This is my secret weapon when it comes to impressing dinner guests, particularly those who don’t eat much Levantine or North African food. Big piles of fluffy golden cous cous studded with glittering fruits and flecked with emerald green herbs.
And yet – shhhhhh, don’t tell anyone - it’s just so easy to make. There’s practically no cooking, very little preparation and you end up with this conical treasure trove of a dish that looks like it belongs in 1001 Arabian Nights. Continue reading
My mum came round for dinner last week. Those of you who learned their love of food at mother’s apron strings will be familiar with the leap of excitement and dread those words can summon. Because if there’s someone you want to impress, it’s your mum.
And so there was much scratching of head and leafing through books. Italian was out, my mum loves Italian, and she’s much better at it than me. Time to look to my own strengths and influences. In this case the Eastern Med. Continue reading
And breathe… My nerves have just settled after submitting a meal to Food Urchin‘s Where’s my Pork Chop challenge, now comes the seemingly endless wait to see what the outcome is. Will he like it? Is it too bland? Too spicy?
Happily, whatever the food’s like, it was a real pleasure to meet and chat to FU over a St Peter’s Honey Porter and burger in The Jerusalem Tavern. Continue reading
I first discovered tagines on a short trip to Marrakech and I was immediately entranced by their full frontal flavours and the combination of sticky sweet dried fruit and slow cooked tender meat. It was a revelation – fruit and meat? It was like having pudding and a main course all at once, and you can’t go wrong with that. Continue reading
Sunday and Monday were not well days for me. In the firm belief that good food will make me feel mentally, if not physically, better I felt the need for something nourishing. Something to banish the illness, if only temporarily. And, since reading this post from Jen of TomEatsJenCooks, I’ve had meatballs circulating my brain like some irritatingly catchy pop-lite song, except meatballs aren’t irritating with a catchy hook. But they’re definitely not going to go away until I scratch this particular itch.
Because i’m feeling so crappy, I’m not going to leave the house and will make do with what I have. Happily, what I have is minced lamb, onions and coriander. Continue reading