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WASHING UP

on November 30, 2009

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It's like piano practice: you just gotta do it!

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MONDAY SUPPER: NORTH AFRICAN LAMB WITH CHILLI, GINGER & CHICKPEAS

This recipe for a warming, fragrant lamb stew, comes from Jamie Oliver's very first cookbook The Naked Chef . He looks incredibly young on the cover, but a quick check of the copyright page confirms that this book was published in 1999, when Jamie was but a lad, and had just burst onto the scene with his first tv series. I remember enjoying it very much: he was refreshingly laid back yet entirely enthusiastic about food and cooking and I loved the simplicity of his recipes. I still do, and regularly return them - because they work. And they are easy to make! I still have a lot of time for Jamie, though I got a bit tired of seeing his gurning face on the Sainsbury's adverts (he seems to have severed his relationship with the supermarket to concentrate on other projects), because I feel he truly believes in what he does, with passionate commitment. And his recipes remaining interesting, tasty and easy to construct. This lamb stew is redolent of a tagine where ingredients a...

OTTOLENGHI'S YOGHURT SAUCE

This is one of those delicious, easy-to-make accompaniments that once tried you will want to make all the time. It is from one of my favourite recipe books, Ottolenghi: The Cookbook , which is full of interesting and unusual dishes based on the food served in the eponymous cafes in Notting Hill, Kensington and trendy Islington. I haven't actually eaten at an Ottolenghi cafe - yet - but I have walked past the cafe on Ledbury Road, W11 quite a few times. If you have heard of Ottolenghi, it's probably because of the giant meringues which they make and display in the window, great balls of sweetness piled up on elegant glass cake-stands. Yoram Ottolenghi, the owner, is Israeli and the food is most definitely inspired by the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, the kind of food which I love: full of spices, piquant flavours, and fresh herbs like coriander and dill. In the recipe book, this yoghurt sauce should accompany Chickpeas and Spinach with Honeyed Sweet Potato, a vegeta...

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY PUDDING CAKE

This "pudding cake" is one of my dinner party stand-bys - though I haven't made it for a long time, preferring Middle Eastern inspired pistachio or walnut cakes, or my trusty Tarte Tatin. It comes from Nigella Lawson's first and best cookbook 'How To Eat', and, as she herself says in the preamble, it is almost more effort to type out the recipe than to make the cake. A little gentle stirring and pouring is really all that is required 185g self-raising flour (or 185g plain flour and a tsp of baking powder) 30g cocoa powder 2 tablespoons creme de framboise or similar liqueur 95g caster sugar 95g muscovado sugar 250g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids minimum) 185ml of strong espresso coffee + 185ml water OR 2 teaspoons good instant coffee made up with 370ml hot water 2 eggs, beaten slightly 250g raspberries (or more if using well defrosted, frozen raspberries) plus extra for decoration Preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter a 22cm spring-form cake tin and li...

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WASHING UP

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