I must admit that I am not a fan of single theme recipes books, as in “crumble” or “soup” or “casserole”. However much I enjoy all these things in general I can never help but wonder if the author isn’t just eeking out the most tenuous and sometime implausible recipes to fit the theme, not to mention the shelf clutter possessing these involves. For example I have a soup book with a dessert section. Sounds promising? The desserts have names like “soup of apple and pear” but isn’t that just a compote? “Sweet creamy rice soup” no that would be a runny rice pudding. Or “Strawberry banana soup” judging by the ingredients, more commonly referred to as a milkshake. I even possess a book solely dedicated to “Tartars and Carpaccio” (a gift). Really. Though I am generally an adventurous type I draw the line at raw chicken. “Salmonella alarm bells”, sorry. And using a peeler rather than a grater for carrots doesn’t suddenly imply “carpaccio of carrots”, rather suggests pretensionly named carrot salad a la time consuming pain in the arse. Just not worth the effort.

I also dislike proper cheffy books, highly stylised faux restaurant food, requiring a battery of equipment, and couple of commie chefs and a dishwasher (the human not the mechanical kind). These for me are more coffee table than kitchen table books. Books who’s sole purpose is to make you feel inadequate. Feel impotent in the kitchen, whilst you nurse your creative illiteracy in interior design and lament at the architectural shortcomings of your home. Nothing good has ever from following their lead. Trust me I have tried. Desperate, demoralizing and always disappointing.

The books I prefer are those that capture the essentials of a good life. Colour, flavour, texture, variety, yet uncomplicated, convivial and the palatable equivalent of a warm hug. Above all recipe books should be a guide rather than gospel. Add and omit at will, substitute ingredients you can’t find or don’t like and remember to pencil in the changes if the results were a success. A recipe is all the better I think for being personalised to taste.

Whilst I should probably be reading a good book to improve my mind, I am happy to curl up on the sofa with a glass of wine and a bit of food porn, thank you. Belly first, mind later.

So here are a few of my current favourites:
Nigel Slater: Kitchen Diaries
(Frankly I am a fan. Incredibly simple, intensely flavourful and simple stuff. Helps to keep it all seasonal too.)

Yotam Ottolenghi: (2 books) Plenty and Ottolenghi: The Cookbook
(If you ever thought that veg was just a side dish, you’ll think again after reading Plenty. But be warned this is not health food! No meat does not mean “no calories”. The Cookbook is a wonderful window into the world of perfectly delectable salads, soups, tarts and scrumpy desserts. Eye candy, that blissfully fills the belly too.)

Mai Pham: Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table
(This is a rare treat that really allows you to recreate some truely wonderfully authentic flavours of Vietamese cooking. Not entirely easy and sourcing ingredients is involved but worth it).

Diana Henry: Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons
(Criss cross the Middle East, Mediterranean and North Africa, heady aromatic glorious recipes, that really makes everyday feel like sunkissed days. Its quite a skill to alter your view into soft focused sun dappled splendour, I love it).

Though my shelves groan under the strain of many, I still covert others, such as Comfort and Spice, Niamh Shields (I am deeply intriqued by something called “bacon jam”?)
Please recommend some of your favourites I would hate to think I am missing out.

You may understand my uncharitable feelings if you too have received framed fruit paintings, country-style tea sets from the “charmingly distressed” school of design (distressing indeed). Or “peace and love” egg cups (inducing neither peace nor love, rather smash and burn), alongside fantastically ugly scarves and accessories that can only lead you to conclude that you are possessed of extremely poor dress sense if this is what it induces.

And so with the trauma of the gifts of Christmas past still very much present, my thoughts turn to inoffensive gift ideas. After years of inflicting my taste on others too, I realise that edible and alcoholic treats make the best gifts. I would never spend the sometimes eye-watering amounts of money for premium olive oil or vinegar on myself but would give and receive them as a gift with delight. The same goes for good chocolate, fine wine and all manner of unique and luxury foods, indulgences not easily justified but warmly received. The added advantage of edible items being that once consumed, all trace of them are gone along with any lingering feelings about decadent behaviour.

With this in mind and considering that this is ultimately a food blog, I have decided to share what I consider to be a list of wholly acceptable gift-giving (feel free to disagree). Calorific, artery-clogging, guilty pleasure-deriving goodies. (And yes I have included our very own C&Co gifts amongst this list, as it would be a little remiss of me not to affect a little self promotion now and again).

