Le polpettine

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Some people drool over chocolate truffles, but I prefer these… Beef meatballs with parsley, juniper and horseradish, rolled in flour and ready to be browned in olive oil and then cooked in half a bottle of white wine with sliced onions. (Similar ingredients also make a spectacular meatloaf.) (Leftovers ready for lunchtime sandwiches of homemade [...]

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Summer rolls with chicken, avocado and peanuts

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Refreshing spring rolls for a humid night from Marcus Wareing’s

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The cult of tramezzino

This dapper gentleman is Gabriele D’Annunzio, born in Pescara, Italy in 1863. D’Annunzio had an extraordinary life by any measure: a published poet at sixteen, he was a prolific author and journalist, wrote for Sarah Bernhardt, collaborated with Debussy, had a scandalously public love affair, spawned the original NSFW urban myth, fled Italy to avoid [...]

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Stuffed vine leaves

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I will admit to getting rather overexcited when new products appear on the island. Just the other day I was busted at Lyford Cay City Market squealing in front of a jar of sun-dried tomatoes. (This, coupled with my rather eccentric appearance – dragged through several hedges, not just backwards, but actively kicking and screaming, [...]

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Buttermilk babies

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Variation 2 of Peter Reinhart’s white bread from the The Bread Baker’s Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread. Misshapen, bulging, floury beauties waiting to be made into tramezzini with yesterday’s frittata and some homemade mayonnaise, the colour of sunshine from Puglian olive oil. But first, paddleboarding to the beach to work up an appetite [...]

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Ottolenghi chocolate cake

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This was the chocolate cake from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook which I made to take to a friend’s house for movie night. (He’s into proper films – something Russian tonight – so clearly one needs to balance out the culture with pizza and chocolate.) We had a blackout after it had been in the oven for [...]

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Chilled pea soup with basil oil and crispy prosciutto

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Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s chilled pea soup, from River Cottage Every Day: softened onion and celery, vegetable stock and peas, blended and served with a swirl of freshly-made basil oil and grilled, crispy prosciutto crumbles. Refreshing and delicious.

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Hazelnut meringues with gianduia crème patisserie

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This week has been rather dangerous in my kitchen. Firstly I made my very own homage to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill by creating a large volcano while attempting pomegranate molasses. The thick black lava exploded and took a clean-up crew of one a good hour to prise off the hob. Then I learned [...]

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Orange and polenta cake

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I am a total recipe nerd and use Evernote to keep everything organized. I clip in recipes I find on blogs and websites, preserving their source URL, as well as keep long lists of what we’ve eaten at home everyday and ideas of things to try. Perfect for those “what on earth am I going [...]

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Volcano

11.01 Start cooking pomegranate molasses to use with Ottolenghi cookbook. Impossible to buy here but internet suggests recipe. Pomegranate juice + sugar + lemon juice in large saucepan. Reduce for an hour. Easy. I’ll just get on with something else for a bit. 11.34 Simmering. Essay plan drafting. Notes. Searching Open University library. 11.46 Simmer [...]

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English gnocchi?

Nigel Slater’s leek and potato cakes tonight from the brilliant Tender Vol. 1. Softened leeks stirred into a stiff mash of floury potatoes, shaped into little cakes and briefly fried. We ate with grilled bacon and a tomato salad with mustardy dressing. Slightly aghast that I have just served my Italian boyfriend a tarted up [...]

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Gnocchi with peas and zucchini

A substantial supper yesterday after standup paddle-boarding to the beach and back, seemingly against tide and wind in both directions. Triceps burning. Diced 4 courgettes and sautéed them in olive oil until tender and breaking down, then added a little white wine and some peas. Served with wholewheat gnocchi, lots of parmesan and extra oil.

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