The Kitchen Diaries

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Slice the sponge thinly and use half of it to line the bottom of the tin. Leave enough to put a layer on top later. Patch it where you must, but try to keep the slices as large as possible. Peel and finely chop a red onion, then let it sweat and soften in a little olive oil in a small pan and over a low heat.

Kitchen Diaries III by Nigel A Year of Good Eating: The Kitchen Diaries III by Nigel

The best, possibly the only, places to get crisp apples with any true depth of flavour are the farmers' markets and farm shops. Greengrocers no doubt do their best, but when did you last see a Michaelmas Red or a Peasgood Nonesuch at your local shop? I walk 30 minutes every Sunday to get a decent apple. Today there are strawberry-scented Worcester Pearmains, small, striped Ellison's Orange, maroon-flashed Laxton's and orange and rust Egremont Pippins. I avoid the Cox's Orange Pippins, knowing they will be better after a few weeks in storage. I come home with a mixed woven basket that looks like something from a medieval country fair; certainly nothing like the blue polystyrene trays and cling film so typical of the supermarkets. Slice the kernels from a head of sweetcorn and drop them into the pan. Roughly chop 2 spring onions and a small bunch of parsley and stir them into the soup carefully, without breaking up the fish. Serve as soon as the corn is tender. Tip the warm aubergine into the dressing and toss gently until lightly coated. Spoon on to a serving plate and scatter with the toasted pine kernels and the reserved thyme leaves.Set the oven at 180C/gas mark 4. Line the base of a square 24cm cake tin, about 6cm deep, with a piece of baking parchment. I do this with one sheet of paper cut to the exact size of the base of the tin but long enough to come right up the sides. That way you can just lift the paper to remove the cake. Add a little more fresh oil and the butter to the frying pan, then add the flattened cloves of smoked garlic and the mushrooms. Spoon the butter and oil over the mushrooms, then cover with a lid. Lower the heat and continue cooking for a good 10 to 15 minutes, turning once, basting often, till tender and soft. Although best known for uncomplicated, comfort food recipes presented in early bestselling books such as The 30-Minute Cook and Real Cooking, as well as his engaging, memoir-like columns for The Observer, Slater became known to a wider audience with the publication of Toast: The Story of a Boy's Hunger, a moving and award-winning autobiography focused on his love of food, his childhood, his family relationships (his mother died of asthma when he was nine), and his burgeoning sexuality.

Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen with Nigel Slater The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen with Nigel Slater

Nigel Slater is a British food writer, journalist and broadcaster. He has written a column for The Observer Magazine for seventeen years and is the principal writer for the Observer Food Monthly supplement. Prior to this, Slater was food writer for Marie Claire for five years. He also serves as art director for his books.The title does not lie: this really is a culinary diary and not a cookbook. There is an entry for every day of the year: always food-related but sometimes merely about shopping for food, or what's growing in his garden, or what he bought and ate. Only occasionally are actual recipes spelled out in a way that can be reproduced. More often, a dish is described sufficiently that a reasonably experienced cook could figure out how to make something similar -- if she could find the ingredients. Fluff the couscous with a fork, then fold in the onion and seeds. Season generously and serve with the grilled fish. But I have read enough of The Kitchen Diaries to know it will be enjoyed by many cooks, not just for the recipes but for all the description by Nigel Slater of his life in the country, through the seasons. I have never seen him on TV, as I live in Australia, but remember my life in Somerset well and this book is like having comfortable, casual chats over the fence with a good neighbour who loves growing food and cooking it. A rich and warming version of the classic nursery supper. We follow this with a spinach salad and, for dessert, a plate of new season's Conference pears, chilled for an hour so they are thoroughly cold and juicy. Enough for 4.