Moro’s marrow, or how to turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse

Posted on October 25, 2013 by Louise

The summer, such a lovely warm summer, seems a long time ago as I sit looking out of the window at torrential rain and listening to the thunder. But it is only five weeks since I met my old friend Mark on a sunny evening in King’s Cross and we walked to Moro, so that I could show off the best of London to this Englishman long ago transplanted to New York. I always find it unnerving taking a real or adopted North American to restaurants in London; after all you can eat anything at any time in many American cities, it is often brilliant and inventive (though not always), and, much as my beloved city has improved massively in food terms in the ten years that I have been here, it still has many many weak spots, not least in the area of service. Which is why, on this occasion, I chose Moro, one of my three or four absolute favourite restaurants in London because it (like Polpo, the River Café and The Providores) hits every one of my holy trinity: impeccable service, creative food, affordable yet wonderful wine. Continue reading →

Posted in Autumn recipes, Green veg recipes | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Polpo’s runner beans with Pecorino and red onion

Posted on September 20, 2013 by Louise

Runner beans in my world have, until now, always meant two things: a stringy challenge that is like eating dental floss and a constant reminder of my grandparents’ incredible green-fingeredness. Not a summer went by when we didn’t either eat them or listen to a list about an hour-long in which every detail of every type of vegetable/fruit and what had happened to it (frozen, jammed or pickled) was shared. I have inherited neither my grandparents’ gardening skills nor their love for these ungainly beans and, until recently, would have never thought to order them. Then some friends and I went to Polpo, probably one of my favourite places to eat on the planet, and Claire chose these. It didn’t sound quite right to me, this restaurant which is all things London and trendy at the moment with a vegetable that is really, well, a bit old-fashioned. And if Claire hadn’t wanted them I never would have done. Which would have been a terrible, terrible shame since they rapidly became our favourite (which takes some doing with their menu). Continue reading →

Posted in Green veg recipes, Polpo, Summer recipes, Vegetarian recipes, Wheat-free | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A little something to cool you down: iced coffee

Posted on July 28, 2013 by Louise

There are few days, or years, in England when I really can’t bear the heat of coffee. And since I drink very little of it, or rather can only drink very little of it, the idea of pouring it over ice occurs infrequently. But during this unbelievably hot and sticky summer, for the first time in I can’t actually remember how long, iced coffee has seemed a tad more attractive. In fact anything that keeps me out of my furnace of a kitchen has seemed attractive (best I don’t get started on the horrors of sleeping in a loft room under a roof in 32° degrees…).  Continue reading →

Posted in Drinks recipes, Summer recipes | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Unbelievable herb salad with butter and almond dressing

Posted on July 26, 2013 by Louise

There is a great thrill, to me at least, in discovering not so much a recipe as a tip. So when I recently learnt that the best way to peel ginger was by using a teaspoon (thanks Debora) I was delighted. Try it; you’ll be amazed at how much easier and thrifty it is (as in less waste). Similarly, when I was taught that couscous tipped in a bowl and mixed with oil, salt and hot water was just as delicious as the stuff steamed for hours, I gave up all thoughts of buying one of these (which is a relief since they are about as big as my kitchen). My most recent unexpected discovery is just as good a treat: a salad dressing made with butter… Continue reading →

Posted in One pot, Ottolenghi The Cookbook, Salad recipes, Vegetarian recipes | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

It’s salmorejo and gazpacho weather

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Louise

I’ve never understood the notion of barbecues. Why, when it is already boiling hot, would you want to light a big fire and stand over it getting hotter? No, when it’s 30° (oh, it’s such a treat to write that) I don’t want to be near anything hot, not the oven, not the hob and certainly not a big smoky grill. As soon as the temperature rises I want one of three things: someone else to cook for me (then, please, barbecue away…); salads, like this watermelon and feta one or, failing both of those, cold soups like gazpacho or, in recent weeks, salmorejo cordobés. Continue reading →

