Roast Tomato Soup with Mussels & Fennel / Vegetable Stock / Marinated & Broiled Sardines

Blog Post & Recipe: Simple Lessons in Roast Tomato Soup with Mussels & Fennel

So when a Sicilian cook's fishmonger was unable to supply her with all the fish she wanted for her brodu di pisci, or the family's budget didn't allow for an elaborate array of fresh fish, she had a trick. She'd use a combination of garlic, parsley, chilies, and salt pounded into a rough paste and then fried in local olive oil.

Blog Post & Recipe: How to Make Vegetable Stock

It helps to brown the veggies first, so the stock gets infused with some of the flavors from caramelization. Unlike chicken or beef stock, which needs time to extract all the goodness from the bones, with vegetable stock, you cook the stock for only an hour to an hour and half. Beyond that, the flavors begin to disintegrate.

Blog Post & Recipe: The Nasty Bits: How to Make Sardine Lovers out of Sardine Skeptics

If you can get sardines that are very fresh, the easiest thing to do is to grill or broil them so the skin chars a little. Sprinkle with salt, freshly ground pepper, and lemon or vinegar. If, however, you find that fresh sardines are still too fishy for your taste, consider a simple marinade. I use ginger to combat the fishiness, a little wine for depth, soy sauce, and a dash of salt and sugar.

Marinated and Broiled Sardines

Braised Brisket / 4 Confits / Prawn & Lemon Zest Soup

Recipe: Braised Brisket

You can also do this in a slow cooker.

Blog Post & Recipes: Vegetable Confit

This process can be applied to many other foods. Just keep these two guidelines in mind:

- Fully cover the food with fat (duck fat, olive oil, grapeseed oil, bacon fat…)
- Cook at low heat for a long time (no higher than 250ºF, 2-10 hours)

Cherry Tomato Confit ... Garlic Confit ... Bonus recipes: pearl onion confit and leek confit

Blog Post & Recipe: Shrimp & lemon zest soup

This was way, WAY more than the sum of its parts, and it’s all due to the the lemon zest. While the parsley garnish was good, chopped tarragon or chervil would be even better. I’d also consider making a dedicated tomato and shrimp shell broth with a tiny pinch of saffron.

Roast Tomato Soup / Pickled Jalapeño Peppers + Pickled Daikon / Roast Jerusalem Artichokes with Hazelnut Gremolata

Blog Post & Recipe: Roasted Tomato Soup

I roasted the tomatoes with shallots and added thyme, because I’m on a tomatoes & thyme kick. But you could add any herb you’d like.

Blog Post & Recipe: A Peck of Pickled Peppers

Once you have determined the amount of liquid you will need, add that and the remaining ingredients to a pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour this mixture back over the peppers, screw on the lids, and refrigerate for a few days (or as long as you can wait)

Pickled Jalapeño Peppers ... Pickled Daikon

Recipe: Roasted sunchokes with hazelnut gremolata

This is a great technique for when sunchokes are in season. The insides are so tender it is almost creamy, while the edges are delightful bits of crispy goodness. Topping them off with the gremolata bring everything to life. The vibrant parsley and lemon with a bit of a punch from the garlic are wonderful with the toasty nuts.

Vegetarian Mushroom & Cannellini Bean Ragout / Pumpkin Chili with Cornbread Smudges / Fried Green Tomatoes

Blog Post & Recipe: Vegetarian Mushroom & Cannellini Bean Ragout Recipe

The ragout can be made up to 2 days in advance. Store, covered, in the refrigerator. Reheat before serving.

Recipe: pumpkin chili with cornbread smudges

The corn "smudges", as I've dubbed them, were an attempt to make cornbread flavored crackers... they tasted great with the chili, but be warned, they aren't crispy crackers.

Blog Post & Recipe: Fried Green Tomatoes

Tip: They key to fried green tomatoes it to make sure that the tomato slices are not too thick to ensure that they get cooked all the way through. ... Tangy green tomatoes dipped in buttermilk and cornmeal and then fried until golden brown and crispy on the outside.

Tonkatsu (Japanese Pork Cutlet) / Spice Rubbed Roast Chicken / Tomato & Cucumber Salad with Cornbread

Blog Post & Recipe: seeing red

A traditional accompaniment is sliced cabbage and since you soak it in water for about an hour, it’s advised that you start with that step first. Once you get the cabbage soaking, break out the pork loin! Well, I used pork loin chops. You just need pork loin chops, salt, pepper, an egg, flour, and panko (flaky Japanese bread crumbs – flaky as in texture, not in terms of reliability). And oil for frying.

