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

I have definitely flicked that Christmas over eating switch. I need to reign it back in as it is only December 6th! I also want to lighten what I eat a bit. I absolutely want to make and eat food that denies the weather and speaks of brighter times. 

These meatballs are a perfect start. Have them with your carb of choice – pasta, rice, potatoes (pile them on a baked potato!), cous cous, or have them with your brunch eggs. I love meatballs with my eggs, they are the perfect vehicle for dragging through a runny egg yolk. These would be great in a sandwich too! Add some cheese and make a toastie or have them in a baguette. 

I originally made these with wild boar which I get from my farmers market but I fully understand that wild boar is not an easy meat to source. It is great if you can though, so do use it, but I also make these with pork. I make these gluten free and so the lightness that would normally come from bread, I add with some chickpea flour. The real joy of that experiment was that it gifted the meatballs a lovely crust.

Gluten Free Meatballs – use chickpea flour in place of soaked breadcrumbs 

This post was sponsored by Craved – I am already a big fan and I am delighted to work with them. I never recommend anything I don’t love, sponsored or not. Craved offers the best in artisanal produce delivered to your door and packaged beautifully (and responsibly). 

Eat Like a Girl Reader Offer: Get 20% off your Christmas order with the code CRAVEDLIKEAGIRL.

Craved gather together the best of the UK food and drink scene (and beyond) and gather them into expertly designed themed hampers and gifts which make the perfect gift for your loved ones (or yourself!). 

Artisanal Christmas Hampers and Food Gifts

Craved sent me the Craft Christmas Taster to try. It arrives in a handsome Craved wooden crate with a hinged lid. Everything is packed carefully in straw (all of their packaging is 100% recyclable), and glass items are wrapped further in corrugated cardboard. There are lots of gorgeous treats inside, listed below. The gorgeous tub of Bouef Bourguignon crisps, part potato crisps and part jerky, were the first to be devoured. Rillettes next with that lovely bottle fermented cider. It is a perk of the job that I get to taste everything, and there is nothing in there that I wouldn’t cheerfully buy again. YUM!

All of these items are new to me, and I spend my time trying to find new and exciting things in the world of food and drink, so I am impressed. It is a joy and would make a superb gift.  

This post was happily published in partnership with Marks & Spencer, who sponsored the post. 

Time, time, time! It is our only currency and increasingly I find that I have less of it in the kitchen for regular meals. Sure, I spend hours developing recipes, some long, some short (but always straight forward!). On many evenings, especially on dedicated writing days, I crave something fast, nutritious and tasty and I am building an arsenal of recipes to share with you. 

Jump straight the the Crown Prince Squash, Ginger and Coriander Soup

Jump straight to Ten Terrific Soups from My Kitchen and My Travels

Well hello darker evenings. How is it that you always descend so quickly? We bounce from summer to chilly to dark in a matter of weeks. I do love the seasons but this time of year requires care and adjustment. I feel like I have the hibernation instinct of a bear. All I want to do is cook and eat (well, always I know but more so!). With the best of the season that usually means a cosy collection of soups front of centre.

I love a pumpkin, that isn’t new. Within the pumpkin (and squash!) family there is much to explore. I have a few favourites, at this time of year Crown Prince Squash and Delicata Squash are two favourites. Today we are going to talk about Crown Prince. With rich dense orange flesh and a deep flavour it is the perfect starting point for many things. Pancakes, waffles, soups, stews, pilaf, gnocchi. You name it, I have probably made it with Crown Prince Squash recently.

Who doesn’t love pumpkin soup? 

Today I am going to share this simple recipe for Crown Prince Squash, Ginger and Coriander Soup with you. It is so bright and full flavoured. As much as coconut milk loves this squash, I dar say as much as I do, I only add it on the top allowing the squash to shine in the soup.

I was in Dublin last week and, as I always do, I popped in to Picado Mexican to see Lily Ramirez Foran. Except this time I was armed with my microphone and laptop to record my podcast. We had a great chat about Lily’s life in food and favourite dishes. Her family were third generation tortilla makers but Lily rejected a life in food for a career, only to turn this around to a career in food when she moved to Ireland to be with her husband Alan. Lily is now the Irish authority on Mexican food, and I am delighted to share our chat with you. 

We talked everything from Mexico to Japan (where she met Alan) to Ireland. And of course we talk about Day of the Dead, Mexican Breakfast, Mezcal and Tequila among many other things. 

