Figs with Speck and Bitter Leaves
Let us be clear here: most Sardinians do not put fruit in salads. Their puritanical attitude to food means their salad components barely even extend to lemon juice or vinegar. A sa
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Strawberry Fields Forever
I miss home a lot. Inevitable, I suppose, in these days of lockdown when none of us are allowed to move. Of course I’m physically far from home, but that physical distance meant
A Kind of Italian Roast Chicken
Chicken with Anchovy, Lemon and Garlic Butter Every Sunday of my life in England we had a roast. When I moved here, I realised that the Sardinians do not do roasts in the same way.
Greens, Beans and Broth
I tried hard to think of a good broth-pun for the title of this post (and as you can see I failed). There were some convoluted and limp ‘wrath’ rhymes which didn’
Pleasures of the Flesh
Thank God for squash. Just when the weather turns grim and a damp depression descends, a little pumpkin-lantern light appears at the end of the tunnel. You’ve got to love a s
Braised Chicken with Figs, Honey and Vinegar
I’m a big fan of chicken. People are always surprised when I say it’s my favourite meat. I know so many people that go into paroxysms of pleasure about beef but for me
Squashed, with Grapes
Names of Italian dishes are nothing if not evocative. Schiaciatta all’uva, or simply ‘squashed with grapes’ is a Tuscan speciality which echoes the equally ‘squashed’ fly
Summertime, and the Cookin’ is Easy
When days are long and patience is short, and dragging yourself damply into the kitchen is a chore in itself, the best thing you can do is simply to create an arrangement of truly
Mayonnaise, and a Trio of Tonnatos
I grew up on Hellman’s mayonnaise and I loved it. My grandmother used to mix it with a little crème fraiche to make it more ‘fancy,’ but we all loved however it came, fancif
Victorious Sponge
The other day, I was thinking fondly of England, and of temperate English summers. Of cool breezes and green grass and a dry forehead: things which are now the stuff of memory. Of
Coccoli and Coccole
We went to Lucca for a short weekend. He wanted to go to see the Ennio Morricone concert. I wanted to go to walk around the walled city, and to eat lots of typically Tuscan things.
Alla Carlofortina
A week or so ago I went to visit a small island off the south of Sardinia (Isola di San Pietro) and wandered around its main (and only) town, Carloforte. It’s a beautiful spo
Naked Attraction
Nettle Gnudi, Sage Butter & Pecorino Nudity has never been so appealing.. A charming name for a delicious thing, gnudi are really just nude ravioli: nuggets of creamy ricotta f
Mortadella & Me
It’s funny, isn’t it, how we all of us have our culinary blindspots. I remember reading about Elizabeth David’s devotion to instant coffee, for example. A woman w
Blackberries & Bay, Brown Sugar Meringues
I’m back in England and have just caught the cusp of Autumn. One of the saddest things about life in Sardinia is the lack of this, my favourite season. Autumn never happened
Summer Stored
‘Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the Midday Sun’. It’s funny isn’t it, how we change. The first summer I arrived here, last summer in fact, I acted like every sel
Life’s Sweeter with Granita
It is a mystery to me why granita is not more popular. We all know and love the creamy delights of gelato, but its zingy, granular cousin seems to have got lost by the wayside. Thi
The Whole Fruit, Nothing But the Fruit or So Help Me God
Apricot stones, when bashed with a pestle and mortar or cracked with nutcrackers, contain a small, slender, almond-like kernel. This kernel has an intense, exaggerated almond flavo
Pestles & Pestos
There are some pieces of equipment which call you into the kitchen. Anyone who cooks often will know and appreciate the joy of a sharp knife. Preparing food is often foiled by blun
Peach Perfect
I never used to believe in poaching peaches; I thought a peach couldn’t be improved upon. It needed to be eaten and that was all. Then I discovered this recipe. These peaches tas
Blood Orange, Ricotta, Olive Oil & Polenta Cake
A perfect cake. Bottom layer 150g sugar splash water slices of blood orange Batter 100g polenta 150g flour 2tsp baking powder 200g sugar 250g ricotta good pinch salt 200ml olive oi
A Kitchen of One’s Own
What do you call a cook without a kitchen? I’ve always wanted to write about food, but I’ve sort of held off, pushed it to the back of my mind, persuading myself that I
Beginnings & Apricots
The trouble with recipes is I often feel they are in fact anti-cooking, or at least they make us think about food in the wrong way. A recipe reads like a list, a set of rules ̵
