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One of the best Christmas presents (for me at least) is a cookery book. You can spend the closing days of the old year planning meals for the coming one. Thus ...

... from Hugh F-W's recent volume based around three ingredients (although from the off he cheats a bit - but who cares?) this very easy & toothsome lunchtime dish.

We adapted it a little but the basic premise is the same. So:

- prepare your lentils (we simmered them with some pureed garlic & a bay leaf)

- fry some diced chorizo (this is our twist)

- prepare the dressing - a mix of olive oil, lemon juice, mustard & sugar according to taste

- drizzle some of the dressing on the lentils as they cool

- wash & slice the cabbage leaves, plunge into boiling water (1 minute) & then refresh

- chop half an avocado

Then, putting it all together ...

Take a bowl, mix together the lentils, avocado, cabbage & chorizo. Add the dressing.

That's it - & it is really tasty.

It just so happened we had some cold salmon left over in the fridge (à la Murakami) & I had had a second serving using it up. Perhaps even better. For next time: why not add in some tangy goat's cheese? 

Give it a try Gastronauts - as Floyd would say (Keith not Pink). 

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& now for some ear food. Here's a CD I happened upon in the Mediatheque on the last day of 2014. What a great way to tune into 2015 ... 

Exactly the kind of album ECM does best. The interplay of guitar & piano against the sax with bass underpinnings ... faultless. Reminds me of Jarrett's My Song - praise indeed.