In the likely event that some pointless presents will persist, I wish you luck and hope your visits to the local charity shop will be few. Merry Christmas!

www.thecarvedangel.com/
From Christmas Puddings, preserve and chutneys to hampers. Traditional fare, alas they do not deliver outside the UK

www.cardamomeetcompagnie.com/EN
Our website offers spice blends and recipe kits themed gifts or pick and mix and have us gift wrap them for you.

www.lochfyne.com
Smoked Salmon and all the things Scottish. Lovely gift selections. Overseas shipping available (though you need to email to get the quote depending on the country. US/Canada/ New Zealand and Austrailia delivery not possible).

www.brindisa.com/store/
I love their tapas restaurants and their online shop is perfect for delicious Spanish treats, hams, cheese, hampers, oils, honey and more… (UK delivery only).

www.nudo-italia.com
Original and a wonderful gift, probably the best italian olive oil gift around. Adopt an olive tree and receive all the oil it produces in spring and autumn,  or more simply,  flavoured oils, vinegars and antipasti gift option. I would like to try the olive oil panetonne (hint hint). (Worldwide delivery).

www.fortnumandmason.com
Beautifully packaged goods from the Queens own grocery store. Especially good idea for traditionalists and lovers of all things British (Worldwide delivery)

www.pierreoteiza.com/actualites/
Artisanal products from the Basque country.

www.cimolino.fr/
The best of Italian goodies available in France.

www.beauetbon.com/
Lovely site offering the best of small producers in wooden crates. France only

www.parfums-des-bois.com/
Heaven for all mushroom lovers. France only

During moments of lucid thought, when not rendered semi-comatose by carbohydrate overload, or stupified by our wine addled brains we managed to piece together our thoughts on our restaurant outings.

A feast for the eyes, stomach and the stuff of wine soaked dreams and we have the snaps to prove it.

L’Asino D’Oro
Via del Boschetto 73, Monti
Menu:
Antipasti: Beef Head and Tongue in rich tomato sauce with pecorino.
Primi: Fettucine with duck liver and vino santo (with fennel seeds)
Secondi: Wild boar in a chocolate and vinegar sauce (spiced with chilli and cinnamon).
Contorno: Peppers with pinenuts and raisins.

Wine: Umbria: Montefalco 2005, Antonelle. Red, very strong, very dry, perfect for the meal.

Comment: The meal began with a small ball of room temperature mashed potato with pecorino and olive oil. Not sure what the point of this amuse bouche was but it caused neither offence nor elation. The totality of the meal was excellent, every dish was beautifully executed and intensely flavourful. We couldn’t wait to go back to try other dishes.

Ditirambo
Piazza della Cancelleria, 74
Menu:
Antipasti: Timbale of aubergine with pesto and pecorino
Courgette flower with ricotta and mint.
Primi:   Wide ribbon pasta with pigs cheeks, artichokes and sheeps milk cheese
House wine: White Tuscan

Comment: Everything was lovely except the courgette flowers (batter too thick, not crisp and rather bland).

Roma Sparita
Antipasti: Fried artichoke (roman speciality)
Primi: Tagliollini cacio pepe (roman speciality) and Spagetti with seafood.
No wine
Comment: Fried artichoke enjoyable but nothing special, both pasta dishes had excellent flavour and texture. Everyone comes for cacio pepe and for very good reasont.

Urbana 47
Antipasti/ Secondi: Grilled anchovies with mozerella and smoked aubergine and pepper.
Gallentine of chicken with rocket salad and local cheese.
Dessert: Chocolate soufflé
Wine: Lazio, Sangiovesa, red

Comment: Pretension nonsense. Heavily over salted salad and cheese also unbearably salty, Anchovies with mozerella were a bizarre combination. Their Chocolate soufflé a joke, an offense to call it a souffle, it was frozen, and more a poor quality shop-bought ice cream. Entirely local maybe but entirely pointless. It is simply an very poorly executed attempt to be different. A fashionable spot in Monti, but like a model, nice to be seen with but not to dine with.
The wine was light and pleasant, and a much needed relief from the food.

Il Giardino Romano
Via del Portico d’Ottavia, 16,
Primi: Arancini di Riso (Fried rice croquettes)
Secondi: Artichoke Parmesano
Lamb sweetbread and artichoke stew.
No Wine

Comment: This Jewish area restaurant have some wonderful looking dishes on the menu, with artichokes heavily present alongside offal dishes. The first course rice croquettes were pleasant and very crisp but unremarkable. Both the main course dishes were a delight. Alas no room for dessert. A very popular spot for Romans out for Sunday lunch.

L’Asino D’Oro revisted
Via del Boschetto 73, Monti
Primi: Aubergine flan with chickpeas and truffle
Bacon and Sage with vinegar
Secondi: Porc jarret with capers and anchovies sauce
Rabbit in a drunken sauce
Dessert:Pear Tiramisu
Wine: Tuscan, Vino Nobile de Montepulciano,

Comment: The repeat visit was as pleasureable as the first. Perfectly seasoned, deeply flavoured, wonderful ingredients, an utter delight. If there is one criticism it would be dessert, which we found to be unmemorable. But rightly or wrongly gelati aside have never considered Italien desserts to be of great note.

