green apple sorbet

polenta-coated potato chips

25 April 2010

The perfect accompaniment to teriyaki mushroom burgers. Or indeed, to any other kind of burger. Or do something really radical and just eat them on their own. Easy and delicious, you’ll never buy frozen oven chips again. Polenta-Coated Potato Chips 1 large potato per person cooking oil handful of polenta per person sea salt Preheat […]

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teriyaki mushroom burgers

24 April 2010

This is a fantastic alternative to conventional burgers, whether you’re vegetarian or not. Portobello mushrooms have a fabulously meaty texture and hold their shape perfectly when grilled. I would recommend serving them with some robust polenta-coated chips to delightfully complement the sweetness of the marinade. The word teriyaki derives from the Japanese noun teri, which […]

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YO! Sushi school

18 April 2010

Wow. That is, in a word, how I would sum-up the sushi school I attended this morning at YO! Sushi in Farringdon. In the same the kitchen where they train their professional chefs, we were shown how to sharpen and handle the yanagi-ba (special sashimi knife); how to cut salmon, tuna and sea bass for […]

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weekend soup

17 April 2010

I cut this recipe out of a newspaper supplement recently as it reminded me of something a good family friend used to make. I was delighted with how well it turned out, and how easy it was to make (especially since I had lots of work to do on my embryonic kitchen garden today…). This […]

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dig it

13 April 2010

I was delighted to receive, in the post this morning, a ‘grow your own grub’ pack from BBC Dig In, a campaign to get the people of Britain growing their own vegetables. Five packets of seeds, a guide on how to grow them, and…erm, a sheet of stickers. And all for free, how very nice. […]

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how to ripen avocados quickly

11 April 2010

I just discovered this and it really works. If you plan on making some tasty guacamole in the next few days – or indeed, tostados, tacos, quesadillas or even just a lovely chicken sandwich – but the only avocados you can find are annoyingly unyeilding, pop them in a brown paper bag with a ripe […]

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magic beans

9 April 2010

Glistening… Herby… Soothing… Huge Greek butter beans, soft and chubby as babies’ fists. An unctuous tomato sauce with an aroma that fills the house. I urge you to make these this weekend if you can – they will not disappoint. Absolutely brilliant served with sausages. Fasolia Gigantes, from the Guardian Weekend section, 24 September 2005 […]

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tarty (pink) ladies

8 April 2010

So this post is bound to get some interesting traffic ;). If you’ve come here for titillation, I’m afraid you might be disappointed – unless apple tarts do it for you of course (which is in fact highly possible and in which case you’re in for a treat). These ones are simply awesome. Not much […]

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spring chicken risotto

7 April 2010

Yesterday there was a glimmer of change in the weather – finally. Today, not so good. But anyway, while the momentary warmth was here, I celebrated with a chicken risotto. It’s the perfect dish to make if you have leftover roast chicken to use up and/or not a huge amount of culinary motivation after a […]

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Easter egg epilogue

6 April 2010

Making homemade Easter eggs is a real labour of love. It requires patience, commitment, nerves of steel and (ideally) hands of marble, not to mention the willingness to scrub the inevitable countless chocolate splashes from all over your kitchen after the event. But since I’m never one to turn down a culinary challenge – the […]