Pininfarina, the leading Italian design house, is back working with home design leader Calligaris one year after the great success of the Orbital extendable table which won the 2012 Interior Innovation Award.

Pininfarina imagined and designed the Alyon, an innovative padded sofa available in various compositions, sizes and colours.

The seats and the height of the backrests offer great comfort and support, whereas the seat depth makes this sofa suitable both for relaxing and conversation. The central unit features an optional storage drawer while the ottoman, stored under the chaise-longue has a firm padded surface and conceals a compartment and a handy cushion which can be removed and laid on the surface to turn the ottoman into a comfortable seat. The unmistakable Pininfarina touch is obvious in the sculptural support of the chaise-longue which brings to mind their luxury car designs.

The Alyon is available in fabric and leather from our sofa swatch range and is on display in our Beacon South Quarter store

With an average Kube kitchen costing just €4,900 – beautiful is within range.

Ingredients:

We’ve had snow, rain, fog and some bright sunny days but whatever the weather it’s nice to have a lovely warming stew cooked slowly to allow all the flavours to meld together. A tagine is a Moroccan earthenware pot traditionally used to cook these dishes but they can be cooked just as well in a heavy casserole dish. This recipe uses Ras El Hanout; a blend of spices and rose petals that give wonderful soft warmth to the finished dish.

You will need …

4 neck fillets of lamb or shoulder of lamb –cut into 3-4cm cubes
4 level teaspoons Ras El Hanout
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions – peeled and cut into thin wedges
2 cloves garlic – peeled and chopped
1 tin chopped tomatoes
500 mls stock (chicken or vegetable)
250g dried apricots
1 tin chick peas – drained and rinsed
Handful of roughly chopped coriander
Seeds from ½ a pomegranate (optional)

And this is what you do…

1. Mix the Ras el Hanout with the honey and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large bowl, add the diced meat mix well then cover and leave it for an hour or two, (more is fine if you want to get ahead)

2. Heat the remaining oil in a large pan and fry the onions and garlic gently until they start to soften (about 10 mins) then add the lamb along with all the spice mixture, the tinned tomatoes, stock and the apricots. Bring to the boil then cover with a lid and place in the oven at Gas 3 Elec. 160°C for about 2½ hours. Once the meat is tender check the consistency of the sauce. If it is a little thin take the meat out with a slotted spoon (keep it warm) and boil the sauce for a few minutes until it reduces so that it is thick and will coat the meat.

3. Add the chick peas to the sauce and warm them through for 5 minutes and pop the meat back in at the end.

4. Serve in a warm bowl with couscous and garnish with the chopped coriander and a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds.

Couscous is so easy to prepare and goes brilliantly with this and lots of other casseroles. Use 75g per person, place it in a large heatproof bowl with some salt and pepper, cover with an equal amount of boiling water or stock – that is if you use 300g of couscous then use 300mls liquid. Cover the bowl with a plate or cling film and leave to one side for about 10 mins until the liquid has been absorbed. Fluff up with a fork. To add extra flavour you could fork in a finely chopped preserved lemon, and/or some chopped fresh mint, parsley or more coriander.

Creating a space for people to sit and enjoy a glass of wine or cup of coffee, ensures you can still be at the centre of the social gathering while food preparation continues. When designing your breakfast bar at Kube, we encourage our clients to consider raising the surface of the bar.  Your guests will feel much more comfortable sitting at a surface that is marginally separated from your work area, yet still connected enough for their social interaction. Talk to your Kube Designer about various materials we can use to create this look. Choose chunky 50mm or 100mm panels in laminate, solid wood or even stone all of which can  be visually very pleasing on the eye.

Complement your Kube designed Island and raised breakfast bar with some of our stunning new Calligaris stools. Choose from a wide range of styles and colours to complete a look that will be the envy of all your guests.