Every year summer hits, my appetite flies out the window. There’s something about prickly, constant heat that steals a great deal of joy out of the hearty, filling fare that I revel in during the less oppressive months. This year’s been particularly overwhelming, and given that the high temperatures don’t look to be letting up…
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A vast majority of meals I cook and the recipes I come up with are born from an empty fridge and having absolutely no idea what I feel like for dinner on any given night. It leads to my aimlessly wandering the aisles of the supermarket until a few flavours jump out at me and…
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I remember a time growing up when I was under the impression that the only available ingredients for bulking up or basing a meal around were rice and pasta, or the occasional boiled, baked or mashed potato. They were certainly the most readily available means in the nineties for making a meal go a little…
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I often find that some of the best dishes are the ones you don’t have to screw around with – nothing but good, fresh ingredients and a little heat, allowing them to be delicious on their own merit. There’s a mentality towards food that you see in a lot of Greek and Italian recipes where…
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I’ve heard it said a few times that there a two different kinds of people in this world: cooks and bakers. I don’t believe this is entirely true, and I know a number of people who are magnificent at both. I, however, definitely fall into the former category. Most of the people I know who…
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While I was growing up my parents always adopted a kind of ‘eat what you’re given’ mentality towards my brothers and I, and my unsophisticated little kid palate was forced to learn to enjoy everything green and leafy. I’m grateful for it now. I remember I used to hate steamed zucchini so much that I’d…
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It’s not always a practical option, but I’ve always loved the idea of eating and cooking with the seasons. It’s difficult nowadays to tell when fruit and vegetables are actually in season when they’re being shipped from the other side of the world and presented to us in supermarkets, all glossy and flawless as if…
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If I was a more disciplined kind of person I’d probably be a vegetarian. As it is, I’m not. But I do spend an awful lot of time finding vegetarian alternatives to traditionally meat based dishes, both for myself and for my vegetarian friends and acquaintances. If nothing else, it’s generally cheaper and that’s something…
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I don’t think I’ll ever tire of singing the praises of peas as a soup base. As incredible as they are fresh, they’re one of the few vegetables that retains its quality when frozen, they’re cheap, quick to cook, and wonderfully vibrant. The appropriate bright green of Spring and new growth that’s currently unfurling on…
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The most significant step I’ve ever taken in my kitchen was biting the bullet and fully stocking my pantry with spices. They seem like such insubstantial, insignificant ingredients, but once I learnt how to utilise them properly I immediately appreciated the definition and character they can lend to any given dish. If I were to…
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I used to be irrationally afraid of baking with yeast. Baker’s yeast is the leavening agent used in baking that causes bread to rise and adds air to your dough, making it all wonderful and fluffy. Without it you’d basically end up with a dry, inedible lump of hot flour. It’s also a microorganism, and…
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