Chinese pork and beans is an easy working day dinner, coming together in the time it takes to steam the rice.
The flavours are akin to mapo tofu, though the crisp green beans and peanuts make it a crunchier affair. Continue reading
Bran bread
15 Nov
I love the simplicity of this bran bread recipe. All Bran, dried fruit and milk is left to soften before being mixed with some flour and baked for an hour.
It is essentially a baked bowl of soggy cereal, but what a difference that baking makes.
The resulting loaf is toothsome, moist and flavourful. “It’s like a cross between malt bread and Christmas cake,” my daughter said, and she’s spot on.
Beef borscht
26 Oct
My mother’s borscht was a vegetarian, austere affair. It was “cheap as chips” as the British say and the recipe made gallons. In my student days, I could live on a pot of borscht for a week.
This beef version is a richer, rib-sticking affair, more akin to goulash. Continue reading
Spiced plum muffins
21 Oct
I make bran muffins most weekends, but occasionally I mix things up with lemon poppyseed or spiced plum muffins.
Plum and ginger always work well together. I love the extra hit the preserved ginger brings, but they are also nice without it. Continue reading
Cabbage and corn slaw
15 Oct
Cabbage and corn slaw is an excellent accompaniment to Mexican dishes like enchiladas and burritos, providing a welcome crunchy contrast. Continue reading
Pork and cabbage gyoza
8 Oct
Gyoza are a family favourite, and the four of us can easily get through a large panful for dinner.
They are both steamed and pan-fried, resulting in a juicy interior, silky soft sides and a crisp, golden bottom.
I usually go with the classic pork and cabbage filling, but they are also very good with minced raw prawn substituted for the ground pork.
Continue reading
Warm cannellini bean salad
6 Jun
This warm cannellini bean salad is of those happy marriages of ingredients that are just meant for each other.
The combination of colours, textures and flavours – floury beans, silky rocket and salty pancetta, loosely bound in a lemony crème fraiche dressing – is a delight. Continue reading
