This is the second post in a two-part piece about my travels to Vorarlberg in Austria. Read the first part: Mountain Hiking, Herbal Walks and Local Food in Lech, Austria

For the second part of my Vorarlberg stay, we moved to Bregenzerwald. The drive to Bregenzerwald from Lech is a magical weave through valleys and mountains. Sweeping winding roads, and lots of promise. So stunning we had to stop to take some photos and stop and pause to take it all in. 

We were on our way to Löwen mountain distillery with lunch first there in the Gasthaus Löwen’s Inn & Café. A beautiful restaurant in an old house with one of those beautiful large tiled heaters (a Kachelofen). Windows draped by small curtains looked at the mountains outside. We took a table in the corner and perused the traditional menu. I love the menus in places like this. Plump käsespätzle (handmade noodle shreds in a voluptuous and generous cheese sauce) and schnitzel were what drew most of us in. The cool mountain air creates an enthusiastic appetite and with a distillery trip straight after, there is a need for it. 

I am fond of winter but I love to see it go. By the time it leaves it has become an unwelcome guest. It is a relief to see the buds open at Springtime and the trees begin to flourish, as they are this week. Walks home from the supermarket are peppered with mini assaults of blossom fragrance. The footpaths are dusted with their petals. The days are longer, the sky brighter, there is the promise of summer to come. Food becomes more interesting as we are almost out of the Hungry Gap (that period when little grows). 

Mountains come into their own in Spring and Summer. No more so than those favoured for their winter culture like the Alps. Last summer I visited Vorarlberg in the Austrian Alps. Our drive from Zürich ascended in the dark, in the morning I was greeted with crisp air, the sights of lush meadows and tall peaks, and bubbling brooks. 

The town of Lech is a pretty one. Famed for royal visitors (Princess Diana would ski here), it is also one of the worlds premier ski destinations. But Lech is also a joy in summer. The crowds are gone, and in the place of the snow all is lush. The days are hot and long, but there is crisp clear air accompanying. 

I know everything should start with an onion, or so the saying goes. Most of my cooking does. But not always. Sometimes just garlic will do and occasionally not at all. When I made this dish I started with minced beef not sure of what I would add next. The final result was a tasty speedy supper that required little work or preparation. I call that a winner! 

I am a regular visitor to Canada. I love the vast expanse of it. The people, the calm, the lakes and forests, the cities with the quickly expanding and inspiring culinary scene. Excellent cocktails, terrific Canadian wines, a booming craft booze scene and lovely restaurants and bars to sample them. Canada is an excellent place for a road trip, especially a culinary one.

A Culinary Road Trip of New Brunswick Starting in Saint John

New Brunswick was the scene of my most recent Culinary Road Trip, packed with snow crab and lobster, lush produce from the farmlands and foraged seaweeds and sea greens from the seashore. It is one of four of Canada’s Atlantic provinces on the east coast. 83% of New Brunswick is under forest, and the cities are small by international standards. It is a perfect relaxed spot for a break and to unwind. I flew into Saint John via Halifax, Nova Scotia. A short flight in a small plane with excellent views of the landscape below brought me to Canada’s oldest incorporated city. I started my culinary road trip here. 

New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province in Canada with English and French being commonly spoken. The indigenous population has been established there since 7000BC (at the time of European contact these included the Mi’kmaq, the Maliseet, and the Passamaquoddy). Populations arrived from Europe from the 1600s included French, British and Irish. The city of Miramichi claims to be the Irish capital of Canada and was one of the points of arrival for many of Ireland’s coffin ships during the famine. It is home to a large Irish Festival now every year. New Brunswick was almost called New Ireland at one point until it was vetoed by King George III. Which, of course it was. 

Where to Eat and Drink in Saint John and What to Do

I cooked this at a supper club for 30 people recently. The fourth course of five – all containing black pudding – and as much as I love this dish, I fully did not expect every plate to come back clean. But they did! And so I think we can all agree that it is a winner. They told me so too. 

You see the thing is when so many of your days revolve around cooking and you are generally the only person eating it, it becomes easy to question every bite and wonder if it is enough. Should it be more, bigger, brighter? Everyone who works alone has this problem in one way or another. It would be perfect to have someone to bounce things off, a recipe tester, a friend. A room full of 30 people eating your food with enthusiasm? Perfection.

