Roasted butternut squash and red onion with tahini and za'atar

I wanted something colourful and summery that fits into the vegetarian category (I know, don't be too alarmed) but that also keeps hunger locked up until the next decent bacon fix. Not an easy task, I must say. Of course my main man Ottolenghi came prancing over the hills, as he often does, with another wonderous answer to all my vegetable questions. 

PIZZA: Two ways (featuring caramelised fennel, crispy prosciutto and roasted red peppers...)

Caramelised fennel, mozzarella, black olives & crispy prosciutto pizza

I had a bad experience with yeast. It scarred me. As touched upon briefly on my date with a bacon scone, I created a monster. Unfortunately it had been whilst using a recipe with a significant amount of chia seeds, meaning I had pretty much rolled up a wad of cash, dunked it in some fizzy yeast and baked it. Moral of the story - don't experiment with large quantities of expensive ingredients. Another moral - research a bit more about yeast and DO NOT WING IT.

Spicy Chorizo and Roasted Tomato Orecchiette

Having recently returned from Valencia, I am already having desparate withdrawal symptoms from the food. The jamón ibérico, the huge, juicy tomatoes, the crispy fried calamari.... We did, however, manage to bring some wonderful bits back with us, including some spicy chorizo, two huge Valencian tomatoes and that lovely ceramic bowl you see before you.