(Irish folks – you will notice that I temporarily mangle the Calvita and Galtee cheese boxes in my head – before you tell me :) ). 

Enjoy and I would be so grateful if you took a few minutes to review it on iTunes – thanks!

Fingers in Pies Season 1 Episode 2 – Lily Ramirez Foran – Excerpt

I’ve been living in Ireland for 18 years. I will soon be living here longer than I ever lived in Mexico which is a very scary thought. I always think that I don’t come from a food background and I don’t know why. This is so bizarre because I would have been a fourth generation tortilla baker like my great grandfather, my grandfather and my father. Almost everybody in my family makes tortillas for a living. I grew up helping in the business. So I suppose if you want to define Mexico about one particular or one singular dish you’ll always have to say tortillas because it’s like our bread and the basics for almost everything we eat.

Jump straight to the Mexican Style Black Beans with Chorizo recipe!

My second podcast is with Lily Ramirez Foran of the wonderful Picado Mexican in Dublin. Lily is a Mexican cook in Dublin, and the Irish authority on Mexican cuisine. She is who I go to when I have queries and I have learned a lot from Lily and her website A Mexican Cook in Ireland over the years. I always pop in to Lily’s gorgeous shop Picado in Dublin when I am home and stock up on proper corn tortillas, beans, chillies and anything else I fancy for cooking adventures at home. 

I was at home last week and I had a few days in Dublin. On the day that we recorded the podcast – and I will be sharing that soon! – I bought several things, on of which I will talk about now, a 1kg bag of dried black beans. I cooked up a batch and I have been using them since. Dried beans are a terrific and much under used ingredient. I love them. Tinned beans are only for an emergency for me (and yes, I am the type of person that might occasionally have a bean emergency!). 

I am so very excited to tell you that my new podcast, Fingers in Pies is finally live. It has been a long time coming. I first started planning it 5 years ago, I bought the kit 4 years ago, and I invited my first guest 4 years ago too. I have spoken of it often since. Life intervened and I was never really in a space to get it moving. Until now.

I got back to my first guest this summer, Asma Khan. Asma is one of my favourite people in food in London and I have had so many great chats with her over the years. I asked Asma again if she would still be my first guest. I was keen to share her passion, joy and knowledge with you. This was before I heard that she would be the first British based chef on Netflix Chef’s Table. I am so excited for her.

Asma moved to the UK after her marriage. She moved in winter in the bitter cold. She had never experienced cold like that, and had never been so lonely. She didn’t yet know how to cook, and she shares with us her journey from cold and lonely immigrant, hungry for home and community to author, restaurant owner in Soho in London and soon to be, Netflix star.

Fingers in Pies Podcast Episode 1: Asma Khan of Darjeeling Express

I love a second city. I live in one of the worlds great capitals, yes. And I love London. But for a weekend break I love to go to a second city. Second cities are vibrant, fun, people choose to live there for the more relaxed lifestyles but they still want city life. As a result there is often vibrant food and drink culture, and lots you can do for a weekend break. 

To Graz then in Austria. I had heard much about it but had never been. Graz is a beautiful well preserved city in the east of Austria. Beautiful architecture, entirely walkable, lots of lovely cafes and bars. Overlooking the city is the Schlossberg, a hill in the centre of Graz that is accessible by lift or funicular. There are steps too if you feel energetic! A public park and bars and restaurants overlook the city below. Many were picnicking in the park the weekend that I visited. There are lots of museums and it is a beautiful city to just walk around.

Surrounded by wine regions and ell placed for a weekend break, there is plenty to keep the food and wine obsessive busy. I I focussed on the food and drink of course! Here is my list. 

Eating and Drinking in Graz

Aiola Upstairs

Come here for the views over the city (book a table outside at the edge) and to sample contemporary Austrian cuisine with a twist and excellent local wines. 

upstairs.aiola.at/en/

Lendplatz Farmer’s Market (Bauernmarkt am Lendplatz)

This thriving local market was packed with vendors selling local produce from cut flowers to local meats and cheeses. There are many cafes and bars where you can have coffee and brunch also. 

When I say Austria, I bet you don’t think wine. You think mountains, snow, cheese, and cows with ring-a-ding-DING cow bells. Winding paths in meadows, the Sound of Music maybe, lots schnitzel and dumplings, gorgeous soups. Austrians are always surprised to hear that we don’t think of wine when we think of them. In 2017 the Austrian wine industry produced a record 2.6 million hectolitres in multiple wine regions spread throughout the country. Vienna itself is one of the few cities in the world with a thriving wine industry within the city limits.  

