My one constant love, food, truly came up trumps this year in the delight stakes. Is there anything better than a lightly salted Tyrell kettle crisp and a cornucopia of dips? There is not! Will we keep on chopping and stirring and melting and mixing things together to attempt to better them? Of course! So here’s a round-up of my favourite food this year – that I’ve cooked, that I’ve read about, that I’ve had cooked for me. May 2024 be the year of extended gluttony.
This Palestinian lamb recipe from Waitrose almost made me pack the entire pescatarian thing in over Easter. You need to add more liquid than the recipe advises and keep basting, but the flavours are gorgeous. Pile on top of warm flatbreads alongside a bright and crunchy cucumber salad and top with this dip in the spring, or serve alongside sauteed new potatoes and honey and cumin glazed root veg at the bleaker end of the year.
Terribly retro of me but I had covid for the second time in October, and whereas I didn’t lose my sense of taste or smell like the first time around (thank eff!) I did go slightly mad. Its funny (horrifying) how the thought of enforced rest and isolation sounds lovely until its actually mandated and it very quickly turns into a test of mental fortitude, isn’t it! Anyway, I despatched a housemate for supplies, cleared out the kitchen and baked these cookies, and we closely averted a breakdown. Sanity saving cookies!
I had a deep-seated hankering for lasagne as we entered the autumn but no longer had any real idea how to coax some umami into a ragu without meat. I’m sorry! Vegetable lasagne isn’t lasagne! Its nice, sure, but its not lasagne! Ottolenghi’s spicy mushroom lasagne from Flavour is, of course, a layered faff, but worth it. But if you want a real, multi-level flavoured treat, try this Hellim Lasagne by Meliz Berg. For the ragu, I used quorn mince and followed all the steps but left the mince out until the last ten minutes, as there’s very little fat in veggie mince so you almost need to boil it rather than fry. Don’t skip the mint and basil pesto as it takes the whole thing from delicious to sublime.
I’m always in the mood for fondue, but Nigel talking about fondue is a real treat, even if I am guilty of having “all the gubbins” for it. The Dinner Table, a collection of over 100 essays and musings on food, collated by Ella Risbridger and Kate Young, is currently at home on my kitchen table. I’m making my way through the 700 pages of beautiful writing whilst whatever that night’s tea is blips away on the hob. It’s the perfect gift for any food lovers in your life (I know it’s too late for Christmas but sometimes it’s just really lovely to buy little gifts for people simply because you think they’ll like it! What’s nicer than someone saying “I saw this and thought of you,” and handing you something that shows they’ve seen your soul? Not much!)
I had an utterly superb day a few weeks ago with lunch at Parallel followed by champagne and truffle crisps at Nighthawks around the corner. Cardiff pals, if you’re desperate for a new year boost, treat yourself to some ridiculously tasty small plates (paired with some equally great cocktails) at Pasture’s sister restaurant - they’re doing incredible things with mushrooms and don’t get me started on the smoked maple carrot. I didn’t even mind being perched upon a barstool so you know it must have been special. And I’m always going to push a cheese toastie and champagne if you ask me for a recommendation - plus I’m not above having a plate of truffle crisps with aioli immediately after eating dessert somewhere else. All hail Nighthawks for what is the perfect vibe, in my humble opinion!
I’m off to drool over these little fondant potatoes that I haven’t stopped thinking about and see the new year in with a fussy little herby chickpea stew and a negroni. My plans? These. Hope yours are exactly the same, and I’ll be back later next week with a round-up of my favourite books from the last year. HNY!
N xo