Burrata with Tapenade I love stretched curd cheeses of every kind – including delicate, creamy burrata, the southern Italian cheese that’s a thin pouch of mozzarella filled with a rich blend of cream and fine strands of stringy fresh curd tied off with a knot. It makes a lovely presentation and, with a touch of […]
Bajan Corn Soup Get More Caribbean Inspiration Here! Hearty corn soup is popular in many parts of the Caribbean, including Jamaica, Trinidad and Barbados. This is my take on the Barbadian version inspired by a recipe Paul Carmichael gave me – I love the three different textures of corn. Bajan corn soup often contains pumpkin […]
Quesadillas with Mexican Salsa Verde I love recipes that are so simple they’re hardly a recipe at all – where great produce and flavours shine and I don’t have to do too much. That’s what these simple fried cheese sandwiches are all about, especially served with vibrant green salsa verde. Salsa verde simply means ‘green […]
Mushroom Bruschetta One of the things I loved most about Lucio’s Paddington restaurant was the seasonal bruschetta that always arrived with our aperitivi, a tradition I like to continue at home. In autumn, the crisp air of the Italian hills is filled with the wonderful aroma of mushrooms, inspiring cooks to prepare many dishes (sometimes […]
Snails in Garlic Butter Escargots à la Bourguignonne. Is there anything more French than escargot? In this classic dish from Burgundy, the snails are really just a vehicle for the delicious garlic and herb butter, so ensure you have plenty of crusty bread to soak it all up. Ideally you’ll have special snail plates and […]
Kisir (Turkish Tabouli) I’m a fan of traditional recipes but every now and then I prefer to do things my way. And I’ve always made tabouli with far more cracked wheat than any Lebanese cook ever would. Then I realised I wasn’t making tabbouli, I was making the kisir I enjoyed so much in Turkey. […]
Guinea Fowl Bisteeya Variously written as bisteeya, bastilla, bestela, bastila, pastilla or pastila, this Moroccan pie has many variations but is traditionally an elaborately spiced preparation of pigeon, egg, almonds and warqa pastry, which is similar to Greek fillo pastry. It works well with almost any birds, including quail, chicken and guinea fowl, and is […]
La Ribollita The famous Tuscan soup, Ribollita, is a classic example of delicious cucina povera (peasant cooking). The name literally means ‘reboiled’ as it was created to use up leftover beans and vegetables cooked for Friday, the fast day when no meat was eaten. On Saturday, they were turned into a hearty soup with stale […]
Axoa d’Espelette (Basque Veal Stew) I discovered axoa d’Espelette, a classic Basque dish, when I visited the town of Espelette in southwestern France, famous for its mild dark red chillies drying under the eaves of the whitewashed houses. I brought home jars of the ground piment d’Espelette which flavours this and so many other Basque […]
Tapenade Like this recipe? You’ll love my online French cooking class featuring the Food of Provence! I love salt, so a dish made of black olives, capers and anchovies is right up my alley. Tapenade hails from Provence in the sunny south of France and is generally regarded as an olive paste, however the name […]
