

I'm not quite sure about this book
"No matter what food I make, or where or what I eat, taste is everything." Sabrina Ghayour I was aware of Sabrina Ghayour because of her first book Persiana , references to which I come across now and again. I look out for it every now and then, but it has disappeared from the bookshops - just like NIgel Slater's earlier books. They don't stock old books unless they are huge sellers because there is always something new. So when I saw this one on a Readings bargain table
Dec 18, 2025


Wasabi with tahini?
"Embrace the wasabi and think of it as a hot mustard." Sue Li/New York Times The above photograph of Chicken and celery salad with Wasabi-tahini dressing by Sue Li comes from one of my desktop calendar pages, the recipe for which and a longer introduction, can be found on the Seattle Times website. As you probably know by now I'm not really into salads, but this one looks like a possibility - but wasabi and tahini? My first reaction was 'weird'. Why would you do that?
Dec 16, 2025


Beetroot mezze - well small things?
"For me, a mezze dish has to be completely self-contained - fully flavoured and ready to go without needing anything else to make sense." Yotam Ottolenghi Ok - this is not really a small thing. It's Beetroot and red onion tarte tatin by Elena Silcock on the BBC Good Food website and I'm in the process of making it - or something like it now. Why? Well it's our last local book group meeting tonight, for which we all bring a plate. I'm hosting, and my particular challeng
Dec 3, 2025


A Persian comfort dish
"a nostalgic Iranian childhood snack" Naz Deravian/The New York Times It began with The New York Times' Naz Deravian and yesterday's desk diary dish Dooymaaj salad - an intriguing enough name for me as a foodie blogger, to have a second look. You may not be able to access the recipe because eventually The New York Times retreats behind a pay wall. However, I'm guessing that you are unlikely to give this a try anyway. This is one of those dishes from other places in th
Nov 29, 2025


Hawaij, spice mixes and marketing
The other day I bought this expensive jar of Ottolenghi hawaij paste. It was on a special, I was just filling in time waiting for David for some reason I cannot now remember, wandering around Woolworths when I spied it. I had noticed Hawaij a lot here and there, or so I thought, and I was feeling a bit down, and so I thought 'why not?' and put it in my trolley. I feel a tiny bit cross at myself, because there are lots of recipes online for a hawaij spice mix, and it's not
Oct 23, 2025


How to begin a cookbook
"an ode to the food of my childhood, a mash up of food from Bahrain and the surrounding countries, with a slightly Westernised take,...
Aug 13, 2025


Sfouf cake
Working my way through my email newsletters and looking for something relatively quick and simple I came across the above in a newsletter...
Jul 14, 2025


The problems with first recipes
"Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life so. Aim above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something." Henry...
Apr 15, 2025


Lessons from a Persian mama
"This is a blog about food, pretty food pictures, love of life and celebrating different cultures" Hora Time for a look at another food...
Mar 12, 2025


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


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


The heritage of Australia's Ottolenghi
"And this, I think, is the key: whatever the motivations for wanting to change one's diet, for us, first and foremost, food has to be...
Nov 29, 2024


Nigel's essential marinades
"little kitchen lifesavers" Nigel Slater This is the last of my Nigel's A Cook's Book Essentials - a group of first recipes, and these...
Nov 16, 2024


Cool as a cucumber
"Pert as a pear-monger I'd be, If Molly were but kind; Cool as a cucumber could see The rest of womankind" John Gay 1732 I was going to...
Sep 26, 2024


A Turkish? salad - collected or created?
"a thrilling mix of flavours, textures and colours that is almost too glorious to look at." Claudia Roden Geography is what has guided...
Sep 22, 2024


That lucky dip - lamb and Greg Malouf
"In some ways, the name of the recipe builds a level of excitement and expectation of the dish that can improve the experience of...
Jun 5, 2024


The delights and annoyances of a Persian lunch
“One of the joys of restaurants is that they’re a brilliant place for disclosure. If you’re going, ‘Sorry, what? You did what? To whom?’...
Apr 29, 2024


Variations - granola
"There is no real recipe for it, as it is made to the taste of the person preparing it." Family Spice Yes I know - this is not granola. ...
Apr 8, 2024


Authenticity - a book and a soup
"When you give of yourself through a dish, you aren't just feeding somebody's physical hunger, but a deeper longing for home, for a safe...
Apr 4, 2024


M'jadrah - the smell of onions
"the dish far surpasses the sum of its parts—who knew such humble elements could taste so dynamic?" Kate Williams/Serious Eats I am...
Mar 27, 2024

