Tuesday, April 23, 2013 at 07:00 
a negroni is a classic cocktail, albeit a very trendy one in london at the moment. it's also one of my favourites - equal amounts of gin, campari and red vermouth served over ice with a slice of orange or a twist of peel. add a splash of soda water if you want to lighten it up or lengthen the drink. cheers!
Sunday, April 21, 2013 at 19:48 
fennel is one of my favourite vegetables; i also love fennel seeds as a spice. and lemon is one of the ingredients which i always need to have to hand, otherwise i start to feel twitchy. all of which makes it obvious that i was going to love this dish.
the flavour combination isn’t new but the results are absolutely superb – chunks of fennel are tossed with fennel seeds, matchsticks of lemon zest (use a vegetable peeler, avoid the white pith then cut into thin strips)the juice of the lemons, olive oil, salt and pepper. these are covered in foil and roasted at 180c for 20 mins and then, having been uncovered, are given a final 10 minutes to crisp up and caramelise the edges.
i think it’s the lemon peel match sticks which really make this taste so nice – cooking them slowly under cover so the peel softens before it starts to caramelise creates a mellow but rich flavour. this contrasts wonderfully well with the fennel seeds and creamy fried halloumi (slice and soak it overnight, to create a softer texture when it is cooked).
the final winning component in this anna hansen recipe, from her modern pantry cookery book, is crispy capers (shallow fry them in vegetable oil for a few minutes).
i piled these ingredients on top of some toasted sour dough bread, which was rubbed with a smoked garlic clove, and finished with some rocket and a drizzle of olive oil. just delicious and my favourite recipe from the book, so far.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 07:43 i’ve been eating some wonderful food recently, both while travelling in spain but also in london, most recently at barrafina.
i have written about barrafina before – this small, but perfectly formed, tapas bar is modelled on the famous cal pep in barcelona and is one of my favourite places to eat in london.
i think barrafina is best visited when it’s just two of you, as sitting at the bar on stools is an intimate experience. you eat, drink, chat and watch the food being prepared and delivered; both remembering what you’ve yet to receive of your own order, whilst also trying to work out if you can squeeze in that something extra, that looked or smelt delicious as it was handed to your neighbour. going as a pair (or on your own, this is great for solo-eating) also reduces the waiting time you’re likely to have. athough having said that, my preference is to get there as they open for the evening (c5pm but arrive a bit before as there will be a queue outside the closed doors) so, fingers crossed, i can be seated straightaway.
there is a core menu which doesn’t change much but also a selection of daily specials.
Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 08:20 
i’ve been eating versions of this salad quite a lot recently – it has an eye towards brighter, warmer weather but still has enough bulk to make it suitable for a chilly day.
at it’s heart are courgettes, chickpeas, lemon, cheese and cumin. my chickpeas tend to come straight from the tin and if i want them warming through i just cover them with boiling water, after draining and rinsing them, while i prepare the rest of this dish. having said that, i don’t usually bother as adding the just-griddled courgettes to the salad tends to warm everything through just enough for me.
the courgettes are sliced, tossed with a little olive oil – 1 tablespoon is enough for 2 courgettes which, along with one tin of chickpeas and the rest of the ingredients tends to be enough for two people. i use the bowl that had the oiled raw courgettes in to assemble the salad as i go, so any excess oil forms part of the dressing. the cumin – 1 teaspoon of seeds, toasted and then ground, is sprinkled on the veggies and adds a depth of slightly spicy flavour to the dressing, which has the juice and zest of a lemon as it’s final components (just add these to bowl, while you cook the courgettes in batches, stirring as something new gets added).
for the cheese component i use whatever i have in – pictured are little cubes of smoked ricotta; last night i used some crumbled feta. other ingredients depend what i have in – crunchy red peppers as pictured above, or chery tomatoes are nice. you can also add garlic, chilli, shallots or spring onions for extra oomph and i always finish with a sprinkle of fresh herbs. a nice and easy healthy dish. perfect too for fast days if you’re doing the 5:2 diet, coming in at c200-250 calories, depending how generous you are with the olive oil and cheese.
Friday, April 5, 2013 at 06:00 
one of the things i has most excited me as a result of reading and cooking from jerusalem, is that i discovered that my local turkish supermarket sells frozen, pre-prepared globe artichoke bases. so exciting!
this meant that tackling the recipe for stuffed artichokes with peas and dill, which really appealed when i flicked through the book, as i love artichokes, but which was also a definite no, as i hate preparing them, was actually a complete doddle to make.
it was also wonderfully delicious – the artichoke bases are stuffed with a mix of beef mince and leeks, flavoured with allspice, cinnamon and mint. they are browned in a pan and then baked in a lemony stock, to which peas and dill are added just before serving (and after i took the picture above).
the filling is really interesting and reflects the book’s focus on vegetables – there is just over half as much mince as (blanched) leeks in the mix, which gives it a lightness that means the artichokes aren’t overwhelmed; it also makes the dish much cheaper and healthier.