The eating and drinking continued care of pizzas, gelatis, gnocchi, more pasta, americanos and prosecco… but the list is too long and the catalogue of our gluttony is making me blush.

As ever I made a hasty purchase and proceeded to allow it to gather dust, distracted by other kitchen offerings. When I finally opened the bottle I discovered that this thick syrup had a slight floral fragrance and an at first sweet, then sharp tangy flavour. Not unlike tamarind, it is used in similar ways to add sweet sour notes to dishes.

The internet threw up some great suggestions such as using it as a glaze for roasting meats, or in marinades to help tenderize. But ploughing through cookbooks and experimentation as ever produced the best results.

Gluttony has its benefits, how else would I have discovered these otherwise unknown to me regional classics? The addition of a few splashes or glugs of this syrup to my obsessive culinary activities, and prodigious eating thus have resulted in some recipes I think are worth sharing.

It has also led me to conclude that pomegranate molasses is a worthy addition to the kitchen, fairly inexpensive (around 5€ a bottle), needs no refrigeration after opening, and lasts indefinitely (positively improves with age). Perfect therefore, for fickle cooks like me whose summer love affair loses lustre by autumn, but then is reignited, fervent again when caught sight of, lurking at the back of the shelf. A loyal condiment for the feckless foodie.

Muhammara
Muhammara, a red pepper dip (that should frankly shelve hummus for a while at least) is a wonderful dip originally from Syria but found right across the Levant. Naturally there are numerous versions but the one below is my preferred one.

200g roasted red peppers, drained
150g fine fresh bread crumbs
50g walnuts, toasted lightly and chopped fine
2 – 4 garlic cloves, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon  course salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
120-150ml extra-virgin olive oil
salt to taste
Toasted pita triangles to serve

In a food processor blend together the peppers, the bread crumbs, the walnuts, the garlic, the lemon juice, the pomegranate molasses, the cumin, chilli flakes, and salt to taste until the mixture is smooth and with the motor running add the oil gradually.

Transfer the muhammara to a bowl and serve it at room temperature with the pita triangles.

Pomegranate Molasses Vinaigrette Recipe
This vinaigrette is rather versatile as it is perfect  as on vegetables, salads particularly couscous and bulgur salads, and as marinade for meat or fish.

120ml extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground sumac
Sea salt and fresh pepper to taste

Lamb meatball salad
This is more than a salad, its simply fabulous.
Serves four.

For the meatballs
3 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely minced
1-2tbsps baharat (turkish spice blend)
500g minced lamb
40g fine white breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 tsp pomegranate molasses
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salad
150g bulgur wheat
2 handfuls rocket or baby spinach
3 spring onions, finely chopped
80g walnut halves, toasted and roughly chopped
1 small handful parsley and mint leaves, shredded

For the dressing
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses, plus a little more for trickling over the salad
Juice of half a small lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ tsp sumac
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 230C and line a baking tray with baking parchment. In a small frying pan over a medium heat, toast the sesame seeds until they just begin to pop and become fragrant. Tip into a large bowl and set aside.

Warm the oil in the frying pan over a medium-low heat and sweat the onion until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the baharat, and sauté for a couple of minutes more. Tip into the sesame seed bowl and stir in the dried mint, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the lamb and breadcrumbs. Whisk the egg yolk with the pomegranate molasses and pour over the lamb. Season generously and mix with your hands until well combined.

Pat the mixture into balls about the size of walnuts – you should have about 18 balls. Place on the baking sheet as you go, making sure they’re not crowded together, then bake for about 10 minutes, until golden and just cooked through.

While the meatballs are cooking, make the rest of the salad. Cook the bulgur according to the instructions. Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing. While the bulgur is still warm, trickle over three tablespoons of dressing (the rest will keep well in a jar in the fridge for a couple of days) and fork it through.

When the meatballs are ready, toss with the bulgur, rocket or spinach, spring onions, walnuts and herbs. Trickle over a little more pomegranate molasses, sprinkle on a little more mint and parsley, and serve.

Pomegranate Molasses is widely available in specialist food stores, especially Middle Eastern and North African shops.
But here are a few address (sorry they are Paris-centric)

Heratchian Frères, 6 Rue Lamartine 75009 Paris
Les délices d’Orient, Avenue Emile Zola 75015 Paris
Epicerie orientale à l’angle de la rue Crozatier et de la rue d’Aligre 75012 Paris
L’arc en miel, 72 avenue de la forêt noire 67000 Strasbourg

On the internet:

http://www.bahadourian.com

http://www.le-comptoir-des-saveurs.com

http://www.lalevantine.frhttp://www.cardamomeetcompagnie.com/Produit/Sumac/EN

Whenever I eat paneer (Indian cheese) I remember Thursday night dinner in my family home. The once a week vegetarian meal that consisted of chapattis, fried aubergine, dhal and paneer. Sitting on the kitchen counter chatting to my Mum whilst she rolled out less that circular chapattis.

