

Bagatelles
Bagatelle: "a thing regarded as too unimportant or easy to be worth much consideration." Oxford Languages So yes 'bagatelle' is a French word for a trifle: "The French word bagatelle , from the Italian word bagatella , means a trifle or little decorative nothing." Wikipedia And this is an oddments post - full of trifles. A bagatelle trifle is also a specific French Canadian dish of which the magazine Saveur says "The typical bagatelle in La Beauce is a child's delight o
Oct 27, 2025


A ramble beginning with oxtail soup
"Rambling talk with an image of air." William Butler Yeats This particular ramble began today, with a question, to which I haven't really found an answer. Well maybe. Although really it began a few days ago with a vague idea for a blog. It wasn't going to be a ramble down highways and byways. It was just going to be a fairly simple exploration of oxtail soup - my ultimately chosen English soup in my very occasional world soup series. The usual thing - a few words about
Oct 20, 2025


From the street to Michelin stars - first recipe
"there is no such thing as ‘traditional, authentic cuisine’ anywhere. It’s constantly evolving." Thitid “Ton” Tassanakajohn - Michelin star chef Bangkok Before I return yesterday's book to a shelf somewhere I thought I should do a first recipe thing on it, as it will be placed on a shelf that has already been given the first recipe treatment. I also decided retrospectively, having researched a bit, to cover two different dishes here - the first and third recipes in the book.
Oct 17, 2025


Lentils and pasta - minestra?
"Perché la minestra si fredda (because the soup is getting cold)" Leonardo da Vinci Those words are sometimes cited as Leonardo's last...
Oct 11, 2025


Pizza and pineapple - yes or no?
"that conversation never ends well, and in fact never really ends." Itamar Srulovich/The Guardian It's interesting how some foods create...
Oct 4, 2025


And again
" like a lot of good comfort food, the joy of this meal lies in its simplicity and beige-ness." Loukia Constantinou/Vittles "Again", in...
Oct 3, 2025


Old-fashioned asparagus
"No good will come from matching asparagus with anything that might overshadow its gentle nature. Any accompaniment needs to know its...
Oct 2, 2025


"To show sorrow for your sins"
"May your solitary meals be delicious and the company just as good.” Deborah Madison I was feeling depressed - not over anything in...
Oct 1, 2025


Eggs flying off your TikTok app
"There is ultimately more shopping than cooking involved." Tim Dowling / The Guardian This lady's name is Alice Choi, a Korean American...
Sep 29, 2025


From an old writer's block to a new one
At least I now have a title, for today's attempt at a post. And I also have a few ideas buzzing quietly in my head. I took that photo...
Sep 28, 2025


Fried bread
"Not to be confused with fry bread." Wikipedia I sat for a while at my desk trying to think of something to write about but gave up and...
Sep 24, 2025


Defeated by a first recipe
"sometimes the wall is just a wall. There’s nothing to be done but go somewhere else." Margaret Atwood This book has been sitting on my...
Sep 18, 2025


Cheating at cassoulet
"Sometimes in life, we have to make a choice: Idealized fantasy or achievable reality." Adina Steiman/Food and Wine I've been thinking...
Sep 16, 2025


"The existential journey through a bowl of pasta" Wix AI
"In essence, "existential pasta" is a blend of profound feelings and the mundane, showing how the simplest things can trigger deep...
Sep 10, 2025


Scacce ragusana
"a bit like a lasagne crossed with a focaccia and pizza." Lorraine Elliott/Not Quite Nigella This is just one of those short posts,...
Sep 6, 2025


First day of spring - time to think about salad?
"Choose one hero ingredient and let it lead the way." Ottolenghi I'm really not a salad person. There I've said it, as my son would say....
Sep 1, 2025


A lucky dip quickie
"This is Réunion. A union of people from everywhere, blended with vanilla, sugar and rum." Yasmin Khan I am running out of time today,...
Aug 27, 2025


A question about shepherd's pie
On Sunday we had shepherd's pie for dinner because I had leftover lamb from Friday. Whenever we have a roast and have leftovers we...
Aug 26, 2025


Un mélange
Mélange: a mixture, or a group of different things or people" Cambridge English Dictionary time for some oddments, and it's amazing how...
Aug 25, 2025


Leftover roast lamb - Jamie to the rescue
"Lamb leftovers are slightly trickier to use up than beef or chicken. The meat is very fatty, which makes it unctuous and flavoursome...
Aug 22, 2025