Tonkatsu (Japanese Pork Cutlet)

Blog Post & Recipe: Look no further roast chicken

Until I came upon Thomas Keller technique for perfect and comforting roast chicken; his philosophy is pretty simple, straightforward and 100% foolproof: the drier the meat, the crispier the skin, the better the roast chicken. All he does is pat dry the chicken with paper towel, season it inside and out with salt and pepper and roast it in a heavy skillet for almost an hour without basting or disturbing until crispy and irresistible.

Spice rubbed roast chicken

Blog Post & Recipe: Tomato and cucumber salad with cornbread croutons

But the final piece of the dish—the cornbread croutons—ended up being a bit trickier. On my first attempt, I added them when the salad was marinating, but they soon turned to mush. After some experimenting, I learned the best way for them to stay solid was to add them right before serving. The cornbread croutons will still soak up some of the dressing, but they take on the bright fire of the jalapeños, which is always a welcome thing.

20 Sandwiches / Veggie Summer Rolls with Shiso & Thai Basil / Buckwheat-Filled Mushrooms

Recipes: 20 Fun Sandwiches for Your Sack Lunch

Steak Sandwich with Cucumber, Ginger Salad, and Black Chile Mayonnaise »
Grilled Portobello and Peach Sandwich »
Roasted Tomato and Lentils in a Pita »
Salame ala Diavolo »
Avocado and Sprout Club Sandwich »
Curried Egg Salad »
Roasted Beet, Goat Cheese, and Avocado Sandwiches »
Roast Beef Sandwich with Boursin »
The TMT: Tomato, Mayo, And Toast »
Tomato Mozzarella Sandwich »
Whatta Tuna Sandwich »
Bacon, Pear, and Cheese Sandwich »
Turkey and Coleslaw Sandwich »
Asparagus and Bacon on Buttered Toast »
Grandmother's Egg Salad (Sandwich) »
Deconstructed Club Sandwich Salad »
Deviled Ham Salad Sandwich »
Crunchy Chicken Salad Sandwiches with Bacon »
Broccoli Rabe, Roasted Red Pepper, Mozzarella, and Arugula Sandwich »
Flounder Sandwich Marinated in Fish Sauce, with Sriracha Mayo »

Blog Post & Recipe: Fresh Veggie Summer Rolls with Shiso and Thai Basil

In order to make summer rolls, though, you must have at least two essential ingredients: rice wrappers, and mung bean starch noodles ... You basically make like a burrito.

Blog Post & Recipe: Buckwheat filled mushrooms

I love the crunchy buckwheat and I rather under-cook it just a little than let it go all mushy and porridge-like. Pared with rosemary (a little garlic and lemon zest too , if you wish) and tiny bit of cheese they are such a simple thing to enjoy.

4 Recipes from Sri Lanka / Veal Brains alla Milanese / Corn and Tomato Pie

Blog Post & Recipe: Recipes from Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a culinary paradise, showing off the delights of delicate spicing – and lashings of fresh coconut milk

Cardamom and yogurt cake recipe ... Quick Sri Lankan greens recipe ... Beetroot badum recipe ... Lobster curry recipe

Blog Post & Recipe: Using Your Grey Matter: Veal Brains alla Milanese

Thus, the dish you see before you is a play on the combination of eggplant parmigiana and veal or chicken milanese: a roasted eggplant-wrapped package of red sauce and mozzarella seats a pair of breaded and deep-fried brains in cross-section.

Blog Post & Recipe: Corn and Tomato Pie

With field tomatoes being at their peak right now it was difficult to pass up on a pie that used them along with the corn that I had started the search for. Add to that the use of mayonnaise, cheddar cheese and fresh summery basil and you had a winner that was impossible to resist! I tweaked the recipe a bit replacing the chives with green onions and adding some applewood smoked bacon for even more flavour.

Slow Cooker Green Salsa Chicken / Bacon Vodka-Spiked Cherry Tomatoes / Punjabi Chana

Blog Post & Recipe: Slow Cooker Green Salsa Chicken

So really, this is just a shortcut version of Pollo en Chile Verde because I needed something quick and flavorful to save me from feeding my family fast food this super packed few days.

Blog Post & Recipe: Bacon vodka-spiked cherry tomatoes

The eternally sublime combination of bacon and tomato, facilitated by the kick of some hard-core spirits, makes these a unique and intriguing choice for a coctail party, or adds a little zing to liven up drinks on the deck.

