So this week we are with Jamie’s Italy, which is a book we’ve has for years but not done a lot from. Sunday lunch was Costolette di Maiale con Salvia – Pork Chops with Sage, Zucca al Forno – Roasted Squash, Melanzane alla Parmigiana: Aubergine Parmigiana. The pork was a really great recipe where you cut a little pocket into a pork chop and make a parma ham, sage and apricot stuffing. Then pan fry and finish in the oven on top of some roasted Charlotte potatoes. The roasted squash recipe used the seeds on top, which gave a rather pleasing crunch to the dish.

The other recipe we tried this week was Pollo alla Cacciatora – Hunters Chicken. This is a classic and follows a somewhat similar method to a great Coq au Vin recipe from Anthony Bourdain, where you marinate the chicken for 24 hours in red wine and herbs. You then combine this with tinned tomatoes, olives and anchovies to complete the recipe on day two. I have to say this is a cracking recipe, dead easy (yes, you need the foresight to start the prep a day before) but other than that, it was simple. Next week we get pretty cheffy.