food by sole

16th July 202116th July 2021

Plato de verano (“Summer’s dish”)

When it gets hot in Spain we avoid eating hot food and turn our attention towards things that are eaten cold. You might have heard about gazpacho or salmorejo!

Then there is the “plato de verano”, which literally means “summer’s dish”. It’s not a unique recipe, but a way of describing “something somewhat substantial that you eat cold”. It depends on the cook and whatever is available on the day.

My recipe provides a good balance between sharpness, oiliness, savouriness, softness and crunchiness so that it’s a pleasant and refreshing thing to eat, but without having to bite too much (too much effort if it’s very hot).

¡Buen provecho!

5th July 20215th July 2021

Sourdough pitta bread

Two pitta breads with charred bits, slightly puffed up, on a plate

Now that summer is officially under way and it (sometimes) gets hot, I tend to avoid turning the oven on, as our flat gets very hot and we don’t need any extra heat. It’s time for salads, gazpachos and things that can be eaten cold(ish).

However… sometimes the pull of making something with flour is still strong. And that’s when I reach for these very easy to make pitta breads, which are dry-fried in a pan rather than baked in the oven.

It will still be hot in the kitchen for a bit, but then you’re done and ready to eat your little freshly baked wonders. And it’s so exciting to see them puff up! One of my favourite parts.

1st July 20211st July 2021

Introduction to sake

I’ve been asked a few times for sake recommendations, such as where to start in terms of understanding different types, or how to choose a good sake.

Before going into that, I wanted to explain a couple of things about sake.

29th June 2021

A serendipitous find in Hampstead Road

A plate with frijoles on rice, with coriander, soured cream and totopos

Some years ago we were on a bus to Muswell Hill, and we saw the sign for a big-looking shop called “Rupashi Bangla Cash and Carry”, which got me very excited.

It was the year that I had got the “Fresh India” book from Meera Sodha and I was very happy to be learning about Indian food.

I was also on the lookout for supplies, because oftentimes they were whimsically, inexplicably, unavailable from supermarkets. So the sight of a big shop that could sell a huge variety of these things under the same roof and in big portions was MEGA thrilling to me. Thus we said we’d visit some time—after all, it is a short walk from our place.

30th May 202130th May 2021

KILN

Cornish greens, cucumber & beef curry, brown jasmine rice

We went to KILN last week, but we’ve spent the whole week holidaying and touristing in our staycation and so I haven’t had a lot of time to write things up!

We LOVE going to KILN! 😍🔥

The food is great: aromatic, well seasoned, hot and spicy and it pairs so well with their beer selection. Plus they have a record player out of which they tend to play dub music which we really enjoy as well.