something that i often have in the freezer is packs of chicken thighs and i’m always thinking about different ways to cook them. this week the winning choice involved north african flavours and the development of a dish that i’ll definitely be making again.

the gentle richness of the chicken contrasted with the fresh piquancy of the preserved lemons and it is definitely worth using them.

preserved lemons last for ages so don’t be put off from making or buying them. if you want to buy them i like the belazu brand. and while you’re looking at their lemons, their rose harissa and smoked chilli jelly are great too. the chilli jelly is particularly lovely with strong cheddar and oat biscuits!

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rabbit is one of the foods that i’ve never eaten. i had a pet rabbit when i was growing up and that’s how i think of rabbits – as pets not food. this is different to chickens which we also had (for eggs) but regularly ate.

however, a few weeks ago, after watching the river cottage treatment (the latest hugh fearnley-whittingstall show which encourages people to think about where their food comes from and be ethical in how they source their food), i said yes when someone offered me a rabbit. after all, i eat other animals, why not try this one?

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when i was in pisa last weekend i ate a beautiful dish – farro con pesto e vongole.

i have been thinking about it all week but haven’t managed to find any farro yet, so decided to look at cooking with barley in its absence.

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earlier in the month i attended a chocolate truffle workshop, which was kindly arranged by johanna in preparation for this month’s sugar high friday, which she is hosting with the theme of chocolate truffles!

having been to the workshop with johanna i knew i had to participate and the only question was what sort of truffles to make. dipped truffles (when you make the filling then dip them in melted chocolate to coat them) were too time-consuming given i was away at the weekend, so i decided to take a simpler route.

inspired by a hugh fearnley-whittingstall recipe for a chestnut chocolate fridge cake i created some winter truffles.

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