Bitterballen are exceptionally delicious snacks that originate from the Netherlands. When eating out at one of our favourite Dutch restaurants, my Dutch family and I would often take a few of these as an “hors d´oeuvre”, whilst seated in a quiet, comfy corner of the (read more…)

Lobster tail is a wonderfully indulgent dish, with creamy, meaty lobster, dressed to impress, served with vegetables of your choice. A wonderful dish for any special occasion, it´s my absolute favourite crustacean. Ingredients (Serves 2) 2 lobster tails 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut (read more…)

Khara Masala Lamb is deliciously spicy  and aromatic. Khara Masala Lamb with Saffron Rice is a perfect dish to serve on a cold, wet, miserable winter´s evening. As with many dishes, you can adjust the spiciness according to your preference. Serves 2 Ingredients: For the (read more…)

Hummus, served with freshly-baked  pitta ticks all the boxes for me. It is simply delicious, good for you, and can be served as either a snack or a complete meal (with  fresh vegetables). If you include the fact that it´s vegetarian, what´s not to like? (read more…)

Who doesn´t love a tasty paella? Currently living in Spain, it was pretty easy to find a good supplier of “paelleras” (paella pans). Pairing the right-sized pan with a good “paellero” (twin-ringed gas burner) helps to ensure the ingredients are cooked evenly, resulting in perfectly (read more…)

Home-made authentic English crumpets. Wonderfully indulgent, they are quite time-consuming to make, but really worthwhile. Either serve them simply buttered, or covered with local runny honey or your favourite topping. Once the topping soaks through the holes in the crumpet, cut it in half, to (read more…)

Pastitso is an absolutely delicious Greek main course that is slightly unusual in that it has a pasta base (like pasta bake) with an egg topping (like Bobotie). The end result, however, is a wonderfully satisfying and filling meal that is perfect served with a (read more…)

These fruit and nut cookies are coated on the outside with crushed cornflakes, giving a crunchy bite. The centres are slightly gooey (especially if served straight out of the oven), giving an irresistible contrast. Makes about 25 cookies. Ingredients 125 g salted butter at room (read more…)

This Spanish Sherried Onion Soup recipe is my take on a Spanish favourite that is often served cold, like Gazpacho. However, as there was none left after we first sampled this delicious soup, I can´t give an opinion on how it tastes cold. All I (read more…)

This deliciously aromatic and succulent Chicken Cacciatore dish must be one of the best that have come out of Italy. The chicken simply falls off the bone and the Italian herbs help to elevate the tomato-based sauce to a higher level. It can either be (read more…)

I´m fairly picky with my soups, but when a recipe comes along that tastes incredible and has the right consistency, I´m a huge fan. This is my take on Roasted Tomato and Mascarpone Soup. A simple Parmesan crouton adds style and additional flavour to each (read more…)

On recent visit to a local cash-and-carry I found an Asian food aisle. So, picking up as many ingredients as I could, I´ve tried using some of them in a couple of dishes. This was the first time I had tried soba noodles, and I (read more…)

Tarte Citron (lemon tart) is a simply amazingly tasty, zingy dessert from France. This recipe is for a shallow-fill one, but more usually the recipe will be for a deep-fill one. It goes well either as a dessert, or simply as a mid-morning snack with (read more…)

What better comfort food than spicy minced beef quesadillas? They make a perfect dinner for those chilly winter evenings and are also great as a snack for the whole family. The flavours of spicy beef and melting cheese are simply irresistable! Ingredients: 1.5 onions, chopped (read more…)

I have recently become increasingly interested in Japanese culture and gastronomy, so thought I would have a go at one of the dishes we in the West associate most with Japan. Sushi, or more correctly, Maki Sushi. I have included my simple take on this (read more…)

This Salmon and Lemon Quiche is deliciously light and fluffy. You could substitute the salmon with any fish, and for a stronger flavour, you could use a smoked variety. Ingredients (serves 4) Pastry Case 175 g plain flour a pinch of salt 40 g butter (read more…)

Welcome to this post, Creamy Spinach and Parmesan Baked Potatoes. These potatoes are simple to prepare and cook, and are absolutely delicious. The combination of Parmesan and spinach is a tried and trusted one, and the addition of cream results in a rich, tasty meal (read more…)

This dish came to mind when we experienced a sudden drop in temperature during October, here in the south of Spain. An unseasonably chilly couple of days meant comfort food! This Slow-cooked Paprika Pork Casserole is a slightly spicy version. Ingredients (serves 6) 1 kg (read more…)

Bobotie is often considered the national dish of South Africa. It contains a truly wonderful fusion of flavours: curried minced beef with aromatic spices and dried fruit with a creamy egg topping. One of my all-time favourite dishes, I hope you enjoy this recipe. Bobotie (read more…)

In my last post I showed you how easy it is to make your own Cornflour Tagliatelle, which has so much more flavour than shop-bought. In this post, Cornflour Pasta with Creamy Spinach and Bacon, I´m using some of that pasta accompanied by a simple (read more…)

In this post, An Introduction to Pasta Making, I would like to share with you some thoughts on how to make perfect pasta. It really helps if you have a couple of attachments for your mixer, one to create the correct thickness of pasta, and (read more…)

Russian Salad (or Ensaladilla Rusa) is served at cafés and restaurants throughout Spain. It was also very popular in the Netherlands when I lived there. There are many different recipes for this wonderful salad and it´s a flexible recipe, so feel free to add, remove (read more…)

Who doesn´t love one of France´s signature dishes, moules frites? Hot, steaming mussels, accompanied by delicious French fries! Personally, I prefer moules Provençal to the more popular moules marinière, as I´m a huge fan of Mediterranean flavours. When my wife and I took summer holidays (read more…)

In a previous post, An Introduction to Smoking Foods, I covered the subject on how to hot-smoke food. In this post, I´d like to take a look at an alternative method of preparing food for consumption. An Introduction to Curing investigates the use of salt (read more…)

One of my Japanese English language students, who loves to discuss food, suggested this dish to me as a good entry point into experiencing the art of Japanese cuisine. The resulting flavour combination of the omurice (Japanese Rice Omelette) was so good. It seems that (read more…)

The idea for this post came as a result of thinking about a pairing with a dish to be published in a future post, “Omurice” (Japanese Rice Omelette). There are some dishes that just cannot be eaten without ketchup or an alternative. For example, I (read more…)

Saltimbocca (literally translated as “jump in the mouth”) is an Italian recipe. You can use chicken, pork, or, my personal favourite, veal. Veal saltimbocca has a wonderfully rich, sumptuous taste and, if prepared well, a deliciously tender texture.   This is definitely one of my (read more…)

Sunday mornings are lazy times in our house. My wife and I tend to get up late and bumble about like zombies for a while, catch up on the news and do the daily crossword. One of us will then suggest a coffee. Weekend coffees (read more…)

It´s time for another afternoon snack. In this post, I have prepared some Garlic Prawn, Chorizo and Tomato Skewers. A different take on “surf and turf”, these skewers are truly mouth-watering and extremely simple to prepare. They can then be fried on the plancha, barbecue (read more…)

Today, I´d like to introduce you to an extremely refreshing summer-time drink, “Tinto de Verano” (or “red wine of summer”), which is extremely simple to make. There are basically two popular versions, one uses tonic water, and the other, lemonade. I´ve tried both but prefer (read more…)