JK's kitchen

 I don't often cook French food but I do love it. When I was young my family use to go to a farmhouse near  Alençon  with some regularity (does it make me seem more or less bougie to say it was borrowed from my dads tennis  friends?). My most powerful memory of that place is the absolute peace and darkness of the night that you only get in the true countryside. There was no television, no internet, only books and the French radio.  The second thing that I think of is a meal that we had after falling prey to a particularly vigorous hive of guard bees.  As in all things in rural France our first port of call was to ask for advice in faulting, floundering French at the local  café.  While we were waiting we had a meal that felt to a young me fit for kings. I remember the remoulade, the cucumber salad, multiple robust terrines, but  the green beans they served have taken residence in mine and my brothers memory ...

'I think this is a tostada?' This is not particularly demanding to make as a weeknight treat but I did seem to use an almost inexplicable plurality of pots and pans, not even really clear what i used them for if I'm honest.  So maybe best for when someone else is doing the edit. There is orange running through the whole recipe I'm on a bit of an orange jag at the moment so I'm playing with it in various savoury dishes, I think this one went really well.   The filling  Butternut squash (about half for each person) Garlic (a clove for each half butternut squash) Chilli flakes (Chipotle? to taste)   Nutmeg (A generous grating) Parmasan (about 100 grammes or nutritional yeast) Oragano (a bout alf a tablespoon) Salt  Cut the squash in half, oil it up oven it up for 40 minuets on 180.  When the butternut squash is tender scoop the flesh out and mash it along with the other ingredients. The Beans  Black beans (about a can for two) Onions (one, cut q...

 'a redemption' So as a vegetarian back in the day (by which I mean the mid nineties in northern England) you basically had two options anywhere you went.  Some kind of cheese and onion tart/pasty or vegetarian lasagne. Both were typically underwhelming (read damp, mushy, and bland). I don't really ever choose a vegetarian lasagne ever it's not something that I'd look forwards to eating in a restaurant (although my mom makes a summer lasagne that absolutely slaps). But there is nothing at all in a vegetarian lasagne that is necessarily bad. this is my attempt to heal that childhood trauma.   The vegetable Ragu  Tomatoes (halved and deseeded) Peppers (a few and preferably not all red, they get too sweet, chopped for roasting) Courgette (chopped for roasting)  Aubergine (chopped for roasting)  Carrot (fine dice) Celery (fine dice) Onion (fine dice) Garlic (minced) Henderson relish (A canny splash) Tomato puree  Flat leaf parsley (a small bunch chopp...