Baked butternut squash, figs and cheese

Roast squash and figs with cheese

You know what I like about this dish? It’s the contrasts, the surprises you get when you take a mouthful. Like the way the squash dissolves into a sweet caramel mush in your mouth, whereas the fig is slightly crunchy, almost vegetable like as it bursts between your teeth.

Throw in the salty cheese, a citrussy-sharp, sweet and slightly hot glaze and you have a melange of tastes and textures that really ought to collide messily. But they don’t. Sure, they clamour for attention, but all that taste and texture walks a finely balanced pathway, never straying. Continue reading

A quick and spicy rice noodle salad

You know that feeling where you just can’t really be bothered? Don’t want to spend ages cooking, don’t want to go out, want something tasty to pick you up after a long and hard day? This is a dish for those desultory days. Those days full of meh.

It’s quick and pretty straight forward to make. It’s both soothing and peppy. It packs a flavourful punch and is also pretty damn healthy. What more do you need? You might even, after eating this, feel all refreshed and ready to cook up a storm. If you hadn’t already eaten that is… Continue reading

A feast for your Valentine: the #formanslovecookoff challenge and a chance to win some goodies

Lightly smoked salmon sashimi

Valentine’s day. It’s fast approaching and whatever you think of it, and whatever that significant other (or object of unrequited desire) might say or do – or be overheard muttering – it’s not an opportunity any budding Romeo or Juliet should forget.

And talking about unrequited objects of desire, Forman and Field – purveyors of devilishly tempting packets of smoked fish and other goodies I could never quite afford – got me thinking about that very occaision. Specifically what to eat. Continue reading

Pear stilton and hazelnut salad

Pear, stilton and hazelnut salad

A salad may not be the first thing that comes to mind when gloweringly grey skies close in and rain starts plopping down. But bear with me here, because this salad is no wishy-washy, lighter-than-light, sunny day food. No sir.

There are pears (more of the buggers from the tree), nuts, and – the not-very-secret weapon that makes this a great autumnal dish – great creamy lumps of gooey blue-veined stilton. All smooth and strong with a hint of sharpness, the James Bond of the cheese world. Continue reading

A summer tomato, broadbean and feta salad

Tomato & broadbean salad

Summer time is salad time. Which is great because I’m not getting home till quite late at the moment and all I’m craving after a long hot walk home is something fresh and light to eat on our small balcony.

Add a glass of delicately dry Provençal rose or a tart sauvignon blanc, and the warm light of the setting sun and you have something approaching paradise – or at least as close as you can get in London. Continue reading

Almond, Medjool date and ewe’s cheese salad

Almond, ewe's cheese & date salad

You know when deserts bloom for a day when infrequent rains sweep majestically over the sands every few years? Green shoots explode out of the arid ground, flowers unfurling to the storm clouds. You’ve seen the BBC nature programmes too? Good. That’s like my approach to BBQ in the British “summer”.

Once the sun appears and temperatures climb, I can fire up our reliable little kettle BBQ in a matter of minutes (once I’ve scrubbed away months of grime from the grill). Slap on some sausages, halloumi and aubergines and I’m all set. And then I’ll make something like this salad, it’s a cracker of an accompaniment. Continue reading

Simple and seasonal English asparagus

Fresh asparagus salad

Simplicity. Reducing a thing back to its essence. It’s something that’s at the heart of many beautiful things and successul ideas. Google and Apple, Jamon Iberico and sashimi, pizza and kebabs. All very simple.

When you pare something right back, you can’t obfuscate or camouflage. And you must use the very best ingredients. Which is why the English asparagus season is such a wonderful time of year. Continue reading

Spicy, piquant and sweet roast quail, basmati rice and Japanese salad

Spicy roast chicken & quail

Having read Fernandez & Leluu’s mouth watering recipe for roast chicken, I was determined to recreate it for last night’s dinner. Accordingly I assembled all the ingredients and fished out of the freezer some drumsticks and wings left over from various fowl dismemberings, and two quail that were lurking at the back.

The only thing missing was Teppanyaki marinade. So I improvised. Adding a dash of this and glug of that, tasting and adjusting is one of the most fun things about cooking. It feels like alchemy – turning seemingly unrelated ingredients into a coherent and tasty whole. Continue reading