Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Libya, Syria, Cuba - these are the countries that in recent history the US government has considered to be "rogue states"; outposts of tyranny and all-round enemies of democracy and wholesomeness. But what does their food taste like?
Instead of a pound of pasta for two to four people, make a half, or even a third of a pound. Instead of a cup or two of sauce, make it four cups, or more. Turn the proportions around.
What do you wind up with? Pasta more or less overwhelmed by sauce, which you can view as a cardinal sin or as a moist, flavorful one-dish meal of vegetables with the distinctive, lovable chewiness of pasta. (There is, of course, a tradition of this kind of pasta dish in Italy, but it falls more under the category of minestre, which is closer to soup.) It’s also an easy way to significantly increase your intake of vegetables without adding too many refined carbohydrates, and may, if you’ve abandoned it, get you back into pasta again.
1 Timing. So many people misunderstand timing ...
2 Seasoning. Salt and pepper are the building blocks of any kitchen. It’s the first thing I teach my new chefs – to season with confidence ...
3 Cooking fish. Given how popular sushi has become, I’m amazed at how squeamish people are about eating their fish anything other than nuked. Believe me, if the inside is a bright white, the outside will be dried out and woolly ...
4 Cooking meat. The secret of cooking meat is in the resting. I find it so dispiriting when I cut into a steak and watch all the juices leak out on to the plate because it hasn’t had time to relax ...
5 Perfect custard. It’s worth perfecting your egg-custard recipe as it is the base for so many things ...
Each porridge is a unique interpretation of the basic ingredients of oatmeal, salt and water (though some prefer to cook with milk). My own preferred combination is three parts water to one part oatmeal. Soaking your porridge overnight is an absolute must to ensure the perfect consistency; and vigorous stirring, with a spurtle, if you own one, is essential to obliterate any offending lumpiness.
You may believe yourself an addict of big-brand crackers and plastic-wrapped oatcakes - and I'm not saying there's anything wrong with them - but try baking your own and I guarantee you'll convert yourself, setting new benchmarks in crisp, crumbly, oven-warm yumminess that no shop-bought contender can ever quite meet.
