It’s not pretty, but it’s tasty

I am easing myself back into cooking again after my brain op: the freezer food has all been used, and while I am keen to be cooking, I still can’t follow a new recipe (which is a shame as I have bought four new recipe books and am just looking at the pretty pictures!). So I am making simple one pot meals which I know inside out. However, this can get a bit dull so I am looking for new sauces and mixes to spice things up.

Enter the new Capsicana Latin American range.* They have been sat in my cupboard since the week I went in hospital so I have been keen to get some of their sunny, spicy, flavour on to the table.

The brand began after owner Ben found a love of Mexican flavours on his travels. His interest in the use of different chillies across South America grew, and so Capsicana was born. Since August this year, there have been four quick cook sauces available in Sainsbury’s stores across the UK:

• Peruvian chilli and lemon (with Aji Amarillo chillies)
• Cuban chilli and lime (with habanero chillies)
• Mexican chilli and honey (with chipotle and ancho poblano chillis)
• Brazillian chilli and coconut (with hot frutescens chillies)

The idea behind the sauces is simple: add meat, fish or veg and cook for a taste of the area without any lengthy prep. So perfect for my current situation.

I started with the Peruvian chilli and lemon and some very pretty romanesco. I have been wanting to roast up some romanesco for a while, so by doing it this way I was able to make it a meal in itself.

Romanesco looks and tastes fantastic to start, so I choose this sauce to add a citrus tang and some depth with the chilli. When you roast it, romanesco is quite sweet for veg, much like broccoli.

Although it is the mild end of the range, this sauce still has a nice spike of heat. This is perfect as a meal, served as I did for lunch with sweet potato, or as a side to some grilled fish or chicken.

Roast Romanesco

It’s so easy, I can’t even call it a recipe!

• Preheat your oven to 200c.
• Place two small heads of romanesco per person in a shallow baking dish or tray.
• Drizzle with olive oil then spoon 1tbsp of Capsicana over each piece.
• Roast in the oven for 30 mins. Spoon another tbsp over each piece and cook for another 15-25 mins (depending on the size) until it is tender when you put a knife in it.

Yes, you loose the hypnotic look of the veg, but when it tastes this good, who cares!

Midweek Meals

The sauces are great for easy to prep midweek meals. Here’s what I will be doing with the rest:

• Cuban chilli and lime – spoon over salmon fillets and grill to cook.
• Mexican chilli and honey – marinade chicken thighs overnight / 2 hours min. Brown in a medium hot skillet / saute pan then cook in a 200c oven for 45 mins until cooked through.
• Brazillian chilli and coconut – mix into a tin of coconut milk. Heat gently. Serve a whole sea bass over rice as a soupy sauce.

I am embracing easy mid week meals and long may that continue!

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*PR samples