Many were surprised that I would add black pudding to ragu. It works so well. Already I have a recipe for black pudding ragu that is pure black pudding, no other meat. It is a popular recipe on here, called (tongue in cheek) Corkese. I use Irish black pudding and would suggest that you seek it out for this too. It has a different texture to British black pudding, made with oats and spices, it crumbles and almost bursts when you roast it. 

Using Traditional Tagliatelle with Ragu from Emilia Romagna as a Base 

The more that I cook, the more I desire simplicity. Fresh bright flavours delivered without fuss and with speed. Food that is healthy and bright. 

There was a time when I would devote much of my evening to delivering the meal that I would eat, often too late. Increasingly my cooking becomes simpler, fitted into tighter timeframes. I desire food that is fast and that delivers on flavour and that will sustain me too. Food that is healthy and balanced and that changes day to day. This way I always enjoy it, and my nutritional intake is varied too.

I generally cook for one but I usually cook enough for two meals each time. Borrowing time from the night before for the next day. Leftovers are terrific and the second iteration will usually have a twist so that it is different. This didn’t. I loved it so much the first time I kept it the same. 

Coconut and Coriander Prawns with Pumpkin – a speedy delicious and nutritious meal

Today is Pancake Tuesday / Shrove Tuesday / Mardi Gras. What a happy eating day! Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday, the day to clear your cupboards before 40 days of Lenten fast. Every day can be pancake day but Pancake Tuesday is the one. I have gathered my favourite pancake recipes for you. Get stuck in.

A Brunch Classic: American Style Pancakes with Bacon & Maple Syrup

Let’s start with the classic fluffy pancake stack done American style. Always with bacon and maple syrup for me.

A Brunch Classic: American Style Pancakes with Bacon & Maple Syrup

Dal Pancakes with Curry Leaves, Coconut Milk and Chilli Oil

These dal pancakes were originally made with leftover dal but you should absolutely cook up a batch to make them. They are a cracker and enlivened with the gorgeous aromas from the crisped curry leaves and the punch of bright chilli oil.

Dal Pancakes with Curry Leaves, Coconut Milk and Chilli Oil

Socca (Chickpea Pancake) with Tomato & Aubergine

This post was sponsored by Ninja Kitchen.

We live in the age of the multi cooker. Many modern kitchens have one small appliance that does many jobs, and it isn’t your stove. The latest to launch in the UK comes from Ninja Kitchen, the Ninja Foodi. It announces itself as the pressure cooker that crisps.

When people ask me what piece of kit I have in my kitchen that I love and would recommend, there are a few contenders. Firstly, every home cook just needs to start with a good knife, a wooden spoon, a chopping board and a heavy pan. Beyond this, I rely heavily on my mixer, food processor and my pressure cooker.

A pressure cooker was not something that I thought that I would ever want. As with many people I have terrifying memories of pressure cookers that seemed to hiss and dance and threaten to explode. The veg cooked inside – always veg – were limp and lifeless. The flavour all gone with the hiss and the steam scream, leaving pale carrot batons and burst potatoes.

Redefining the Pressure Cooker

It was 17C in London today. In FEBRUARY. That is completely bonkers. Still, it is February, so soup weather. I lightened this one a bit, basing it in a light garlicky broth with beans (chickpeas, but use whatever bean you like), streaky bacon, crumbled sausage, cavolo nero, a pinch of chilli and a twist on gremolata on top.

Let’s talk about gremolata! I love it and it is perfect for brightening things, especially anything meaty, like a rich slow cooked ragu. It is simply lemon zest, flat leaf parsley and raw garlic. Chopped and chopped and chopped together, until really fine. I said this was a twist, and so it was. I used preserved lemon and added some chilli also. It really lifted the bowl.

I know this looks dark and messy, but truly, aren’t many of the best things? I love crispy beef and I love black bean sauce. I am working on a gluten-free version of crispy beef which makes no compromises. It is almost there! For now, my speedy black bean sauce is good to go, so I will share it with you now. 

I use Chinese salted fermented black beans which are a cupboard essential for me. You can get these in any Chinese food store, usually in small plastic bags or a yellow cardboard tub. Fermented foods are a way of borrowing time from before and adding fast flavour. How lovely is that? I soaked the beans briefly and then simply blitzed all of the ingredients together, then cooked it for 10 minutes. Done!

