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Simple cooking: ragu
Ready to use The staple is of course, spaghetti bolognese. There are many variations on this theme but I have found over the years a combination of simple ingredients, cooked for ages, works a treat....
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Simple salad dressing
Making salad dressing seems like a complex art – but actually a few well chosen ingredients reliably adds flavour to any salad. So: Balsamic vinegar white wine vinegar French mustard (I favour dark...
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Cooking Spaghetti
Cooking spaghetti has three key aspects. And they’re simple. Make sure you have a large pan of salted water. Make sure it’s boiling hard before you add the pasta Lastly, after adding the pasta bring...
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Why no precise measurements?
Because I believe the best results come from some trial and error – from trusting your judgement and your taste buds. So whilst I do specify some ingredients precisely, and some cooking temperatures...
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Simple, sharp knives
A cook’s foundation is of course our ingredients. Nothing more and nothing less. But there are tools that help us shape these ingredients, work with them and mould them. Knives matter and a lot of...
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Roast Beef
Roast Beef. Simply delicious You have to decide whether you want your meat rare, well done or in between. And I find a simple meat thermometer the best way of judging. Otherwise try this which provides...
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Simple meatballs in tomato soup
Let me start by apologising; this is comfort food, plain and simple. It is as easy as can be to make – and is superb when it’s cold or you’re feeling poorly or low – or all three. You simply need: Two...
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Simple Rice
Rice poses a lot of problems for people and yet there are two simple ways of cooking basmati that work every time. Sadly the first ain’t real cooking: buy a packet of Uncle Bens and use the microwave:...
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Carrots you will simply adore
These carrots are easy to cook and are truly delicious. They use three ingredients to bring out the carrots’ flavours. Ingredients that are key to much great cooking: butter, sugar and salt. Take...
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Jacket Potato
The skewer distributes heat I have always liked the name, jacket potato; it sounds so interesting, so country. And so simple and cheap. But (and here is the rub), you need to rub in some olive oil and...
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Pecorino and Honey
This is not really cooking at all; it’s simply assembling two ingredients: Pecorino cheese (hard, salty) and runny honey. This might be a moment for something other than supermarket branded honey –...
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Mayonnaise to simply adore
Mayo – rich and yellow Mayonnaise that’s home made is a simple, glorious treat; and it is a slight pain with a lot of mythology built around it. It does involve patience and it does not always work....
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Chicken, tarragon, and lemon
Chicken – ready for the oven A simple and fresh dish; cheap and fast with no dexterity needed. You could set it all up before going to work – shove it in the ‘fridge, and pop it in the oven on getting...
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Clams and pasta
Sounds frightening and complex. Is so simple you’ll kick yourself. You will need: Clams (fresh) from a fish monger Parsely: flat leaf is best – chopped roughly A large glass of dry white wine A fish...
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Summer minestrone soup
This simple soup is a great way to use up stray vegetables. There’s no ‘proper’ recipe, just an outline – like with so many soups and stews. The idea is to blanche green vegetables in a veg or chicken...
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Vegetables in a light stock
An easy way with a variety of vegetables is to poach them in stock and serve them simply, in that stock; I am not talking about swimming in liquid, but ensure there’s enough to add flavour and texture...
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Courgette and lemons
OK here is a simple idea I tried this week. We had a fair few courgettes from the garden. I washed them and sliced them into rounds and gently stewed them in a non stick pan, with a good glug of olive...
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Salad ‘nicoise’ simply made
Salad Nicoise is simply a salad based on Mediterranean ingredients; but hey it’s essentially a tuna salad! Easy to make but a little bit of planning is needed and it’s best to cook a few ingredients in...
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Simple pasta sauce, with a difference
This involves a combining of mushrooms and meat to form a great (and maybe less fatty) sauce for pasta. Simply take: 500g minced pork (lean’s best) 500g minced lamb or beef 2 onions 3 cloves garlic 2...
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Soup that comforts
I wanted to use up spare carrots and parsnips; this dish is flexible and is a good way of utilising the remains of old ish bags of root vegetables. Simply take: Carrots, Parsnips, a few potatoes A...
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