This month’s picture may seem a little out of place for a
favourites list for March. They’re more in the vein of Christmas!
We Brits are obsessed with the weather. We can talk about it
in incredible detail, with any other English speaking human being, for any
required length of time. We get excited about it, we often complain about it,
we never get bored of it. Even the subject of what to wear for the weather can
embroil us in deep conversation.
We don’t have fifty words for snow. But we can talk about it
forever. London rarely gets snow, being down in the very south of the UK and
because it has its own microclimate (often a degree warmer than the outskirts).
So when the cold weather front dubbed “The Beast From The East” hit us, bringing
us some of the white stuff, we filled our boots. Instagrams, tweets and
Facebook pictures of backgardens, snow covered cars and snowmen filled everyone’s
timelines.
We only had a decent inch or so of snow. Our compatriots up
north had a lot more. But don’t begrudge us our flurry of joy. We had so much
fun. The trains didn’t run, the roads weren’t gritted, and boilers went on the
blink. But we didn’t mind, it was just something else to chat about.
My pictures are of Central London in the snow. I hope you
like them. I will confess, I really hope when I come to compile next month’s
favourites list Spring will have arrived! I’m freezing!
Recipes:
Mung bean vermicelli are so see through, they are called
glass noodles. Here's a Thai recipe using prawns and pork mince which uses
them: https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/glass-noodle-salad-v2/
New noodle recipes by Yotam Ottolenghi using rice
vermicelli, udon and sea spaghetti: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/mar/10/yotam-ottolenghis-noodle-recipes
La Scala in Beverly Hills has the reputation of being the
restaurant of Hollywood stars. They are famed for inventing the American
chopped salad - easy to eat, no need to slice anything, light and unfattening.
Perfect for busy actors lunching. La Scala shared their recipe with Rick Stein
on his recent Mexico series. https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/chopped-salad-from-la-scala
I would swap out Cumberland sausage for the more meat-rich
Italian sausages I can get from the Italian deli in Lewisham. But a quick
supper dish for cold evenings: https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/meat-and-poultry/pappardelle-with-spicy-sausage-and-kale/
Did anyone else like the look of Madhur Jaffrey's Lamb
shanks braised in yoghurt and spices served with dill pilau on a very recent Saturday
Kitchen Best Bites (10 March)? The recipe is here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/lambshanksbraisedina_91037
Food writing I’ve enjoyed this month:
Food memories take us back to better times, more innocent
times. This beautiful evocation by food blogger and NHS doctor Aaron Vallance
of his grandma Beryl's chicken soup has made me a little misty eyed. https://www.1dish4theroad.com/2016/12/grandma-beryls-chicken-soup.html
Food writing is best when it is passionate, full of love...
or full of laughs. This is a brilliantly humourous blog post on Brussels
sprouts... AKA mini demon cabbages! http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2018/03/20/die-demon-cabbage-die-i-will-make-you-like-brussels-sprouts/
Southern Italy is a beautiful place to travel around.
Imagine flitting from town to town sampling the very different and perhaps
controversial versions of pizza to be found? Imagine no longer… https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-03-15/the-wild-pizzas-of-southern-italy-have-to-be-seen-to-be-believed
Pre-prepared ingredients in supermarkets often attract
negative comment. "Why would anyone buy ready made mashed potatoes?"
But many of these products aren't a short cut for "the lazy". They're
necessary for those with pain/strain/injury issues, disabilities and persistent
conditions. The packaging often has far too much plastic, but that's a problem
across the board in our supermarkets. Before we judge, we need to be more
thoughtful. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2018/mar/16/pre-chopped-onions-arent-pointless-if-you-cant-hold-a-knife
8 March was International Women's Day, prompting Metro to
write about 5 inspirational women of Indian origin, shaking up the London food
scene. (International Men's Day is 19th November, in case you were wondering.) http://metro.co.uk/2018/03/08/meet-5-indian-women-shaking-up-londons-food-scene-7355930/
After International Women's Day, it seems apt to think about
whether food marketing should be gendered. Why would one chocolate bar be
"not for girls", yet another is a feminine indulgence? What next? Bloke
blue bottled Champagne? Women's flowery sausages? Let food be food, I say! http://metro.co.uk/2018/03/08/food-and-drink-isnt-gendered-so-can-companies-please-stop-marketing-it-as-if-it-is-7369052/
Beyond five spice - a guide to the essential condiments for
home cooked Chinese food: http://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-spices-condiments/
An emotional, beautiful, evocative read. Remembering his
Vietnamese-American upbringing, Andrew Bui discusses his love for Pho. And he
shares his recipe. https://thecookscook.com/columns/family-meal/a-bowl-of-pho/
Food recycling taken up a notch - how used chewing gum can
be given a new lease of life: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/stories-43198104
A tour of London's Chinatown with Fuchsia Dunlop: https://munchies.vice.com/en_uk/article/53qwg8/a-guided-tour-of-londons-chinatown-with-fuchsia-dunlop
What you might have missed at Snig’s Kitchen:
Some thoughts on blogging, to coincide with me finally
adding a recipe index to my blog: http://snigskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/recipe-index-new-to-snigs-kitchen.html
Here is that recipe index for you to browse through! http://snigskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/p/recipe-index.html
Films:
Lady Bird
Suffragette
The East
TV:
Mum (second series)
Before We Die (Innan Vi Dör)
Synth Britannia
Synth Britannia at the BBC
Music:
Agnes Obel – Aventine
Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile – Lotta Sea
Lice
Dorothy Ashby - Afroharping
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.
