Just for a change … there were loads of recipes in this weekend’s papers! Here’s a rundown of them in the order wot I red them.
The FT Weekend
“What is it that makes a food or dish Japanese?” asked Kimiko Barber. Interesting. I’m not sure she fully answered the question, but did write that washoku, the traditional Japanese cuisine, has qualities such as “peace, harmony, balance“. And, to be fair, those things do seem common to many of the foods from that amazing culture. She followed the ponder with a few recipes that are a decent base for anyone wanting to cook Japanese food: Teriyaki yellowtail; sea bream rice; cucumber pickle; tonkotsu pork; simmered pork belly; seared beef with grated daikon salad. All are good things and, from a scan, the recipes appear eminently sensible.
The Guardian Weekend Magazine
Yotam Ottolenghi didn’t pretend (or apologise) that his three breakfast recipes require a little effort. In fact, he explained that there’s no shame in taking these sorts of things seriously. If you’re in the market for waking up early to feed your ungrateful housemates, then consider 10 hour brisket to go in a cheese sandwich (at least that can go on when you head to bed); sweet potato pancakes with maple bacon; or baked semolina puddings with blueberries – “somewhere between a porridge and a fluffy soufflé”.
Tommi noted that we should be cooking English asparagus right now. True that. If you want to go slightly beyond the buttery basics, then consider an anchoiade accompaniment; or a kind of breadcrumb and anchovy loaded toad-in-the-hole / Yorkshire pudding thing.
The Guardian ‘Cook’
If you’re a baker, then cut out and keep this week’s Claire Ptak column. Riiiiidonculous looking chocolate ganache glazed doughnuts and a chocolate doughnut babka. Stop it.
Failsafe pork crackling skillz from Oliver Rowe in his Residency (basically, add salt).
I loved Rachel Roddy’s words and recipe (maybe even more than usual) – she took us on a meander through the market and seasonal changes of Testaccio, and provided a simple but delicious reading recipe for jointed chicken braised in red wine vinegar, tomatoes and white wine. Lovely.
The Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph
The Sunday Telegraph Stella mag recipes go up on a Friday. So if you want to be ahead of the game and shop and cook in, like, weekend real time, then you can.
This Friday (or Sunday … or Saturday, actually, when I read it. Confusing), Diana Henry was back with great words and tempting recipes on the matter of umami – specifically umami in soy sauce. Pacific lime chicken looks good. But I can never, ever, resist a bowl of red cooked pork and rice. So cook that next time I come round.
Saturday’s paper included thoughts from Stephen Harris on cauliflowers. In fact, he also ended up writing about umami, because he reckons you should roast the cauli with Marmite (and then put in a salad with walnuts and grapes. from Stephen Harris. Gorgeous.
Also on Saturday’s, Xanthe Clay encouraged us to cook with kids (prompted by the thoughts and recipes of Jenny Chandler and Claire Thompson).
The Times
The Times Magazine contained a recipe for Black Forest cupcakes by Nadiya Hussein. Also, various glossy ‘easy’ alfresco lunch recipes from Donna Hay (which were largely forgettable).
I was more interested in Tony Turnbull’s quiche recipes, having been recently reminded how good egg and cheese filled tarts are (very). As ever, they weren’t really ‘the only four you’ll ever need?’, but I’d happily have broad bean and ham; pea and feta; courgette and mint; asparagus and salmon in my top ten. Or twenty.
There were also some Sicilian recipes in The Weekend section. I rather liked the idea of peppers stuffed with ricotta and fennel, baked in a passata, and a seafood stew with couscous. Lots to come from Sicily over the next few years, btw.
The Observer
Comforting new potato recipes by Nigel Slater in the Observer Magazine. If you spot some Jersey Royals, jump on board and blanket them in garlic and cream, or a salad with tomatoes, anchovies and toasted breadcrumbs. Or just roll them in butter.
Paper buyers also received a supplement containing ’20 best OFM vegetarian recipes’. Here’s part one (love a good dal, also Alice Hart’s spiced turmeric broth with roast veg). Three more will follow through the week.
Sunday Times
To coincide with the launch of this year’s Food Revolution campaign, Jamie Oliver took over all (rather than just one) of The Sunday Times Magazine’s food pages.
The campaign promotes cooking from scratch – as it ensures people can feed themselves and their family good, nutritious food. I like the idea that there are 10 Food Revolution recipes that help teach the relevant skills. 4 of them are in the paper: lamb and chickpea curry; roast chicken and veg; veg stir fry; simple hummus. The big man attracts a lot of bile (see the comments), but I think he’s a force for good.
On the Internet
Nice asparagus salad with buttermilk dressing over on Food Stories.
Also, there’s some very enjoyable content on Munchies atm about ‘British’ food. This lamb’s tongue, green bean and green sauce recipe by Margot Henderson really caught my eye.
And make time for not one but two BBC Food Programme podcasts featuring Diana Henry and her life in food. The first was broadcast on Sunday and available to stream here. Per the OFM supplements, I’ll add a second link when it’s available.
#Supplemental Cooking
Nowt from the recipe pages this weekend. But the photo at the top is loosely related to #Supplemental in that I managed to read, copy and paste most of this week’s links whilst waiting for a few ‘Italian parcels’ from The Butchery to braise – finishing the task in time to whisk and beat a vat of polenta (Britain’s most under-appreciated side?).
Weekend Menu, 21 and 22 May 2016
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Fennel and ricotta stuffed baked peppers
Ursula Ferrigno, The Times
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Lamb’s tongue, green bean and green sauce
Margot Henderson, Munchies
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New potatoes, wild garlic and cream
Nigel Slater, The Observer
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Chocolate ganache doughnuts
Claire Ptak, The Guardian, ‘Cook’
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Is it possible to read the recipes, etc from The Times, Sunday Times, and Financial Times withoug having a subscription? You link to them, but it doesnt’ appear possible to read the whole article.
Times and Sunday Times you need a subscription for. FT you can get a few a month before subscription required OR copy paste the title of the piece into Google, and seems to be a back door in.