Have I forgotten an ingredient? I feel like I have...

[allhailtheaubergine]

To serve on tagliatelle:

Fried up an onion and some garlic. Added mushrooms and cooked for a bit. Added sherry, salt and pepper. Will stir in cream before serving.

But I've forgotten something... haven't I?

ham? Pancetta?

grated parmesan?

No, vegetarian.

Parmesaan. Good call.

I'd fling in some thyme or oregano with that too. Sounds delicious.

Basil! not thyme. Oregano is ok though.

Yes, parmesan is what you were mostly missing.

Basil, oregano, bit of paprika, dried chillies

Ah, but Thumb mushrooms, thyme and sherry are a divine combination - one of my favourite tapas dishes.

you're mixing your Meds there, Rockstock!

There is something in thyme (and rosemary) that I'm not over keen on, probably the thymol - but lemon thyme is not so bad and is superb on salmon, baked in the oven with white wine and grapes.

Now that salmon sounds rather delish. Please tell me I don't have to peel the grapes and I might just cook that for supper tomorrow.

I love pasta, and some of my combinations will probably make some of you go but on tasting them you would change your to a .

One of my favourite lunches when I was working FT was from a little Italian deli off Dover Street was minced chicken, mushrooms, sherry and THYME with tagliatelli.... So bloody good I think I probably ate it every other day for two years

no, definitely don't peel the grapes. You can use red or white grapes as well - both work well. We haven't done it with yer ackshual black grapes though - dunno how they'd work out. Half an hour in the oven wrapped in foil - scrummy!

Chicken and thyme do go well together but I don't eat chicken. Makes me sick, annoyingly.

I shall be doing it tomorrow then, and will report back with my findings. These are generally based on whether the small incredibly irksome urchin eats it.

Y'know the sort of thing - last week loved the salmon I cooked her, week before looked at me as if i'd served her mouldy tripe, when it was the same dish.

How strange with chicken - is it all poultry or just chicken?

chicken and guineafowl so far. Most others seem to be ok. Turkey is fine, thank goodness!