I wanted to make a mushroom sauce today - preferably with a bunch of different mushrooms. Sadly, all we could find were white or brown button mushrooms, but I still wanted to make my sauce. The next step was to decide what to pair it with - pasta, rice, potatoes? In the end I decided on a creamy garlic mash (using some of my failed mozzarella curds) and a poached egg. It all came out very nicely, simple but filling and tasty. Ingredients: 500g mushrooms (preferably mixed) 1-2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, chopped 1/2 head of garlic, chopped 1 - 1 1/2 c red cooking wine 1 tsp thyme salt and pepper to taste 1) Heat the oil in a deep pan. Sauté onions and garlic until soft and fragrant, and allow a few to char a little. Add mushrooms and sauté for 10 minutes or so until mushrooms. 2) Add the thyme and wine, reduce heat and cover, simmering gently for an additional 10 - 15 minutes until the wine is reduced and mushrooms have absorbed the wine. Place over mashed potatoes and a poached egg topped with sumac. This was satisfying and balanced, a comfort food if there ever was one. The creamy mash really allowed the mushrooms to shine and the red wine contrasted nicely with the egg.

I've avoided making spring rolls for years, assuming them to be difficult. I don't know why I decided that these were too daunting as I quite happily make other similar things like dumplings and ravioli... Then a few weeks ago, I bought rice paper on a whim, thinking it was about time I tried to make these. This was my first attempt, and though not perfect, they came out very tasty and I was very happy with them. The main thing that needs work is our frying technique, as the rice paper seemed to almost melt away in some places. If anyone has tips on that, please do share! Ingredients: 15-20 sheets of rice paper (depending on how full you stuff them) 1 carrot julienned 2 spring onions sliced 1/2 head of garlic, crushed a knob of ginger, peeled and grated 1/3 c of shitake mushrooms, rehydrated and sliced 1 c beansprouts 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar 1 tbsp soy sauce 3/4 - 1 c peanut oil for frying For the sauce: 3 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp honey 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar 2 tsp chili flakes 1) Sauté carrot and spring onion in oil for 1 minute. add mushrooms, bean sprouts and garlic, and cook for a further 4-5 minutes. 2) Remove from the heat and add ginger, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar, mix and leave to cool. 3) Soak each sheet of rice paper in warm water for about a minute (make sure it is properly submerged or only one side will get wet and it will roll up!) Place a sheet on a piece of damp paper towel or a dish cloth. 4) Place 1 tbsp of filling in the centre about 2 cm from the bottom edge. Fold up the bottom edge and then fold in each side and roll up to the top. Place each spring roll on a plate with a damp paper towel and cover with another damp cloth. Do not let them touch or they will stick. 5) Heat oil (about 1 cm deep for shallow frying) in a deep frying pan over medium heat. Gently place each spring roll in the oil and using two forks, cook them evenly , turning them in the oil after about two minutes. When they are crisp and golden, take them out and drain them on dry paper towels. Don't let the spring rolls touch in the oil, or they stick together! 6) For the sauce, mix all ingredients together and let sit until the spring rolls are ready. Enjoy! They came out crispy with fresh tasting crunchy veg in the centre. They paired wonderfully with the sauce we mixed up and with the Tom Kha Gai soup. It made a light but very flavourful dinner.

I'm not sure exactly where this one came from. Perhaps from my cookbook Eggs by Michel Roux which features poached egg on creamy mashed potatoes. Except we had sweet potatoes on hand. And Miso paste, and I figured, why not try that out to balance out the sweetness of the sweet potatoes? With crispy garlic and onion for texture, and spring onions for crunch? And maybe some rice, to round it all out? And, well, in case it isn't green enough, how about some roast fennel? Somehow, all these random bits came together into a tasty meal despite coming together piecemeal and not being born of one inspiration. Here it is. Ingredients: About 250g wild rice 3-4 sweet potatoes, chopped 1 1/2 - 2 tsp miso paste 3 tbsp soy sauce 1 1/2 tbsp butter 1/2 head garlic, crushed 8 cm ginger, minced 2 tbsp peanut oil 1/2 head fennel, sliced 1 tbsp peanut oil 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tsp black sesame seeds Spring onions, sliced Eggs, 1 per person Sesame oil 1) Slice up the fennel, drizzle with oil and soy sauce, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place in an oven-proof dish and roast at 180°C for about 25-30 minutes until cooked. 2) Cook rice as per instructions. Boil sweet potatoes until soft enough to mash. Drain and stir in miso paste, mashing as you go. 3) In a small frying pan over medium heat, heat the oil and add garlic and ginger. Fry until crispy, stirring regularly. Set aside. 4) Poach eggs to desired doneness. Plate up, layering rice, mash, egg, sprinkled garlic and ginger crumbs, sliced spring onion and a drizzle of sesame oil. Add a couple of wedges of fennel on the side and serve. This came out surprisingly well. I made a silly and added the miso before draining the sweet potatoes, which made them take rather longer than planned as I had to cook off the water so as not to drain the miso (recipe amended accordingly. Learning from mistakes! Woo!). Other than this, it all came together nicely. There are a number of bits to have on the go at once, which was a bit of a challenge with Little Bit under foot, but that is par for the course these days unless it's just cornflakes for dinner. Let me know what you think if you try this!

