JK's kitchen

‘Leisurely eating’  Mezze (the word), as near as I can tell, comes from the persian mazīdan meaning taste, it also has a flavour of the work mix in the romance languages. The perfect mezze is therefore a mix of beautiful little dishes shared over a leisurely meal with friends. Most cultures in the mediteranian have a culture of meals like this and so I consider those whole shores as fair game. Of course you can put almost anything you like with a mezze these are a few of my favorites. It's also totally ok to buy some stuff, buy your houmous if you want, buy some flatbreads (good flatbreads exist almost as good as homemade), if you have a couscous salad you like buy it.  At its core a mezze is about generosity of choice and flavour. You have a little more freedom when choosing this because not everyone needs to like everything to have a satisfying meal. I love eating this way on a summer evening after i day where i had nothing on. What follows is a few of my favorite thing...

‘Tastes like a mother’s love’  Sometimes when im eating out I have an urge to get leek and potato soup. This is an urge that I always repress because what I’m thinking about isn’t the pale grey tasteless slop often served as a soup of the day. I'm thinking of my mothers invention created n i fit of annoyance and the insistence that something with those ingredients does not have to be crap. The soup  Leeks (about six) Garlic (four cloves) Potatoes  Cream cheese (boursin is best but something with herbs is good)  Butter  Milk  Vegetable stock  Salt and white pepper  Peel and cut your potatoes, boil them until tender in the vegetable stock. While the potatoes boil saute the leeks and garlic gently in butter.  When the leeks are soft stir in the cheese and let it out with milk about ¼ of a mug.  Add the tender potatoes and enough of their water to give it a consistency you are happy with.  Either ...

'everyone likes tomato soup' It's hard to beat Heinz tomato soup for pure comfort food. But sometimes you want something lighter and more complex it's a bit spicy, a warming and satisfying meal.  i am in support of a soup being a full meal, enough bread makes it filling. make plenty because leftovers make a good base for other dishes, pasta sauce, chili even as the tomato base of a curry.  Roast tomato soup  Mixed tomatoes (some cherry, some plumb, some salad, heirlooms also welcome as many as you can fit in  your oven) Red onion (chopped finely but don't kill yourself we'll be blending) Garlic (about 6 or 7 cloves) Red chili (one of the big fruity ones not too spicy) Basil (a supermarket bunch) Balsamic vinegar (a glug) Vegetable stock (home made if you have it if not a cube is good) olive oil 1.  Cut and roast your tomatoes in olive oil, include the garlic cloves and chili at this point. you  want       to take this quit...