On My Kitchen Table

Classic Seville Orange Marmalade with Cinnamon

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Seville Orange Marmalade with cinnamon

Organic seville oranges

I made my first Seville orange marmalade almost 8 years ago. It was the second week after our son was born and we had just brought him home after a few days in the neonatal unit. Despite no sleep and the stresses of being a first time mum I remember finding the whole process very calming and relaxing. The result was several jars of bright, shining happiness, full of bittersweet flavour and a house that was filled with the delightful scent of orange nectar. I’ve been making marmalade every year since then.

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Rosehip vodka

Rosehip Vodka

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One of my favourite ingredients to forage are the rosehips of the wild dog-rose bush. They grow in abundance all around where we are and they have an excellent flavour. As with sloes, they say that rosehips should traditionally be harvested after the first frost  but you never know when frost is going to hit,…

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Young cabbage stew with pancetta

POLISH YOUNG CABBAGE STEW (BIGOS) WITH FRESH DILL AND PANCETTA

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Remember that soggy and green pulp that they served at school for lunch? I do. It’s like that scene from the ‘Horrid Henry’ movie when Greasy Greta (Jo Brand) is pushing a trolley of the most unappetising looking bubbling vegetable stew in the school canteen. I’m sure we all had some sort of unpleasant experience with cabbage at…

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Pistachio, almond and dark chocolate cake

PISTACHIO, ALMOND AND DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE

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The plan was to make a cardamom, pistachio and marmalade drizzle loaf from Sarah Randell’s book “Marmalade: A bittersweet cookbook.” I had my very precious pot of homemade Seville orange marmalade next to me, ready to be used. I immediately fell in love with the picture of the cake which looked so appetising. Besides, anything…

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The best cinnamon and cardamom rolls

CINNAMON, CARDAMON AND PECAN BUNS

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If I were to name just one food that stands out from my childhood it would be all sorts of sweet buns and rolls that my mum was making for us. Years and years later, I have to say I still have a bit of a soft spot for these pillowy buns. I associate them…

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APPLE AND MIXED BERRIES MINI PIES

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Going through the freezer late last night, I realized I hardly used the berries that I’d meticulously frozen at the end of summer. Too good and precious to be wasted, I decided to put them to good use! With the abundance of fruit and all sorts of berries and currants, pie makes for a perfect…

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Salted caramel, apple and pecan cake

Salted Caramel, Apple and Pecan Cake

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A new recent addition at Gail’s, my local artisanal bakery, has recently caught my attention. A sea salt caramel banana and pecan cake. I know! It tastes like a delicious piece of spiced banana bread but with a salty caramel difference and topped with sticky and crunchy pecans. I had to try my own version,…

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Plum and ricotta cake with spices

Plum and ricotta cake with warming spices

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This fluffy, tender, cardamon and cinnamon-scented cake is a great way of using abundance of fresh and juicy plums when in season. Plus, it tastes fantastic. What more do you want? I love the warm, bold and floral aroma of freshly ground cardamon but if you’re not a big cardamon fan, just leave it out…

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The best tomato and ricotta tart

Irresistibly delicious tomato and ricotta tart

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There is no substitute for a ripe, sweet, juicy summer tomato, the one that’s still warm from the sun and when the season is over it’s over. This summer’s scorching sun has been just what the tomatoes needed. I’ve never had such wonderfully sweet tomatoes before! When tomatoes are at their most delicious, I think…

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Almond and rhubarb cake

Rhubarb and almond cake

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When a cake combines beauty, simplicity and taste, all with only a few ingredients, it is the best you could want from home baking. This cake is incredibly delicious and is one of my best-loved desserts. Not only because it’s very tasty, but because it’s easy to make and versatile – you can use whichever…

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Tomato soup with chickpea, peppers and chorizo

Warming tomato and chickpea soup with chorizo and peppers

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I wouldn’t call it a cleansing soup, but there is something incredibly comforting and healing about this deep red pot of sausagey soup – it seems to make all worries disappear. Simple as it is, I think this is one of the best flavour combinations in the world. The tomatoes and peppers offer sweetness and…

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Wild garlic focaccia bread

Wild garlic focaccia bread

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For me, the best focaccia is always the simplest one, topped with flaky sea salt and extra virgin olive oil. However, this variation made with wild garlic is a delicious meal in itself. Don’t be tempted to add too many herbs to it – simplicity always pays off.

Wild garlic and basil pesto

Wild garlic and basil pesto

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I’ve been swept away on an aromatic love affair with wild garlic in the last few weeks. Starting from mid March this wild uncultivated food, also known as bear’s garlic or ramsons, explodes onto restaurants’ menus across the country, with chefs holding the location of their special ingredient close to their chests. The plant, however,…

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Blood orange and olive oil cake

Blood Orange and Olive Oil Cake

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“I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.” – Laura Ingalls Wilder This cake will make you smile and will bring a ray of sunshine to your kitchen. It’s a lovely and moist cake and its beauty lies in its simplicity and…

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Watercress soup with pears, walnuts and blue cheese

The powerhouse soup

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It may look unassuming but this small plant with delicate leaves and wonderfully peppery flavour is a real powerhouse. Gram for gram, watercress contains more calcium than milk, as much vitamin C as oranges and more folate than bananas. It’s high in vitamin K and for people like myself with low iron levels, it has…

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Salted chocolate chip black tahini cookies

Salted chocolate chip cookies with black tahini

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The recipe for these famous salted chocolate chip tahini cookies is adapted from Modern Israeli Cooking  by Danielle Oron. These cookies are chewy, soft in the middle, perfectly flavored, with that slightly nutty and beautiful taste of tahini. My advice is don’t put it in the queue; don’t save it on that to-cook-one-day list, just…

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Polish szarlotka apple cake

Polish apple cake (szarlotka) with spelt flour

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In the depths of cold and windy autumn, when rain is beating against the windows, there’s nothing more comforting than a slice of still warm apple cake. Every bite you take will evoke feelings of love and comfort. This classic Polish recipe has got just the right amount of sweetness to let the tartness of…

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Vegetable or chicken rendang curry

Vegetable or Chicken Rendang Curry with Roasted Buckwheat

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Traditionally made with beef, this spicy and aromatic dish is arguably the most famous beef dish in Malaysia and Indonesia. Rendang is a special kind of curry in which a main ingredient is slowly cooked in a rich and spicy lemongrass and coconut sauce until the meat is tender and the sauce is substantially reduced….

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Rosehip and crab apple jelly

Rosehip and crab apple jelly

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“Small, misshapen, spotty and scabby, and full of pips, they do not inspire the cook. Nor are they remotely edible raw – they must be cooked. Yet when prepared properly they are a treasure”  – John Wright describing crab apples in Hedgerow (Bloomsbury Publishing 2010). I coulnd’t agree more. I would also include rosehips in…

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