Courgetti with Avocado Pesto

For my birthday I got two recipe books (yes my collection does now number over 30...) that I am completely obsessed with. Hemsley + Hemsley and Deliciously Ella. The first recipe I couldn't wait to try was courgetti. Armed with my spiralizer I set off.

Now, I have a confession. I hate courgette. My mum puts it in bolognese (weird) and I used to spend ages picking it out, but I was determined to give it a go. First I tried it with puttanesca (H+H recipe) and it was AMAZING. I ate it three times last week. Deciding I needed to branch out a bit I flipped through Deliciously Ella and came across her avocado pesto recipe. I didn't have all the ingredients in the house so came up with this recipe which uses fresh, homemade pesto.

What you'll need:

• 50g fresh basil leaves
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 25g pine nuts
• 90ml extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large courgettes
• 1 ripe avocado
• Half a lime
• Parmesan, grated
• Black pepper

(Serves 2)

Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan until just brown. Then put into a small food processor with the basil, garlic and olive oil. Wizz until smooth then add the avocado flesh and blend again. Season with pepper and add the juice of half a lime to add a zing.

Cut the ends off each courgette and put them through your spiralizer according to the instructions.

Add all the avocado pesto to a large, deep frying pan or wok and warm through. Add all the courgette to the pan and stir until fully coated. Heat for around 5 minutes until the courgette is warm all the way through but still a bit crunchy.

Divide between two pasta dishes and sprinkle over parmesan if desired.

PS. I used this spiralizer. I'm not going to lie, it's not the greatest - I won't be winning any prizes for neat ribbons but it does the job and for only £2.68 it's the cheapest on the market by far. I would definitely recommend if you just want to try courgetti out for the first time.

Dishoom, WC2H

On Wednesday Rich, my Dad and I went to Dishoom in Covent Garden for a post birthday dinner. I'd been dying to go there for ages and finally managed to convince Rich to brave the queue. Kudos to him, he queued for 40 minutes before I (running late as usual) met him right at the door. We queued at the bar for another 40 minutes but there were plenty of drinks and snacks to keep us going. Lucky old Dad turned up just after we'd been seated at our table!

So Dishoom... yes it was an hour and 20 minute wait but my oh my was it worth it. From start to finish in the queuing process staff were extremely attentive, made an effort to remember everyone's names and relayed that through the restaurant. I wish I had better photos because I feel like these really don't do it justice. The house black daal is a must have and the chicken ruby is also amazing if you like curries with a bit of sauce. We ended up sharing all our dishes as everything looked so good, all washed down with some locally-brewed London beers and a couple of Kulfi.

It was a perfect experience. And when I came home and started to read up about the restaurant I understood why. Shamil Thakrar, the owner of Dishoom, is incredibly passionate. Passionate about the food and culture of India. Dishoom is set to represent the traditional Iranian cafes set up by immigrants in Bombay in the 1920s and 30s which are now sadly dying out. He is also an incredible writer. If you get a chance read his overview of 2014 on the Dishoom blog. He has also done speeches, most noteably at Dezeen Live. All of this comes through in the design of the restaurant and, of course, the food. What Thakrar said is true, "when you take a bite of [the] food, you're tasting the century of tradition and heritage, which makes the food more than just food".

So please go to Dishoom. The food, the people and the atmosphere are amazing.  

A Birthday In Food

On Saturday I was thoroughly spoilt rotten for my birthday (I am now the proud owner of an R&B bag) and of course a lot of that involved food. The day started with a bottle of Moet from Rich (which I saved for the evening) and a bag of Maltesers from my Aunt and Uncle.

Then we headed off to Tota in Tooting Broadway for brunch with my sister. Although there were pancakes on the menu I opted for a full English, which I hadn't had in ages, topped off with the most amazing mixed berry smoothie. Space is tight but the staff are friendly and you don't feel at all rushed.

Lots of cake, drinking and dancing later I was in much need of some hangover food so Ollie and I walked up to The Manor Arms in Streatham. The rugby was on so it was super crowded but we still got served quickly and they do big, juicy burgers as well as light salads and cheesy garlic breads so there is a bit of everything you fancy.

One rich hot chocolate later and I was tucked up with My Best Friends Wedding by half 6. Thanks to everyone that came and made it amazing. The big 2-4. One year older and wiser ey?