September 2018 Favourites List

Hello everyone!

I hope you have had a happy and pleasant September. For me it marks the start of the academic year, and because I teach on a one year course, it means a complete fresh start. It's a time of great excitement as I meet new students, and introduce them to new skills, new knowledge, new ways of thinking. For me, it is like a New Year's day, deferred to the ninth month.

However, I know you lot aren't interested in "back to school" pictures with my Favourites list. You probably saw all your friends' kids in their school uniforms on social media a couple of weeks ago. You don't want to see my inane grin as I wear my work suit!

So this month I decided to share my pictures of a true wonder of the natural world, the truly awesome Victoria Falls. Straddling the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, it is 1.7km wide (1,708 metres to be precise) and 108m tall. It isn't either the highest or the widest, but it is so large, that the eye and the mind cannot fully comprehend its size at ground level. 

Of course, it wasn't originally called Victoria Falls, that name was given to it by explorer David Livingstone (whose statue is at the start of the trail on the Zimbabweean side). The falls had the original name Mosi-Oa-Tunya (the smoke that thunders). If you are in the small town of Victoria Falls, wherever you are, you can hear the rumble of the water. I visited in the dry season and could hear it clearly. In the rainy season up to 3,000 tons per second tumble down the sheer face, which must make quite a racket!

   

Botoka Gorge is round the corner from the falls, and you can see the mist rising from the falls from the gorge's lookout post. A nice little place for a quiet beer, contemplating the view, or an adrenaline filled bungee jump, depending on your temperament!

The vast majority of the falls is visible from the Zimbabwean side, and the Mosi-Oa-Tunya park on their side has 19 viewpoints to see the different angles and vistas of this astonishingly vast sight. Getting wet is inevitable! Even when it is the dry season, the volume of water is so enormous, the mist is thrown in every direction.

I hope you like this month's pictures and my selections of favourites. Do scroll down to the bottom of this post. The last one is a doozy!

(If you do visit Victoria Falls, I'd like to recommend Mama Africa restaurant. Their African hot pots must be tried! Each is served in a little metal pot with legs. Memorable and delicious!) 

Food writing and articles: 

"Together" is cookbook by the survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire, who are using food as way of rebuilding their community. Here is a recipe from the book; Green Chilli and Avocado Dip, by Munira Mahmud, from the Hubb Community Kitchen: https://metro.co.uk/2018/09/20/make-meghan-markles-favourite-green-chilli-and-avocado-dip-from-her-grenfell-cookbook-at-home-7964053/
 

If you buy new cast iron cookware, here are some cooking tips from the experts at Le Creuset: https://www.lecreuset.co.za/blog/10-tips-for-cooking-with-cast-iron
 

Bargain cast iron cookware - for those who would love to own Le Creuset but don't have the budget (although I have discovered TK Maxx do some discounted Le Creuset and Lidl have their own budget cast iron range): http://www.goodhousekeeping.co.uk/food/food-news/aldi-cast-iron-cookware-range
 

New study analysing 41 previous studies suggests a causal link between a high junk food diet, inflammation and depression: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/sep/26/eating-junk-food-raises-risk-of-depression-says-multi-country-study
 

Looking for somewhere new to eat in London? Olive Magazine has compiled this mouthwatering selection of the best new London eateries: https://www.olivemagazine.com/restaurants/london/best-new-restaurants-in-london/
 

Food and travel, the perfect combination - a foodie postcard from Weymouth:  https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/a-foodie-postcard-from-weymouth/
 

Recipes:

Chicken Karaage is a Japanese Izakaya classic. Fried chicken, inititally marinaded in soy, sake, sugar, ginger and garlic. Coated in potato starch to make a crispy batter: https://norecipes.com/karaage-recipe/
 

Deena Kakaya's spin on Macaroni Cheese borrows from Indian cookery - mashing up a samosa filling with cauliflower and sweetcorn with the baked pasta classic: http://www.deenakakaya.com/2013/11/11/foodie-onsie-samosa-filling-macaroni-cheese/
 

Chef Simon Rogan, the brains behind Roganic and L'Enclume has published a cookbook. Naturally, it is every bit as fancy and cheffy as you would imagine. Here is a sneak peek at a couple of the recipes: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/recipes/rogan-cookbook-recipes-radish-stew-chickpea-wafer-goat-curd-cooking-instructions-ingredients-a8520791.html
 

Some gorgeous Middle Eastern recipes from Bethany Kehdy who has just published her cookbook "The Jewelled Table": https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/recipes/feast-east-mouthwatering-middle-eastern-recipes-bethany-kehdy/

Lou's one pot prawn and couscous with its courgette, corn and tomato is colourful and simple: https://www.livinglou.com/one-pot-couscous-with-shrimp-zucchini-and-corn
 

Bolognese meat sauce should be served with tagliatelle, not spaghetti. But what about Spaghetti Bolognese? Believe it or not, it's a tuna and tomato pasta. https://theinsatiablegourmand.com/2017/03/10/the-real-spaghetti-alla-bolognese/amp/
 

So, the true “Bolognese” sauce is called “Ragu”. Here’s a recipe, straight from a restaurant in Bologna. http://italyproject365.com/annamarias-secret-ragu-recipe/
 

Fancy a fresh weekend brunch idea? How about Tash's Baba Ganoush with eggs? Recipe blog post from Tash: https://www.foodifancy.com/baba-ganoush-and-boiled-eggs
 

A variation on the traditional Salade Nicoise - this is a homecooked Salmon Nicoise: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/summer-salmon-nicoise
 

Cooked ideally in a banana leaf (alternatively in baking paper/parchment), Meera Sodha’s aubergine pollichattu both steams and bakes, to make a dish traditional to Kerala in south India: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2018/sep/01/meera-sodha-recipe-aubergine-pollichattu
 

An Alternative Sunday lunch - Middle Eastern style spatchcocked chicken by Karen Burns-Booth: https://www.lavenderandlovage.com/2018/07/maghreb-chicken-with-preserved-lemons.html
 

Soba noodles are made with buckwheat and have a delicious nutty bite to them - here's a salad recipe combining them with Summer radishes and broad beans: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/10799344/The-New-Vegetarian-radish-broad-bean-and-soba-noodle-salad.html
 

Sweetcorn with its sunshine yellow is a Summer treat - here are Anna Jones' recipes for a chowder and a salad: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2018/aug/24/anna-jones-sweetcorn-recipes
 

What you might have missed at Snig’s Kitchen:

My Darjeeling Express restaurant review – Asma Khan’s all female team makes memorable, authentic homestyle Indian food: https://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2018/09/darjeeling-express-london.html

TV:
Unforgotten Series 1
Unforgotten Series 2
Unforgotten Series 3
Bodyguard

Music:
Tony Scott - Music For Zen Meditation
Alt-J - Relaxer

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.