You may already know this and know of Grüner Veltliner, one of the most popular wine exports from Austria. A dry white wine made from the grape of the same name grown primarily in Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, it is a favourite of mine. Did you know that there is a wine region in Eastern Austria that specialises in Sauvignon Blanc? Not just Sauvignon Blanc, of course, there are many varietals but this is what they are best known for. They are also known for their excellent fried chicken. Fried as wiener schnitzel in a dense crisp crumb. It is a delight. Small plump farm chickens, coated with crumb and fried until juicy and crisp. I was as surprised as I was delighted. What a treat! 

Styria – a half hour drive from Graz and home to three wine regions and excellent wine

This recipe is published in partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World who have recently published The Small Luxury Cookbook.

A grey day deserves a bright golden curry. A sunny day too. This Thai Yellow Crab Curry (Gang Pu Bai Cha Plu) is a joy and it is so speedy to make.

I have many excellent memories of cooking with chefs in hotels on my travels. Uncovering the secrets to their kitchens in Langkawi, Borneo, China and Hong Kong, just a few among many far flung places. The kitchen in a hotel is as key to my decision to stay there as the quality of the sheets and the service. I especially love a Small Luxury Hotel, they are always characterful and unique, and you can get to know everyone over the course of your stay. 

Small Luxury Hotels of the World recently published a collection of handpicked recipes from over 140 of their hotels in the The Small Luxury Cookbook. They are a diverse collection of over 500 hotels in more than 80 countries around the world. The resulting recipe collection showcases an exciting and diverse selection of recipes. This is the third volume of the collection and is focussed entirely around main courses. It takes you by the hand through the restaurant kitchens.

Jump straight to the 15 Minute Lemongrass Prawn Patties recipe

Frozen raw prawns are a freezer staple for me. They defrost quickly, cook in minutes and are super versatile. I love them in a curry (my Goan prawn curry is one of my most popular recipes, still, after 11 years on the site). They are fantastic with noodles (like these spicy peanut butter noodles). Brilliant in a soup (this prawn tom yum kung recipe from my trip to Bangkok is gorgeous)and who doesn’t love a laksa? (Prawn Laksa recipe right here!). I love them in a meatball (prawn and chorizo meatballs in broth, anyone?). Cook them whole, mince them, put them on a stick and grill them. There are endless possibilities with the humble prawn (which some of you North American friends which may call shrimp) and they are wonderful in these speedy and bright lemongrass prawn patties. 

15 Minute Lemongrass Prawn Patties

This post was sponsored by The Italian Chamber of Commerce

“Every time I eat spaghetti with tomato I feel like I am home. When I was a boy and I came back from school and my grandmother used to wait for me, I used to say, I am here! And still every time I eat spaghetti with tomato, I feel like that little boy. That is a great, great thing for food. We always associate tomatoes with Italy, but northern Italians didn’t use tomatoes until the 1960s so you could always tell if someone from the family had married someone from the south because they used tomatoes. There are so many quirks related to the microclimactic conditions that have developed in Italy with location, culture and time. It is specifically the microclimatic conditions that make it impossible to reproduce a dish even with the same ingredients in different conditions.”

I am at a very special dinner in London cooked and hosted by Giorgio Locatelli on behalf of The Italian Chamber of Commerce, “The Extraordinary Italian Taste”. You likely know Giorgio, he is one of London’s best Italian chefs and a regular on TV. He is about to share some of his favourite dishes with us, and many stories. Italians are intensely proud of their food, heritage and culture and we reap the benefits. It is through protecting the ingredients and processes that the culture survives intact today.

Jump straight to the recipe – Beef and Chorizo Meatballs, Egg, Basil – Your Perfect Brunch for One

Cooking for one should not be sad or viewed as such. It is the ultimate in self care. Quiet time as the day begins, and something gorgeous to eat at the end. You are looking after yourself and making yourself something good to eat, how can anyone view that as sad? Food is not just social, it is nourishing, and that is what we should focus on. Nourishing ourselves, mind, body and soul.

Cooking for One is a Joy and the Ultimate in Self Care 

Of course, I love to cook for others too but I live in a small London flat with a small kitchen and no communal dining table. Typical (I think!) for many of us urban dwellers. When I see my friends we eat elsewhere. (I look forward to a time in my life when I can gather them around my kitchen table and serve big platters of food designed for sharing). For now, I cook often for one, and sometimes when my flatmate is around, for two. Mostly for one though.

