As Strong As Soup

I’ve just been reading a disappointing new cookbook (no names, no packed lunch) by an author so full of himself that it's a wonder he has any space left for food. The author gives his readers the familiar lecture on authenticity and how we should know the origins of a recipe and never use any ingredient not available to the cook who might have created it. That’s not really my cup of authentic British tea. It made me want to cook something as inauthentic as possible at the earliest opportunity. This recipe is about as inauthentic as it gets. It's based on a dish that I remember seeing made many years ago although I didn't get the recipe at the time. This is very much my own inauthentic recreation of the dish and should serve 4 people . For the meatballs:    1 onion, finely chopped    30 g breadcrumbs    1 egg, beaten    Zest of ½ lemon    30 g sultanas    3 dried apricots    ½ tsp dried lime, ground  ...

We have a new restaurant in the Carluccio's chain coming to our High Street and I'm certainly not complaining about that, but for some reason there are a lot of places to get Italian food in this area . I felt I ought to try to reduce my carbonara footprint and avoid cooking anything with even a vaguely Italian pedigree for a week or two. I failed miserably thanks to my risotto craving. I remember many years ago shopping in Mr Carluccio's original Neal Street deli and on a couple of occasions the man himself was there. At the time I'd never made a risotto but he told me that there was nothing to be afraid of and many hundreds of risottos later I can confirm that he was right. Plenty of people far better qualified than I have described the process of adding hot stock to rice to make risotto, so I don't think it's worth me repeating it, but it might be worth passing on a tip I was given some time ago (not by Mr Carluccio, I hasten to add). If you need to pre...

As the sun blazes high in the sky over the English countryside my thoughts inevitably turn to cricket and, of course, what to eat and drink while watching the noble game. Sadly I rarely watch cricket any more. Gone is the deeply satisfying experience of the last day of a thoroughly pointless draw against the Minor Counties. These days people seem to care about who wins and I can’t see the point of that myself. In my youth refreshments while watching cricket consisted mostly of strong cider and anything resembling a Cornish pasty but in my more reflective, some might say wistful, advancing years I'm more likely to be drawn to a cup of Assam tea and a small cake. Should you have a spare week or two, then you only have to read the first few sentences of 'Du côté de chez Swann' to realise that Marcel Proust was an accomplished and resourceful leg spinner. So what better offering to accompany a slow left armer bowling a maiden over to a number 11 than a madeleine? A word of ...

Dear Blog, Sorry that I haven’t written lately, but I’ve been busy – honest. It’s so much easier to find time to think about recipes in the winter. Anyway, ciambelloni….. I was under the impression that this was an Italian cake that was always relatively light, plain and simple. But then I kept coming across more and more variations – versions flavoured with saffron or lots of orange zest, decorated versions, denser versions made with shedfuls of butter.... So it seems that there may be as many versions as there are people who cook it and the only real constant is the ring shape. So, not to be outdone, here's my version which has the simple qualities that first got me interested. This cake is good at breakfast time with coffee or as a dessert with sweet wine or any time you like with a cup of tea. It’s pretty easy to make but even easier if you use a free-standing electric mixer. 250 g ricotta 220 g caster sugar 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or extract...

This is not a bread for making toast and marmalade or a quick sandwich; it’s a simple, dense bread for tearing apart and dipping into spicy soups and stews. I resurrected this recipe from an old notebook that I had been ignoring for some time and I’ve no idea where the original idea came from. You’ll need a frying pan of 23 cm diameter or thereabouts – it will be easier if it’s a non-stick one. This should serve 4 people. 450 g strong white bread flour 1 tsp salt 1½ tsp sugar 170 ml coconut milk 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp fast-action dried yeast For the topping:      2 tsp sesame seeds      ½ tsp dried thyme      1 tsp sumac      1 tsp sea salt flakes Put the flour, salt, sugar and a grind or two of pepper in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Combine the wet ingredients in a jug and stir in the dried yeast. Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix to form ...

I’ve always liked the idea of the very English, very old-fashioned Queen of Puddings – anything topped with meringue has to be a good thing after all. But the reality is that I find the sweetness can be overwhelming and the texture of the breadcrumbs can seem a little odd. For this version I’ve used a combination of lemon and almond flavours and I’ve substituted cake crumbs for the bread. This recipe works best using a zesty, sharp lemon curd and, though you could make your own, your local supermarket probably has a decent alternative (Waitrose sells a particularly good zesty curd). It’s possible to add more than the 2 spoonfuls of the lemon curd which will give more of a lemony sauce, but which will very possibly make the pudding look just a bit too messy for its own good. 600 ml milk Finely grated zest of 1 lemon 20 g butter, plus a bit for greasing the dish 75 g cake or brioche crumbs (Madeira cake works very well) 25 g ground almonds 4 eggs, separated 250 g caster sug...

Toward the end of this long, cold winter I have to admit that I’m getting a bit fed up with the idea of yet more root veg. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with them, but carrots seemed so much more interesting at the start of the winter. However, using a good can of Italian tomatoes adds a bit of sunshine and balances the sweetness nicely. This should make 5 or 6 portions 1 onion, finely chopped 500g (prepared weight) carrots, chopped 1 potato, about 150 g – 200 g, peeled and chopped Pinch of dried chilli flakes 1 litre chicken stock 400g tin of chopped tomatoes ½ tsp sugar Sprig of fresh rosemary 2 tsp sherry vinegar A little lemon juice In a large frying pan, soften the onion in a little oil, adding a drop or two of water to prevent it browning or cooking too quickly. Add the carrots, potato, chilli flakes and a grind or two of black pepper then pour over 750 ml of the stock. Bring to a simmer, cover the pan and cook gently for 15 minutes. Add the can of tomatoes, the su...