Month: Aug 2026

Banana bread with marzipan and chocolate chips

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

I don’t know how we can possibly continue to pretend that banana bread is a health food when it is clearly CAKE. And this is the purest expression of that. My other banana bread recipe has walnuts and cranberries so it pretends to be health-full. This one has chocolate chips and marzipan… No excuses

  • 180g plain flour
  • 2 heaped tbsp ground almonds
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda 
  • 2 heaped tbsp ground flax seed (see – health!)
  • ½ tsp salt 
  • 120 g dark chocolate chips – darkest possible to offset the sweetness of everything else
  • 120 g marzipan, cut into small cubes (easiest if it’s been in the fridge to harden a bit) 
  • 50 g sunflower seeds
  • 75g unsalted butter, at room temperature 
  • 175g caster sugar 
  • 2 eggs, beaten 
  • 2-3 brown bananas, mashed
  • ½ tsp almond extract
  • Flaked almonds, to sprinkle thickly over the top
  1. Preheat oven to 160C fan (180C)
  2. Line a loaf tin. Try scrunching up the baking paper and then smoothly it out again, it will be much easier to use
  3. Put the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, bicarb, ground flax seed and salt into a bowl 
  4. Stir in the choc chips, marzipan and sunflower seeds
  5. In another bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy
  6. Add one egg at a time and beat well as you go
  7. Stir in the mashed banana and almond extract (don’t beat or it will look unappetisingly split – although it doesn’t affect the final result)
  8. Tip in the flour mixture and stir together until just combined
  9. Coax into the loaf tin, make sure it gets into all the corners
  10. Smooth the top and sprinkle over flaked almonds
  11. Bake for 1 hour then use a skewer to check if its done – if you poke it into the middle of the loaf, it should come out clean. If it’s not, give it a further 15 mins or so

Leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins, then lift out using the baking paper and cool on a rack until completely cold. Wrap with foil and leave 24 hours before you eat it.

Chorizo rice

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Savoury, delicious, one-pot dinner. Feeds 4

  • 200 g raw cooking chorizo, cut into cubes
  • 1 red onion, peeled and diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
  • 1 red chilli, sliced
  • 200 g tomatoes – large ones diced, small ones halved
  • 10 g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
  • 1 chicken stock cube
  • 1 tbsp capers, roughly chopped
  • Ground black pepper
  • 200 g basmati + wild rice (or any other rice you fancy)
  • 350 ml boiling water
  • Fresh coriander and parsley, chopped
  1. Heat a large deep frying pan (one with a lid) on a low heat and add the chorizo (no oil needed)
  2. Cook gently for 7–8 mins, stirring occasionally until browned and the oil has leaked out
  3. Add the onions, garlic and chilli and fry until softened
  4. Stir in the tomatoes, coriander, stock cube, capers and a decent amount of ground black pepper
  5. Cover the pan and simmer for 7 mins, stirring a couple of times until the tomatoes have broken down
  6. Add the rice and stir well to coat until it crackles
  7. Pour over boiling water, turn the heat up and bring to a bubble. Then cover the pan and cook on a low heat for 12 mins, stirring once halfway through
  8. Turn the heat off, but leave the pan covered for a further 10 mins
  9. Fluff up the rice, sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve (maybe with a wedge of lemon on the side)

To bulk it up as a main course, add a pouch of cooked puy or beluga lentils at the end

Shirunushi tantanmen (soupless tantanmen ramen)

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Quick, easy, super-tasty dinner. Spicy, silky, savoury, sesame-rich noodles. All the s-words.

  • 300 g minced pork
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1½ tbsp mirin
  • ½ tsp ground Sichuan pepper
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 3 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 1″ ginger, minced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp doubanjiang/chilli garlic sauce
  • 6 leaves chinese cabbage, chopped
  • Ramen noodles

Tantanmen Sauce

  • 2 tbsp sesame paste/tahini
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1½ tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp rayu
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 100 ml water
  1. Marinate the pork with soy sauce, mirin and sichuan pepper. Set to one side
  2. To make the sauce, mix the sesame paste, soy sauce, maple syrup, rayu and sesame oil. Whisk until smooth then mix in the water. Set to one side
  3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the ramen noodles
  4. Make the pork topping for the tantanmen by heating veg oil over medium-low heat and add the spring onions (saving some of the green bits for a garnish)
  5. Sauté until starting to colour. Add the ginger and garlic and fry until golden
  6. Add the doubanjiang and stir into the oil until it’s all vibrant orange and fragrant (about 20 secs)
  7. Add the marinated pork and any marinade to the pan and break the meat up
  8. Turn the heat up and cook until the pork is cooked through and crumbly
  9. Add the chinese cabbage and cook for another minute until wilted
  10. When the noodles are cooked, drain and transfer into a bowl. Stir in the tantanmen sauce, tossing the noodles to coat
  11. Divide the noodles between 2 bowls then top with the minced pork. Garnish with the reserved spring onion greens, plus some toasted sesame seeds, pickled mustard greens and half a jammy egg if you fancy it