Like many people though, I only really started doing it when I went to university. My meals there were simple and straightforward, but generally good and well above the basic beans on toast standard of so many students.
When I really started doing it properly was about 3 years ago. Living on my own for the first time (rather than with a partner or flatmate), I started to go through some more complicated dishes and elaborate on my skills a bit more. But when I came back down to my hometown to live in September 2011 was when it really all kicked off a lot.
Through the support of my loved ones (especially my other half and family) I received some excellent cooking equipment, some literature and the chance to really experiment properly with my cooking. Since then I've tried cooking dishes from countless origins and using as many different ingredients as possible.
Since then I have managed to produce some pretty good meals, some that actually look worthy of the recipes (Click on pics to zoom):
My inspirations in cooking have been numerous, but my main like is for people like Nigel Slater. He cooks with a completely unpretentious style. He doesn't claim to be a chef, just a man who likes to cooks good, simple, satisfying food and happens to like writing about it.
That, fundamentally, is how I exist within cooking. I don't consider myself anything other than a man who likes to cook, and sometimes likes to share it with others. My taste in food generally stays with relatively simple (albeit often esoteric) food that is satisfying and enjoyable. I don't go in for anything pretentious, I just like to be able to create something that I and others will enjoy.
So, with that in mind, and given that I was on my own for dinner tonight, I felt like sharing one of my favourite simple, satisfying, comforting foods.
Ravioli per l'anima
(Ravioli for the Soul)
So, for this recipe, I use some filled ravioli (beef and chianti in this case), and cook it in a tomato, chorizo and sausage ragu.
So, to start, take your sausages of choice (I actually used Cumberland here rather than Italian because I like the peppery flavour) and cut them into pieces so that they are approximately cubed as so:
Then slice some thin chorizo and have it ready to go. Whilst you're preparing, also get a pan of water on the go for the pasta, and you can have a pan ready for the sauce if you like. You can actually do the sausage and chorizo in the same pan that you'll eventually do the sauce in, but I happened to have my trusty skillet ready this time.
Cook the sausages so that they are very nearly done, preferably making them a little crispy on the skins. Once you've got to this stage, whack the chorizo into the same pan to cook off. You only need to cook the chorizo so that the oils start to come out, which will probably only be a minute or so at a decent heat. Once these are done, place them in the saucepan for your sauce.
I always base my tomato sauces on passata, simply because I do not like the texture of real tomatoes very much, but you can use chopped tomatoes if you prefer. Add the passata into the saucepan with the sausage and chorizo (important to do this from the beginning as it adds the flavour of the meat properly) and begin to simmer the sauce. Add plenty of black pepper and oregano, and simmer the sauce until it begins to thicken.
Whilst this is going on, boil your water and put in your ravioli. Fresh pasta, even filled, will only take three minutes or so to cook in boiling water, so don't overdo it too much. The best way to tell is always to taste the pasta.
Once the ravioli is done, drain it (doesn't need to be completely drained) and then add it in to the sauce. Stir thoroughly to make sure everything is combined and hot, and then serve into your choice of dish. Sprinkle some cheese atop the dish and there you go.
It isn't a sophisticated dish. It can look a bit of a mess and it is hardly health food. But I'll tell you this; it's comforting, it's simple and more than anything...
It is delicious.
That's my kind of cooking.
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