It’s only been nine months since I launched Mrs Portly’s Kitchen, but as it’s traditional round about now to look back over the year, I thought it might be fun to share the 10 most popular posts so far. Continue reading
Mrs Portly’s Top 10
10
Category Archives: Cook books and blogs
Beef and Pigeon Pie
Darina Allen – love those trainers
Picture courtesy of Ballymaloe Cookery School
A British newspaper recently published a sympathetic, even enthusiastic profile of Irish cookery guru Darina Allen, but whoever wrote the headline needs a good slap. Continue reading
Not A Peasant’s Pheasant
Picture by Gidzy
On any given day our garden looks a bit like a scene from a Disney film. Bunnies abound, deer drop by on a regular basis, squirrels are nutty about us and pheasants, pigeons and partridges form sociable flocks as they forage round the flower beds. Continue reading
Cheese, Please! Challenge
I’m enormously (unfortunate choice of word) fond of cheese. I can scarf a large wedge at one sitting, even after a hefty (there I go again) meal. One of my favourite food bloggers, the witty and always interesting author of Fromage Homage, publishes a monthly challenge for fellow turophiles.
November’s challenge is for recipes with smoked cheese. Apparently you get additional points for smoking your own cheese using a tin can and a soldering iron while wearing a ridiculous cardigan. Continue reading
Sinfully Tempting Devil’s Food Cake
Our niece Alex was saddled with me for a whole day recently. Knowing her fondness for cakes, I suggested a baking session to while away the hours.
Her eyes lit up.
“Lemon cake?” I said, tentatively.
Her face fell.
“Chocolate cake?”
Bingo! Big smile. Continue reading
Mrs Portly and the Huffington Post
My heart’s been in my mouth for a couple of weeks but I’m chuffed to bits to be able to announce that with immediate effect the Huffington Post will be publishing posts from Mrs Portly’s Kitchen. Continue reading
Royal Fillet of Beef
It cost an arm and a leg but it was indescribably delicious. Continue reading
Spicy Lamb with Aubergines and Couscous
I am a big fan of Yotam Ottolenghi. I always liked eating his imaginative Middle Eastern-inspired food in his restaurants when I lived in London and now I often cook from his books at home.
I can honestly say I have never cooked one of his dishes which wasn’t a) delicious and b) didn’t work perfectly first time. They also look really beautiful – who can resist a scattering of jewelled pomegranate seeds? Continue reading
Korean Cookery
North Korean border guard
Picture by Jon Frewin
One of the more surreal, fascinating and occasionally discomforting experiences of my life was to visit North Korea on a day trip from the South. Continue reading
Butter Chicken
I’m a pushover for cookery books and when my good friend Karon told me she’d made the best curry she’d ever eaten from Rick Stein’s latest, it was a no-brainer, especially as I’d just been watching the TV series. I was straight onto Amazon. Continue reading