• Blog

    Ravioli filled with spinach & ricotta

    17 September 2023 - By 

    Genuinely one of the best things I’ve ever made. Silky, rich – but only a little – ricotta giving a little more earthiness than say mascarpone might. And the crispy sage is such an important element, not a mere garnish, giving a punch to the flavour to stop it passing over your tongue without fanfare. Requires such care and attention at each step, you absolutely can’t be in a half-arsing it mood. I forget now though whether the base pasta dough instructions come from A-Z… or Angela Hartnet… I suspect both work just perfectly. From Rachel Roddy – An A-Z…

  • Blog

    Lamb Dopiaza

    14 September 2023 - By 

    Second time in quick succession for this one. This really is the most simple curry to put together ever… Lots of ingredients… But just throw them all in a pot and let ’em simmer. Oh, also it’s possibly the best curry ever… A bold statement, but it’s just incredible. This time with Lamb cutlets rather than with a Lamb shank.  Both great.  The cutlets were ready faster so that’s worth noting. On the matter of speed, this requires a minimum of two hours, and frankly I’ve found it much closer to 4 hours to achieve maximum flavour. One to try…

  • Blog

    Sweet potato, lemon and peanut soup

    14 September 2023 - By 

    This should be lime rather than lemon, and should have a topping that I couldn’t be bothered with.  Both of these additions would make this more exciting, and even without it’s a fine soup… But not an incredible soup. As is most often the case with Anna Jones recipes I find it a bit… fine.  It lacks zip, pop, comfort pizzaz, and seasoning as described… It’s very nice. I do like the addition of peanut butter here, the peanuts and sweet potato are lovely bedfellows, but the quantity suggest is inadequate and it needs significantly more than to be anything…

  • Blog

    My Oven Temperatures

    6 September 2023 - By 

    Assuming well pre-heated oven. Top and Bottom 140 = 155 150 = 160 160 = 170 165 = 175 170 = 215… 180 after 10 175 = 210… 185 after 10 180 = 205 – 210 (slowly up to 210, where it settles.),… But then settling at 190 after 10 minutes… A total shit show. 190 = 210  (… Yep… Seems quite happy to be at 210, same as 180. Possibly gets there faster.)… Another try gives me 200. 200 = 230… Then 210 on another try 210 = 240… Then 220 – 225 I think upon reaching temperature initially,…

  • Blog

    Sardines, Rice & Lentils

    2 September 2023 - By 

    This is easy and delicious. The quantities produce perfectly cooked, tender brown rice and Lentils in the oven. A feat not always easily achieved on the hob. Gentle spicing and full of veg. Although I would say there’s a rare misstep in the recipe for these books… Peas and spinach should not go in the oven, or at least not for the whole 40 minutes. I went along with it for the peas and they became an brown element indistinguishable from the lentils. Out of instinct I didn’t put the spinach in at the start, instead leaving it until the…

  • Blog

    Matzo Ball Soup

    24 August 2023 - By 

    First time I made matzo balls they ended up with approximately the density of a lead weight, with only a little more flavour.  This recipe goes to pains to lighten the dumplings and packs flavour into them.  The only thing I changed was omitting the onion and garlic power, having bad experience with them, instead relying on finely minced onions and a crushed garlic clove… Perfectly adequate… probably superior for the omission.   The make or break thing for any chicken soup is the chicken stock, the recipe for which I did not follow, but I’m sure it works perfectly.…

  • Blog

    Lamb Dopiaza

    19 August 2023 - By 

    This is the essiest curry imaginable… And one of the tastiest I’ve ever made.  Rich with flavour that doesn’t seem earned given that you just dump everything into a pot and let it go for a few hours.  So good. The only thing that springs to mind for improvement is perhaps containing the whole spices in a muslin pouch so you don’t have to worry about them on the plate, but it’s really not the end of the world. From Rik Stein India

  • Blog

    Salted chocolate, hazelnut & Rye cookies

    19 August 2023 - By 

    There’s something about these, the toasted hazelnut and dark chocolate is just…. yum. The rye flour is a lovely flavour, and texture becomes almost fudgey… but it could be made more so, I’m sure.  A little white flour in place of some rye, perhaps, a touch more butter even, which may even help them to relax into a less golf ball shape. I’m rather taken with them… Ugly though they are. However, I’ve thrown this batch out and didn’t think twice about it.  The salt is just too much. It needs halving, at least.  Tempted to try again tomorrow… From…

  • Blog

    Kanelbulle

    19 August 2023 - By 

    This is a good recipe, a better one than the Scandilicious, results in softer buns which I’ve often regretted about the scandelicious buns. I did a combination cinnamon and cardamom bun, as Stockholm last week had me convinced that they work well together. The cardamom syrup brushed on at the end is lovely, resulting in a glossy, sticky finish. The technique for forming the bun is very good, a further note would be to wrap the last bit of the dough strip over the top before tucking it under. This produces that lovely band that is so distinctive rather than…

  • Blog

    Roast miso vegetables and sea bass

    29 July 2023 - By 

    Mix white miso with sesame oil and olive oil, baste the aubergine slices with the mixture on both sides and place in a hot 220c fan oven, flipping over after 10-15 minutes, and continuing the other side for 10 more minutes.