March 2020 Favourites List

Spring is gradually reaching out her warming fingers, with raised temperatures and longer days seeping our way.... As we warm up. little by little, the relief from the long, cold days of Winter is palpable. The Spring flowers are slowly blooming in gardens everywhere. The colour and life they display have helped fill me with hope and positivity.

Of course, the world is struggling right now to cope with the pandemic of the Coronavirus. It is a situation not to be taken lightly. We are all busy either social distancing or self isolating right now, in order to lessen the demand on strained health care systems and to protect the vulnerable (the elderly, children and those with pre-existing health conditions). I know many people, (friends, colleagues and students) who are currently self isolating and I know a couple of people who are fighting Covid-19 right now. I am thinking of you, I wish you a speedy recovery and I know we can, if we stay positive, make it through this.

This month I am sharing photos of the new season's flowers with my list of links to food recipes and writing and cultural artefacts. The news is rather dark already, and we need something pretty and uplifting right now. We are in need of beautiful things to fill up our senses. 

Whatever it is that you love, be it art, music, literature, food, poetry, craft.... Immerse yourself whilst we are keeping our heads down to suppress this pandemic. 

Wash your hands, stay at home if at all possible, and protect the vulnerable. Self isolate if you have a high temperature (you feel you are burning up) or you have a continuous cough with no mucus or phleghm. Please practice social distancing, and keep 2m away from other people if you possibly can. 

Wash your hands for 20 seconds if you have left the house, touched any communal surfaces (including but not limited to: door handles, door buttons, payment machines, ATMs, hand rails), after using the toilet, before preparing food, before eating. 

We can make it through this. Stay strong, be safe.

Food writing and articles:

How former lawyer and restaurant entrepreneur Chef Asma Khan is making the restaurant trade a better place. Her Darjeeling Express restaurant is well worth visiting: https://www.restaurantindia.in/article/asma-khan-an-unflinching-voice-behind-making-an-impact-this-decade.13577

 

Recipes:  

Turmeric, Spinach and Sweet Potato Fritters, a recipe from Sabrina Ghayour's new book Bazaar: https://www.kaveyeats.com/2020/01/sabrina-ghayours-turmeric-spinach-sweet-potato-fritters.html

Dan Anton and head chef Zaw Mahesh, co-founders of Myanmar/Burmese restaurant Lahpet share four recipes: Mandalay kidney bean fritters, chicken noodle soup, pork skewers and bean fritter and a dessert of cassava cake: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/feb/01/burmese-recipes-lahpet-bean-fritters-pork-skewers-coconut-noodles-with-chicken-cassava-cake

 

Nigel Slater’s recipe for a meal in a bowl of creamy butter beans, tomato and cabbage: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/mar/03/nigel-slater-midweek-meals-butter-beans-cabbage-mi-cuit-tomatoes

A Korean-style rice bowl of beef, veggies, egg and kimchi with a spicy kick thanks to a dash of gochujang chilli paste:

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/food/recipes/a30869634/beef-bulgogi-bibimbap/
 

Chef Karam Sethi at Brigadiers has shared their house dahl recipe: https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/chef-recipes/brigadier-house-dal/
 

Meltingly tender lamb shanks, in a rich spiced yoghurt sauce, with basmati pilau with dill and cardamom by Madhur Jaffrey: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/lambshanksbraisedina_91037

 

Meera Sodha’s vegan recipe for masala baked beans on toast is basically a way of pimping a tin of Heinz Baked Beans! https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/jan/25/meera-sodha-masala-baked-beans-on-toast-recipe-vegan
 

A 30 minute vegan aubergine teriyaki rice bowl recipe for Meat Free Monday:

https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/vegan/aubergine-teriyaki-bowls/
 

Sweet Potato Salad with Warm Pepita [pumpkin seed] Dressing: https://smittenkitchen.com/2020/02/sweet-potato-salad-with-pepita-dressing/

What you might have missed at Snig's Kitchen:

Free things to do if you are either social distancing or self isolating: http://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2020/03/free-things-to-do-for-self-isolation.html  

TV:  

My Left Nut

Home (Season 2)

Good Omens

Radio 2 In Concert: Tears For Fears

Film:

Horrible Histories: Rotten Romans

The Post

Blinded By The Light

Music:

Vellum Hill - Chicken Grunt Island Cigarettes After Sex Live at Ancienne Belgique: https://youtu.be/W9Wjh3bOIjw

Radiohead - In Rainbows
Leon Bridges and Khruangbin - Texas Sun EP 

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.