The silver beet looked so gorgeous this morning, and the patch needed thinning. And the basket just filled and filled. Spankakopika it has to be.
Okonomiyaki are a Japanese cabbage pancake, and if you are conjuring up images of British boiled cabbage or bubble and squeak, you’re on the wrong track. Okonomiyaki are comfort food, crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, not very cabbagey at all. Recipe:
My caulis are getting away from me. I could, I should, harvest them while they still look like perfect supermarket caulis and give the extras away. But we’ve developed a bit of an addiction to roasted cauliflower, and the slightly blown ones make the best roasted cauli.
This is just my Pumpkin and Feta tartlets baked as a pie instead, and with the feta crumbled over the top rather than blended in with the egg mix. And with an olive oil crust, though you could just as easily make it with a wholemeal shortcrust pastry instead. Worth a post though because it was so good.
These very inauthentic teff-less injera have become somewhat of a staple in our house, preferred to chapati for going with curry, preferred to flatbread for going with tagines, preferred to crepes for going with creamy garlic mushrooms. And all the better because, if you have sourdough starter, they are practically instant. Recipe:
The recipe makes 12 tartlets. They are perfect for lunch boxes, or party finger food – which is where these went. These are really quick and simple, and they were a party hit
The riff of sweet, caramelised figs, salty white cheese, peppery leaves, and nut crunch is a classic one. And like most classics, for very good reason. This salad was so good it’s been repeated regularly this year since the figs started coming on. It’s a starring role salad – a dinner party first course, or a totally indulgent lunch, or a plate to take to a party. If you are…
Salmorejo is a cold soup but that idea doesn’t do it justice. It’s very fast and easy, and it will keep for a day or two in the fridge so you can make ahead of time (which also makes it great for a first course for summer dinner parties or barbeques). You can also blend left overs with semi-dried tomatoes to make a dip or spread.
Yes, yes, a hundred times yes from me. Nearly four years ago I found a pasta machine at a garage sale. I had been making pasta from scratch before that but rolling it out with a rolling pin, which meant that lasagna and ravioli were much more likely than spaghetti or tagliatelle. I wrote at the time that “I’m not sure at all whether it will be a stayer.” But…
There’s usually a reason why popular vegetables are popular, and ones nobody has ever heard of are ones nobody has ever heard of.