Bobby Flay's salmon with a tangy, sweet salad dressing

It seems that I haven't cooked or eaten for 5 months. What happened? Where did the seasons go? Looking back at these photos of brightly coloured food is quite depressing now as I sit listening to the rain and notice the skies start to darken at 3.31pm. My Summer was filled with relative visits and barbecues nearly every evening since our large gas grill was dragged from the roof top to the balcony. It was a whirlwind, 6 weeks of feeding parents with that excitement of having extra people to impress. Now it's just our little family of three again and more humble offerings.

Red curry & basil salmon

I visited Thailand in 2010. It was one of those places in South East Asia that I had always considered to be a cheap option compared to somewhere like Bali or Malaysia, for several reasons. I know groups of young boys who have visited for one reason only, movies like The Beach only add to the idea that the place is overrun with zealous young backpackers and drug dealers and places like Phuket seem too loud and party - like for young couples. I was gravely mistaken. I'm sure much of all I just mentioned is quite common in areas and even our luxurious hotel boasted some scandalous activity involving football shirt wearing European men and certain young Thai lovelies, but there is so much more. The culture, warmth and hospitality of the people is overwhelming, the scenery spectacular, the weather glorious and the food is simply amazing. I'm not going to give you a essay about all I ate and discovered there, but if you're interested, you can read here. 

A salmon on the Wild side

There's nothing more satisfying than having someone else cook dinner for you. This rings especially true when the initial plan was made in a drunken haze and subsequently forgotten. Marcus called at 3.45pm, just as I was thinking about popping over to the local supermarket to buy some ingredients. Chinese food was featuring in my mind but Marcus offered salmon wrapped in Prosciutto with lentils, spinach and yogurt. Yes please. This meal is somewhat of a magnum opus for Marcus. He has the recipe printed onto a piece of paper yellowing at the edges and splattered with oil stains, (as all good recipes should) and has made it for us at least once before. The idea came from a Jamie Oliver recipe I once copied for him but now long lost.