One of the only recipes this week to not be affiliated with some kind of celebration was Sicilian Pasta from Nigellissima. Having been disappointed by the last pasta sauce I whipped up I was full of trepidation when it came to this one, but I did buy some better tomatoes this time in the hope that they would have more flavour. Again it was very straight forward, cook the pasta and blitz all the other ingredients in the blender – then stir together. I think I’ve hit upon the reason these sauces just aren’t doing it for me, because it is not cooked and simply stirred into hot pasta there is an undeniable taste of raw garlic. Now I didn’t over-egg the pudding, so to speak, and add too much so I don’t understand how I could still taste garlic several hours later. And also I’m not sure about fusilli lunghi either, don’t get me wrong I love the pretty shape of it but I think maybe it’s too thick for my taste – I shan’t be in a rush to buy any more let’s put it that way! 
Pancake Day is always a source of excitement in our house so like a good little girl I whipped up the batter the night before, this allows the flour in the batter to relax and makes much better pancakes. This also saves time on the night itself of course, however I always forget how long it takes to cook a whole heap of pancakes…note to self, next year start earlier! Having purchased a new crepe pan when I was in France last year I was eager to put it to good use, and preparing myself for the obligatory crap first pancake I was pleasantly surprised when it came out perfectly formed (more to do with the pan than me I fear). I thought I had my ‘tossing’ technique perfected, until my husband informed me that I looked absolutely petrified each time – there are two possible reasons for this, firstly I don’t want to ruin a perfectly good pancake, and secondly (far more likely) I don’t want to make a mess of the hob. To accompany our pancakes we had a smorgasbord of toppings, smoked salmon & crème fraiche, cheese & ham, and the traditional lemon & sugar for dessert. As usual by the end of the night the pancake sweats had hit…thank goodness it’s only once a year! 
Now we come to the biggest celebration of the week, Valentine’s Day. As much as I enjoy going out for a meal I also like having the opportunity to cook something a bit more special, to this end I chose Nigella’s Roasted Duck Legs with Potatoes. The reason behind this was that I’ve never cooked with duck before, mainly due to the expense, and also it meant very little effort on my part so that hubby and I could enjoy more of the evening together. It was brilliant, I quickly seared the duck and chopped up the potatoes and then it was popped into the oven for 90 minutes while we sat back and opened the bubbly. I served it with a green salad with pine nuts and a pesto dressing – absolutely divine. Now we don’t very often have dessert, but every now and then I do partake in some of the sweet stuff – so to finish an already awesome meal, I whipped up Nigella’s (yes, her again) Tiramisini. Not only did it look the part, but I had all the ingredients bar the mascarpone so it was also super cheap…and I may have made the full recipe and saved 2 for tonight’s dinner (you can’t waste half a tub of mascarpone now can you?).
Well after one hell of a week I am definitely ready for the weekend, luckily I can pull something out of the freezer for tonight’s dinner – Marrakech Chilli awaits me tonight, and not a horse in sight!
Recipe Count: 22
Target: 52
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