Cooking with Jamie……
I don’t have many of Jamie Oliver’s Cookbooks, but one time I couldn’t resist buying this for Richard as a gift. He likes to make fresh pasta and pizza from scratch and he likes to eat. I was very hopeful when I bought it, dreaming up some good meals from inside the cover. The only disappointment that came out of it was when Rich decided that Jamie knows best and put grapes on our pizzas. I wasn’t pleased and still find it offensive. I am still wondering where that crazy idea hails from in Italy but then there is still a lot to discover about Italy. There are twenty provinces after all. Anyway, I am most looking forward to some la cucina Italiana at home this week. I have Grace to thank in truth. When I called out on Sunday afternoon ‘what cookbook shall I cook from this week?’, she immediately replied ‘Jamie’. I was like yeah, why not? I was planning to dig into Patience Gray’s Honey From a Weed and sample some rustic dishes from the Mediterranean lands but that can wait I am sure. So here we go, one of my favourite cuisines, it is sure to be good.
Michelle,
6th October, 2021
Cooking with Tessa…..
Sitting late on a Saturday afternoon I take my time to peruse the contents of Piri Piri Starfish, the recipes and the beautiful images. A cookbook is many things, a visual aid, a historic document, a place to rest and find the creative impulse, for cooking is creativity at heart. The ingredients call me from the page. I want to try new things and I want to capture what is in season this very moment. I highlight the recipes. I walk outside and snap a bay leaf off the tree and tear a large handful of coriander in the potager. I am pleased the coriander is at its peak and not far from going to seed. I check the fridge for three tomatoes. This I can do. I call out to Maddy, “guess what Piri Piri Sauce is on its way with chilli, you will love it”….. Off I go.