This recipe is a real treat. I also knew fennel was great with fish (usually salmon), but in this simple dish it just picks it up. It’s a great meal if you’re feeling a bit sluggish.

I usually use ordinary spaghetti, but my brother gave me some of this whole wheat spaghetti and I have to say it wasn’t bad. It takes longer to cook than bleached spaghetti, but the nerd couldn’t taste the difference and it’s a slightly rougher texture which just seemed to work.

Ingredients
400g blue eye cod, cut into chunks
1 small bulb fennel, sliced thinly - keep the dill looking bits too
1 clove crushed garlic
1 can tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
olive oil
juice half lemon
handful of spaghetti

Method
Cook your spaghetti in boiling water - I usually bring the water to boil whilst I’m preparing the rest of the meal.

Heat olive oil over low heat, add fennel. Cook for a few minutes until very soft. Add garlic and cook for about a minute. Add can of tomatoes and increase heat to medium. I usually add a teaspoon of sugar when I use can tomatoes and in this recipe it works. Bring to the boil and then turn down to simmer. If you have thrown your spaghetti in to cook excellent. You want your spaghetti in for about three minutes before you add the fish to the tomato sauce. So when you are at this stage add the fish to the simmering tomatoes. The fish will take about 4 minutes to cook and you should turn the heat to low. Just before serving add your lemon juice to the tomato sauce.

Drain your spaghetti and serve on plates topped with the tomato fish sauce and then top with the dill-like fennel bits. I know it’s a really simple recipe, but I was pleasantly surprised!

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There’s nothing special about this recipe, except for the fact you can cook it in half an hour and it will make you feel warm and cosy. Which is probably very wrong for tonight as it’s still about 25 degrees and rather humid…But it’s Friday night, I’m not going out and I felt like drinking red.

On the wine list is a Bluemanna 2001 Merlot, another stella purchase from GraysOnline… anyway it seems like it will do the trick to unwind on a Friday evening.

Serves 4

Ingredients
500g lean mince beef
tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 teaspoon sugar
3 cloves garlic, chopped or squashed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 glass red wine
2 400ml cans tomatoes (I like the whole roma tomatoes)
spaghetti
Parmesan (optional)

Method
Put a big pot of water on to boil for your spaghetti, add some rock salt.

Open wine and pour glass for one. On low heat gently heat oil and add onions. Cook slowly for 5 mins pushing them around and sipping wine. Add teaspoon of sugar and stir until dissolved. Add garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Add mince and turn up heat. I always mash the mince as it cooks so you don’t end up with great big lumps of it. Sip more wine as mashing mince. It will take about 4 mins for the mince to cook. When it’s no longer pink, add 1/2 glass wine (not yours) and stir until the smell disappears, roughly a minute or so.

Add tomato paste and mix well. Add the tins of tomatoes and mash them up - you don’t want whole tomatoes popping up in your bolognese. It’s pretty much finished now, so just add a bit of salt and pepper and turn down to simmer.

Your water should now be boiling to put the spaghetti in. This should take around 6-10 mins to cook, but test it anyway by taking it out and eating.

Drain the spaghetti and serve onto plates (although I prefer bowls). Top with bolognese and then Parmesan, and don’t forget to eat with a glass of red.

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