October 2022 favourites list

Hello my friends!

 

My October favourites list is here just as Summer has faded away into Autumn. The colours are changing from green to brown, as the leaves fall. If you live in the UK, the clocks go back at 2am on Sunday morning. We will all gain an hour's sleep, and in return will have to cope with an early sunset. It always takes me a while to adjust. 

But it's not all bad news, as we have Halloween and the festive season to enjoy. Not only that, we have new flavours and new produce to enjoy, as we dig into more comforting food for chillier days. Spices, curries, stews, casserole and hot pots will take over from the lighter meals of Summer.

This month's photos are my recent food adventures. All were delicious, even if the photos are somewhat amateur. However, as you will see from one of the featured links this month, laissez faire, unstyled food pictures are the new fashion. One thing I cannot manage, is letting my dinner get cold because I wanted the perfect Instagram picture!

Cheater's black garlic ramen with fried pork and ramen egg

 

Food writing and articles

What's in season in October in the UK; lots of brassicas and pumpkins/squashes.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/whats-in-season-october

A foodie read for the chilli fans out there - why do humans willingly put themselves through the pain of intense chilli heat? https://bigthink.com/life/why-people-like-spicy-foods/

Jonathan Nunn on the "Sohoification" of London's restaurants. We deserve better than cookie cutter blandified versions of international cuisine. @demarionunn nails it. https://www.dezeen.com/2022/09/27/sohofication-strangling-city-centres-jonathan-nunn-opinion/

The most anticipated cook books for autumn and winter - maybe to drop hints for Christmas? https://www.eater.com/23327897/best-new-cookbooks-fall-2022-smitten-kitchen-molly-yeh-vegan-chinese

Chinatown Bakery's delicious roast pork bun

 

Rukmini Iyer, on her new book about travelling around India to sample regional Indian food. She says 'There's more to Indian food than kormas and jalfrezis', and she would be absolutely right! https://wickedleeks.riverford.co.uk/features/all-aboard-rukmini-iyer-on-indias-regional-food-cultures/

Everyone here knows my food photos are not styled and unpolished. It seems laissez faire food photography is the new Instagram thing. https://www.eater.com/23365775/instagram-aesthetic-shift-food-blogger-laissez-faire

Halloween baking tip - how to make a spiderweb icing patterns on your cakes: https://lifehacker.com/how-to-spiderweb-your-halloween-desserts-1849613854

Cucumbers are a love-it-or-hate-it food for many people. But they have a number of health benefits, from hydration to lower blood pressure: https://www.eatthis.com/secret-side-effects-eating-cucumbers

Smashed avo on toast

How Milad Mirghahari made TikTok videos preparing sandwiches at work at Subway and managed to earn enough money from it that he bought the franchise from his parents, his story and those of others made this an uplifting read: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/rabbit-holes/the-fast-food-stars-of-tiktok

Coping with the cost of living

Alternatives to using your oven; oven free baking and other ideas to help save money on energy: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/oven_free_bakes

Recipes

LIked the look of the cheater's ramen above? The recipe for how to make ramen eggs is over at Kavey's blog, Kavey Eats: https://www.kaveyeats.com/how-to-make-ajitsuke-tamago-ramen-eggs

Begoon bhorta

Some people call it baingan bharta. My family always called it begoon bhorta. Mashed baked aubergine with onion, garlic, ginger, chilli and garam masala. Mum used to add peas and other veg. It's endlessly flexible as a recipe. https://www.theguardian.com/food/2022/sep/28/how-to-make-the-perfect-baingan-bharta-aubergine-dip-recipe-felicity-cloake

Mary Berry's Quinoa and bulgur wheat salad with lemon and pomegranate is one you can either make ahead, or pack in your lunchbox and take to work: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/quinoa_and_bulgur_wheat_46296

Meera Sodha's recipe for Creamy baked orzo with cauliflower, onions and mustard (vegan) or use single cream for a vegetarian dinner: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2022/oct/08/creamy-baked-orzo-recipe-cauliflower-onions-mustard-meera-sodha

15 minute chilli garlic noodles. An Aaron and Claire recipe using Taiwanese hand cut noodles and Korean Gochujaru chilli flakes. 

Spicy chilli garlic noodles

Video demonstration: https://youtu.be/qR9W6NH1ukI   

Recipe: https://aaronandclaire.com/spicy-chili-garlic-noodles/

Film

The Good Nurse

TV

Stranger Things (Series 2-4) 

Music

Vieux Farka Touré and Khruangbin – Ali

Talk Talk – Spirit of Eden

Depeche Mode – Songs of Faith and Devotion

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.

