A quick post, mostly to remind myself that this cheesecake by Sue Quinn is an extremely useful, quick and delicious pudding (that link takes you to the Sunday Times paywall, but you can read the recipe). I used around 170g of (shop-bought) low-sugar raspberry jam instead of her home-made blueberry jam, beating most of it into…
Month: June 2016
TED Talk: Why dieting doesn’t usually work
Such a valuable video for anyone who’s ever beat themselves up because their diet didn’t work long term: There was once a time when what and how much I ate shadowed every waking moment of my day. Fortunately, that time ended years ago; I’m much the same weight now (I’ve never been overweight), but my relationship with food has…
Herby cornbread muffins / loaf
Very easy to make, these make a change from the usual bread roll to have alongside soup or salad – definitely best served warm, even if you just bung one in the microwave for 10 seconds. These would be good with all sorts of additions: more cheese (of course); dried herbs; crispy bacon bits stirred through…
Umami fried gnocchi with capers, olives and mushrooms
Ok, it’s not as healthy as boiled gnocchi, but when fried you get that holy grail of crispy on the outside and fluffy within…covered with this seriously savoury sauce, my life-long gnocchi agnostic husband was won over (he’d been hoping I’d just bake the potatoes and stop there). Baking the potatoes might seem like a hassle, but…
Spanakopita
A vegetarian Greek classic that’s surprisingly filling, and an excellent way of encouraging enthusiastic spinach eating in those who may otherwise be reluctant. This makes a happy spring lunch alongside a punchy vinaigrette-dressed salad. Should probably serve six, but serves four in our household… Ingredients 500g frozen spinach or 1.5kg fresh 10 spring onions, finely chopped…
Caponata (Sicilian sweet and sour aubergine)
One of our favourite week-night recipes, this is somehow so much more than the sum of its parts. Though it sounds a bit fancy, ‘caponata’ basically just means ‘stuff’ in Italian – this is a Sicilian dish that’s excellent for using up leftovers and relies on store-cupboard basics for a great depth of flavour. Finely…
Real Bread: Chorleywood, sourdough, intolerance, flavour and health
In July 2011, a loaf of ‘factory bread’ was carried across the common of Chorleywood, a picturesque village on the outskirts of London, to the Beaumont House Care Home to be settled into retirement. The stunt was part of the annual Chorleywood Village Day, and intended to symbolise the sun setting on the additive-laden, time-and-nutrient-poor supermarket…
Time to Cook 