Charred corn, kale and sweet potato salad.

Remember I said that recently I had fallen for a woman or two. Well one of them is a lady called Anna Jones. One of the most important things in life is trust. When I saw the list of ingredients for this dish, I thought, Really? But as I trust Anna implicitly, I went for it and its now in my top 10 salads. It has a great variety of textures, tastes, heat and colour. What is most satisfying and the clever bit is that you can taste each item individually, yet it all works collectively. Anna has just released her third book, but this one comes from her debut publication

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Modern-Way-Eat-Anna-Jones/dp/0007516703/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1507835730&sr=1-4&keywords=anna+jones

For 4 people you will need : 4 sweet potatoes unpeeled and cut into bite sized chunks, 1 tsp paprika, cumin seeds and runny honey, 1 tbsp. olive oil, 200g bag of kale, juice of half a lime, 2 corn on the cob, 2 ripe avocado peeled and finely sliced, seasoning. (For the dressing : juice of the other half of the lime, handful of cashews, small bunch of coriander, 2 tbsp. coconut milk and water)

1. Preheat oven to 200c
2. Place potatoes on tray and sprinkle with the oil, paprika, cumin, honey and seasoning. Toss together and roast for 40 minutes until golden and crispy.
3. Empty the kale onto a board and chop down and of the large pieces and discard the stems. Place in a bowl, squeeze over the lime and some salt. Scrunch together, this will break down some of the fibres and make the raw kale more pliable.
4. Heat a griddle pan until hot then roast off the corn on each side. Once charred, remove the kernels and add to the kale with the cooked potatoes and avocado.
5. Blend the dressing ingredient together until you get a silky sauce. Check the seasoning and acidity.
6. Pour over the salad, get your hands in and toss gently.

I tend to serve the potatoes and corn warm rather than hot. As there's so much going on already, there's no need to serve it with anything else, except maybe a cheeky glass of sauvignon blanc.

Euskal Etxea, Barcelona : Restaurant review

To many blokes out there, a basque night out may set the pulses racing. I'm no different. Spain has a varied culinary scene, however Basque cooking from the North West is one of my favourites. They have their own tapas which are called pintxos and are usually served on small rounds of toast.

In the heart of the El Born area of Barcelona which is just food heaven, Euskal Etxea provides a fantastic insight into one of the worlds great cuisines. This falls into the category of food porn, your eyes light up as soon as you walk in, you want to try everything on offer and never want to leave. You forget about what anything costs and just become embroiled in the whole atmosphere.

Anyway, down to the food. Everything was perfecto as they say in Spain, but the highlights were: Black pudding and Serrano ham, Crispy tartlets filled with a membrillo paste and topped with cream cheese, Anchovies with pickles, Serrano ham, Bombas - round croquettas filled with ham and cheese, topped with aioli and a mackerel paste topped with crab. The bar / restaurant teems with life and the food provides a natural source of conversation. I remember a while ago when the so called 'best job in the world' was advertised, a caretakers job on a desert island. Well, chief taster is this place can't be far behind.

http://gruposagardi.com/restaurante/euskal-etxea-taberna/

9 Reinas, Barcelona : Restaurant review

Being a big fan of Argentinian steak, expectations were high and we weren't disappointed. What I like about these restaurants is that they allow the main ingredient to be the star of the show. Of course, one can order sauces, sides etc., but they don't overshadow what IMO is the finest beef on the planet. After a delightful amuse bouche and some bread, we both opted for the 200g fillet. It was simply presented alongside both sweet and new potatoes, and to accompany, we had an array of grilled vegetables including asparagus, chicory, artichoke and wild mushrooms. The meat was incredibly tender and moist, but most of all, it just mooed of beef. To compliment such a fine piece of meat, the waiter suggested an excellent Malbec that was only 22E.

Dessert was tempting, but wanting to savour every last after taste of the beef and wine, not to mention my ever expanding waistline, it was declined. The service is very professional, yet friendly and the décor is simple, yet chic. Highly recommended.


http://www.nuevereinas.com/index.php/restaurantes/restaurante_argentino_barcelona/