baby it's cold outside

Ah, the winter illness of choice: colds.

First port of call is drinks of hot honey and lemon, with ginger syrup and brandy or whiskey. As a second line of defence (and comfort) I follow Bert's rule of 'red wine and something schpicey' - and indeed Mel's spicy Malaysian chicken curry on Monday momentarily let me breathe.  Last night though, I needed a bit of comfort with the spice and didn't have the energy to take any time over it, so fell back on the old faithful of chicken and chorizo stew.

The result of a dish my sister Katie cooks, crossed with a Nigel Slater recipe I chanced upon, it is now dear to my tastebuds.  I made a note about this stew only in September, and the little tinkering changes I made this time were only for the convenience of using up the rest of a swede, and because I found the right pulses this time and used chickpeas... and also a couple of handfuls of red lentils.  I cooked it for longer too, (guessing at the gas mark and timing which I lost from the Nigel receipe) two hours and another 30 mins sans lid. My only note to self - and one I make rather firmly - is that I really have to buy the hot paprika.  The sweet is lovely and smoky, but not quite the wake up that I was looking for.

I am also going to stick to my guns and only use the butchers from now on too: half a dozen chicken thighs and the same of cooking chorizo only came to about 6 pounds. Between the butcher and the return of our veg box this week, we will have everything we need.

Looking back to September made me tidy the blog a bit, publishing a neglected item and deleting notes.  Now last year is tied up it is time to look forward to the new year... just keep away from the 'flu if you can!