Posted in Claudia Roden, One pot, Soup recipes, Summer recipes, Tomato recipes | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Wines of Chile and a Chilean pebre

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Louise

A few months ago Stella and I did a tasting with Spanish wines; I’m sure you can imagine how much I hated that. It was a great success, particularly since food-matching with Spanish wines is such a joy. And so darned easy. Our next country choice was Chile and, knowing nothing about the food, I was quite excited at the prospect of discovering a whole new cuisine. But, alas, the internet was not very inspiring and, sans a deep-fat fryer, empañadas didn’t seem so appealing. So, bar one tiny recipe, I went completely off-piste and just cooked things that were said to go well with particular grapes and flavours. Continue reading →

Posted in Food and wine matching, Martha Stewart, Party recipes, Salsa and sauce recipes, Vegetarian recipes | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Quick blog, quick breakfast: avocado on toast

Posted on June 7, 2013 by Louise

One of my favourite breakfasts on the planet is pan con tomate, a salty-sweet delight that goes perfectly with good coffee. It might also be my favourite because usually I have it in Granada, and if I’m there I will be grinning from ear to ear with happiness. However, my new discovery, Nigella Express, also reminded me that tomatoes are not the only fruits-that-think-they-are-vegetables that make a good breakfast; an avocado mashed up with sea salt and lime juice, served on sourdough, is equally gorgeous and, if we are lucky enough to enjoy a little sunshine this summer well, you may find this sneaks up on you on a daily basis. Obviously, because she’s Nigella, she calls this bruschetta but, you know what, it’s toast. She also uses parsley on hers but I wouldn’t bother; it didn’t add anything for me. Delicious, fast and, hey, good for you too. Continue reading →

Posted in Breakfast recipes, Fast food fixes, Nigella Lawson, Summer recipes, Vegetarian recipes | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Summery socca

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Louise

You’ve probably never heard of socca. I hadn’t until a year ago when I found it in one, then two, cookery books, both written by Francophile North Americans (David Lebovitz and Dorie Greenspan). It is a chickpea (gram) flour pancake from Nice which, traditionally, is served as a street snack, hot and covered in freshly ground black pepper. The Lebovitz and Greenspan recipes both require you to finish the pancakes off in the oven at high heat. I tried making them a few times and, though delicious, the last-minute-ness of shoving batter into the oven whilst my guests twiddled their thumbs didn’t really suit me so I abandoned them. Then I came across an Ottolenghi version which made it all so much easier…and now, reader, these are on repeat. Continue reading →

Posted in David Lebovitz, Dorie Greenspan, Summer recipes, Vegetarian recipes, Wheat-free, Yotam Ottolenghi | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ballymaloe and Patatas (well, what else?!)

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Louise

Three weeks ago I volunteered at the first Ballymaloe food festival, which took place just outside Cork in Ireland. It was a delight: I saw good friends,  watched many an idol (Claudia Roden, Jancis Robinson, Rory O’Connell), found ingredients that I have never seen in the UK (smoked butter chez Frank Hederman) and, if all that wasn’t enough, went to the beach for the first time this year. Oh yes and the food…the food was amazing. Continue reading →

Posted in Claudia Roden, One pot, Pork recipes, Potato recipes, Sausage recipes, Wheat-free | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

In praise of craft…the joys of baking with a master

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Louise

Yesterday I took my godson/nephew Matt for his long-overdue, ‘well-done-on-your-exam-results’ present: a class on bread-making at The Bertinet Kitchen Cookery School. Bread, or rather the baking of it, has become a bit of an obsession of mine and, having met Richard Bertinet at Port Eliot last year and bought his fantastically helpful book, to say I was excited is, well, a bit like saying that Wigan thought they did all right in the FA Cup (I don’t give a fig for football but even I registered that news). And I was right to be. I learnt more than I could write about in this post, or in several, and yet also learnt that I know absolutely nothing and should probably just stick my head in a bag and stop posting on a blog forever. Let me explain… Continue reading →

Posted in Bread recipes, Dough | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments