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.

Cigalon: Provençal food in London

Cigalon was the first Provençal restaurant I've been to and I enjoyed the food there; I can certainly see why it has had some good reviews. Located in Chancery Lane, London, it features a modern and cosy interior - perfect for a dinner after work with the girlfriend.

We tried out Cigalon's three-course set menu for £20, which included a champagne cocktail. Not bad value, but would this be at the expense of quality and portion size? No - the food was pretty good.

First there was a selection of breads and tapenade (like an olive spread). This was the first time I've come across tapenade and - I won't lie - I did have to look it up to find the name! It's certainly a nice change from the usual butter or olive oil & vinegar.

Tapenade.

For the starter, I ordered Tripes 'Bastiasises', a dish consisting of tripe (obviously), gnocchi and olives in a tomato sauce. This was a really well-seasoned dish and there was not a single bland flavour, while the tripe was not overly chewy.

Tripes 'Bastiasises'.

The girlfriend ordered the guinea fowl for her mains. All the flavours complemented each other well and she particularly enjoyed the crispy topping of the Provençal tomatoes.

Roasted Guinea Fowl Breast & Tomatoes Provençal. 

I had the asparagus and ricotta risotto. The risotto had a good bite and there was a decent amount of asparagus in it. It was rich but not too rich.

Asparagus & Ricotta Risotto.

For dessert, we both ordered the chocolate moelleux, blackcurrant & violet sorbet. Individually, each part of the dessert had strong flavours but things worked well together. The chocolate moelleux was very rich, but this was tempered by the sour sorbet and the vanilla-like sauce.

Chocolate Moelleux, Blackcurrant & Violet Sorbet. 

The restaurant has a rather understated exterior and is located in a part of the street that's easy to miss. However, inside it was bustling with people, mostly I'm assuming enjoying their meals. Service was good too and we had a very friendly waiter. It's worth a visit.

Champagne cocktail.

Nearest Tube: Chancery Lane or Temple