Travel tips-Restaurant reviews-Recipes
Aubergines are one of my favourite vegetables. Although actually, they’re a fruit and even a berry by botanical definition. I like them as Melanzane alla Parmigiana; make a Norma sauce nearly every week; love them in tagines or curries; in ratatouille – either traditionally cooked on top of the stove or roasted in the oven; […]
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This is an adaptation of a Rick Stein recipe in his Long Weekends book. I’m particularly attached to this book (and the accompanying DVD of the TV series) at the moment, not only for its great and reliable recipes, but its subject: Long Weekends. Pre-Lockdown I’d become well practised at making the most of a […]
Read MoreI couldn’t resist taking a trip back to Prezzemolo & Vitale yesterday – this time with plenty of time to spare, my car and a large bag! Chelsea is not that far away – only about 10 miles – but I know from experience, as I used to work nearby, that the traffic can be […]
Read MoreI was at the local Twickenham Farmers’ Market last Saturday and saw a ‘Seriously Italian’ stall selling fresh pasta. I’ve bought their pasta before and it truly is ‘seriously good’ as well as ‘seriously Italian’. There were a few interesting filled pasta choices but in the end – after consultation with Jonathan – I went for […]
Read MoreI first came across fregola in the summer. My lovely local Italian restaurant, Masaniello, uses it to thicken their wonderful fish stew. When I asked what it was, the waiter described it as small pasta, a bit like large couscous. And once you eat it, you understand the description because it has a silky softness […]
Read MoreThe decision about what to rustle up for a quick and easy mid-week supper is often determined by what’s lurking in the fridge. Today there were 4 medium-large tomatoes and half a pot of single cream. I often make a sauce with fresh tomatoes to go with pasta in the week for a simple supper, […]
Read MoreNicola and Rachael had a bumper crop of yellow courgettes in their garden this year and brought a lovely large round one with them for me when they visited at the weekend. I wanted to do something special with this beauty. Nicola said they were good roasted so I considered cooking it as a side […]
Read MoreIt’s been such a lovely, truly summery day that I decided some fish for supper would be perfect. I eat fish all year round but there’s something wonderful about lightly cooked fish served simply that is reminiscent of summer holidays on the Mediterranean, fish caught from the sea and almost straight into a pan or […]
Read MoreI like to keep different shapes of pasta in my cupboard as although pasta is basically the same ingredient whatever the shape, different shapes do seem to fit some sauces better than others. Tonight I chose farfalle – which comes from the Italian word, farfalla, meaning butterfly. ‘A’ at the end of an Italian word (feminine) changes […]
Read MoreIt’s been an extraordinarily warm day for the first of March, but the evenings still draw in early so it’s dark by supper time and with the darkness comes a chill in the air. So it’s great to make a nice warming supper with a rich sauce; a final lap of winter flavours before spring […]
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