By the way, you've probably noticed that I've started adding photos. My new fancy phone makes life a lot easier: when I take a photo it asks if I want to blog it! Simples.
If you hadn't noticed, do keep up, please!
I didn't like bread when I was a child. I wasn't very keen on sponge cake either; my childhood was a non-stop succesion of left crusts and party food forced down with a cup of tea (not a big fan of fizzy drinks either).
As a grown-up I've learned to tolerate bread, although I still don't much like the flabby sliced stuff. So, no sandwiches for me, which means lunchtimes are a constant challenge of imagination and resourcefulness!
Since discovering the panini press in our kitchen at work I've worked out that almost any kind of bread is better if you toast it. Even an uninspiring cheese and tomato sandwich becomes bearable after 2 minutes of heat and squishing. But, of course, the strong suit of the press is the panini itself. Oh, the endless variations of fillings! I've become so addicted to making paninis that I've even bought a press for my kitchen at home, too.
So, what should you fill it with. Well, funny you should ask! You know how good Thai food has a perfect balance of the four flavours - salty, sweet, sour and spicy? I've worked out the formula for a perfect panini: something meaty, something tangy and something melty.
Try it: you can't go wrong! The meaty thing doesn't have to be meat, it's essentially anything with a lot of umami, like mushrooms. The melty thing is usually cheese, and a particularly robust cheese could be both meaty and melty. To get you started, here's my five favourites.
There, that'll get you on your way. Now, go and be creative. Then come back and tell me your favourite inventions.
I started my evening at The Athenaeum at Picadilly by learning that Michael Winner had recently hated it and slated it. Strangely comforted and encouraged by this news, I looked forward to great things!
The evening began in the hotel bar, a plush, tucked-away little affair covered in mirrors. We were served plenty of canapes and nibbles with our cocktails. The cocktail I chose was amazing; in fact I had a second one to double-check and it's definitely delicious.
My first thought as we moved onto the restaurant was 'gosh, how tiny'. The small, rectangular room is strangely laid out, with American style banquettes and booths in the middle. It doesn't generate much atmosphere but ensures a quiet, private meal.
And what of the food? Well, my starter of chicken liver parfait with brioche toast was excellent, as was my husband's chilled beetroot soup. The amuse bouche and bread was also great. the wine list was pretty interesting and the service prompt, friendly and knowledgeable. But. The main course was average, bordering on forgettable. I ate sea bream with courgette mousse and something else which obviously traversed the border of forgetability! It was all ok, but could have been any fish, any mousse, any restaurant.
This is surprisingly common: restaurants with fantastic, showy trimmings and sub-standard mains. I won't hold it against the Athenaeum (7 out of 10 overall). On the other hand, it probably won't leap to the front of my mind next time I'm booking dinner.
The apple tree in our garden has been looking a bit over-burdened lately. Some branches hang out onto the road and we'll only need one pretty windy day to cause a traffic nightmare. Not to mention the fact that our garden's a bit of a kitty highway, and an apple on the head probably wouldn't do a cat much good.
So it's nice to see a glut of apple recipes in the food magazines this month. October's delicious. magazine arrived last week featuring a tempting French-style apple tart. On closer examination it turns out to be a quince and apple tart from Rick Stein's latest book. Helpfully, though, it does give an apple-only alternative.
It's dead easy: make an apple puree with some apples, caster sugar and a splash of water. Roll out some ready-made puff pastry and cut around a medium sized plate (the magazine recipe does give exact sizes and quantities, but I just used a large-ish side plate and about 4 small apples for the puree). Lay the pastry onto a greased baking sheet, prick it with a fork all over the centre and spread the apple puree over the top. Leave a little perimeter round the edge. Stick the whole thing in the fridge for a while.
In the meantime put the oven on - about 200c or whatever that is for gas ovens. Peel and thinly slice another 2 or 3 small apples. Take the tart out of the fridge and lay the slices on top in circles, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle a hefty amount of caster sugar over the top and bake it all for 30 minutes.
And that's it. There's something in Rick's recipe about glazing it with jam, but life's too short. It's nice hot, but better cold with a cup of tea or hot chocolate. Just sit back and think of Paris!
I always enter a couple of delicious magazine's prize draws without giving much thought to whether I'll win. So I was delighted when I recently won a copy of Yotam Ottolenghi's fantastic new book, Plenty.
Ottolenghi isn't a vegetarian but has become well-known for his sumptuous meat-free recipes. His upbringing in Israel and Palestine has armed him with fulfilling recipes starring vegetables and pulses in abundance.
The book is divided into chapters based on the main ingredient, such as squashes or aubergine, so you can base your choice on what's in season or what you've got growing in the garden.
The recipes seem straightforward and don't require masses of extra speciality ingredients. My favourite so far is 'tomato party' - a jumble of tomato varieties, some cooked, some raw, with couscous and fresh herbs.
Even if you aren't in the mood for cooking the book provides a great teatime read, the words just as sumptuous as the beautiful photos. It may not turn me into a vegetarian but it'll certainly encourage me to make vegetables the star turn more often.
