Speculaas (or speculoos) are a spiced and browned shortcrust biscuit. The spices used were popular in Europe in the days of the Dutch East Indies spice trade – cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cardamom and white pepper. These days you can buy a spreadable paste of these cookies called Biscoff or Cookie Butter. I bought a…… Continue reading dutch cookie ice cream
home-made pasta with home-made pesto
Pasta isn’t really too difficult to make, but somehow I hardly ever get around to it. Having just made a pesto, though, it seemed fitting to have a home-made pasta with it. The result was definitely worth it! For the pesto wash a bunch of basil and make sure it’s as dry as possible. This…… Continue reading home-made pasta with home-made pesto
steamed whole snapper with ginger
This recipe, from Thai Food by David Thompson, is for ginger lovers! Make sure your ginger is young and fresh or you might want to reduce the amount in this recipe. Clean and score the fish and place it on a plate which you will use for steaming. Pour over 3 tablespoons of light soy…… Continue reading steamed whole snapper with ginger
almond and apricot pastry
Eve made this ensaïmada, a pastry which hails from Mallorca. Traditionally made with a lot of pork lard (saiïm in Catalan) this version, from a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe, uses only 100g (3½ oz) of butter. I’ve never tasted the original version but this one was moist and delicious and a fitting finale for a Spanish…… Continue reading almond and apricot pastry
tuna mornay mexican style
No time to shop? Here’s a new twist on an old-fashioned favourite using canned tuna. Finely dice an onion, a red or green pepper and some Jalapeno or Poblano chillies and fry them gently in some vegetable oil until the onions start to wilt. Add some frozen corn kernels and cook for a few minutes…… Continue reading tuna mornay mexican style
rendang
Originally from Indonesia, Rendang is also a popular Malaysian dish. Known as a dry curry, it consists of meat cooked in coconut milk and spices until the meat is incredibly tender and the coconut and spices are reduced to a rich thick paste which clings to the meat. Use 1½ kg (3â…“ lbs) of gravy or…… Continue reading rendang
yoghurt, honey and pistachio cheesecake with oranges in cardamom syrup
For the finale of our Summer Solstice feast Deborah made this cake from Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons by Diana Henry. With classic Middle Eastern flavours it was a perfect way to end the meal. For the biscuit base, bash 150g (5 ½oz) of sweet biscuits and 55g (2oz) blanched almonds together in a plastic bag using a…… Continue reading yoghurt, honey and pistachio cheesecake with oranges in cardamom syrup
spiced roast chicken with harissa + greek salad
Here is our Summer solstice main course. Spiced roasted chicken served on a bed of home-made harissa and garnished with herbs and watercress. Lorraine chose this recipe from Karen Martini’s Where The Heart Is and cooked it to perfection. You will need Baharat, a Middle Eastern spice mix, for this recipe. If you can’t find it…… Continue reading spiced roast chicken with harissa + greek salad
fennel and seafood salad
Here in the southern hemisphere we recently celebrated the Summer Solstice. Our feast began with this salad, a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe from the cookbook Ottolenghi, cooked by Fifi. It looked magnificent and tasted even better. Trim the tops and bottoms of four fennel bulbs then slice them crosswise as thinly as you can. In a…… Continue reading fennel and seafood salad
christmas 2018
Only four of us this hot Christmas day, so we decided to have a Chinese hot-pot. Cooking everything at the table is the ultimate slow food but very satisfying and delicious! Our home-made stock was made with pork bones, chicken and ginger. Before serving we seasoned to taste with salt and added a black cardamom…… Continue reading christmas 2018