Blog Post & Recipe: punjabi chana

both punjabi chole and punjabi chana are same. its just another way of naming the recipe. but the chana can be dry or gravied. this punjabi chana has a little gravy and is not totally dry. so now i have 3 punjabi chana recipes including this one, two with white chickpeas and 1 with black chickpeas. i hope my readers find it useful. here’s the list below

Naan Bread / Spicy Chilled Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Soup / Vegetable Stock

Blog Post & Recipe: Naan bread

This is not exactly a true naan recipe, I wish we had a naan oven ... Many people have been asking us for it lately, maybe because it’s quite easy to make and you don’t need to turn on the oven and it’s really delicious!

Blog Post & Recipe: Spicy Chilled BLT Soup

The soup is basically a quick and easy gazpacho-type number, which is thickened up a little by adding some torn up breads before you puree it. And then just before you serve it, you garnish it with however much B, L and T you would like.

Blog Post & Recipe: homemade vegetable stock

I keep my vegetable scraps in the freezer rather than my fridge. The freezer allows me to make the stock on my own time rather than being forced to because the bucket of scraps have a very limited lifespan. Fennel fronds, onion skins, carrot nubs, celery leaves, and whatever vegetable scrap that isn’t mildewy, rotten or badly blemished goes into a bucket in my freezer. When the bucket is full, it’s stock time!

Beetroot Tzatziki / Caramelised Cauliflower with Oranges, Olives & Saffroned Cous Cous / Catalan Tomato Bread

Blog Post & Recipe: Beet Tzatziki

4 small beets roasted until tender, 2ish cups of greek yogurt, one clove of garlic grated, juice of a lemon, salt and pepper, blend until delicious.

Blog Post & Recipe: Caramelized Cauliflower with Oranges, Olives and Saffroned Cous Cous

Last time cauliflower made an appearance on the blog, I cooked it like a steak for a bunch of vegans. Well the leftover cauliflower florets from that dinner were sitting in a bowl in my fridge last week and inspiration struck again. Here's what I did.

Blog Post & Recipe: Pan con tomate – Catalan tomato bread

Grill the slices of bread until golden, and rub each slice with the garlic pieces, which will wear down to nubbins as you go. Cut a tomato in half and rub it on a garlicky slice of bread, pushing as you go to make sure the juices and seeds are pressed into the piece of bread. Discard the pulp. Pour a generous slug of olive oil over each slice of tomato bread, and sprinkle with a little salt.

Tomato Sushi / Slow Cooked Sausage and Beans / Curry Laksa (Nyonya Laksa)

Blog Post & Recipe: Tomato Sushi - Yes, That's Vegetarian - Recipe

Tomatoes taste incredible with nori. I need to explore this flavor combination more. The umami in each seems to reinforce the other in a way that I find really compelling.

Blog Post & Recipe: Slow Cooked Sausage and Beans

It is best to use dried beans in casseroles or slow cooks, the tinned beans just turn to mush. When using dried beans in a slow cook dish like this , you do need to cook them before adding them to the slow cooker/casserole.

Blog Post & Recipe: Snapshots from Malaysia: How to Make Curry Laksa (Nyonya Laksa)

Like many Malaysian dishes, it starts with a blended spice paste of turmeric, galangal, lemongrass, and shrimp paste, and cooks down that blend to concentrate flavors; shrimp or chicken broth turns that thick paste to a broth, and the coconut milk is added toward the end.

Zucchinis & Tomatoes Stuffed with Ground Lamb / Rabbit Stew / Brown Rice, Courgettes & Mint + Roast Plums with Star Anise & Vanilla Cream

Recipe: Zucchinis and Tomatoes Stuffed With Ground Lamb

Mix ground lamb, pine nuts, ground cumin, cinnamons, onion, garlic, and ginger. Loosely stuff the zucchinis and tomatoes with lamb filling.

Blog Post & Recipe: Rabbit stew with apparition of Dave Brock

I'll tell you what else is 'underrated' apart from Elvis, Stereolab, and Radiohead: Rabbit stew. Actually Rabbit isn't 'underrated' at all, rabbit is probably appreciated about as much as it deserves. It's all right, it's just not as nice as fillet steak.

Article & Recipes: Nigel Slater's brown rice and roast plum recipes

Within 15 minutes of starting a classic arborio or carnaroli rice risotto you can feel the grains start to soften. Using brown, round grain rice, I sometimes feel as if I am stirring forever before the grains become silent in the pan – it does take almost twice the time to soften, but the extra time involved for the nubby texture and the way you can scoop up the surrounding sauce with a spoon is worth it.

