

Indian cookbooks - then and now
"Books, even cookbooks, are written for a diversity of reasons and it is often more profitable to enquire why they have been written than analyse their contents in an uncritical manner. " Shylashri Shankar/The Peepul Tree I guess this particular post stems from one of those books on my desk - The Food of India - a large beautiful book which I picked up from the op shop for a song. Like it's companions in this series from the Murdoch stable on various world cuisines, it feat
Nov 4
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Disappointing
"Disappointments are inevitable; discouragement is a choice . " Charles Stanley I like to have on my desk, a desk calendar - one of those things that stands on your desk waiting for you to tear off each day as it passes. I also have a diary - yes I use a paper diary. My excuse is age. Normally I have an art based one. I like to see paintings I don't know, discover beautiful pictures and new artists, even occasional blog inspiration. However, last year as the possibilitie
Oct 26
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'Vegetarian mushroom shawarma pitas' - boring
"Novelty, the most potent of all attractions, is also the most perishable." Andre Maurois Once again I'm repeating myself, and also...
Jul 20
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Black bottom oatmeal pie
"Women judge a pie by its crust, men by its filling." Sue Hubbell/The New Yorker To be honest I'm on the verge of abandoning this post,...
Apr 4
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The ordinariness of pasta
"Every day millions of us are united in doing the same thing. We take a packet of pasta from the shelf, we tip the shapes into boiling...
Mar 13
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Baked feta pasta - Again
"It's endlessly adaptable, all but foolproof. Most of all, it's just really, really good." Mary Elizabeth Williams/Salon Uninspired as...
Mar 9
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Asparagus in Hong Kong
"I can get quite excited in Hong Kong when I am served a dish of crisp asparagus that is tinged with sesame oil." Madhur Jaffrey And...
Mar 7
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Roasting vegetables
"Clearly, roasting is really the only way to treat vegetables if one hopes to be modern." J. Bryan Lowder/Slate In 1993 Delia Smith...
Jan 12
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Collectors and/or creators
"it’s about familiarising yourself with ingredients and understanding flavours." Alex Hely Hutchinson There are so many things that you...
Sep 20, 2024
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Not quite Pasta alla Norma
"Eggplant is slowly fried until burnished and rich with olive oil, then served with pasta in a garlicky tomato sauce and garnished with...
Aug 10, 2024
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Spaghetti pie, cake, slice ...
"simple, luxurious, yet slightly trashy" Jamie Oliver I didn't get to finish this post yesterday because I spent too much time in the...
Jul 18, 2024
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Old fashioned magic - possets
"Posset is persistent. It’s patient. It seems archaic and impossible, but it’s also just a boozy custard which is very easy to...
Apr 27, 2024
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Living in a tourist town
"culture feeding tourism feeding culture." Ros Atkins/The Guardian Before I embark on this post just a note to say that there is a...
Feb 23, 2024
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Salmon and pesto
This is going to be our dinner tonight - Delia's Roasted salmon fillets with a crusted pecorino and pesto topping. I'm pretty sure I've...
Jan 6, 2024
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Focaccia - very old and also new
"Of all the Mediterranean breads, focaccia (fugassa in the local dialect) - one of the great triumphs of Ligurian cooking - is the...
Nov 17, 2023
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Chowder
"A velvety mélange of fresh clams, sweet cream and even fresher corn off the cob, it is definitely more than a mere pottage. It is...
Oct 22, 2023
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Tradition and black cake
"Tradition is only about what people have or have not done. It's not about what they are capable of doing. And it's not about what they...
Oct 11, 2023
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The second time around
I tried to find an appropriate quote for this post, but although I found quotes about 'the second time around' they were almost all...
Aug 15, 2023
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Biryani extremes
"Essentially, it’s your favourite chicken curry (or vegetable or other protein of choice) buried under a mound of delicately spiced...
Jul 22, 2023
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Welsh cakes
"Unforgettably flaky, tender, almost melt-in-your-mouth texture that’s punctuated with sweet currants and laced with a wonderful hint of...
Jul 12, 2023
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