COMFORT FOOD.

Byline: Emma Jenkins

THE True Taste of Wales Awards 2009 are nearly here - a grand ceremony recognising Wales' small and large producers of everything from fresh meats to smoked fish, cured sausages to salad leaves, cheese to baking.

There are 38 awards and the competition is always really high. This year ej catering is going into battle, but not for awards (although we are up for one), but to cook the gala dinner for 450 expectant food experts on November 19, and with less than two weeks to go, the heat is on.

My lists are getting longer and my spread sheets fuller. Harry has had a week off, Bethan got a week in the sun, the kitchen has a new oven and the van has a new gear shift cable!

The location for the awards this year is the Abergavenny Market Hall. An exciting, but challenging venue and also an active working market space.

The True Taste team will gain access at 8pm the evening before. The massive operation of clearing out and setting up the stage, the lighting, the sound, the cameras, the heating, the kitchens and the bar will be done by about 50 people working through the night.

The menu has been planned and practised with a tasting which lasted five hours. I have sourced all the food and most of the drinks, not only from Wales, but mainly from Monmouthshire.

I have learnt how sheep's cheese is churned, visited apple orchards, understood how to pick shitake mushrooms, tasted wines and met so many interesting and passionate producers.

My focus now is cooking and it always amazes me how a large event cranks up the sheer size and quantity of everything.

Four hundred and fifty quenelles of clotted cream will weigh 25 kilos; 45 table runners calculate to 145 metres of hessian - cut up by myself and my mother one evening.

The guests will eat 1,000 cheese biscuits. I will have six chefs, four kitchen porters and 40 waiting staff, six ovens and more than 2,250 pieces of crockery and 3,600 items of cutlery. I have been going to the gym, as these events are physically hard core!

My mother-in-law is staying for the week to look after the babies, and being a vegetarian, I have been cooking for my own freezer at home to know that she is also well looked after. Here is her favourite supper of mine.

Aubergine, hazelnut and chestnut mushroom coconut curry with a sweet pepper harissa You will need for the curry: 1 aubergine cut into chunky pieces Handful of hazelnuts, skinned 1 small onion, sliced 200g chestnut mushrooms, halved 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp chilli powder 1 tsp smoked paprika ' tsp cumin seed ' tsp oregano Olive oil Tin of coconut milk Method Heat the oil in the pan and add spices for a couple of minutes to release their flavour.

Add aubergine, onion, mushroom and garlic and cook in the lovely flavoured oil.

Brown the aubergine and mushroom for about five minutes without burning.

Pour in coconut milk, season with salt and pepper, bring to the boil and reduce the heat to a simmer for 15 minutes.

Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning.

For the sweet pepper harissa: 2 red peppers 2 sweet chillies 2 cloves of garlic Olive oil 1 tsp paprika Salt and pepper Method Roughly chop the peppers and chillies and peel the garlic, rub with oil and seasoning and roast in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes.

Place all the ingredients in a small blender and whiz to a paste, adding more olive oil if required.

Serve this dish with a good quality brown rice with a good dollop of sweet harissa on top