Brown rice, courgettes and mint ... Roast plums with star anise and vanilla cream

Tomato-Zucchini Tian / Pineapple Habanero Hot Sauce / Jicama & Cucumber Chile Spears

Blog Post & Recipe: Tomato-Zucchini Tian

A tian, according to Slashfood, is a “layered, baked vegetable dish that originated in Provence.” That’s just exactly what this is.

Blog Post & Recipe: Some Like it Hot: Pineapple Habanero Hot Sauce!

Habaneros and pineapples are a great match. Habaneros are fruity and sweet, behind that curtain of heat, and pineapple complements them perfectly.

Blog Post & Recipe: Jicama and Cucumber Chile Spears

Jicama and Cucumber Chili Spears take a mere 10 minutes--just toss your vegetable spears in a bowl with fresh lime juice, chili powder, a pinch of cayenne and salt. Done!

Celery Risotto / Braised Pumpkin / 3 Confit Recipes

Blog Post & Recipe: Risotto and A Marcella Hazan Recipe

The celery flavour is clear and fresh and there are no distractions, resulting in a wonderful creamy comforting plate of velvet risotto with a little celery crunch and pale elegant colour.

Risotto Col Sedano – Celery Risotto Recipe

Blog Post & Recipe: Easy Braised Pumpkin

Let the pumpkin boil over high heat for about 10 minutes. Lower heat and stir occasionally for about 5 minutes. Add few dashes of white pepper. Once pumpkin is tender, it’s ready to be served.

Article & Recipes: Confit: What's good for the goose is good for a lot of other foods

Today almost anything can be "confited" using a variety of fats. Variations are no longer limited to midwinter meals, and the cooking process doesn't necessarily have to take all day.

Shrimp charmoula confit ... Roasted tomato confit with bacon fat ... Caramelized pineapple confit

Roast Tomato & Basil Tart / Adobo / The Science of Pie Dough

Blog Post & Recipe: Roasted Tomato & Basil Tart

Savory tarts are an all in one meal. Eggs, milk, and cheese come together in a flaky crust to create a delicious meal served warm or at room temperature.

Blog Post & Recipe: Adobo adoration

Adobo is perhaps the Philippines’ most popular dish, consisting of pork and/or chicken cooked in a pungent mix of vinegar and soy sauce. Don’t confuse it with the many other variations of adobo (a Spanish term that loosely translates into “marinade” or “dressing”), which range from a thick, chipotle-infused sauce in Mexico to a garlicky dry rub in the Caribbean.

Mom's adobo

Blog Post & Slideshow & Recipe: The Food Lab: The Science of Pie Dough

What I'm after: The kind of crust that's substantial enough that it doesn't sog-out from a juicy filling but tender enough that it flakes in your mouth into buttery shards. A crust with substance, but not chew. A crust that divides along deep faults into many distinct layers separated by tiny air spaces and that cracks when bent. A crust that is never leathery or pliant, but not so tender or crisp that it crumbles instead of flakes. And of course, it should have a deep butteriness coupled with a balanced sweet and salty flavor.

Curried Lamb Shanks / Vegetarian Menu Planning & 5 Vegetarian Recipes / Fried Fish Bones

Blog Post & Recipe: Sunday Supper: Curried Lamb Shanks

These simple curried lamb shanks play on the combination of spice with a little sweetness.

Blog Post & Recipes: the simplest method for weekly [vegetarian] menu planning + a change of plans.

A few months ago now, I wrote an article on my favourite method for menu planning ... I’ve had some great feedback and a few requests for a vegetarian version. So here we are.

the 10 ingredient shopping list ... the pantry checklist ... 5 days of 5 ingredients dinner recipes

lentil ragu with zucchini ‘noodles’ recipe ... broccoli & tofu stir fry ... baked zucchini frittata recipe ... tomato scrambled tofu recipe ... zucchini ‘cabonara’ recipe

Blog Post & Recipe: The Nasty Bits: Fried Fish Bones

Fried fish bones taste like what you imagine of thin and delicate bones: crunchy at the thick parts and crispy at the thin parts, with a slightly fishy flavor. The trick is to leave some of the fish flesh on when you fillet the whole fish, so that the meat clinging to the bone becomes crispy and brown

Saag Paneer Pasta / Leftover Rice Cake / Tomato Chili Lime Marmalade

Blog Post & Recipe: Saag Paneer Pasta

The spinach yogurt curry sauce went perfectly with the pasta. The chunks of fried cheese were a nice crunchy texture balance with the soft noodles.

