Frugality on Blue Monday, or Tuesday as it now is, for which apologies.
January 16 2022
Travel
Margate in Kent, is the star of the film, Empire of Light and an article in the Times.
The Telegraph writes about seven best sleeper trains across Europe . What could be better, than one of the options, fall asleep in Milan, wake up in Sicily, than maybe being awake all the time?
This week, we are going to Cork in the Times and Berlin in the Standard for weekends away and then on a walking trail around Mont Blanc in the Independent.
My obligatory article about Paris is from the FT where they have the ‘five time capsules of interior designer Raphael Navot’s personal Paris’ including L'Atelier Brancusi which I have put on my list for next time
The Telegraph surmises that visiting Venice in the summer is wrong and that winter is best. I’ve been once in February, three times between Christmas and New Year, (ideal for teenagers who want to explore on their own) and then, last year in May. This was the trip I enjoyed most, (possibly because of no teenagers, only joking) but it was warm enough to sit outside and have a drink, and wander around without getting freezing cold. My best tip is to order tickets in advance to go on the rooftop terrace of the Fondaco dei Tedeschi .They are free (see picture above)
Restaurants
In the FT, Tim Hayward visited St John in Marylebone, website here, and said ‘It quietly presents the very best of our industry and our cuisine. I don’t really need to tell you that St John is brilliant’.
In the Guardian, Grace Dent went to Jam Delish in London N1, which serves Jamaican vegan food, and wrote ‘if you want the meat-free version of Montego Bay’s finest offerings, this is hearty, spicy, accomplished and memorable cooking.'
In the Observer, it was Jay Rayner’s turn to go to Bouchon Racine, website here, in London ECI, and it was happily another rave review. from a ‘huge dribbling admirer’
In the Times, Giles Coren was on his Christmas family holidays and went to St Petroc in Padstow, a Rick Stein owned restaurant. Mostly mussels and burgers were consumed while he had some good turbot and red wine.
Recipes
The word of the week is frugality. In the Telegraph, Diana Henry had frugal family meal suggestions with recipes for twice-baked sweet potato recipe filled with feta, cherry tomatoes and chilli star, beef Picadillo, a spicy beef-mince braised with sweet raisins and salty olives, to serve with rice and big toast with roast tomatoes, jammy eggs, mayo and hot sauce recipe.
Honey and Co had a tomato and rice soup, with basil oil made with two tins of tomatoes in the FT and Mark Hix had winter vegetable recipes in the Telegraph, including kalette salad with chestnuts and Stilton, Jerusalem artichoke risotto and Grandma’s apple pie.
In the Observer there were recipes for roast rhubarb with porridge and oat crumble and sweet, hot chard by Nigel Slater and at first glance, I wasn’t sure which photo was which as well as his red cabbage, citrus and toasted almonds.
In the Guardian, there were vegan recipes, chickpea and potato curry from Meera Sodha and vegan orange friands by Benjamina Ebuehi as well as a lovely sounding pot-roast chicken with nduja, fennel and citrus and marmalade toast pudding from Ravinder Bhogal and Italian breakfast biscuits by Rachel Roddy.
Meat-free one pound meals and Super-Easy One Pound Meals, by Miguel Barclay
Nice looking recipes including aubergine Milanese with pasta and Chinese-inspired aubergine with sticky rice in the Guardian.
Books
The Batch Lady: Cooking on a Budget by Suzanne Mulholland
The author says all her meals can be made ahead and frozen for the cost of 80p per serving. She uses a lot of frozen veg such as onions, garlic and mushrooms and recipes in the Times include tuna filled potato skins, meatball toad in the hole and roast butternut squash with a couscous crust. There were also pasta recipes including cheesy hidden veg pasta bake, half and half lentil bolognese and tuna and sweetcorn carbonara.
I haven’t read either of these books but they both sound a lot more attractive and practical than those in Jack Monroe’s new book which I flicked through in a bookshop amidst the online furore.