‘Shopping at the Dandelion Co-op made me feel European. Very Audrey Hepburn as Sabrina in Paris. River picked out goat cheese to spread on crispy-crusted French bread for the picnic, and olives, and a jar of roasted red peppers, and a bar of seventy percent dark chocolate, and a bottle of sparkling water. He bought…
Category: Grains, Legumes and Pulses
Provençal Haricots Blancs en Salade, a White Bean and Tomato Salad
This salad is perfect. It’s so simple to make and yet it’s capable of delivering a zing-fresh, punchy hit that is hard to resist, especially on a hot summer day served alongside a plate of light, creamy cheese, a freshly baked baguette smothered with tapenade and a glass of chilled rosé or a crisp Sauvignon Blanc….
Neapolitan Roast Potato Puttanesca Salad
Naples is everything that you want it to be: imagine crumbling walls plastered with dusty images of Maradona and Sophia Lauren juxtaposed with billowing lines of washing. Everything is slightly chaotic and the air is thick with the aromas of sea, baking bread, melting cheese, ripe peaches, church incense and Vespas. Neapolitan cuisine matches the…
Istanbul Sweet Potato and Bulgur Wheat Koftas with Tahini and Lemon Sauce
Our Turkish friends, Selçuki and Ali, are brilliant cooks and, knowing that I’m constantly looking to enhance my knowledge, they always put food at the centre of our plans when we’re in Istanbul (I love a plan which is somewhat of a challenge for them because Turks like to act spontaneously. This is a source…
Essaouira Couscous with Saffron, Mint and Lemon
Imagine a sophisticated salon lined with intricate Moroccan tiles and finely carved white plaster; imagine the aromas of spices, incense and complex tagines; imagine literally dozens of traditional lanterns filled with flickering candles and the warmth of a Moroccan welcome all wrapped up with a flounce of Parisian glamour. You have just entered Essaouira, an authentic…
Greek Trachana Soup with Tomatoes, Lemon and Olive Oil
‘In these all-white courtyards where the south wind blows whistling through vaulted arcades, tell me, is it the mad pomegranate tree that leaps in the light scattering its fruitful laughter with windy wilfulness and whispering? Tell me, is it the mad pomegranate tree that quivers with foliage newly born at dawn raising high its colours…
Greek Yellow Split Pea Soup with Turmeric and Lemon
I love any recipe that starts with a couple of generous handfuls of dried legumes. When cooked, I can literally feel their nutritional benefit with every spoonful and that’s not some fanciful imagining, these cute little morsels are packed with calcium, folate, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, riboflavin, thiamine, vitamin B6 and zinc not to mention protein and…
Medioevo Farro, Mozzarella and Herb Salad
‘It is not the result of an alchemy but the result of the products coming from vegetable gardens, farmyards, clear skies, fresh and clean water, hands used to rolling out the pasta dough; in one word, the treasure of Umbria. Umbria is the starting point of the journey we take to look for all these products…
Camargue Red Rice Salad with Goats’ Cheese and a Wholegrain Mustard Dressing
Once upon a time, long, long ago, I lived with a very rich man whose life was a heady mix of high-powered business and the procurement of the trappings of wealth. All of this was lost on me of course because I would happily live in a shack on a beach so long as it…
Volós Lentil Salad with a Garlic & Lemon Dressing
‘Volós! Anyone for Volós?’ the holiday rep called. ‘Anyone for Volós?’ she repeated. Again and again. For some reason, this caused my son, who must have been 11 years old at the time, to fall to the floor crying with laughter. That memory still amuses him to this day so I repeat it often just…
Cardamom and Dill 