 

September 2022 favourites list

Hello readers,

Welcome once again to my virtual kitchen table! I hope you have been having a great September. 

As an academic whose main work is teaching, September is my "new year". My strange little January. I am armed with my new academic year diary, new white board pens and I am getting used to running around from building to building on campus with all my books and papers.

My new students are getting used to a course which will be teaching them unfamiliar areas of knowledge and new, highly practical skills. Obviously, what they have to get used to is far more complicated and difficult than my challenges.

Teaching skills as I do often reminds me of cooking. When you are cooking savoury dishes, you build up the flavours bit by bit, rather than shoving everything in a pan and hoping for the best. Often, a dish will start by frying off an onion... then the garlic.... etc. When you are baking, you might rub the fat into the flour before bringing in the "wet" ingredients.

Taking things bit by bit, keeping things manageable, planning ahead, getting your preparing done in advance... as important with cooking as they are with courtroom advocacy.

Welcome to this month's favourites list. I've collected together some food I have enjoyed cooking and eating, along with my selections of food writings and recipes. This month I have opted to choose two articles to help manage the cost of living, in the hope they may be of a small amount of assistance. The cultural pickings are brief this month, as I have been kept busy with other things.

I hope you will enjoy this month's selection. And yes, I know it is a little bit late.

Food writing

What's in season in the UK in September; salads, tomatoes, courgettes, cucumbers and runner beans.  https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/whats-in-season-september

If you are keen to avoid food waste, here are 14 foods you can safely eat past their best before date. Please note carefully that you shouldn't eat other foods beyond either BBE or use before dates. https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/01/what-foods-can-you-safely-eat-past-by-the-best-before-date-2-17284684/

Bought a brand new stone mortar and pestle and want to start using it? You'll need to get rid of any remaining stone dust and dirt. Here is how: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-season-a-mortar-and-pestle

Can we let go of the term ‘fusion cooking’ once and for all? Food is food! https://www.latimes.com/food/newsletter/2022-08-27/tasting-notes-letting-go-of-term-fusion-tasting-notes

Everything you want to know about Paneer, the young and fresh Indian cheese you can either make at home or buy in the supermarket. By food writer and curry philosopher Sejal Sukhadwala: https://www.lovefood.com/news/58760/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-paneer

 

What is "katsu", the famous Japanese dish? @ElsaEats starts with what it definitely is NOT. Katsu is not a sauce. http://www.elsaeats.com/katsu-is-not-a-sauce/

A guide to the many different varieties of chilli and when to use them: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2022/sep/13/which-chilli-to-use-when-kitchen-aide

Cost of living

 

As the cost of living is increasing, energy for heating our homes, cooking our food and powering our appliances is becoming more expensive than ever. Here are some energy myths exploded, to help you save money: https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/ten-energy-myths-busted-leaving-27876932

Here are some more tips with a cooking emphasis, to help you keep your energy costs down. https://www.theguardian.com/food/2022/aug/30/cheap-heats-microwave-cooking-tips-to-save-you-time-and-money

 

Recipes

As the new academic year begins, here are 54 healthy student recipes: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/healthy-student-recipes

From a brand new cookbook dedicated to butter, this is a recipe for Lancashire butter pie made from pastry, potato and onion, traditionally served with braised red cabbage: https://www.nigella.com/recipes/guests/lancashire-butter-pie

Chinese Cooking Demystified is a great YouTube channel with recipe demonstrations and ingredient explanations. I made their Beef Mala Sauce recipe, which was delicious and you can find here: https://youtu.be/krag7AWtTmA  

 

Spanish almond chicken, a one pan wonder to serve with crusty bread: https://www.saveur.com/recipes-by-cuisine/almond-chicken-recipe/

Wanting a change from chick pea hummus? This is a recipe for beetroot hummus from a pre-prepared pack, for convenience: https://www.thekitchn.com/beet-hummus-264798

 

While sweetcorn is still available, here’s a recipe for a late summer Chorizo, orzo and sweetcorn stew:  https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/chorizo-orzo-sweetcorn-summer-stew

Film

Don’t Look Up

TV

The Cavern Club: The Beat Goes On

Classic Albums – Pieces Of A Man (Gil Scott-Heron)

Stranger Things (Series 1)

 

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.