I seem to have a theme going; potato stews with olives, herbs and spices. My first was Ben Tish’s roasted potatoes, then I discovered a tagine of monkfish with potatoes and now this wonderful stew. As with all rustic dishes there are many variations. A white onion can be used in place of the red,…

The origins of this dish are Moroccan. It is delicious and satisfying. I have had to make it a few times to work out the timings. I want the tomatoes to be soft, not squashy, and the potatoes cooked through with just enough sauce. I have tried skinning the green peppers but think they are…

This recipe is adapted from one in the Brownies and Biscotti booklet published by The Australian Women’s Weekly, a real cache of good recipes. I make smaller batches of biscotti than in the original recipe as I do not want them too large. I still make about 30 biscuits. They keep well (for up to…

A few months ago, this recipe came as a lightening bolt when I was thinking about what to make from an assortment of vegetables left on the rack. It has been on the menu pretty much every week since as it is such an easy but tasty meal for midweek. It looks good too. I…

This is one of our favourite meals and a great stand by. However, a simple meal comes with caveats and choices. The correct name and spelling is ARRABBIATA. The word comes from the Italian meaning ‘angry’. In the classic version of the dish, the ingredients are no more than olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, chilli and…

This recipe has been adapted from a chance find in the delightful little book, The Café des Artistes Cook Book by George Lang. Many blue cheeses, such as Gorgonzola or Bath Blue, could be used in place of the Stilton. 200g Stilton cheese 150g unsalted butter Handful chopped parsley Handful chopped chives 4 large skinned…

Sorting out a corner of my office, I found a box file of old recipes. I remembered baking this cake, making notes and changes. Its origins are Hungarian and, as George Lang writes in The Cuisine of Hungary, poppy seeds are ‘the Hungarian housewife’s common ingredient’. Never much used in English cooking, it seemed appropriate…

This recipe comes from Ben Tish’s book, Moorish, which The Times reckoned to be the best cookbook of 2019. It is very simple but delicious. Try it with lamb chops sprinkled with sumac. 750g King Edward of Red Rooster potatoes, peeled About 130ml extra virgin olive oil 3 cloves garlic (unpeeled), crushed 2 green peppers,…

Friday evening and William’s old Army habits die hard. No meat 🙂 One pot 🙂 Easy 🙂 Not macaroni cheese 🙂 This dish would have ticked all the boxes but then a new category, No Bones, was declared. No problem as the seabream could be filleted before it was served. The recipe was inspired by…

I had been planning to make this tart for a while and was delighted to find that Felicity Cloake, in the Guardian (4 August 2018), had done all the research. Her recipe comes after trawling through, comparing and trying out the recipes other cookery writers have published. It makes sense, for example, to only use…