

A medley
Medley: "a varied mixture of people or things." Oxford Languages In a post-Christmas lazy lull, and on a hot day, I am resorting to little bits and pieces. I feel a bit like this quote I found in the Smitten Kitchen newsletter: "confused, full of cheese and unsure of the day of the week." So oddments from here and there ... 'Medley' implies some sort of organisational process behind the combination of this and that to me. A selection has been made with an overriding t
Dec 31, 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


Nasturtiums - a first recipe ramble
" Besides being delectable, these floral “greens” seem indulgent, whimsical, and oh-so-gourmet." Kitchen Lane The painting is by Monet. He loved them so much that one of the alleys in his garden at Giverny - the main one in fact - was lined with profuse beds of nasturtiums. Everybody says they grow like weeds - are weeds in fact - in the western world anyway - having originated in Central and South America - and then having been brought back by the conquistadores, they spr
Nov 27, 2025


It starts with the plate
"I am so obsessed with my serving platters that before I decide on what to cook, I first select the platters I want to serve it on ." ...
Oct 10, 2025


Contrasts and a bit about layers
"Sweet meat must have a sour sauce" Ben Jonson (1572-1637) Opposites attract they say, although I'm not at all sure that this is true...
Sep 17, 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


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


Samples
"a small amount of something that shows you what the rest is or should be like" Cambridge Dictionary Samples is perhaps particularly...
Jul 19, 2025


Carrot salads
"Creative freedom is a huge carrot." Adam McKay I don't think Adam McKay meant, what I have taken to mean from the above quote. I think...
May 30, 2025


Mouthfuls
Mouthful "an amount of food or drink that fills your mouth, or that you put into your mouth at one time" Cambridge English Dictionary...
Apr 24, 2025


Chaat
"anything – crisps, samosas, leftover chana masala – can be chaat" Diya Mukherjee/Vittles I have been increasingly aware of late of...
Apr 8, 2025


That other problem
"Of course, you could wait to eat until after the sun goes down, if you have the backbone." Zoe Williams/The Guardian This is a problem...
Jan 30, 2025


Green beans in a salad
There are few ingredients that can do anything for a french bean ... but a little chopped shallot, melted butter or a crushed clove of...
Jan 4, 2025


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


Coleslaw - not what it used to be
"Like many other culinary words – carpaccio, confit, trifle – its meaning has broadened, and now cabbage may not even be present at all."...
Oct 30, 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


Olio
Olio: "A dish of many ingredients" Dictionary.com "a miscellaneous mixture" Merriam Webster Dictionary I confess I thought 'olio'...
Sep 12, 2024

