July 2014 Favourites List

Phew! What a scorcher!

London and most of the UK has been basking in the warmth of a fantastic few weeks. Nobody is in any danger of not being able to get a tan this Summer. Far more likely many of us will have bags under our eyes through failing to get any sleep on the clammier, humid nights!

But we mustn't complain! It may be "very British", but this hot Summer is exactly what we spent all of the Spring speculating over. Don't we all remember wondering aloud whether this Summer would be a good one?

I'm enjoying being able to wear some lighter clothes both in weight and colour. Summer is such a lovely time to be able to celebrate and enjoy brights. 

Of course, food is also a lighter and brighter in the heat. As the produce of the season changes, we have vivid reds from Summer soft fruits and ripe tomatoes. Salads, grills, and barbeques become the order of the day.

The Summer of gigs and festivals continues apace, and so this month's pictures are from my very memorable day at British Summer Time on 12 July where I saw some fabulous live music and the brilliant Franz Ferdinand gig at Somerset House. 

Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand

It was fabulous to be able to see living legend Neil Young play live, after I have admired his records and songwriting for 20 years. A huge influence on several generations of musicians, he played a career spanning 2 hour set which I and the crowd completely lapped up.

I also got to see the incredibly talented young singer-songwriter Lucy Rose, who I managed to have a chat with. She is working on the follow up to Like I Used To, an album well worth investigating.

Lucy Rose

  
But back to the July 2014 Favourites List....

Blogs Worth Following:

http://www.harighotra.co.uk/

http://www.thecolorsofindiancooking.com/

Recipes:

Inspired by Gujerati cooking, Kay's Spicy green beans with toasted sesame seeds looks like a completely fab side dish! http://whatscookingmum.wordpress.com/2014/07/08/spicy-green-beans-with-toasted-sesame-seeds/

Love movies? Love popcorn? Love chocolate? How about a white chocolate edible popcorn snack bowl!  http://www.hungryhappenings.com/2014/05/edible-white-chocolate-popcorn-bowl.html

Snigdha meets Lucy Rose

The Urban Rajah's perfect Basmati rice is a gently spiced pilau: http://www.urbanrajah.com/how-to-make-Indian-curry/perfect-basmati-rice

Saw Cyrus Todiwala on Saturday Kitchen? Did you know he supports Find Your Feet's Curry For Change campaign? Catch his fantastic Bhaji recipe here: http://www.curryforchange.org.uk/recipes/kaanda-bhajias

Semolina dhokla, an Indian snack/appetiser: http://showmethecurry.com/appetizers/how-to-make-sooji-dhokla-indian-appetizer-recipes.html

Turkey is low fat and a healthy meat to eat. Here is recipe by Vivek Singh for a spicy marinade to pep up turkey breast, served with a moong dal "kedgeree" (khitchuri).

http://www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/spiced-turkey-breast-recipe

Neil Young

Grill time! Ottolenghi does veggies, chicken and prawns: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/may/16/yotam-ottolenghi-chargrill-recipes

Summer lunch: a Carribean sea bass salad with mango and avocado http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/10951403/Sea-bass-salad-with-a-coconut-dressing-recipe.html

Pissaladiere is a Provencale classic. It's a oozy, oniony, non-cheesy pizza with a little anchovy umami: http://www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/pissaladiere-recipe-with-anchovies

Dhruv Baker's goat's cheese and red onion tart: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/10961525/Goats-cheese-and-red-onion-tart-recipe.html

The National

Glut of courgettes? Or lots of end-of-bag pasta accumulating? Let Linzi show you how to use it up: http://lancashire-food.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/ragbag-pasta-with-roasted-courgette.html

Articles/Know How:

Knife skills demonstrations: Chiffonade (ribbon cut herb leaves - particularly useful for easy to bruise basil and coriander), Slice, Julienne, Dice, Bias cut: http://www.foodnetwork.co.uk/video/knife-skills.html

Reading wine bottle labels, how to sort the wheat from the chaff: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/may/17/david-williams-on-wine

Half Moon Run

Film:

Filth

Music:

Joni Mitchell – Blue

Neil Young – Harvest

Neil Young - Zuma

Lucy Rose – Like I Used To

Franz Ferdinand – Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action

Tom Odell

Please note: as with every monthly Favourites List, all of these items have been selected by me simply because I love them. I do not receive any money, benefits in kind or other incentive for posting these links or recommendations.