8 h. ago Rachel Roddy’s recipe for mini babas al rum | A kitchen in Rome

Oozy, boozy miniature cakes to enjoy with a kick of caffeineSomeone I know and admire very much, and who seems in excellent health at between 82 and 89 years old, has an espresso and a mini baba al rum every day at about three o’clock – except Sundays, when he has ice-cream. Every now and then, I join him and we then walk for a bit (there is nothing like a caffeine-baba spring in your step), and congratulate each other for not smoking while both wishing that we had a cigarette.In Poland, the word “baba” can refer to a variety of baked goods, and one in particular is made with rye flour and sweet wine. Baba al rum came about thanks to the greediness of twice king of Poland Stanislaus Leszczyński, who, exiled in Lorraine, thought his kougelhopf too dry, so asked for it to be soaked in rum. This inspired his pastry chef to perfect the dish and, in turn, subsequently inspired other pastry chefs, like baba dominoes. It is a project, though, and remember to chill the eggs. Continue readin...

Politics

7 d. ago Rachel Roddy’s salad of hazelnuts, gorgonzola and honey dressing | A kitchen in Rome

Some dishes make a lasting impression, and this week two memorable creations from Rome and London meet to inspire a nutty salad of creamy gorgonzola and mixed leavesRecently, I listened to the Italian chefs Niko Romito and Salvatore Tassa in conversation about Italian food culture, and in particular the role of the trattoria. During the warm conversation, Romito, who is one of Italy’s most visionary chefs and whose Ristorante Reale in Abruzzo has three Michelin stars, spoke about the first time he ate at Tassa’s Nu’ Trattoria Italiana dal 1960 in Acuto, which is in the province of Frosinone about an hour south of Rome. Romito recalled the homely atmosphere and Tassa as an old-school host: welcoming, communicative and the conduit (which didn’t sound pretentious when he said it) between local traditions, producers and those who came to eat. But Romito also described a dish of onions, simply braised, but of such goodness that he couldn’t stop thinking about and imagining them. In fact,...

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2 w. ago Rachel Roddy’s recipe for cornmeal and butter biscuits | A kitchen in Rome

Shaped like a moustache – or a smile! – these delicate confections speak to Italy’s longstanding history with polentaA book that I hope gets translated into English is Alberto Grandi and Daniele Soffiati’s La cucina Italiana non esiste – bugie e falsi miti sui prodotti e i piatti cosiddetti tipici (Italian cuisine does not exist – lies and false myths about products and dishes considered typical). The title is as provocative as the book is fascinating in the way it dismantles the legendary origins and marketing of “typical” products and “traditional” dishes to reveal engrossing histories, often more recent and inextricably bound to exchange and migration (Grandi is a professor of food history and economics at the University of Parma). In fact, far from taking anything away, the book makes a rigorous and constructive contribution to a bigger, more interesting global conversation about the past, present and future of food. It is also very funny.I mention this having picked up the book...

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2 w. ago Lamb with beans, and rum baba: Claude Bosi’s recipes for a French early summer feast

A slow-cooked masterpiece and a showstopping classic boozy puddingThere’s a reason classic French bistros will never go out of fashion, and that’s because they serve food that, deep down, we really want to eat. Think the comforting familiarity of terrine and steak tartare, of onion soup and moules-frîtes, the sheer pleasure that is a proper Paris-Brest or tarte tatin In my home town of Lyon, we’ve even developed our own local take on the bistro in the form of the bouchon, to showcase and preserve the region’s culinary traditions. Bistro, bouchon, brasserie: whatever you call it, this is, above all else, good, honest cooking, rustic rather than show-offy, and it’s made to share around a noisy table, whether that’s in a restaurant or in the comfort of your own home. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Dragons' Den Sara Davies shares 'nourishing' homemade 'mini Magnums' recipe

The 41-year-old TV star's adapted recipe requires just four main ingredients - here's everything you need to know

Society

3 w. ago Rachel Roddy’s recipe for spaghetti with prawns, courgettes and gremolata | A kitchen in Rome

Memories of an old teacher and friend inspire a plate of pasta that’s just in time to welcome the new season’s courgettesWhile tidying the freezer the other week, I found yet another reminder of my (late) friend and teacher Carla Tomasi in the form of a Tupperware box a bit larger than a matchbox. Unlike the rest of the unmarked boxes with identical sky-blue lids and opaque sides, I knew exactly what this was: a mix of parsley, garlic and lemon zest (otherwise known as gremolata or gremolada) made last June to go with braised chicken, but not finished, so the leftovers were put in the freezer. I exchanged messages with Carla all the time and, knowing how much she loved freezer-talk, I consulted her as to how long she thought the mix would keep in there. She gave two replies: an official one of three to six months, and an unofficial one of a year, which must have sunk into my unconscious like a preset alarm because, almost a year later (and 10 months since she passed away), I find my...

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