

From 'De lasanis' to M.E. mac 'n' cheese with za'atar pesto
"cooks keep tinkering with macaroni cheese, oblivious to the way that, with their metaphorical dubs and bonus beats, they are frittering...
Sep 25, 2022


A postscript
"chefs are the kind of wizards who are bursting to share the many spells they’ve learned about food that they have transported from the...
Sep 4, 2022


Ajo blanco - I'm confused
"Despite the name of the soup, garlic is rarely the principal ingredient in ajo blanco, which I would characterise instead as an almond...
Sep 1, 2022


Angels, cocktails and cakes
“When one has tasted watermelon he knows what the angels eat.” Mark Twain In Rome, in front of the Castello Sant'Angelo is the Ponte...
Aug 31, 2022


A fish recipe I might try and skordalia
Once again I'm somewhat uninspired but it's not the weather's fault this time as it's been a beautiful day - blue skies, and no wind and...
Aug 27, 2022


Define cooking
"Cooking is creating emotion" Joel Robuchon This gorgeous looking dish from a London chef called Meedu Saad is called Fried courgette...
Aug 25, 2022


Samosas and/or bhajias for Zoe
"What you are tasting is the story of India itself - the product of the fluid forces of the great migrations and interactions that shaped...
Aug 22, 2022


Tonnato - not what it used to be
"It’s like that Dr. Seuss book everyone gets when they graduate—Oh the Places You’ll Go!—but for a mayo-based sauce. Inspiring." Alex...
Aug 20, 2022


Carbonnade Flamande - have I got the right beer?
"It occupies that culinary space that makes it feel like it's both comfort food and a decadent treat." Diversivore I started this...
Aug 4, 2022


Crumbs
"something you wish to share with your online friends." Urban Dictionary "a small fragment" Merriam-Webster Actually I think that first...
Jul 30, 2022


World lasagna day
"Where the dish has endured is on the shelves of the supermarket." Sarah Barell/National Geographic I bet you didn't know it was World...
Jul 29, 2022


Scrambled eggs - I think I've been here before
"everybody has his own method, which is invariably the right and proper one." Elizabeth David I feel sure I've done all this before, and...
Jul 26, 2022


Coq au vin - slow food or quick and easy?
"The entire recipe for coq au vin in one popular cookbook, now in its third printing, read: 'Cut up two broilers. Brown them in butter...
Jul 25, 2022


From Aqua Pazza to Fish poached in charred tomato broth
"There are many different variations of this sauce, from light broths, to thick tomato based sauces, which have been found on all types...
Jul 23, 2022


Precious - in what sense?
A Simple Dish of Potato Cooked in the Earth In Which It Was Grown The photograph is of a dish devised by Ben Shewry in his Attica...
Jul 22, 2022


The Bordelaise challenge
"Classic bordelaise sauce, which can transform shoe leather into strip steak, is made with veal stock, demi-glace and time - a lot of...
Jul 20, 2022


Ignoring writer's block tricks
"Quotes are nothing but inspiration for the uninspired" Richard Kemp I'm going through one of my uninspired patches, which is when I...
Jul 18, 2022


When you need special equipment - cannoli
"Never buy a cannoli that’s been sitting ready-filled. The tubes should be piped full of sweetened ricotta for each customer on demand,...
Jul 16, 2022


Baklava - a request
"Portions should be very small" Claudia Roden Baklava is always made in this house for get togethers with the neighbours. Why? Because...
Jul 14, 2022


A lost recipe - losing my mind
“It’s pretty confusing.” “Good. Be confused. Confusion is where inspiration comes from.” Robyn Mundell, Brainwalker The other day - I...
Jul 11, 2022

