JK's kitchen

one from the vaults Thai food has only kind of hit as far north as I live. Enough that I remember having Thai food for the first time when I was sixteen. It was when a friend of mine was coping, quite well really, with his parents separation we went to the next town over for some head space. By chance we found ourselves in a restaurant we had taken for Chinese. I remember being genuinely excited at a red curry and sweetcorn fritter (a dragon I am still chasing) with sweet chili sauce that wasn't yet commonplace as it is now it was just different enough. We went back several times a week and tasted everything on the menu. Now Thai curry is a major comfort food for me and I make it with some regularity. The paste Garlic, a whole head Ginger, a plump thumbs worth (roughly chopped) Galangal, a smaller thumb (if you can get it, roughly chopped) Spring onion (the green bits) Two limes (both zest and juice) Lemongrass (chop this quite small before blending) Kaffir lime leaf A...

‘A sophisticated alternative to mushy peas.’  If I were inclined towards guilt one of my major guilty pleasures would be come dine with me. a trashy reality tv show where five people have dinner parties and slowly come to loathe each other over a week.  In most cases the food is the least interesting part of the show being usually either disgustingly pretentious or just disgusting. However, on two occasions there were dishes that appeared on the show and have, after some experimentation, been added to my repertoire. This is an indulgent main to serve with goats cheese and any kind of beetroot salad or a truly decadent side dish for fish.  The mint makes it if you don't have mint make something else, it’s foul without it. Pea and mint risotto part one (pea pesto) Frozen peas or broad beans (about 250g, peas if you’re making the risotto) Parmesan (one wedge from the supermarket) Mint (as much as you can me arsed to pick) Lemon (half zest, some of the juice...

The instant the sun parts the the clouds in this part of the world everybody begins to BBQ regardless of whether or not it's actually warm or if anyone's hungry. Inn my family this leads to a feasting and celebration of abundance that reaches its peak well beyond frozen burgers, one thing that is perpetually popular is Tikka (paneer, chicken, lamb. Potentially anything).  As always with outdoor grilling salad is important.  Tikka marinade  Natural yogurt  Ground Cumin  Minced Ginger  Minced Garlic  Paprika  Ground Coriander  Salt  Mix together all of these ingredients.  Taste and balance  Slather liberally onto paneer or meat the morning before your BBQ Grill to taste  Carrot salad   10 Carrots  An Onion  A good knob of ginger  A red chilli (a big mild one) Lime  Coriander  A handful of Almonds (flaked) Put the almonds in a skillet and ...

French onion soup is proof That you don't need expensive or exotic ingredients to make something truly delicious. The thing with French onion soup is that you have to start in the morning and have no need to leave the house until after dinner. A true lazy day dish. The Onion Soup Onions (a fuck ton) Butter (about 3-5 tablespoons) Flour (about two wooden spoonfuls) Sugar (one or two teaspoons) Stock (whatever you have. Beef stock is traditional but I use my veg stock recipe and add an onion skin to it for color. Equally you could use a stock cube but you're already going to be in the kitchen all day so why make a rubbish soup?) Slice your onions into slim rings. Preferably with the wide slicing blade of a food processor (if you value your time). Saute your onions in most of your butter on a very low heat. This is going to take ages. No colour on these puppies cook them till they are soft. Not floppy. Soft. Low low low heat probably late two-three hours. Don't rush. W...