MORE PLEASE - WEEKNIGHT WONDERS

Just 3 of my favourite dinners that get me through this bleak month, and a special guest spot from Sophie Wyburd too!

Hi gorgeous MORE PLEASE subscribers - thank you one and all for being here! Your support makes The Dinner Party possible and I am so so grateful to you.

This episode is a sort of segway from More Please - The Cut the Richness One, where I gave you the recipe for 2 weeknight dinners that I bloody love that just happen to be plant based. I wanted to stick with that theme of food I eat but don’t often share. Food that is just… my dinner. Meals that I come back to time and again to comfort and soothe and nourish. I also got one of my favourite cooks, the very talented Sophie Wyburd to think about the same thing and GOOD LORD I am glad I did. Her Squash Pasta e Ceci is a bang on Weeknight Wonder that I am recreating ASAP.

The vibe I wanted to hit this episode was dishes that are sacred, curative plates of food that I didn't really know were sacred. Things that I turn to without hesitation, almost reflexively, because I know they will make me feel good. That’s how I feel about Cauliflower Cheese. It is just a dish I couldn’t live without, that makes me feel so warmed up inside. It isn’t just a side - it is a 10/10 main, especially with some buttered peas.

During lockdown 1, I was living with my brother in our flat in Dalston and was extremely unemployed. I had lots of time to kill and cooking was the exact distraction I needed. A dinner that became an absolute staple and one of our favourites of the week was Rice Bowl and I have eaten it almost once a week ever since and don’t see myself stopping any time soon. The one I'm sharing today is heaped with 5 Spice Mushrooms and a crispy egg.

And finally, Arrabbiata. The OG spicy tomato sauce that clears any weeknight hangover with aplomb. It’s extremely hands-off and extremely satisfying - rich, tomatoey and oily but also fresh with hot chilli - a lovely balancing act. Some people love it with penne, but I’m a long pasta gal through and through. Sitting down in front of a Sopranos episode with a heaping bowl of bucatini arrabbiata is a SUBLIME end to a rough day.

For all my new subscribers thanks for joining! The next post for ALL subscribers will be out in the second week of February and will be a romantic, sexy and simple 4 course Dinner Party for the coupled and uncoupled alike - perfect for our first Valentines together. But if you want access to more recipes including this episode then click the button below and upgrade to paid!