‘Caponata is a Sicilian dish of aubergine and other vegetables, cut into cubes and deep-fried, then mixed with sultanas and pine nuts, and marinated in an agrodolce (sweet-and-sour) sauce. In some parts of Sicilia, it is traditional to mix in little pieces of dark bitter chocolate. Because it is such a Southern dish, I had never even tasted it until I started cooking at Olivio. Then, one day when we were looking for something sweet and sour as an accompaniment, I found the recipe in a book and I remember thinking: ‘This will never work!’ But we made it, the explosion of flavour was brilliant, and has become one of my favourite things. You can pile caponata on chunks of bread, or serve it with mozzarella or fried artichokes. Because it is vinegary, it is fantastic with roast meat, as it cuts through the fattiness, particularly lamb. Traditionally it is also served with seafood – perhaps grilled or fried scallops (see page 108), prawns or red mullet. With red mullet, I like to add a little more tomatoes to the caponata.’
As your till receipts will testify, the cost of food has climbed alarmingly of late. And it looks as if higher bills are here to stay, not just for years, but for decades. A series of global factors – climate change, a growing world population, shortage of oil, market speculation and a weak pound – are combining to drive up the price of food. The underlying trend is that food prices will continue to rise in real terms for the next 30 years. So we have moved into a period when food become a much more significant item in the household budget. Read more…
There are six different vegetables hidden in between the baps of these burgers. They need about 20 minutes in the fridge before cooking so why not make a double batch, wrap half in clingfilm and freeze for another time and thank yourself in advance. Read more…
‘Dahl. Daal. Dal. Spicy stuff made using lentils. The charming lady at the Indian High Commission assured us it’s ‘dal’. Our local curry house (The Kathmandu) reckon it’s ‘daal’. Our Aslam is adamant you spell it ‘dahl’. Who’s right? We have no idea.’
‘This is a lovely refreshing salad which I like to serve when the new season of oranges from Italy and dates from Morocco arrive in the shops in December. I scramble around in the garden trying to find a few surviving mint leaves to freshen it up. If the mint has all been scorched by the frost, I just use a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds. This dish can be served on its own with perhaps a little yoghurt.’ Read more…
Anna Jones, the author of A Modern Way to Eat, the never-endingly brilliant resource for vegetarian food, has recently appeared on Jamie Oliver’s Youtube channel, bringing to life three delicious recipes that we’ve been making non-stop since the book was published. Watch them below! Read more…
A perfect addition to spooky Halloween festivities that children will love, you could even add spider decorations to this cheesecake for a full spider-web effect. Read more…
When we’re talking about female cooks, no other cookbook springs to mind. Kitchenella will teach you the skills of those teachers who work without books, the ‘mothers’ and the cooks who subsequently learned from them, to decisively show you the easy way to cook and shop.
‘My sister Laura has always made this quick tart fror my children when we visit, cramming it into a very small gas stove, which singes it in places, rather deliciously. In France they row about the colour of the pastry (and why not?). The rustic pastry of the artisanal peasant is darkly burnished, reminiscent of traditionally fired ovens. Golden pastry is for wimps.’ Read more…
