Starters / Appetizers

Aubergine (eggplant) glazed with miso – Nasu Dengaku

October 17, 2012
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I’ve made aubergine glazed with white miso for this post about 8-9 times, each time with slight changes and those adjustments make a difference to the eating experience.  I’ll go into the details in a moment but first I want to discuss the aubergine itself.  None of the nasu dengaku recipes I came across out […]

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Roasted fennel hummus (humous) with fennel and coriander seed flavoured oil

September 26, 2012
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It was Max who gave me the idea of making roasted fennel hummus, when I posted my roasted fennel mayonnaise he wondered if he could make it vegan by replacing the mayonnaise with tahini, lemon juice and water…which obviously made my brain immediately turn to the idea of hummus.  I ate this portion of fennel hummus […]

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My version of Imam Bayildi – Aubergine (Eggplant) stuffed with tomatoes

September 17, 2012
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I found 4 variations in 4 cookery books I have of this dish and I suspect if I looked in other books I would also find further variations.  It seems everyone puts their twist on what is essentially a very simple dish of aubergines stuffed with onion and tomato sauce. Claudia Roden’s version in  Arabesque […]

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Mooli Rolls – Crudités Rolls (gluten-free)

September 2, 2012
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I have copied the idea for these rolls from Marks and Spencer.  I ate their version a few weeks ago and thought it was a great pretty idea of eating vegetables than the normal crudité stick shapes.  I’ve served them here with a fatless soy dip but you could serve them with any glorious rich […]

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Bolinhos de Bacalhau – Salt Cod Fish Cakes

February 6, 2012
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In Portugal the national food is bacalhau, salt cod, there are hundreds of recipes and the older generations would happily eat it once a week if not more.  It’s not a cheap food anymore, what was once a way of preserving fish through necessity it now commands a good price which is why when buying […]

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Courgette (Zucchini) Summer Soup

July 6, 2011
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This soup originally came from the first River Café Cookbook, the blue one which I loved when it came out.  I wasn’t keen on their second book, the yellow, it seemed full of recipes for their wood-fired oven and generally less substantial.  I’ve been making this soup for as long as I’ve had my oldest […]

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Cheese & Onion Tart with Cheese Pastry

May 2, 2011
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What makes this cheese & onion tart stand out from just any cheese & onion tart is having both the cheese topping and the cheese pastry giving a crumbly cheese contrast sandwiching the soft  sweet filling of the onions.  I had a slice of it and the rest was passed on to the oldest daughter […]

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Work In Progress: Gluten Free CornCakes

October 7, 2010
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I’ve been obsessed with fresh corn throughout this summer, I have these food obsessions from time to time.  It has coincided with my discovery that you can microwave fresh corn in its husks in just 3 minutes or if already peeled on a plate with clingfilm.  This gives me the time to throw a salad […]

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