Paris, Pancake Day and blood oranges.
12 February 2024
Introduction
This week, I’ve eaten mostly blood oranges in various salads with combinations of cheeses, either feta, goats cheese, and mozzarella; nuts, , either walnut, almonds or hazelnuts, and avocados. Sometimes chopped and chucked into a plastic box and sometimes arranged on a platter to share.
I also made Ottolenghi’s crempogau pancakes from last week’s Guardian, but I’ ve stuck to my blood orange theme of the week and added Greek yoghurt, rhubarb and maple syrup.
Recipes
I liked Clodagh McKenna’s three quick and healthy store cupboard stew recipes from in the Sunday Times, chickpea casserole with turmeric and coconut, three bean chilli with all the trimmings and butternut squash tagine with herby couscous. They’re not especially original but they are all vegan, sound delicious, leftovers would heat up the next day, use tins of pulses, tomatoes and coconut milk. I can imagine myself making all three. I was going to say on a weekday night but have decided that’s a cliché and I would make them any time.
In the same vein, I liked Mark Hix’s egg recipes in the Telegraph. Once I track down some brown shrimps (in a big posh Waitrose, or is this a tautology?) I will make the baked eggs with brown shrimps, keep in mind the masala omelette and floating islands with poached rhubarb
In the Guardian, Thomasina Miers does spiced chicken salad with parsnips and a no churn marmalade ice cream, ideas for winter pulses by Jackson Boxer, spaghetti with red wine and onions by Rachel Roddy and Rukmini Iyer with a soup of rose harissa, squash and white beans which sounds excellent
Nigel Slater’s recipes for chicken and mushroom casserole, plus a mint and kefir ice in the Observer.
I have left Valentines’ Day till last as I always hated it when I was younger. Sadly I was not the type to have a string of anonymous secret admirers who would send me cards and flowers. I believe you can show your love for someone any day of the week which is fortuitous as my husband thinks Valentine’s Day is just a profit making project for greeting card companies.
Anyway, the best easy dinners for two to cook on Valentine’s Day by Diana Henry are in the Telegraph. She suggests using the best quality ingredients to make duck breasts with honey, soy and ginger, hake with mussels, saffron and purple sprouting broccoli, or steak with red wine sauceÂ
Ottolenghi has Valentines’ recipes for burrata with marinated blood orange, hazelnut and crisp kale, baked trout with tahini and peppers and tinned peach and rosemary tarte tatin with vanilla ice-cream. I feel the same way about kale as I do about Brussels sprouts so I would make the burrata recipe for lunch but with watercress or rocket and I’d roast the hazelnuts in the airfrier to save turning the oven on.
Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for orange posset with poached rhubarb and pink peppercorn crumble in the Guardian would be a lovely Valentine’s pudding if you are planning a nice supper on Wednesday evening.
Cuttlefish and clams with pimentón by Rowley Leigh in the FT.Â
Books
Wok For Less by Ching-He Huang in the Independent, with an interview and budget friendly recipes which take less than half an hour for Sichuan pork, cucumber and chilli sauce, saucy oyster sauce beef and broccoli chow mein and smoked tofu veggie stir-fry with cashew nuts
Restaurants
In the Standard, an interview with Anna Higham, who is about to open Quince Bakery in Islington. This is one bakery for which I will cross town. Â
In the FT, Tim Hayward went to Chisuru, a West African restaurant, which has just won a Michelin star which he says is ‘absolutely brilliant’.
In the Guardian, Grace Dent was in Margate, Kent at Sète . She says ‘this is the place to reserve a table, check if the schnitzel is on and soak in the ambience of the costa del Kent.’ High praise.
In the Observer, Jay Rayner went to Zucco, in Leeds, a small plates Italian restaurant, which he liked and where ‘all the essentials are attended to’
In the Standard, Jimi Famurewa went to Grasso in London W1, which he called a ‘mediocre pizza restaurant. ‘
In the Sunday Times, Charlotte Ivers went to the Silver Birch in Chiswick, London W4 and thought it a destination restaurant.
In the Telegraph, William Sitwell was at Kima, a new fish restaurant in London W1 by the people who own Opso, which is opposite. He said, the traditions of Greek food are firmly at the centre but what comes to the table displays quite wonderful and delicate touches with simply fabulous flavours.’
In the Times, Giles Coren went to the Dover Restaurant in London W1.Martin Kuczmarski the owner, used to work for Soho House, and Giles Coren says, ‘he’s nailed it first time. Hit the target smack in the middle.’
David Ellis in the Standard, also describes how the Dover became the hottest table in town ‘with the owner knowing the true cost of hospitality.’
Travel
UK
The 25 cosiest places to stay in the UK in the Times
London’s spice trail: the sights, tastes, smells and sounds of India – in Wembley in the Guardian
Europe
The Telegraph claims that ‘Paris never used to be this Instagram playground, then Emily came along’ and that Paris means … ‘queues of tourists waving iPhones and a surfeit of berets.’ I didn’t notice the berets when I was there in December but I did notice the prevalence of phones and the long queues for certain cafés and shops which looked quite ordinary to us. My husband commented they must have been on TikTok. He’s never been on TikTok, and admitted he wouldn’t know how but I think he’s right.
I’m going to do an extra article on Paris this week, I promise as I’ve got lots to share.
The Telegraph also says that charges make driving to the south of France twice as expensive as flying and that this year, it will cos £400 in charges once you’ve crossed the Channel.
So many city break articles this week, so to conclude, I’ve made a quick list.
Milan for fashionistas in the Times and Chania in Crete where they say the Greek island makes a ‘surprising city break for winter sun with super local food and fascinating history.’
Maastricht, a local’s guide to, Netherlands: the best bars, culture and hotels in the Guardian.
Vienna, a mission to seek out modernist masterpieces in the Guardian.
Barcelona ‘in the footsteps of Picasso as a young man’ in the Guardian and ten cool places to stay there in the Observer
Chania in Crete a perfect off-season trip a surprising city break for winter sun — without the usual summer hordes in the Times.
Tromso in Norway, in the Times, ‘the Arctic frontier town with fun nightlife — and northern lights.
Lake Garda in Italy in the Independent
Reading the papers
People ask me how I read all the papers. I believe in paying for quality journalism and my husband and I have digital subscriptions to the Times and to the Telegraph. Sometimes my husband buys a Times on Saturdays or I buy a Guardian and I buy the Observer when it’s Observer Food Monthly. Otherwise I rely on what’s online, and on Twitter and Instagram. And occasionally, I ask a friend to save an article for me.
The Times gives you two free articles a week as a registered user and the Telegraph gives you access to one free article each week if you register an account. The FT gives a certain number of free articles
Local public libraries often have Pressreader which gives access to over 7,000 newspapers world wide for free or you can subscribe to it.
Sometimes, I use the recipes for inspiration. If they are from a cookbook, they may be in other publications as well for publicity, and you may find them or a similar version through a quick Google.