What the Katys did...lunch at Polpo

Having already grazed on tasty tapas at Copita with Selina from Yummychooeats, and tucked in to a fig-filled feast at 10 Greek Street with Guilia from Mondomulia and Laura from Digest magazine, I've been keen to continue my tour of Soho's finest dining experiences.

So when BBC Good Food Show's Katy Truss suggested we finally put human faces to our Twitter icons and meet up in person, I hoped this would be a chance to see whether the positive rumours about Polpo's Italian offerings were true. Plus, it's always a bit of a novelty to find someone who spells their name the same way as me (I wonder whether Miss Truss also feigns nonchalance through gritted teeth when someone mistakenly refers to her as "Katie"...?)!

Power foods #3 - Roasted broccoli to make it more fun to eat your greens

When I was growing up, before I discovered the delights of butternut squash, spinach and aubergine, broccoli was my favourite vegetable. Its vibrant spray of delicate leaves was far preferable to me than its cousins - the limp cabbage and pallid cauliflower - and I would always select this bushy green as a steamed side dish during special meals at home.

Buon Appetito at Alghero!

This post is less of a restaurant review, more of a public service announcement…

Alghero is an authentic Italian restaurant in Poole, a short drive from the beautiful sandy beaches and an even shorter walk from the house I grew up in. Ever since my family discovered the gastronomic delights hidden inside this eatery’s modest exterior, it’s become our first port of call when wanting to celebrate special occasions or impress friends. We know that Jelena’s warm and friendly service will make us feel welcome from the moment we arrive, and that Luigi’s skilful cooking will excite our senses and ensure that when we finally head home it will be with satisfied stomachs. 

I’ve previously waxed lyrical about their Sardinian seafood stew and showcased their grilled seabass with crushed potatoes on Day #78 of #Project366. But I felt it was my duty to share one of Dorset’s best-kept secrets with my fellow food lovers, and demonstrate the wide array of delicious dishes on offer…

Making perfect pasta with L’atalier des Chefs

The best chefs continue to develop their skills by constantly exploring new gastronomic experiences and experimenting in their kitchen. For a novice cook like me, the list of culinary techniques still to learn is extensive, so I figure it's important to get a good grip of the the basics before tackling the tough stuff.

If I was only allowed to eat one type food for the rest of my life, I would choose pasta without a doubt. You could never get bored with so many varieties on offer - long spaghetti strands to twirl around your fork, thick lasagne sheets to layer into a hearty bake, pretty shapes to coat in sauce and delicate tortellini parcels containing all manner of surprising fillings.

Cheat’s meaty mini pizzas to lighten up your lunchtime

I don’t have any children, but I wouldn’t blame you for mistaking me for a parent if you saw me interacting with my boyfriend in our little flat.

What is it about living with your beloved that makes a young woman suddenly morph into a mother?! Despite never previously having a particular appetite for cleaning, its feels like my life is becoming a constant cycle of washing dishes, airing clothes and tidying things away…just rinsed and repeated as required on a daily basis.

Please don’t get me wrong – I think my man is truly amazing, constantly inspiring and I wouldn’t ever want to swap him. But I do find it equally incredible that someone so hugely talented and intelligent can lose his keys within five minutes of entering our home, and appears incapable of eating a meal without spilling some of it down himself.

Amaretto tiramisu to kick trifle off your Christmas list

My festive season is always a wonderful mixture of nostalgic celebrations – some timeless societal traditions, plus some more recent personal rituals. Each Christmas eve my former schoolfriends and I are reunited in the same local pub to swap stories of the highs and lows of the past year, and each Christmas morning I awake to discover that the snowman stocking my Mum made me as a baby has been filled with gifts.

Magnificent meatballs to leave him wanting amore

I’ve received an urgent recipe request on my Facebook fanpage for the perfect meal for a romantic night in. Like a savvy lady’s pre-date beauty regime, the dish needs to be dressed to impress without breaking the bank balance or taking hours to prepare.

For me, Italian food is ideal for inspiring intimacy – and the classic combination of pasta and meatballs is the ultimate embodiment of this. The heady scent of rich tomatoes and fresh herbs instantly conjures up images of gondolas gliding over Venetian canals, and what better way to get into the mood for amore than by recreating the infamous spaghetti-sharing scene from Lady and the Tramp?!

Resorting to Risotto

Without wishing to sound arrogant, I make a pretty mean risotto.  I don’t really understand how this happened, as I only discovered the delights of this wonderful oozing rice dish a couple of years ago, but it has rapidly become a reliable recipe for storecupboard emergencies and situations when I need to impress.

One of the things I love most about risotto is the way its flavour entirely depends on which ingredients are added to the rice mixture – almost like an Italian version of the fabled stone soup. Creamy and sweet with parmesan and leeks, crisp and fresh with asparagus and smoked salmon, silken and earthy with butternut squash and sage...there’s a combination to satisfy any craving and every mood.

Saturday night spaghetti

Discovered some rather tasty looking chorizo whilst perusing my parents’ fridge. My first opinion of paella was rejected due to laziness - spending Saturday night home alone may be one thing, but spending the majority of the evening standing over a stove stirring rice would just be a step too far.