I cook for myself mostly it in an efficient way. I will prepare something that will work in different ways in different meals. This beef and chorizo meatball mix was also a patty, it could be a kebab. It can be a dumpling in soup (by adding more breadcrumbs), it can be filling in a dumpling (leave the breadcrumbs out, add loads of shredded cabbage). Versatility is key, I don’t want to eat the same thing every day. 

Brunch for One – Beef and Chorizo Meatballs in Tomato Sauce with a Gorgeous Egg

Jump straight to the Salmorejo with Quails Eggs, Bacon and Nasturtium Oil Recipe

We are going to have to start a yellow tomato fan club and get you a hat and a badge. So said my guy at the tomato stand last weekend when I asked my usual weekly question, do you have any more yellow tomatoes? The yellow beef tomatoes that they sell are sublime and now a hallmark of every summer for me. As the season draws to a close I near panic about the looming lack of yellow tomatoes in darker days. Yellow tomatoes are distilled sunshine and last weekend I bought many in an effort to retain every sun soaked minute and prolong summer. 

It has been a while since I have been to Spain – something that I must rectify soon – I fancy a retreat filled with excellent food and long days reading. A little wine too, of course. I am whisked back to Spain from my kitchen when I make of gazpacho, salmorejo and ajo bianco, the holy trinity of gorgeous cold Spanish soups.

Salmorejo – a speedy and gorgeous Spanish cold tomato soup

Jump straight to the Squid Stuffed with Beef & Chorizo Recipe. 

I started this post in JULY but life has been so hectic, and it is only now starting to slow down. There has been travel to Ireland, work travel to Austria and then a non-stop return to London. But lots of recipes in the wings and THAT bacon book. Soon soon soon! For now lets talk about squid stuffed with beef and chorizo. 

Land and Sea, Surf and Turf. However you spin this, it is delicious. And it is easy too. I originally made this at a vegan BBQ, and no, I wasn’t trolling them. I have a few vegan friends and I am embracing of all good food, however you label it. And you know how much I love tofu. However, I had permission to cook meat and fish as all except one ate fish, and half ate meat. So I had the meat and fish section.

Jump straight to the Monkfish Cheeks with Tomato and Chorizo Ragu Recipe.

Feeling cheeky once more. Whenever my fishmonger has monkfish cheeks I have to buy them, they are so good. As with cod cheeks (which I blogged about in my most recent post) they are tender and ready to go. No chopping, just as they are. They are wonderful fried in a tempura batter with a garlic aioli to dip in. They are sublime in a curry. They cook fast making them perfect for weekday evenings and hot summers where you don’t want to be over the stove. With delicate white fish like this there is much that you can do.

An instant ragu might seem like a pointless, maybe even impossible thing. A great ragu takes time after all, but bear with me. I use the term ragu in the loose sense of the word. I am not saying even for a second that there is such a thing as an instant Italian ragu. I have so much respect for that sauce and I have shared beautiful authentic versions of ragu that Italians were kind enough to share with me. What this sauce has is the depth of flavour and fruitiness that I recognise in ragu and we get there in a super speedy way. It coats pasta beautifully for a speedy supper, and here it gives gorgeous monkfish cheeks a steady sleepy rumble. It is much subtler than you think, my friend didn’t realise there was chorizo in there, he just asked WHAT was in THAT lovely sauce, (and in that way). 

Jump straight to the Cod Cheeks and Clams in a Tomato, Basil and White Wine Broth Recipe.

Simplicity is the key for me in cooking at home. Good ingredients, cooked well, often quickly. I have lots of store cupboard ingredients. There is always chorizo, a cupboard full of a variety of pasta shapes, noodles and rice. Lets call it the carb cave (and I LOVE my carbs). But often on a hot day I want simple seafood flavoured with fresh herbs and other bright ingredients. 

My original plan was to make the squid stuffed with beef and chorizo that I told you about in my last post. I am so keen to share that one with you soon. But, alas, there was no squid to be had. There was a bounty of cod cheeks, gorgeous delicate morsels of cod meat. There are many reasons to love these, they are delicious, and there isn’t even any chopping to do, they are all bite size. They are usually cheaper too, in this case they were half the price of the clams.

A Perfect Healthy Speedy Supper