Archive | October, 2020

Ratatouille

28 Oct

Ratouille is a classic French vegetable stew of aubergines, peppers, courgette, onions and tomatoes, served as a side dish or with pasta.

I’ve tried a number of recipes for ratatouille over the years. Some insist that each vegetable is cooked separately before being layered together, but I’ve found that to be an unnecessary amount of faff.

The main thing is to cook the vegetables in the correct order, avoid overcooking, keep the seasonings simple, and allow the ratatouille to rest before eating at room temperature (or reheating).

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Peanut butter and jam thumbprint cookies

22 Oct

Peanut butter was a lunchbox staple when I was growing up in Canada — peanut butter and jam sandwiches, peanut-butter-filled celery sticks, peanut butter cookies…

With the rise of nut allergies and “nut-free” schools, peanut butter has  fallen off the menu, and these peanut butter and jam thumbprint cookies are now a weekend treat.

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Pav bhaji

7 Oct

Pav bhaji is one of those dishes you need to try for yourself to discover how satisfying it is.

I first encountered pav bhaji at a street food market. After doing a complete circuit of the food on offer, I opted for what looked to be a curry sandwich.

The bun (pav) was toasted, buttered and warm. The curry (bhaji) was thick, mashed — almost spreadable — and topped with red onion, coriander leaves, and a pat of butter.

It was utterly delicious and spot-hitting. Continue reading