I have always loved both candied and chocolate-covered orange peel, but never tried making it. It was a treat whose makings were shrouded in mystery, and justly so, as something so delectable couldn't be within the realm of mere mortal cooks, but must be kept by master pastry chefs. And then a couple of weeks ago I saw a post on Instagram by Aleks @garlicrosemaryandsalt about trying to make it for the first time. Given that I already save a lot of our orange peel to dry for use as an ingredient in a few very select dishes (ahem almost everything I make), I thought I would give it a try too, and they worked beautifully. Some I sugared, some I covered in chocolate and some I left plain. Ingredients: Orange peel (I think I had about 3 oranges' worth, you can use more or less) cut into strips - I left the pith on but might trim it a little next time. Sugar - I used around 1/2 c for the syrup, and about 2 tbsp for the candying - use more if you like yours sweeter 100 g Chocolate - I used 64% cacao dark chocolate. Milk could be an interesting choice too 2 -3 tbsp milk 1) Place the (clean) orange peel in a saucepan with enough water to cover it and add sugar. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for about an hour to an hour and a half until the orange peel begins to go almost translucent. 2) Remove and drain, spreading out on a baking sheet to dry overnight, turning occasionally. 3) Place the ones you want to candy in a jar with the sugar, seal and shake, coating them evenly. 4) For the chocolate-coated peels, place chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir regularly as the chocolate begins to melt. Add the milk as necessary to get the chocolate to melt smoothly. Dip strips of orange peel into the chocolate and lay on a baking tray covered with wax paper to dry. Place in fridge for an hour or so if necessary. All three methods are delicious. The ones I boiled but didn't coat remain acidic and tart, but without the bitterness and the edge taken off them. The sugared ones are candy, the chocolate ones melt together, the chocolate and orange melding seamlessly into a beautiful duo. Next time I might try a little spicing - some Aloha Spiced Cacao, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, salt or chilli flakes in the chocolate or sprinkled over the top. For a first try though I wanted to leave them simple, and I am glad I did. The candied ones, in addition to being excellent snack food, topped my Orange Chocolate Cake beautifully too! Book Pairing: When I made these, I was listening to Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. I was right at the start of the book where, despite knowing vaguely what was going to happen, reinforced by some foreshadowing, I was still early enough in that it was possible to just enjoy the beauty of Nabokov's writing without being fully disgusted with the main character and the story as I was through the rest of the book. It is wonderfully written, but I can't for the life of me work out why it is something one should ever read! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Switzerland has its own soft drink that I haven't encountered anywhere else. It is a whey-based drink called rivella. I am not big on soft drinks but do enjoy the occasional rivella. With my cheese-making journey, I suddenly discovered that at times I had a lot of whey on my hands. While I found other uses for it (In soups, in porridge, in lasagna, in blondies or in risotto for example. Just type Whey into the search bar to see other things I've done with it.) I thought I might try out a homemade version of Rivella. Having toyed with the idea, we were then in the grocery store and a soda stream was on sale. We picked it up on what I thought was a whim so that I could try making whey, but it turns out that Hubby has been wanting one for ages. In the end, I'm glad that's the case as he's used it way more than me, but I still get to try my experiment. Ingredients: 2 c whey 2 c water 1/2 c brown sugar 2" ginger, grated 1 lime/orange/lemon, juiced 1) In a carafe, mix all the ingredients except water together. Place in the fridge and allow the flavours to marry overnight. 2) The next day, strain out the grated ginger bits. Fizz some water and add to the whey mix. Serve chilled. This was so good! Really good in summer, but a good drink anytime. All three of the citrus variants worked, but the best were lemon and lime, orange a bit less so. I might play around with the orange flavouring in future, and maybe cut the sugar and add cloves to it. Either way, all three disappear in no time whenever I make it. The more acidic the whey, the better this works. Beware to properly strain out all the curds though! Book Pairing: When making this, I was listening to Doctor Zhivago on Audible. I had heard a lot about it over the years, mainly about how great it was, and even had a friend named after Lara in the book because of how much her mother loved it. I enjoyed it, and found it beautifully written. I did however find that it was a better piece of anti-Soviet propaganda than it was a novel. There were just too many coincidences and beyond them, the plot didn't hold together great. As a piece of propaganda though, it was fantastic. Supposedly, the CIA helped to first get it published because of that aspect of it. I would recommend it, but not necessarily for the reason I always heard it recommended, as this great love story. What are your thoughts on Zhivago? Propaganda or novel? Did you like it? As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Feel free to add more heat, or add a couple of drops of hot sauce once it's served up so everyone can Use gluten-free noodles and soy sauce and it is gluten-free.

