Wild mushroom, chicken and bacon risotto

The girlfriend and I decided to save some money and make dinner at home tonight.

We followed a variation of this +BBC Good Food recipe for a wild mushroom, chicken and bacon risotto.

Source: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/7744/wild-mushroom-chicken-and-bacon-risotto.

We did however made a few changes, due to personal preference:

• Added some courgettes.
• Used jarred mushrooms instead of dried mushroom.
• Used less butter.

...but it was otherwise more or less the same as the recipe above.

Here's the end result...

I'm not one for presentation but importantly I thought it actually tasted pretty good and it was quite easy to make.

P.S. I got all the ingredients from German supermarket Lidl.  Anyone who knows me knows my favourite supermarket is normally Aldi - it's cheap yet quality.  Today I decided to give Lidl a go and I have to say I thought the Lidl ingredients were at least as good on this occasion.

Come to Fora for excellent Mediterranean & Turkish food in London

When I visited Turkey a few years ago, I remember the food being enjoyable and the people being hospitable. So when I found a toptable deal for highly-rated Fora - a Turkish and Mediterranean restaurant near Liverpool Street and Aldgate in the City of London - I booked a table.

As part of the deal, you get all the cold and hot mezes on the set menu, plus a choice of one main course. A free glass of sparkling wine is thrown in, too - all for £17.50.

The feta borek was new to me; basically it's a bit like a samosa but with cheese in the middle - very tasty. My friend said, "this is the best samosa I've ever had" - even though it's not a samosa. The falafel was crispy on the outside, yet moist in the middle.

Hot mezes: spinach & feta borek and falafel.

Cold mezes: tabbouleh, kisir, hummus and manca.

The girlfriend and I had the centik special (grilled cubes of lamb, chicken and kofte on top of thinly sliced potato fries, and topped with yoghurt). Ignoring the fact that the yoghurt looks a bit like a poached egg, this was a delicious dish. The sauce was wonderfully seasoned and all the meats were wonderfully cooked. Despite the small dish size, there was plenty of meat here and I definitely felt full after.

Centik special.

The mixed grill looked awesome and, judging by how quickly my friend ate it, it clearly tasted good too!

Mixed grill.

The restaurant also had a nice atmosphere. This was helped by the live guitarist, Faruk Ceviz, who plays evenings Tuesday-Saturday. He played a mixture of new and old songs throughout the evening, including Justin Timberlake and Michael Jackson, which I did not expect! It sounded very good and made the evening more enjoyable as a result.

In fact, our table got chatting to Faruk - a friendly chap - and it turns out he is also a composer (some of his work can be found on his YouTube channel).

Faruk Ceviz.

Efes definitely reminds me of my holiday in Istanbul and Antalya, Turkey! I think I had this every day with most meals.

Overall, I have to say that Fora is an excellent restaurant with good food, atmosphere and music - all backed up by friendly service staff. Would definitely come again.

Closest Tube: Liverpool Street and Aldgate
Address: 34-36 Houndsditch, London, EC3A 7DB