live music and BBQs...what more could you want?! 

 

The decor is simple yet chic - wooden decking, strings of exposed light bulbs, quirky graffiti and fairy lights. It's the perfect hangout with a young crowd and a chilled vibe...

 

We spent a lazy Saturday with a picnic (oh yes you can also bring your own food!) and Pimms whilst listening to a great DJ set with the perfect backdrop to while the day away. As the evening drew closer, the roof filled up and we hear it was set to be a fun night partying in the clouds, however as my aim was relaxation I trotted off before the mayhem began! 

1 Westgate Street 

Hackney 

London

E8 3RL

0203 095 9749

 

With my rooftop and sunbathing quota fulfilled, I made my way to East Dulwich for a night of cocktails, delicious food and gossipping with my fabulous friend Fran.

It pretty much started like this...

 

Involved a lot of this (food...but specifically Nigella Lawson's Pappardelle with Lamb Ragu...YUMSTERS!)...

 

And ended with us being beached whales on the sofa gawping at Magic Mike...I didn't think you'd appreciate a photo of that!

Exhausted from the day's antics and evening's feast we rolled into a deep slumber to recharge for a super Sunday!

 

After a lazy sleep-in and a few mugs of tea later, our tummies rumbling eventually signalled brunch time. Fran took charge and off we marched to Anderson & Co in Peckham for another delicious feast... 

 

 

139 Bellenden Road 

Peckham 

SE15 4DH

0207 469 7078

 

Goal accomplished - with not one hangover in sight! I finally feel human again and raring to go! And, -iIf you need me this week, I think it's pretty safe to assume I'll be up at Netil360...!!

 

 

3BM Kitchen : Summer Broccoli Salad

Summer has arrived (let's just ignore this week's less than stellar weather...) and of course us Londoners are wasting not a minute of sunshine! Parks are packed, men are topless, BBQs are smoking and the Pimms is flowing...perfection! 

We spent last weekend at our first official Summer BBQ party and despite the baby rain shower and cloudy skies, we made it through to the afternoon sunshine! A little worse for wear maybe, but with wine, Prosecco, G&Ts and Negronis on offer we thought we'd give the rain a good run for its money! 

When we were finally able to get those coals on, we tucked into the most delectable BBQ...Thai turkey burgers, meatballs, homemade guacamole, Polpo lemon and courgette salad (oh so good!), beef tomatoes with olive oil and basil and Parmesan and prosuitto pasta...the feast was endless! 

We awoke on Sunday, heads a little sore and legs a little achey...why could that be I hear you ask...potentially the attempt at a human pyramid or maybe too much much showing off at the cereal box game...both very strong possibilities!!! 

However, the long and short of it is we felt super inspired to knock up some summery BBQ style dinners this week, minus the BBQ (thanks to our lovely neighbours snitching on us). Plus as a sneaky bonus, it can be made quite healthy if you hold back a little on the bacon and dressing - although in my opinion these are the best bits! 

Super duper easy, very fresh and light but with great punchy flavours. The perfect BBQ accompaniment or delish dinner - we decided to demolish ours with a side of steak - YUM! 

You need...

2 x broccoli
6 rashers smoked streaky bacon, finely sliced
Olive oil
3 tomatoes, halved, deseeded and finely sliced
1 small bunch of fresh chives - finely chopped
For the dressing
½ clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Sea salt & black pepper

How to...

1. Remove the broccoli florets from the stalk and cut them up into smaller pieces to make bite-sized mouthfuls. 

2. When you are left with just the stalk, discard the tough dry base and slice the rest into thin pieces.

3. Blanch your broccoli florets and sliced stalks in boiling salted water for 60 seconds, you want it to soften but also be left with a bit of bite. 

4. Drain and spread out on a clean tea towel to steam dry (this helps the dressing to cling to the broccoli). 

5. Once dry, transfer to a dish.

6. Fry the bacon on a medium heat with a small splash of olive oil until crisp and spoon over your broccoli. 

7. If you have any leftover fat in the bacon pan be very naughty and pour it into the mixing bowl with the dressing ingredients and whisk...

8. Add the tomatoes and chives to the broccoli and bacon bits. 

9. Finally add the dressing to the broccoli bowl and serve alone or along side meat - we opted for rare steaks - YUM!

3BM Kitchen: Egg-cellent Crumpets!

For me breakfast is one of my favourite meals...actually scrap that...weekend breakfasts are one of my favourite meals! From Monday to Friday I try to be as good as possible, opting for fruit or porridge to start my day with a healthy kick. However when the weekend hits I feel it's pretty much a free pass to eat eggs, gossip until my heart's content and maybe order a cheeky breakfast Bellini or two!

With the Summer looming and a holiday fund to save for, we have decided it's all about cooking it for yourself! So I got snugly on the sofa with stacks of cook books to find myself something a little more interesting than scrambled egg or a bacon sandwich (although both oh so delicious!).

That's when I came across Jamie Oliver's Chili Eggy Crumpets! Not something I have ever thought to do before but now I have, I feel like I have seriously missed out! A much better version of eggy bread with a kick from the chili and the perfect combination of smokey bacon and sweet maple syrup.

Roll on next weekend I say...! 

You Need (serving 2)...

2 large free-range eggs
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 fresh red chili, deseeded and finely chopped
6 rashers of smoked bacon
Olive oil
4 round crumpets
Maple syrup, to serve

How To...

1. Crack your eggs into a bowl and whisk with a small pinch of salt and pepper and the chopped chili. 

2. Heat a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and fry the bacon in a small amount of olive oil. Let it crisp up on both sides. 

3. Meanwhile, get your crumpets and push them into the egg and chili mixture. Turn them a few times to make sure they've soaked up lots of the egg mixture. 

4. Push the crisp bacon to one side and tilt the pan so the fat runs into the middle. Add the crumpets and fry for a few minutes until golden, turn and do the same to the other side.

5. Serve topped with crispy bacon and a drizzle of maple syrup!

A seriously amazing at-home brunch...believe me - we demolished it in seconds!