I wanted to try out an idea my sister had had recently in using syllabub - an 18th century cream and wine based dessert - instead of frosting. I chose to do a lemon cake as I find the flavours light and well balanced, and to match them up, added lemon zest to the syllabub too. I used a Gewürztraminer, a German white dessert wine, to whip into the cream as its sweeter, lighter flavour seemed appropriate. I used my mom's lemon cake recipe for these and it worked beautifully. Try it out with your favourite lemon cake! Ingredients: 3/4 c cream 2 tbsp sugar 1/2 c sweet white wine 2 tsp lemon zest 2 tsp lemon juice Blueberries to top 1) While your cupcakes (or cake) are in the oven, beat the whipped cream and sugar with a whisk until you have stiff peaks. Add in the white wine and zest and beat well. Taste and adjust sugar, zest or wine. Add lemon juice and mix well. 2) Allow the cupcakes to cool then top with syllabub and blueberries. I like frosting, but sometimes it is too rich and too sweet. I found that this hit the right notes, with some sweet, some zest and a lot of airy lightness. I want to try syllabub as a frosting replacement for other cakes too now, using different flavours. Maybe rum and chocolate next?

We were having a games night with some friends recently, so I decided to make nachos, as an easy finger-food nibble. Instead of fully loading them, I mixed the tortilla chips only with the Meat Sauce and cheese, and on the side, I had several dipping sauces - guacamole, Carrot Top Pesto, sour cream and this Roast Pepper Dip. Initially, I made this one really simple, with only peppers, garlic, some Kashmiri chilli and some olive oil. The taste test proved it to be rather bland though, so I added some bits. The taste came out quite interesting and unexpected - but tasty. Ingredients: 2 red peppers 1/2 head garlic 1 tbsp olive oil 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder 1/2 tsp cacao powder 1 tsp sesame oil 1/2 tsp Black Sesame seeds Squeeze of lime juice Salt to taste 1) Roast the red peppers and the half head of garlic at 200°C for about 20-30 minutes, until they are soft and the skin of the peppers is beginning to char. 2) Leave the peppers and garlic to cool for a few minutes, then peel the peppers and remove the cores and the seeds. Squeeze the garlic out of its skin and place these and all the ingredients in a blender. Blitz until smooth. Serve with dippables. I was in a hurry before people arrived and tweaked the dip without giving it much thought, or having time to do it properly, so the dip came out a little differently than I had thought, but tasty nonetheless. It is even better a day or two later once the flavours have married. I might make it a little hotter in future, but didn't want to carpet bomb my friends' tastebuds. Then again, as it currently stands it is tasty too, so pick whatever suits your mood!

As mentioned in Day 74 of The Challenge Have I mentioned that it's pumpkin season? Once or twice maybe... Here is a another new twist on pumpkin soup. This time it was smooth rather than chunky, but sweet and gingery. Tasty and warming, it made for an excellent lunch. Ingredients: 1 small pumpkin, chopped 2 parsnips, chopped 2 carrots, chopped 2 onions, chopped A 6 cm chunk of ginger (approx), peeled and diced 1 tbsp olive oil 1/2 c vinegar 1/2 c red cooking wine 1 tsp urfa biber (Turkish black chilli) 1 tsp fenugreek seeds Salt and Pepper to taste 1) Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot and sauté onions with the fenugreek seeds until the onions are translucent. Add ginger and cook for a few minutes until fragrant (you should be smelling the fenugreek by now too!) 2) Add the vegetables to the pot and cook for a couple of minutes before adding enough water to just cover the vegetables. Simmer until the vegetables are tender (I put my pot in my Wonderbag slow cooker once it had come to a simmer and went out for a walk in the meantime.) 3) Blitz the soup until smooth. Serve with crusty bread. So tasty and a beautiful variant to the traditional pumpkin spice soup. The carrots and parsnips add some sweetness and the ginger brings a nice heat, while the fenugreek (yes, more adventures in fenugreek exploration!) brings a warm fragrance to the soup. I do like the traditional one, but this one will be sticking around too.

layer of creamy mash and melted cheese on top, it was perfect for a chilly March afternoon just above freezing