My roasted tomato sauce is very straightforward but it gets maximum flavour out of British tomatoes, especially when the summer’s been as sunless as this one. And it’s very versatile – turn it into a soup, toss it into pasta, use it as a base for other sauces, add it to stews and risottos and chillis. Continue reading
Smaller flatfish such as lemon sole, dabs and flounder are vastly underrated compared to their posher cousins and usually very good value for money. Their flesh is delicately flavoured and best suits a simple treatment. I like them lightly seasoned and floured, then fried in brown butter, with a good squeeze of lemon juice and a scattering of parsley. Real fast food. But they adapt well to being stuffed and rolled. Continue reading
This beetroot hummus is (honestly) subtler than its day-glo colour suggests. It’s a great way of using up beets if you’ve got a glut in the garden or had an itchy trigger finger doing your online shop. Continue reading
I really felt for Kathy Slack when I read about her tomato disaster, her lovingly nurtured seedlings run over and crushed by a Range Rover in a Cotswold lane. It wasn’t entirely the driver’s fault but anyone who grows their own will feel Kathy’s pain.
It’s one of the anecdotes in her new book, From The Veg Patch, published by Ebury Press. Full disclosure: Kathy is a friend and Guild of Food Writers colleague, but I wouldn’t be writing about the book if I didn’t rate it highly. She takes ten vegetables or fruits and gives ten recipes for each, along with bonus cooking ideas and growing tips. (Getting your seedlings run over is more of a cautionary tale.) Continue reading
This is a recipe for those days when you want comfort food without the stodge of winter. It’s a lasagne, but it’s meat-free and made light with ricotta. It’s the sort of dish where you can have a second helping without collapsing in a food coma. Continue reading
“I’ve brought you a monster from the deep,” grinned Spencer as he arrived at my door with the biggest crab I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. Honestly, it was the size of my head and we all know how big that is. Continue reading
I’m very partial to this little pie, it’s the perfect recipe for a chilly spring day when the sun is out, the wind is cold and you want something summery but haven’t quite relinquished comfort food and woolly jumpers. Continue reading
I had planned to share a completely different recipe with you today, but it needs further testing, so this is by way of a bonus post. It makes a healthy springtime meal, but not one where you feel you should be wearing a hair shirt under your pinny. Continue reading
Beef burgers, meh, I can take them or leave them. Mostly I like them for the trimmings. A fried fish sandwich, though, is something else. A juicy mackerel fillet, cooked until the skin is crisp, slapped in a bun and anointed with tartare sauce with an unorthodox hit of horseradish … well, now I’m salivating. Continue reading
It’s an odd time of the year here, nearly-but-not-quite-spring. The daffs are opening in the garden and the sun has been making some cautious appearances, but it’s still a bit chilly and misty out there.
I’m not ready to fully embrace salads, even ones with hot bacon, but I want lighter, fresher food. This recipe was inspired by my sister-in-law Sarah, who was reminiscing about an Iranian dish she once ate, sharp with sour grapes and fragrant with herbs. Continue reading