Once you start making taramasalata, you can’t go back. It is so delicious, so fast and easy to make and much more economical to make at home. It takes minutes and provides so much pleasure.

Most taramasalatas are lightened with bread, but on my current gluten-free diet I have been playing around and adding lots of different things to my tarama. Don’t be horrified, these are just as delicious and sufficiently different to be very interesting. I still love the original of course, and fondly remembered trips to Greece are my inspiration. If only I had the sea lapping nearby as an accompaniment!

Tarama means salted and cured cod roe, that being the egg sack of the fish. It is luscious and rich and is used to great effect in many food cultures, notably Japanese cuisine. In Japan cod and pollock roe are cured with chilli and called mentaiko. The colour is bright red and it is the perfect partner to many things. I love mentaiko in Japanese fusion dishes like Mentaiko Mac and Cheese. My friend Luiz Hara has a bright new cookbook The Japanese Larder, that will educate you all about that and I have shared a lovely mentaiko recipe from his first book before also: Mentaiko Spaghetti with Clams and Parmesan.

Using smoked cod roe to make taramasalata 

This post was published in happy partnership with EatEnjoy, who sponsored this post.  This is the third post in a series of three. My first recipe was these – and oh my you have to try them – Hot Cheesy Lobster Pots, the second post was a light and bright but no less cheerful Beetroot Hummus with Feta, Pomegranate and Dill. This post explores using EatEnjoy Dairy in a restaurant situation at Greene’s in Cork, Ireland.

Eating out in Ireland can be a little difficult when you can’t have dairy. It is entirely possible and people are of course very accommodating. On an island of farmers and in a food culture devoted to all things butter milk and cream, it has felt in recent years like I have been missing a lot.

On an island of rich green fields and all that rain we have terrific dairy products across the board. Wonderful artisanal farmhouse cheeses, terrific milk and cream, buttermilk is for sale everywhere that sells milk and by the litre. Our soda bread is milk based, many things are. We are obsessed with butter, we even put it on our biscuits. 

Cork was once home to an enormous Butter Market

Cork has a rich dairy history. It was once home to the most important butter market in the UK and Ireland. Launched in 1730, at its peak in the 1880s it was handling 500,000 casks of butter per year valued at £1.5million. People travelled from all over the world to Cork to trade butter. It is for this reason that there are recipes like Spiced Beef in Cork as the spices were traded for butter. It closed later as European butter markets competed, and in the area where it once thrived there is now Cork Butter Museum. A curious small place packed with butter paraphernalia and history including an ancient barrel of bog butter. Butter was our primary source of fat and therefore stored energy for the lean months of winter. We are still obsessed. 

Cork is a small city by international standards but it is Ireland’s second city, it is also in Ireland’s largest county. The gastronomy scene is exciting and it has been developing at speed and with confidence. Cork as with much of Ireland has coastline and rich pasture and it is packed with passionate producers and chefs making the most of the gorgeous tapestry available to them. 

Greene’s in Cork – Shining a light on Irish produce and creativity

Jump straight to the Braised Haricot Beans with Chorizo and Cavolo Nero recipe.

It is never too soon for another bean recipe. This recipe has braised, chorizo and cavolo nero in the title too, so let’s get stuck in!

Chorizo and kale are the best of friends and I cook them a lot together. Cavolo Nero is just a glamorous kale complete with Italian accent. I make a chorizo and kale carbonara too which you should definitely check out as you are here. Added to braised beans, this makes for a super gorgeous comforting dish that eats so well on its own. You can also add some protein, I recommend a nice piece of roast chicken or pork, or a chunky white fish like turbot.

Jump straight to the Warm Winter White Bean Salad with Black Pudding, Sage and Radicchio recipe. 

Bean salad conjures images of sad tins and limp mixed beans presented to vegetarians after a last minute panic before a dinner party. Yes, I was a vegetarian once! A long time ago. Beans that have lived too long in saccharine sweet syrupy and salty water. Beans that once had flavour but that is now mainly erased. Beans too soft to be interesting.

Yes. Beans? They can be so much better.

