If there's one thing that typifies California cooking to me more even than artichokes, it has to be garlic. It grows famously in Gilroy, south of San Francisco, where the town smells of garlic in the best kind of way, and you can procure anything … [Read more...]
Umbrian baked rigatoni with sausage and peas
This luscious baked pasta dish was served to us as a primo piatto ('first plate' or first course) on our summer holiday in Umbria. Pasta al forno bianca con salsiccia e piselli is rigatoni dressed with a parmesan-rich white-sauce flavoured with … [Read more...]
Chili time: and that means enchiladas
After our long, hot summer, a sudden cold snap a week or so ago came as an unwelcome surprise and inspired me to make the first comforting pot of chili in a while. Now that summer has re-asserted itself, however briefly before autumn takes over, I … [Read more...]
Celery, stilton and sage tart
This is a special tart, one of my very favourites in the savoury class. It’s a wonderful way to enjoy celery at the time of year when it’s at its best – from October to Christmastime. Celery and stilton (or any blue cheese) are a classic pairing; … [Read more...]
A Maytime menu to cook together: asparagus and pea ravioli, and coffee crème caramel
May: the landscape is never so alive with growth as it is now, life pushing ahead, making more of itself. It renews us too: our love for life and each other, our desire to connect with all this radiance. A friend was telling me recently as we … [Read more...]
Baked winter squash with tomato, onion and camembert
My recent experiments with Henri Toulouse-Lautrec's pumpkin gratin led me to this shortcut version that makes use of the same winning combination of winter squash, tomato and onion. For a main-course meatless meal, or a lovely starter, add some … [Read more...]