Tom Cooks!

This will, I promise, be the last article to stem directly from the September trip to Italy. For some bizarre reason, not all of you are Italophiles. Pansotti con Salsa ai Noci In a recent article about the food of Liguria, I mentioned salsa ai noci. The plan was to give you a recipe for this…

In this week’s On The Side column (part 2 next Wednesday) I was being a little smug at having uncovered some of the regional food secrets of Liguria and Piedmont. I’ve always been fond of vitello tonnato and am describing it as a Piedmont specialty. As an aside, I have no idea why that should…

With us having spent the best part of September in Genoa, you would be forgiven for expecting a string of Italian recipes. Fret not, they’re coming soon. But you may remember a review of Ting Thai, and its wonderful, authentic Thai curries. That’s a dish which is almost up there with chicken tikka masala on…

We all do it from time to time, don’t we? Pick up a familiar ingredient from the shop or the freezer and do the same old thing with it. In this case, half of a pork fillet. I was blown away by the food at Macau Kitchen. In particular I raved about the aromatic crispy…

On Wednesday, I touched on some of the problems of recipe writing. Other issues can involve sheer carelessness, which brought this particular one to mind. It’s broadly based on a recipe which I found online. Step 2 instructed the reader to add the garlic, oregano, cinnamon and chilli. The observant among you will note that…

Chefs! You just have to speak sharply to them. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve eaten a dish in a restaurant, recreated it at home, and discovered that my version wasn’t as good as theirs! Whose fault was that? The answer is obvious, hence the need for sharp talk. Folk will tell…

With a forthcoming trip to Genoa and a burgeoning basil plant, pesto seemed an appropriate candidate for Tom Cooks! this week. Looking at the city’s many attractions, I note that there is a plethora of classes are available to teach you how to make this sauce which the Genoese call their own. Two things won’t…

This week, in case you hadn’t noticed, is in The Ritz, 100% upmarket. Don’t worry until the bill arrives. Today’s classic is one of a few dishes which they feature in the Arts De La Table section of the menu. For the non French speakers among you, this translates as Pure Swank. The menu continues,…

Eagle eyed readers will have noted over the years that following a Food Alphabetical column on a Wednesday, Tom Cooks! on the Friday generally uses the featured ingredient. This week, reluctantly, featured tequila. I did say in conclusion that I’d rather have a bowl of strawberries. So that settles it for this week’s recipe. Well,…

Not my title, unfortunately. It belongs to Simon Hopkinson and Lindsey Bareham. This fabulous little book was published exactly thirty years ago. Voted the most useful cookbook of all time, it once knocked Harry Potter (then at the height of his fame) off the top of the book charts. It takes 40 ingredients and provides…

The linguists among you will have realised that we are continuing the chicken theme. Unless, however, you are a student of Escoffier and used to have your own table at Le Gavroche, you may be unfamiliar with today’s delicacy. But you may know it better as grilled chicken and fried rice. And to make it…

On Wednesday we looked at the genesis of the Caesar Salad. What happened next? After the end of Prohibition Caesar moved back to the US. He had realised what he was on to, and befoe long he was bottling the dressing it and selling it at Los Angeles Farmers’ Market. His daughter Rosa, who went…

I think this may be a first for Tom’s Food! I’m certain we have had featured guests in On The Side who have provided recipes for Tom Cooks!: but never ever in the same week has Tom Eats! reviewed a restaurant from the same family. A hat trick for Wendy Barrie. Hold the front page! On…

I think it’s because I didn’t fancy drinking turpentine. Ouzo, raki, that sort of thing. That’s about the only reason I can think of for never having visited Greece. And lots of people tell you bad things about the food. Lukewarm, greasy, salmonella added at no extra cost. All of which sounds as sensible as…

Sorbet In 2024 I hesitate to commend anything whatsoever about Moscow, but during a visit a few years ago, something struck me. When the wife of an important person went out, she was invariably accompanied by a large man with no neck. Given the circumstances which gave rise to the inspiration for my recipe today,…

How profligate, I hear you cry. Taking something which is  delicate, delicious and downright dear, and turning it into soup? Nay, best beloveds, nay. Imparting culinary knowledge to my bambini has always been a source of pleasure, never more so than when it related to today’s star veg. Having been asked how far down one…

I’ve long been a fan of the way the French put together a salade composée. The British style of having a few ingredients laid out on a flat plate always looks sad, and usually tastes that way as well. While the base for today’s offeriing will always be leaves (well dressed of course),  you can…

Overseeing school dinners very many years ago in an unnamed establishment outwith Edinburgh,  L asked what the day’s veg was. Ravioli, came the reply. In our enjoyment of pasta in Britain we’ve come a long way since then, but when it comes to the stuffed stuff, we’re still a long way behind the home country. Shop…

If you’re French and you’re reading this, do you realise how much of a laugh the Italians are having at your expense? My admiration of the cuisine of la belle France knows few bounds except, perhaps, when it comes to today’s star ingredient. We refer not the little tubers which cause extreme flatulence, the so called…

No! Not that sort of salsa! If you think I’m going to be a dance master in April, you little know your man. Even before the titanium hip I discovered that I had been born lacking a sense of rhythm. The delights of dancing the salsa (which, as you know, is a Cuban fusion of…

Well, sod seasonality! I said firmly to the laptop. No, I’m not referring to what we should cook or eat, but to the issues it raises for us scribblers. You might think that Easter would be a gift, with all its food traditions. Yes, but this is the ninth year of Tom Cooks! Fortunately, many of…

I’m shocked, let me tell you. Totally shocked. No, I’m not being Louis Renault, Casablanca’s police chief, on discovering that gambling is carried on at Ricks Cafe (just before receiving his winnings). Rather it’s the lack of goulash recipes out there. My go to encylopaedia is Prue Leith’s Cookery Bible. There you can find out how…

Those of you of a certain age may be having a nostalgic chuckle at this point. Rhubarb  is radio jargon for unintelligible background speech. Extras would mutter the word over and over to provided atmosphere for, say, a party scene. The Goons, ultimate radio anarchists, had a sketch where it was repeated, clearly and audibly,…

You may have noticed the low and slow theme recently. As well as oxtail and  beef short ribs, my haul from Balgove Farm included a good chunk of pork belly. That’s currently in the freezer, but with an offspring scheduled to visit soon, the mind is turning over what to do with it. A few…