January 2014 Favourites List

Hello everyone!

I am feeling rather sorry for myself. I caught a cold over the weekend, which has been incubating and growing in virulence to the point where today I was just feeling too bad to go into work. I should be more philosophical about these things, after all, if you work in a university, you are in very warm buildings with lots of warm bodies and germs are going to be transmitted between students and tutors. But I'm finding it difficult. I have so many things I'm meant to get done, and I have zero strength and vim to do them. 

So I won't be writing a long introduction to my carefully curated treats for the month of January. I'd just like to remind everyone who is in the middle of Winter like us folk in the UK to wrap up warm. And to keep your hands clean. Cold virus bugs can survive on door handles and the like for 24 hours. So keep your hands clean, please sneeze into a tissue and cough with your hand covering your mouth.

My cousin Barnali shared her cold remedy recipe with me, so I thought I'd post it here for anyone similarly suffering:

Boil a pot of water of 4 quarts (About 4.54 litres)

With:

10-12 garlic pods

4 lemons halved (wax free)

Honey (amount to suit your taste)

Reduce water to half.

Strain and let it work its magic.

This month's pictures are from the Hundertwasser Haus in Vienna, a crazy, kookily creative block of flats remodelled by visionary artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928-2000) who loved colour and despised straight lines and flat floors. 

You can find out more about his life here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedensreich_Hundertwasser and the website devoted to his art and architecture is here: http://www.hundertwasser.com/

I'm off to make me some hot lemon......

Blogs Worth Following:

British home cooking with a New World twist: http://insideabritishmumskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/

Chef Ashish Bhatia's wonderful writings about Indian cuisine: http://ashishbhatia3.wordpress.com/

Lots of ideas and inspiration for vegetarians and vegans: http://veganrecipesonline.wordpress.com/

Recipes:

Roasted cauliflower, chickpea and quinoa salad with jalapeno lime dressing:  http://www.mydarlinglemonthyme.com/2013/08/roasted-cauliflower-chickpea-quinoa.html

Recipes with booze: Green Apple Guinness Melt Recipe, Beer Beef Stew Recipe and Tamarind And Dark Beer-Glazed Wings: http://gizmodo.com/5991940/3-beer+based-recipes-for-the-boozy-chef

Braised beef and port hotpot: http://www.thebritishmenu.com/braised-beef-and-port-hotpot/

Ottolenghi does lentils: Crushed puy lentils with tahini and cumin with flatbreads and Puy lentils with mushrooms and preserved lemon ragout: www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jan/03/lentil-recipes-yotam-ottolenghi

Heston Blumenthal's Macaroni Cheese: http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/chefs/heston-blumenthal/macaroni-cheese-recipe

Creamy and indulgent dal for chilly Winter nights: http://www.archanaskitchen.com/indian-recipes/dals-kadhis-and-currys/1493-green-moong-dal-makhani

Cute little ricotta and spinach dumplings! How to make Malfatti:  www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jan/24/italian-malfatti-recipe

Japanese Panko breadcrumbs are crispy deliciousness, so how about beery panko onion rings? MMMM! http://www.getmecooking.com/recipe/crispy-panko-beer-batter-onion-rings

Black chick peas are nuttier and pleasantly chewier than their pale counterparts, here is a recipe for a curry using them: http://www.archanaskitchen.com/indian-recipes/dals-kadhis-and-currys/438-kala-desi-chana-sabzi

Articles/Know How:

For foodies wanting more bang for their buck, the 10 best value places to eat in the UK: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jan/19/10-best-value-restaurants-britain

Wines for miserably cold grey weather? Sounds wonderful! http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jan/04/wines-for-the-winter-blues

Know your pasta shapes and what to match them with: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/pages/pasta-primer.html

It would, of course, be better if we got all our vitamins and minerals from our food and drink. But being realistic, I know I don't. This is a helpful and informative guide to vitamins and supplements. http://www.goop.com/journal/do/267/a-vitamin-supplement-cheat-sheet

Books:

Songs That Saved Your Life 

Film:

Despicable Me

TV:

Sherlock, Season 3 (BBC, 2013)

Suits, Season 2

Music:

The Penelopes - Never Live Another Yesterday

David Bowie - The Next Day

The Pastels - Slow Summits