Tian of tomatoes and aubergines.

Considering my last post was a review of Rowley Leigh’s book No Place like Home and I didn’t have to work this morning – yes bliss, Monday mornings are hard enough without having to work – it seemed appropriate I made something from the aforementioned book.
I would probably have been a little less inclined to [...]

Review: No Place Like Home by Rowley Leigh, second edition.

It was a present, I swear on my favorite copy of Elizabeth David’s French Provincial cooking,  I didn’t break the promise I made to myself to enjoy the cookbooks I already have and stop punishing the buckling shelf by making new acquisitions. It was my birthday present from my brother and Kate along with a [...]

Parmesan Biscuits

A large golden wedge of well- matured Parmigiano Reggiano is something I never fail to appreciate. I will, and often do fore sake many other things in order to have a piece of this majestic cheese in the kitchen. It’s concentrated flavour never fails to thrill my taste buds, its sweet, tangy flavour, salty, mild [...]

Rachel’s Diary: La Bettola del Buttero, Fabro, Umbria, Italy

The downside of having a drummer as a boyfriend is his absence most weekends while he plays. It is also the continual tapping and drumming noises he is compelled to make with any object that happens to be in his hand, on any given surface, at any given moment. In the absence of objects he [...]

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

This is the startlingly orange slice of Autumn I bought yesterday. I had intended to make soup last night, but with one thing and another we ended up with omelette’s and a very attractive piece of pumpkin to look at. I did however make the soup this morning. I woke up before it was light, [...]

What is your favorite Chocolate ?

I know it is profoundly unoriginal to declare a love of chocolate, boring even, but I am going to right now, I love chocolate. I don’t however consider myself a chocolate snob, because although I adore the finest cocoa- butter – rich bitter blocks of black chocolate I am just as happy sucking the milk [...]

Sausages, Mash and Onion Gravy

I am home in Rome now after a few days in London. It was hard to leave this time and I have been feeling very blue since we got back. The suitcases still sit unpacked, I have less inclination than usual (and usual is low anyway) to do any kind of organising or cleaning in [...]

Blackcurrant Meringue

I made Blackcurrant meringues for after the celebration lunch when I was last back in London. Light and sweet meringue nests, crispy on the outside and just a little soft and sticky in the center. I filled them with lightly whipped double cream and piled blackcurrants I had gently bruised and marinated in creme de [...]

Hummus

In Middle Eastern Cooking mixed mezze (little dishes of mixed d’oeuvre) are signs of hospitality and conviviality, dishes to be shared to begin the meal or like Spanish tapas, nibbles to be eaten while drinking and gossiping. The word mezze originally comes from the Persian word Maza, meaning ‘taste, relish‘.
Many of these delicious dishes have [...]

Greek Salad

In her stupendous New Penguin Cookery Book Jill Norman describes some salads as Composed Salads or Salade composèe, which she defines as ‘ imaginative mixture of what ever salads and vegetables are in season. It is fairly substantial; it can be elaborate or constructed from just a few elements; it can be served as [...]