Blog Post & Recipe: Leftover rice cake

It’s like a massive vege burger in a way, with grilled cheese on top, crispy crumby cheese edges, and a nice moist middle. The bonus is that you don’t need to get your hands dirty shaping any patties, and you don’t need to dip the patties into breadcrumbs. I’m considering making all my vege burger recipes like this from now on – you can still cut them into wedges and put them in a sandwich or bun.

Blog Post & Recipe: Tomato Chili Lime Marmalade

I wasn’t sure whether to call this a marmalade or a relish, I think really it would be a relish because of the tomatoes but the tang of the lime rind really gives it that marmalade edge. So what do you use such a marmalade relish for? Well we have eaten it on toast, with cheese and I have even dipped my fish & chips into it! You could use it to spice up grilled fish or chicken, adding it to the dish before serving or you could just offer it as an extra condiment at the table.

Moroccan Style Ossobuco / Tomato Soup with Tripe and Sausage / Freezing Food

Blog Post & Recipe: Ossobuco Tagine (Moroccan Style Ossobuco)

For the recipe, I started out with my ossobuco recipe and then I added some dried apricots and prunes along with a blend of warm spices.

Blog Post & Recipe: Tomato soup with tripe and sausage (a.k.a. leftover soup: recycled)

You can do this trick with any leftover meat and vegetable soup with a clear broth. The tripe can be substituted with just about any kind of meat. The only thing to remember is not to add any raw ingredient to the leftover soup then simmer until the raw ingredient is done because that would turn everything in the leftover soup into an indiscernible goo.

Blog Post: Freezers give waste the cold shoulder

Taste-wise, you have to choose and use frozen veg carefully. Frozen peas are the most popular frozen vegetable in the UK as they taste good and hold their shape and texture. Other frozen veg which (in my opinion) pass the taste test are broad beans, sweetcorn and leaf spinach (reheat it very gently) ... The big no-nos for freezing are salad, egg-based dished, such as mayonnaise (tends to separate on thawing) and whole eggs (they will burst as the liquid content expands).

Tomato Soup / Chilaquiles / 3 Recipes with Hard & Soft Herbs

Blog Post & Recipe: Tomato Soup

This is a thick and creamy (yet creamless!) tomato soup. Made with canned tomatoes and the clever twist of white bread for heft, it’s an easy, bright, and flavorful dish.

Blog Post & Recipe: Chilaquiles

I think the best way to describe it is a casserole of stale/fried corn tortillas, a sauce of your choosing (red, verde, molé–whatever), and a whole bunch of whatever else you have handy (chicken, eggs, avocado, radish, cheese, crema, etc). This dish is meant to be relatively simple to prepare, a great way to make the most of leftovers/random odds and ends

Article & Recipes: Herbs are the next big zing

I think of herbs in two categories, hard and soft. “Hard” herbs are generally the tough ones that can grow through the winter. Think of myrtle, bay, rosemary and sage: these hardier leaves keep their flavour throughout prolonged cooking. They are the herbs I reach for at the start of a dish: they’ll give depth of flavour and a profound aroma by the time I’m finished.

“Soft” herbs such as thyme, dill, marjoram and parsley, need more gentle treatment. If you add them near the start of preparation they get lost: their delicate flavours don’t travel well. But stirred in at the end of cooking they can lift a dish, balance it, give it vibrancy and vigour.

Pork chop with hard and soft herbs ... Lentils with lots of soft herbs ... Rabbit roast with hard herbs

Turnip, Bacon & Aspall Cyder Gratin / Cook Patatas Bravas / Ossobuco with Prunes, Apricots & Saffron

Blog Post & Recipe: Turnip, Bacon and Aspall Cyder Gratin

Mixing horseradish, Aspall Cyder, bacon, cream and turnips together with a bit of seasoning and baking it in the oven makes a rather delicious side dish. It’s rather rich, so serving and enjoying it in small quantities is advisable.

Blog Post & Recipe: How to cook perfect patatas bravas

I've never really got patatas bravas. Spuds in tomato sauce will never set my world on fire like crisp calamares fritos, or delicious morsels of morcilla, yet they're as inevitable an order in tapas bars as egg fried rice in a Chinese

Blog Post & Recipe: Fusion Food: Ossobuco with Prunes, Apricots and Saffron

This ossobuco is braised in vermouth and veal stock, while dried apricots and prunes add a fruity note to it, and a pinch of saffron gives it an extravagant highlight. Rounding it off is the wonderfully zesty gremolata with pine nuts, lemon, garlic and lots of fresh parsley.