Genius! Have rediscovered La Porchetta. Used to go a lonnnnng time ago when it was in Muswell Hill – a big, buzzing pizzeria with animated Italians spinning freshly made dough over a large wooden bench, and delicious aromas of melted mozzarella and bread hot from the oven wafting over the busy tables. Now they have FIVE restaurants, so I guess that makes it a Chain – but not an evil one. (more…)
Butternut squash ravioli with sage & pine nut butter October 22, 2009
So exciting! I MADE pasta! And it wasn’t all that tricky, except I could have rolled it thinner, but turns out I don’t have the steel arms of an Italian granny. Might just give in and get a pasta machine, because I can see this homemade pasta malarkey could get addictive. So give it a go – this is absolutely yummy and looks kind of impressive (which is lucky, because it’s not the quickest, though can be done in 2 stages). This is a recipe from Rachel Allen’s Home Cooking, with my own little variations. It makes a delicious main, but I think it’s even better as a starter – 2 or 3 large squares of ravioli are perfect. (more…)
Pink Paradise at Oslo Court – Restaurant Review October 21, 2009
It is, as one writer put it, like stumbling upon Narnia. More like a club for those lucky enough to be in the know than a restaurant, this legendary eatery is tucked away in an unlikely corner of St John’s Wood. There is little to alert you to its presence, save a couple of small, faded signs by the entrance to an enormous feat of 1960s architecture. Pink – like everything else in this fabulous throwback to the days when the Prawn Cocktail was the height of sophistication.
How to…Make your eyebrows the envy of everyone October 21, 2009
Mr R pulls his eyebrows out. Like puts actual bald bits in them. A hair feels a bit funny so…it has to go. It looks a whole lot funnier afterwards, but that’s not the point, he says. So I’m threatening to take him to the wonderful Indian ladies at Malika and get them to expertly thread his poor embattled brows, so when he’s 50 he doesn’t look like he’s shaved a fake scar onto himself as a token of his days in the ghetto. (more…)
Wicked walnut pesto October 20, 2009
This is soooo delicious. I’m eating it with fresh tagliatelle right now! It’s quick and easy but looks a little bit fancy. A good one for guests when you don’t have a lot of time to prance about the kitchen in a daze of culinary bliss. Usually comes in very small and pricey little pots. But whereas it’s debatable whether making ordinary basil pesto (cue entire basil plant disappearing into blender, then a lot of expensive pine nuts reduced to beige goo) is actually more economical, homemade walnut pesto definitely is – and tastes better too. This is basically my effort at a Theo Randall recipe for “Wet Walnut Tagliatelle” (more…)
Bottoms Up October 19, 2009
This weekend it’s the Wine Show – actually it starts on Thursday 22 Oct and goes on till Sunday 25. It’s at the Business Design Centre in N1 and sounds like it’s going to be great. Here’s the link for tickets and more info: www.wineshow.co.uk
Flatbread recipe October 19, 2009
This is quick, easy and can be whipped up on the spur of the moment. Especially when you find you’re out of bread, need a versatile base for a starter, or have just managed to make a cobblers of pasta and sauce and need to redeem yourself with a something you know you can pull off, er hmmm…
Ingredients (more…)
Fur Coat No Knickers October 19, 2009
All my friends seem to be getting married. This is what another wise (and just married) friend calls “Wave One” of the weddings, when eager, starry-eyed 20-somethings suddenly decide that lifetime monogamy isn’t such an outmoded idea after all. In fact, it’s a positively thrilling whirlwind of party planning, dress shopping and present lists. As my friends temporarily blind me with sparkly rings and catalogues of meringues, I find myself nodding with sincere agreement as they lament the fact that strapless dresses just don’t cut the mustard these days because everybody has them. (more…)
Old School Glamour at The Albemarle – Restaurant Review October 16, 2009
“I love you more than I can love…” Profound, I suppose. And, being scrawled in incongruous pink neon and hung on a wall, apparently it is also art. Mr R has to make do with less poetic declarations. ““I love you more than tiramisu” is probably the highlight. He is duly flattered, aware my love for creamy, coffee soaked, chocolate sprinkled desserts knows almost no bounds, but it’s hardly Keats.
Gooey Chocolate Pudding October 16, 2009
Gooey Chocolate Pudding from “Willie’s Chocolate Factory Cookbook” – concocted by real-life Willy Wonka, Willie Harcourt-Cooze
180g cocoa, finely grated
200g unsalted butter
175g caster sugar
6 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract (more…)
