Make it at home recipe: Zizzi's strozzapreti pesto rosso

I've always been a firm believer in steering clear of pasta dishes when eating out. This is simply because I think of pasta as something really simple that is so often just cooked at home. Having been to Zizzi a number of times, I have tried most of their dishes, and despite being a pasta dish, their strozzapreti pesto rosso is easily one of my favourites. It's creamy and pesto-y with a bit of spice with tender chicken breast and spring onions and topped off with a bit of parmesan or cheddar, it is perfect comfort food.

I was browsing the Zizzi blog and found the recipe for the dish online and simply had to try and replicate it. The ingredients list wasn't extensive, and I happened to have most of it in the cupboard anyway making it the perfect student dish! The only thing that may be slightly more rare in a student kitchen is harissa, which is what I used for the 'chilli paste' listed on the recipe. 'Strozzapreti' is actually the name given to the thin tubes of pasta used in the Zizzi dish, however I couldn't get hold of the specific kind used in the restaurant so opted for penne, which worked just as well (but slightly less glamorous!) I also used a chicken stock cube instead of the vegetable stock listed in the ingredients, but it didn't seem to make much of a difference.

The dish was really easy and didn't take a great deal of time to make. It tasted almost identical to the dish served in the restaurant and at a fraction of the price. Looks like I may have to find a new favourite dish to order at Zizzi!

If you want to try out the recipe yourself then click here. (Note that this recipe serves 2 people)

Five Guys - A review

Reading's first Five Guys diner opened late last year and I cannot believe it's taken me this long to try their famous burgers, but it was SO worth the wait.

Five Guys originates from Washington DC where their first diner was opened in the 80s. Since then they have been talked about everywhere, and are very often dubbed by the press (as well as by many people I know) as '"the best burger ever". It was both the reputation and the laid back relaxed diner style really drew me in. The décor is classic American fast food style without looking too kitsch or making you feel like you'd just stepped onto the set of Grease.

Upon ordering I was a little confused because the menu looked quite limited. Then I noticed the 'Toppings' section at the bottom which included a variety of tasty accompaniments to go inside your chosen burger or hot dog, free of charge. From burger staples like mustard and pickles to fast food firsts like steak sauce to jalapeños, you can pretty much design your meal to be exactly how you want, and that's the beauty of it.

After much deliberation, I went for a cheeseburger with ; ketchup, mayo, lettuce, grilled onions and gherkins, just to keep it simple (if you can call that many toppings simple!). I was a little surprised to see there wasn't a meal option, but chose to have one refillable drink and fries as well, would've been rude not to.

Although I chose the 'little' portion of fries from the menu, the portion was in fact not little at all but actually very generous! (I guess that's the American heritage shining through) So generous that I failed to finish them, which is a rare occurrence for me. The chips were perfect. Not too crispy or greasy, and they had their skins left on which is always a winner for me! The only criticism I have is that they were slightly too salty, but that didn't stop me from enjoying them.

As for the drinks - amazing! They have the self service drink machines stocked with every type of soft drink you could ever want, and that is no exaggeration. CocaCola in orange, vanilla and lime flavours, cloudy lemonade flavoured peach or strawberry, raspberry Fanta, Powerade and even water if all the choice was just too much to cope with. I'm pretty sure I could have stayed there all day trying all of the flavours.

The burger, the star of the show, lived up to my expectations and more. Fresh ground beef handmade patties are cooked in a way that makes them so amazingly juicy, I don't think any other burger can match their standards. Combined with the classic melting American burger cheese and all of my chosen toppings, heaven in the softest of buns.

Although the meal was really really good and was everything you want and more from a fast food joint, a fast food joint is just what it is. I thought a total of just over £13 was a lot to pay for what some people may see as a glorified Big Mac. Saying that, I did thoroughly enjoy it and it was a good feeling to eat in the knowledge that all of their food is fresh and made with high quality ingredients. If you ever have a fast food craving, I would fully recommend Five Guys, and although the price is slightly steep, it's so worth it, even if it's just for unlimited raspberry Fanta!

Brand focus: Drink Me Chai

I am a hot drink fiend. I wouldn’t make past midday without having had a coffee in the morning and I drink tea like my life depends on it. Before bed, I avoid tea and coffee simply because of the caffeine, so sometimes opt for hot chocolate or just a glass of milk, until I recently discovered my new favourite bedtime drink; chai latte. Having only ever had chai latte in coffee shops, it had never even occurred to me that I could make it at home. The brand ‘Drink Me Chai’ offer a wide range of ‘just add hot water’ powdered latte mixes in a variety of flavours including; vanilla, green tea and mango.

The brand itself was the brain child of Amanda Hamilton who thought up the idea when visiting an Indian market where they sold spiced, sweetened tea. After selling her tea on her own market stall and making a few tweeks to the recipe, Drink Me Chai is now the top instant Chai product in the UK. On their website you will find a number of chai based demos and recipes including spiced chai, honey and yoghurt muffins which I have to try! Did I mention how lovely their packaging is?

The first flavour I purchased was vanilla, and despite not loving really vanilla-ry flavoured things I loved this drink! I found I liked it most with a drop or two of milk in it, as well as a smidge of cinnamon flavoured Monin coffee syrup. Seeing as I was adding the cinnamon flavour to the drink, next I decided to try the spiced flavour and although, yes, it was more fragrant and still delicious, I actually preferred my own vanilla-cinnamon concoction. Seeing as I liked these two flavours so much, I can’t wait to get my hands on the other flavours to give them a try. Their website says they have a chocolate one too! 

Visit their website here

You're a wizard Harry!

A couple of weeks ago it was my boyfriend's 20th birthday and being a huuuuge Harry Potter fan I decided to bake a cake for him dedicated to the film franchise. I came up with the idea when we visited the Harry Potter studio tour over the summer. They had a section devoted to the food featured in the films, including the feast at the Yule Ball and of course, Harry himself's first ever birthday cake, given to him by Hagrid in the first film. I can remember how delicious I thought the cake looked when I first watched the film and wanted to replicate it as accurately as possible - spelling mistakes and all.

After tracking down a photo of the cake on Google, I went about making a simple sponge mix and making 2 cakes, carefully cutting the top off one and sandwiching them together the make the cake higher, like it is in the film. Next I made copious amounts of butter icing, and coloured one lot a light pink and the other a bright green. Once the cake had cooled, I used a palette knife to spread the pink icing generously all over the top and sides of the cake. I then gently traced the letters onto the cake with a sharp knife (replacing the Harry for Louis of course!). I then used a home made icing bag to ice on the letters in green icing, it didn't matter if they were messy because Hagrid's cake is a bit rough around the edges!

I was really happy with the outcome and think that it is quite an accurate replica. I was hoping that Louis would get the reference and not just think I had made him a bit of a messy cake with spelling mistakes! It went down a storm, and tasted delicious too.

For a simple sponge recipe, I always follow using half the amount of ingredients as you do eggs. For example for this cake I used:
6 eggs
12oz softened salted butter
12oz caster sugar
12oz self raising flower

A picture of the cake from the film on the left and the cake I made on the right

Harry receiving his cake from Hagrid in the Philospher's Stone 

Yule Ball drinks at Harry Potter sudios