An Edible Voyage

September 2021 Pasta. The epitome of Italy.  Having spent 5 days hiking across the Apennine mountains on the Via Degli Dei, a big bowl of homemade pasta with a rustic sauce was even more gratefully received than usual. And I love the way there is so much more to pasta than initially meets the eye, with both the shape and the sauce being traditionally specific to a region, the shape designed to optimally hold that particular sauce. We ate a lot of pasta over our week of hiking, in fact, we had pasta every night.  And despite every restaurant being a totally different style to the others, in every one I could taste the passion and TLC stirred in by the cook. In Bologna, head north of the main train station to the edgy Bolognina suburb where you will find just as many homely trattorias as ethnic eateries.  Trattoria de Via Serra caught our eye, seemingly blending vibe with homeliness, but sadly it was fully booked.  We landed on our feet though, stumbling across the...

June 2020 It was one of those days when I had lots of bits to use up in the fridge - not enough of anything to make something.  Or so I thought.  Broccoli croquettes were born!  Steamed potatoes and broccoli mashed together, a little seasoning, rolled in panko crumbs and pan fried.  The lonely slice of ham finely chopped and thrown in to the pan for the last few minutes.  Parmesan cheese grated over hot croquettes to begin to melt ever so slightly.  The crunchy croquettes, the crispy ham, the sweet, umami parmesan cheese...an accidentally delicious creation.

April 2020 Chicory, also known as endive, is one of my favourite ingredients.  Crisp and bitter in salads; mellow, sweet and nutty when cooked.  For this risotto, I cooked the chicory for only a few minutes so that it still had some bite to stand up against the softness of the arborio rice, and to allow the earthy, nutty flavours to shine through.  Stringy, molten chunks of parmesan cheese added sweetness and moorish umaminess, and I enjoyed the satisfying crunch of chopped almonds.  This was a wholesome, hearty dish which managed to maintain a freshness at the same time.