April 2021 Favourites list

Hello everyone! Welcome to this month’s favourites list. Without much news to share, I think I will get straight to my list of lovely stuff for the month.

There should be lots of sustenance here for food fans and home cooks. For the first time, I am featuring some recipe tuition videos. Let me know if this is a new feature of the list you would like me to continue. 

 

Glorious Magnolia tree in full bloom, Bromley Road, Catford

Food writing:

What's in season in April, with recipe inspirations: https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/features/whats-in-season-april

Traditional foods for Easter from across Europe: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/guide-international-easter-foods

The curious tale of the food “influencer” wanted by the FBI: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/mar/21/the-wannabe-food-influencer-wanted-by-fbi-hargobind-tahilramani

Initially Lockdown got home cooks excited about making lunch and dinner at home. Did that wane for you? And was it your lunch which suffered? https://www.tastecooking.com/have-sad-desk-lunches-gotten-sadder/

“I Rejected Cooking in the Name of Feminism—Until I Had to Feed Myself” – a thoughtful and beautiful musing by Aurvi Sharma: https://www.bonappetit.com/story/rejected-cooking-for-feminism

The “Idli equation” or, how you can use other pulses for your lactofermented steamed Indian snacks, from Krish Ashok, author of Masala Lab: https://lifestyle.livemint.com/food/discover/the-idli-equation-111615478082190.html

Forget me nots (Myosotis Alpestris)

 

Food videos:

How to make Japanese Chashu pork, for ramen or salads, from Tomo’s Kitchen: https://youtu.be/x8KVGMrGpaM

How to check eggs are fresh: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/food/cookery-videos/a657141/how-to-check-eggs-are-fresh/

Recipes:

How to make a “Focaccia garden” bread: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/people-are-going-wild-for-spring-focaccia-gardens-heres-how-to-make-them_uk_6059d42ec5b6bd9511801175

Garlic tear and share bread from Janice at Farmers Girl Kitchen: https://www.farmersgirlkitchen.co.uk/wild-garlic-bread/

Lucky Peach’s Miso-amped Hummus, a vegan recipe: https://www.dorothy-porker.com/vegan/miso-amped-hummus-from-lucky-peach-presents-power-vegetables/

Snake beans, also called yard long beans are available in Chinese and Indian grocery shops. Kavey has shared a Sri Lankan snake bean curry recipe from Peter Kuruvita’s book, Serendip: https://www.kaveyeats.com/sri-lankan-snake-bean-curry

Rosemary flowers (Salvia rosmarinus)

Smoked haddock, pea and chorizo macaroni cheese by Kirsty Scobie and Fenella Renwick: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/mar/29/20-best-cheese-recipes-kirsty-scobie-fenella-renwick-smoked-haddock-pea-chorizo-macaroni-cheese

We made this fish pie, substituting a fillet of monkfish, scallops and king prawns for fish pie mix. The recipe is good, but watch out – the video shows cheese being added to the white sauce, which is missing from the instructions. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/family-meals-easy-fish-pie-recipe

Speedy, spicy prawns and pasta for a weeknight dinner: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/prawn-harissa-spaghetti

Leek, herb, bulghur wheat and almond tabbouleh, a vegan recipe from Meera Sodha: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/apr/03/meera-sodhas-vegan-recipe-leek-herb-almond-tabbouleh

Raymond Blanc's pea soup recipe is simplicity itself for a weekday lunchtime: https://www.itv.com/food/articles/pea-soup

Yellow pansy flower

 

What you might have missed at Snig’s Kitchen

My recipe for wild garlic soup:

http://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2021/04/wild-garlic-soup.html

If you want to make a quick and easy creamy sauce for stuffed pasta, here is my recipe for a shallot, garlic and Vermouth sauce:

https://snigskitchen.tumblr.com/post/646923036804661249/stuffed-pappardelle-with-shallot-garlic-vermouth

Film:

Billie: In Search of Billie Holiday

Dogman

TV:

Amsterdam Vice

Unforgotten – Series 4

BBC Radio 6 Music Festival – Laura Marling

BBC Radio 6 Music Festival – Michael Kiwanuka

Music:

Goat Girl – On All Fours

Massive Attack – Blue Lines

Pet Shop Boys – Introspective

Sananda Maitreya (formerly known as Terence Trent D’Arby) - Introducing the Hardline According to…

 

Purple pansy flower

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.