Roast chicken was the other regular meal I fondly remember. Loved because it was a non-Indian meal and then because who can resist bronzed crispy skin roasted meat. The English in us insisted upon the classic roast potatoes, gravy and sage and onion stuffing. So dearly loved that even my best friend (frequently at our table) credits this as one of her ultimate comfort foods.

Roast chicken has remained a family favourite is my household too, garlic bread has replaced potatoes, peas and gravy as preferred by the kids, and there is an occasional nod to stuffing. Alas the paneer has not survived as a regular or universally loved dish. Time and fussy eater (in the shape of my daughter) make this a rare treat (chappatis never see the light of day, as I am far to lazy to attempt them).

Thai green curry is also favoured by all but exists in two carnations. The milder child friendly version, and the closer to authentic, yet short on Thai fire version for us grown ups. But green curry has haloed status in our house and is more than comfort food. This is my son’s birthday meal of choice, and gives me some pleasure as a foodie Mum that my 7year old knows his green curry from his elbow. The secret of the green curry is that child meets vegetable creates no mealtime drama. From the courgette, aubergine, carrot to pea all veg in tolerated (even enjoyed) when cloaked in a fragrant salt sweet coconut gravy. The curry Thai, Indian and all are masters of disguise.

And then there is the lasagne, a monument to meat, cheese lusciousness, and tongue scaldingly comforting. Like pasta in all its guises it is loved dearly. Is it any wonder that Italian and family are one and the same? Their entire culinary tradition is the embodiment of sign inducing comfort eating. A testament to food as family history and identity.

These three meals are for now my family’s greatest hits and though time and tastes will surely change, I am hoping that scent of lime leaves, a Sunday roast or the sight of a rich tomato source will occasion a warm glows and inspire my children when re-inventing their own comfort foods.

So this first blog entry may be the start of some happy musings or may stall at my first failure.

In my enthusiasm to evoke North African and Middle Eastern flavours I shall have to restrain my desire to add too many warm spices. Namely can I put cumin, cinnamon and allspice in this pie alongside preserved lemon and raisins without ending up something that resembles pot pourri?

And here is the result…

The verdict: Aesthetically not a beautiful specimen. The filling is uniformly mossy green and brown, thus not all that inviting. The structure held together well, but this pastilla will not be winning any beauty contests.

Taste: Rather nice, the raisins and preserved lemons add much needed sweet sour notes to the meaty earthy filling. And I managed to avoid spice overkill. The shortcoming lay in the pastry, not enough of it. I realised upon assembly that the filler to crust ratio was off, but had no desire to traipse to the shops for more (a committed yet lazy cook). At least 10 sheets, 5 below and 5 above would have been necessary for a balanced pie and more butter brushed between the layers for extra flakiness. This pastilla definately lacked crunch but was by no means a complete disappointment. An acceptable  Monday night dinner derived from pot luck a la fridge/freezer.

Neither a resounding success nor outright failure, my ego withstands. And in honour of services provided I name my effort

Pastilla a la Frigo. (though I haven’t exactly sold it, here is the recipe anyway)

250g minced beef
1 large onion sliced
1-2tbsps olive oil
a good handful of raisins.
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp coriander
½ tsp allspice
¼ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp sugar
200g frozen spinach – squeezed of excess water
2 small preserved lemons – chopped
salt and pepper to taste
10-15ml water
1 egg
Melted butter for brushing the brique or filo pastry.
Round brique pastry sheets ideally 10 or filo pastry
Reheat the oven to 180°C.

In a large frying pan heat the olive oil over a medium high heat, add the onions and fry until the onions start to colour. Add the raisins followed by the minced beef. Sprinkle in all the spices and fry for several minutes until evenly brown next add the well drained spinach and combine thoroughly with the minced meat and continue to fry. Add the chopped preserved lemons and season well with salt and pepper to taste then add the sugar to balance all the flavours. If the mixture seems too dry, add a little water to moisten. It should not be a wet loose filling. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before stirring in the whole egg.

In an oiled cake tin or pie dish (I used an oven proof frying pan) layer the brique or filo pastry brushing each layer with butter. About 5 layers should be fine, though this will depend on the size and shape of the pastry available to you. As I said I didn’t have enough pastry and so there weren’t enough textures in the final result. Once you have laid your bottom layers, put on the meat filling, repeat the pastry layers on top and then as neatly and carefully as possible tuck in the edges of the pastry to form a perfect round, square or rectangle. Brush the top of the pastry with butter or egg wash and bake for about 35mins. Serve immediately with salad or veg.