a festive salad

pomegranates and walnuts – two delicious ingredients which, i think, make eating salad a good idea despite the chilly weather.

i’m sure i’ve done something like this before. or, if this exact combination is new to me, perhaps it’s just that the various ingredients are old favourites, which i regularly turn to.

the leaves are dressed simple with walnut oil and lemon juice. i topped these with pieces of parma ham, lightly toasted walnuts and fresh goats curd before sprinkling with pomegranate seeds and a drizzle of 12yo balsamic vinegar.

it took 5 minutes to make and a similar amount of time to eat but is a great way to start a meal which is going to place more onerous demands on you and your stomach. something to bear in mind as we approach the festive season, perhaps?

squash and chickpea soup

 

a couple of weeks ago i received a selection of different types of squash in my vegetable box. some were roasted with garlic and chilli but the onion squash was saved (or. more accurately, neglected and then embraced) for a skye gyngell recipe – onion squash and chickpea soup. 

skye sings the praises of the onion squash – its deep rich flavour, firm texture and particularly its skin, which doesn’t need to be removed. perfect for a lazy saturday lunch.

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the isle of skye

so, skye and the three chimneys. this was, afterall, the main reason for our recent scottish jaunt and yet it’s taken me over a month to write something about it which is very poor. a simple summary is that it was wonderful. but of course there is much more to it than that!

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pierre koffman at selfridges, london w1

 

i know i still owe you a review of the food we ate in skye but i wanted to jump in with a quick word about the pierre koffman pop-up at selfridges.

i rarely write about the food i eat out that is not up to scratch – sat bains and l’anima being two such disappointments – but given the almost unanimous rave reviews i wanted to put out a dissenting view about the pop-up.

the setting is wonderful – the temporary structure has a real feeling of contemporary glamour – as is the welcome and service but the food we ate really wasn’t great.

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last lick, yum lick

 

i’m not a big fan of rich creamy food but when i heard a friend raving about his mum’s “last lick sauce”, describing it as the perfect accompaniment to roast chicken and a fabulous gravy replacement in the summer, i had to give it a try.

garlic, rosemary, anchovies and sundried tomatoes. plus cream for richness. definitely worth a go.

the sauce has a fabulous depth of savoury flavour but it is very rich. i tried versions using crème fraiche (full and low fat) and sour cream. none of these was a patch on the original so, here it is, the original last lick sauce.

it is indeed a great accompaniment to roast chicken and is a very delicious way to ring the changes if your sunday roast is looking a little jaded. 

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