Tag Archives: olive oil

Quick Fresh Tomato Pasta Sauce for a Late Night Dinner

I recently started writing for a sketch comedy team at the Pit in NYC. We write late, and rehearse later. Consequently, I’m staggering home at 11pm, lacking the energy to tackle any significant cooking, or indeed, any significant eating.

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The Monday Treat – Blueberry Olive Oil Lemon Cake

Big News from my friend Rachel who bounded into choir rehearsal with a huge smile on her face and a huge diamond on her finger. Graham had proposed. Excitement. Squealing.

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Provencal tomato pasta – a celebration of hope and/or partial nudity

NYC is a city of contrasts. This week, for example my very brave friend Jess made something of a public declaration of hope on her blog. Not entirely out of the blue, you understand, but because she has met a … Continue reading

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Penne with sausage and ricotta

Back in New York on the cusp of a New Year brimming with possibilities, Jon and I headed more or less from the airport to a party in Brooklyn hosted by our friends Shea and Raphael with their adorable sausage dog … Continue reading

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This Dinner Will Get You Laid – Imam Bayildi, the priest wept

Imam bayildi is one of the all time great, most delicious ways to eat aubergine / eggplant.

The name means “the priest wept”, and theories as to why exactly the priest wept abound; possibly he had a young wife whose dowery was mostly paid up in barrels of olive oil. She cooked this dish for him. He loved it. She cooked it again for him. He loved it. She cooked it again, and that was the end of her olive oil dowery. Or possibly the priest cried in sheer pleasure as olive oil dripped down his chin when he took his first mouthful of creamy eggplant, and soft sweet tangle of onions. Continue reading

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The Monday Treat – Focaccia with grapes

If you lived in Tuscany last weekend, the chances are you would have been out celebrating the chianti harvest. Apparently there’s a big knees up, with a lot of drinking and eating olives and trampling on grapes in vats. “Seriously,” … Continue reading

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The Monday treat – Roasted tomato preserve

Growing things has, on the whole, been less straightforward than we thought it would be.

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The Wednesday Tipple – Blackberry Fizz with melon, prosciutto and fresh herb dressing

I remember my Mum and Dad serving melon slices as a starter at dinner parties when my sister and I were little. The kind of party where my Mum would spritz on the Fendi perfume and ask us to pick … Continue reading

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Orecchiette with fresh tomato sauce

It’s been hot in New York. Did I mention it before? But as temperatures return to a more normal range (really hot, rather than really too hot) the affects of the weather on my friends is coming to light. Laura … Continue reading

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The Monday treat – focaccia with rosemary, black olives and lemon

Some treats require preparation, and there’s no point denying it; focaccia is one such. It’s not especially tricky to make – and all the olive oil makes for a stable dough that is less subject to the foibles of regular … Continue reading

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