writing, ideas, food, utopia
When I was growing up marmalade meant one thing: a citrussy concoction with bits of peel in it, related to jam but somehow more complicated in flavour and less obviously sweet. It was also one of the only things my father ever cooked - it still is - and although he comes up with all… Continue reading Bitter with bits in: my ideal marmalade
The experiment is at an end, and judged on looks alone it is a triumph - those grated golden curls couldn't be more lovely. But on flavour, we have a hung jury. The effect of these flecks of proteinous gorgeousness on pasta or in a salad is very good indeed, I just wish it was… Continue reading Cured egg yolk: final chapter, first round
I've probably been living a sheltered life, but I'd never come across a semi-dried pickle - until I continued my investigation of Magnus Nilsson’s Fäviken cookbook. Never, it seems, a man to rush things, Nilsson recommends slightly drying out pickled vegetables until "they resemble vegetable raisins" to serve with a hot pork chop. I usually have a good… Continue reading Whoever heard of a semi-dried pickle?
The yolks have entered their final stage - out of the cure and into the muslin. I don't have one of those cheffy meat cupboards (shocking omission, to be remedied in my next kitchen) so they are hanging at the back of the fridge. This is probably a little colder than the ideal, but I'm sure… Continue reading Cured egg yolk – day 17
I've managed to resist disturbing my yolks for almost a week. It's definitely time to see what they've been up to. Left undisturbed for a respectable interval the salt and sugar mix has set much more firmly - as hard as a rock in some places. I dug the yolks out quite cautiously, with the… Continue reading Cured egg yolk – day 10
I love that fact that these yolks are so forgiving of my daily interference. Most things I've ever decided to steep, cure or macerate have needed to go into a permanently sealed container and rest in the darkness of a cool cupboard, quiet and undisturbed, until I've almost forgotten about them. It is so much… Continue reading Cured egg yolk – day 3
Yesterday I started curing some egg yolks, in preparation for a recipe in Magnus Nilsson's Fäviken cookbook. I can't resist checking them to see how they are progressing, and today there is already a change! The yolks are visibly firmer, more intensely orange, and starting to hold a more solid shape. I ruffle up the dampened… Continue reading Cured egg yolk – day 2
Salted anchovies have been a recent joy in my winter salad dressings. Chopped or mashed - depending on how soft they are - and mixed simply with good olive oil and white wine vinegar (or more robustly with a little dijon mustard, and red wine or walnut vinegar), this is a regal dressing for any… Continue reading Salted anchovies
Nasturtiums are one of those fantastic plants that combine ease of growth with good looks. Their big tough seeds always come up and the plants seem to survive whatever you or the weather might throw at them. I plant trailing nasturtium seeds around the edges of the pots on my small London terrace every year,… Continue reading Capering around with nasturtium seeds
Damsons are the most delicious plum to cook with. Sharp and deeply flavoured, in my opinion they make the very best chutney you can eat, and the strongest flavoured plum jam. I was overjoyed to find them in my local Borough Market a few years ago – but not so overjoyed by the exorbitant price.… Continue reading Damson Chutney
Jane Levi 