This doesn’t come from a point of view of judgement or snobbery. I abhor both. The thing with beans is once you try them cooked from dried or take the time to cook them yourself, you spot immediately that there is a world of difference. It is also an incredibly frugal way to cook. A 500g packet of dried beans can cost as little as £1 and it will feed you for a week. Of course you won’t want to eat beans for a whole week, they would quickly lose their lustre. They freeze so well though, and I freeze them in 250g portions, the approximate equivalent of a tin. 

But they take so long! Nah. Soak them overnight even if strictly speaking you don’t need to, or are told you don’t. It takes no effort and it saves on cooking time and improves on texture. Most small beans will cook in half an hour. Larger, in 45 minutes. Easy. 

Which beans? Any and all. The ever present chickpea, adopted by so many cultures. As happy in an Italian soup bowl and a Spanish stew as in a Middle Eastern hummus. Butter beans! Small plump luscious ones from Greece and once twice the size from Spain called Judion de la Granja. Spain in particular has an enormous love for beans and sells them from enormous sacks in markets. Yes, Italy does too, but in Italy the selection is more focussed. I find new beans in Spain all the time. 

This post was published in happy partnership with EatEnjoy, who sponsored this post. The Beetroot Hummus with Feta, Pomegranate and Dill is at the end of this post. This is the second post in a series of three. My first recipe was these – and oh my you have to try them – Hot Cheesy Lobster Pots

Homemade hummus is a joy and a big bowl of hummus for sharing is a perfect festive dip. Always with a twist, and I love it with beetroot. Now that I can have a little dairy every now and then thanks to EatEnjoy, I am celebrating this Christmas with a sprinkle of lovely creamy salty feta, sharp gorgeous pops of pomegranate and swishes of dill, like pine branches, very festive. 

This post was published in happy partnership with Olive Oils from Spain, who sponsored this post.

Chocolate, olive oil and salt were a combination that I hadn’t imagined together until I first went to Barcelona and started to see it everywhere. In lots of ways, and in one of my favourite desserts too, chocolate mousse. Then I spotted it in one of my favourite London tapas bars, Morito, and I wasn’t alone, Nigella is a fan too.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – the secret ingredient in this lovely chocolate mousse

Like me, I am sure that you likely always have extra virgin olive oil in your kitchen. You likely use it for cooking and salad dressing, as I do too. It brings a lightness and a freshness to cooking which I love.  But chocolate mousse?

It seems an unusual thing to add but ultimately it is fat, just like cream, and so it gives a beautiful texture and a gorgeous flavour too. Extra virgin olive oil acts as a seasoning too, a peppery extra virgin olive oil works beautifully with dark chocolate which loves all things spice like pepper, cardamon and chilli. It is a dairy free dessert so perfect for people who might otherwise have had to avoid chocolate mousse. With extra virgin olive oil, eggs and chocolate all being quite good for you, all you need to worry about is the sugar. Of course you don’t need to worry at all as there is only a small amount in it. This is all about the chocolate and the olive oil with the eggs providing richness and fluffiness.

Lamb, sour sumac, citrus coriander, pops of pepper, smoky aubergine and buttery pastry. Can’t you just see that propping you up through Christmas? By an open fire? That is one of the many things that I miss and that I love when I go home. That raw heat and pure joy of a roaring open fire.

This recipe is a firm favourite was originally an adaptation of the rolls that I used to sell at my market stall in Covent Garden (all those years ago!). In Comfort & Spice, it is adapted so as to be a use for leftover lamb shoulder meat. This is the original recipe which uses minced lamb and it is perfect for Christmas celebrations.

Use shop-bought pastry if you wish, and I often do, but I love to use homemade butter-rich shortcrust when I have time. Shortcrust pastry is speedy and needs little attention. I like to make big chunky rolls that would satisfy for a whole meal with a big salad. They make terrific picnic lunches, pack some for a festive walk with a flask of mulled wine or cider.

This recipe is one of 157 recipes from my first book Comfort & Spice, published in 2011, 7 years ago now! Most of these recipes are not online anywhere. After 7 years it is being retired by my publisher. and I have the last copies which I am selling signed in advance of Christmas for readers in the UK and Ireland. International readers have been in touch and I am checking postage for them. I have had enquiries from the US and Canada so far but I can check for where you are, if you are happy to wait to receive your book after Christmas. Please email me on hello@eatlikeagirl.com. 

