

Shrubs of the non-bushy kind
"It starts with a syrup that’s a combination of vinegar, fruit, and sugar. The fruit tastes like its truest self and the vinegar cuts...
Dec 31, 2024


Pickled fruit
"Pickled fruits go far beyond the role of accompaniment. They can be part and parcel of a recipe, too." Nigel Slater If you remember I...
Dec 30, 2024


Same old, same old ... hiatus
"Downtime is where we become ourselves, looking into the middle distance, kicking at the curb, lying on the grass or sitting on the stoop...
Dec 29, 2024


Café de Paris sauce - or butter?
"This isn’t what any card-carrying Parisian would recognise as steak with Café de Paris sauce, I know, but it is a punchy, meat-free...
Dec 28, 2024


Gravy soup? Why didn't I think of that?
"This is the fridge's finest hour" Nigel Slater I've given up for now ignoring NIgel and Yotam - it's just too hard at this time of the...
Dec 27, 2024


Some post Christmas thoughts
"Boxing Day is a little like being a four-year-old for a day. It releases you from thinking about the future or the past. For twenty-four...
Dec 26, 2024


Sundries
"various items not important enough to be mentioned individually." Oxford Languages Christmas approaches and begins to dominate, so life...
Dec 21, 2024


An AI suggestion
"The unexpected joy of combining pomegranates with traditional pasta" Wix AI Wix has taken to generously providing me with three AI...
Dec 21, 2024


Watermelon and pomegranates
Yesterday's painting of the day from Cézanne was the above - Watermelon and Pomegranates. Well it's food isn't it, so this is my today's...
Dec 19, 2024


From Mrs. Beeton to ...?
"Had people ever lived like this, my suburban mind wondered. Somewhere, might they still be doing so?" Julian Barnes I shall begin this...
Dec 18, 2024


A small triumph
"For some reason, leftover omelettes always come out way tastier than by-the-book ones." atto_del_fatto/reddit First thing to say - I...
Dec 17, 2024


So Christmas is coming ...
"Humans need fantasy to be human, to be the place where the falling angel meets the rising ape." Terry Pratchett The quote above...
Dec 15, 2024


Origins and evolution
I've been thinking a bit about those questions I asked about mantı yesterday - who on earth thought of making such tiny complicated...
Dec 14, 2024


When you've got nothing to do - mantı
"According to Turkish legend, if you really want to impress your guests, your mantı should be small enough so that 40 of them can fit in...
Dec 13, 2024


OK let's do America - sort of
"If you're going to America bring your own food." Fran Lebowitz It seems to me that American food, just like British food, has a bad...
Dec 12, 2024


The cheese board
"When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say?" George Carlin The inspiration for this particular post, although I have thought...
Dec 11, 2024


Why is distressed so loved?
"Indulge in noncommittal decorating" Domino Last week I treated myself - I think I told you - to three new cookbooks. One of these was...
Dec 10, 2024


Cheese rind umami
"Basically, if it comes to a boil, you might as well add rinds." Rebecca Firsker/Today For a year or more, probably more, I have indeed...
Dec 8, 2024


Guilt leads to pistachios - and pasta
It's a long time since I've done a lucky dip. I had one sitting on my desk - Charmaine Solomon's Encyclopedia of Asian Food was the...
Dec 7, 2024


Life, the universe and everything
"If I could define enlightenment briefly I would say it is 'the quiet acceptance of what is." Wayne Dyer I don't think this post will...
Dec 6, 2024

