Easy Beans

Ok, yes, tinned beans are easy anyway, but sometimes you want more than just a plain bean. 1 tin butter beans Extra virgin olive oil 2 chopped fresh tomatoes, medium sized (PLEASE don't refrigerate your tomatoes, it ruins their structure) or 2 canned plum tomatoes, broken up 2 heaped tbs tomato puree 1/2-1 tsp salt …

Continue reading Easy Beans

Hot Caponata Vinaigrette Dressing

Inspired by the flavours in caponata, so Italians, don't shout at me. This is handy to use up the ends of aubergines, which is why I made it as I hate throwing anything away. The juices cry out for a good chunk of bread to mop them up. 10-15 ripe cherry or baby plum tomatoesExtra …

Continue reading Hot Caponata Vinaigrette Dressing

Sri Lankan Tomato Curry

I'm not sure how I ended up with quite so many Oddbox tomatoes, but I did. Some were on the cusp of becoming a non tomato, so it was time to do something. I'd already done a fresh tomato and aubergine bake, but wanted something non Mediterranean. This curry is best made and then left …

Continue reading Sri Lankan Tomato Curry

Easy Baked Aubergine

Aubergines/eggplants are much maligned. I know that. But I love them so much! Here is a very simple way of cooking them, no fuss, and not a lot of mess. My friend Liese in Athens still makes this, many years after I gave her the recipe, and that makes me smile every time I think …

Continue reading Easy Baked Aubergine

Gigantes – sweet/sour Greek baked beans

You will see big, flat tins of this in almost every Turkish or Mediterranean food shop. Those are perfectly good, but making it yourself allows the use of the good oil, more garlic, a little spice if you wish. You can make the dish wholly yours. I am aware that gigantes - dried white giant …

Continue reading Gigantes – sweet/sour Greek baked beans

Istanbul and Beyond: Inspirations. Lamb, Leek and Chickpea Stew

I’m currently reading Istanbul & Beyond. There’s so much more to Turkish cuisine than the meat and salads that we usually see here. “Standing at the crossroads between the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Asia, Turkey boasts astonishingly rich and diverse culinary traditions. Journalist Robyn Eckhardt and her husband, photographer David Hagerman, have spent almost …

Continue reading Istanbul and Beyond: Inspirations. Lamb, Leek and Chickpea Stew

Raymond Blanc’s Slow Cooked Squid with Chorizo

Squid is one of those things that I always associate with charcoal grills, holidays and blazing sunshine. I’ve only ever eaten it grilled or deep fried, so I thought I’d give it a go in a different dish to see how it changed the taste. I know that with squid the rules are that you …

Continue reading Raymond Blanc’s Slow Cooked Squid with Chorizo

Non meat meatballs

My friend Cat recently made these, and foxed her friends because she’s vegan, and these looked a lot like meat in her post. After some confusion, and explaining, the recipe for these rather lovely aubergine and olive balls was shared. Cat’s was from the Abel & Cole recipe book, and the one I’d seen was …

Continue reading Non meat meatballs