Things I love to eat.
When I became a professional chef, friends suddenly seemed afraid of cooking for me. Invitations to Sunday lunch or casual dinners would usually be accompanied with “I hope you won’t be terribly disappointed” or “I’m sure it won’t be up to your standard”. Dishes would be served with a side of apologies. Of course, when… Continue reading Lentils
My childhood home is at the end of a dirt track at the top of a hill, and in the winter we often woke up to waist-high snow drifts. We couldn’t get out to go to school, so we’d spend the day throwing ourselves into heaps of snow, or watching the dogs disappear, bewildered, into… Continue reading Tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich
I’d been warned that the drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles wouldn’t be especially scenic. Though Highway 101, which meanders along the coast, is spectacular, the fastest route is the I-5, which cuts a straight line through hundreds of miles of the Central Valley. For most of the way it’s a dual carriageway, and… Continue reading Pea soup with roast potatoes & a soft boiled egg
We’ve been cooking this delightful mac & cheese at home for a couple of years now. We’ve tinkered with it—different cheese mixes, with mustard, without mustard, with veg, without—but this version is our favourite. At a time when comfort feels a little out of reach, this dish comes to the rescue. The kale is very optional,… Continue reading Mac & cheese with roasted cauliflower
For me, there is a brief moment when a banana is at the perfect ripeness for eating, and more often than not, I miss it. That’s when I leave them in the fruit bowl to get deeply overripe, the skins blackening, and the fruit inside slowly melting into a fragrant mush. Perfect for making banana… Continue reading Banana & hazelnut loaf