Buy your copy of Comfort & Spice here and let me know who to sign it for when you order. Last postage dates are Tuesday so please get your order in before noon on Tuesday.  

https://eatlikeagirl.bigcartel.com/product/comfort-spice-recipes-for-modern-living

This post was published in happy partnership with EatEnjoy, who sponsored this post. The Hot Cheesy Lobster Pots Recipe is at the end of this post. 

I have had long running issues with digesting dairy. First diagnosed as lactose intolerance, then reassessed by exclusion diet as lactose intolerance and slow onset cows milk allergy, and now, being reassessed again as it seems like it is an intolerance clouded by a gluten issue (I am mid diagnosis). Regardless, dairy causes me major problems, lots of pain and intestinal distress. I have had to ensure I don’t have it and eating out in particular has become a bit of a minefield. 

Usually when people find out that I have to avoid dairy their response often is – while wielding a wedge of cheese in my face often – oh, I couldn’t do that! The thing is, when you can’t have dairy, when it makes you ill, you do cut it out. When I have dairy I am floored for a few days. Exhausted, sick, sore, red skin, so many issues. Of course I don’t want to cut it out, I love ALL things dairy.

Cheese, fondue, melty, peppery things. All the Roman pastas! Cacio e Pepe, Carbonara, Gricia, Amatriciana! There is little like a custard, especially a savoury one. Parmesan custard is one I covet and my bacon and cheddar custard from my next book. Butter on potatoes with chives, how I miss that almost the most. Childhood memories of stewed apples from the tree down the road with a summit of pale custard on a daily basis come the end of summer. I had come to accept it. 

Many of you will have Comfort & Spice already, but for those of you that don’t, these are the last copies from the warehouse and your last chance to buy this edition.

Published in 2011 it has had a good run, and I feel happy and a little sad, it is bitter sweet. But it is clearing the way for Bacon (the first Brunch ebook will be with you very soon, with five others following and a bumper print book). 

It was a passion project, all heart and soul, a way of sharing how I love to cook in print, from Speedy Suppers to Long Weekend Lunches with Friends and Big Dinners. And of course, drinks! Almost all of the recipes were created for the book and were not on the blog – all 157 of them! (I signed a contract for an 80 recipe book, I just never know when to stop). 

I feel when I look back at that time that it was a world away, but then I read the book and I immediately connect with the person I was then, and the food is still true to what I cook now. 

Purchase your copy here, and I will be in touch shortly after to see who you want it signed for!

https://eatlikeagirl.bigcartel.com/product/comfort-spice-recipes-for-modern-living

Available only to the UK and Ireland for now, as Royal Mail can’t guarantee delivery before Christmas anywhere else. Apologies international readers. All future books will be available digitally also.  

Note for Kickstarter backers: I know that many of you are also waiting for Comfort & Spice. If you backed so that you would receive Comfort & Spice also and would like your copy now, and the Bacon book in Spring (with the ebooks in between – I will be emailing you all soon), please email me to advise! hello@eatlikeagirl.com – thanks always for your patience. Things are going well with this now. 

Comfort & Spice published by Quadrille, 2011. All photography copyright Georgia Glynn Smith. 

REVIEWS FOR COMFORT AND SPICE AND A LOOK INSIDE

This recipe is from my first cookbook, Comfort and Spice. I was a little pork belly obsessed at the time. I still am. How could you not be? It is the best bit. It feeds well into my next book which will be out very soon, all about bacon, the most famous bit of bacon being streaky, made of pork belly (or as some say, belly pork).

This recipe works well each way but if you have 6 hours, do it. You will likely worry about the crackling, we all do. Ensure the skin well is scored and scored just to the fat and not the skin. If you score to the skin, the skin will lose moisture which will not only dry out the flesh but also make the crackling soft. Make sure the skin is dry before you put it in the oven. If you have the time, pour the boiling water over the belly the night before and let it dry uncovered in the fridge overnight. A hair dryer is your best friend for good crackling. Give it a blast before you put it in the oven. If all of this fails (it shouldn’t be we all have those days I know), give it a good blast under a high grill once cooked, watching it all the time so it doesn’t burn. In a matter of minutes the skin will blister and crisp.

Two and Six Hour Roast Pork Belly Recipe from Comfort & Spice