An ode to Ratatouille, a metaphor for our times
by Rashmee
Posted on October 13, 2020
Some say (ok, it’s Wikipedia) that Bill Buford is credited with coining the term “dirty realism“. I have no idea if that’s true. What I do know is that Mr Buford was editor of Granta and an excellent captain he was too. Anyway, Mr Buford has also long evinced a lively interest in food – not … Continue reading “An ode to Ratatouille, a metaphor for our times”
Read MoreBehold the arayes – immensely popular and intensely contested in Israel
by Rashmee
Posted on December 17, 2019
This is no ordinary sandwich. To be made correctly, the arayes has to be crispy outside and juicy inside. The meat stuffing has to be perfectly cooked – not dry – and adhering to the inner wall of the pita with the fat that has dripped off the meat. At least that’s the way some … Continue reading “Behold the arayes – immensely popular and intensely contested in Israel”
Read MoreFusion cooking? The peach cobbler that’s like creme brulee
by Rashmee
Posted on July 1, 2019
On Sunday, I made Renee Erickson’s Peach Cobbler with Hot Sugar Crust, cringing as I slopped boiling water on to the batter. Who would’ve thought this recipe from the famous Seattle chef is remarkable for the strangest reason? It calls for going against the basic principle of baking a cobbler – wetting the batter with hot water! … Continue reading “Fusion cooking? The peach cobbler that’s like creme brulee”
Read MoreFood in post-#Weinstein times. Keep the faith and keep cooking
by Rashmee
Posted on January 17, 2018
Sam Sifton, The New York Times’s food editor, offers an interesting reflection on cooking in post–#Weinstein times. It’s worth reading his piece because we face this dilemma in different sectors where women are coming forward with #MeToo stories about celebrated men and their misbehavior. What to read, what films and TV shows to watch, which … Continue reading “Food in post-#Weinstein times. Keep the faith and keep cooking”
Read MoreA Tunisian/ Maghrebi speciality, the pancake of a thousand holes, is good eating
by Rashmee
Posted on September 22, 2017
Yesterday, I ate a Tunisian/ Maghrebi speciality, the pancake of a thousand holes. That’s not a speciality for Ras el am el Hejri, the Islamic New Year which Tunisia celebrated on September 21. But the crepe mille-trous is called ghrayef or baghrir and is made of semolina. From what I can make out, the ghrayef is … Continue reading “A Tunisian/ Maghrebi speciality, the pancake of a thousand holes, is good eating”
Read More#fakefoods? Cauliflower rice, courgette noodles, almond milk
by Rashmee
Posted on May 29, 2017
Hands up if you’ve ever had a plate of cauliflower rice or a bowl of courgette noodles, washed down with a cup of almond milk. If US milk farmers and rice and pasta producers had their way it would be a crime to have bought and consumed those food items labeled in the way they … Continue reading “#fakefoods? Cauliflower rice, courgette noodles, almond milk”
Read MoreYesterday, I ate my first cricket burger and it was a surprising whopper
by Rashmee
Posted on May 27, 2017
So I walk into my university cafeteria and find a pleasant young man offering free cricket burgers. I make a face and shake my head, but free is an unbeatable, nay irresistible price. “It’s like a vegetable burger really, you can’t taste the crickets,” says the young man. A waitress sees me hesitate and comes … Continue reading “Yesterday, I ate my first cricket burger and it was a surprising whopper”
Read MoreThis Christmas it’s Tunis cake, British favourite that’s back in fashion
by Rashmee
Posted on December 25, 2015
The revival of Tunis cake is a puzzling thing. Not because it’s unpleasant – what’s not to like about chocolate ganache-covered Madeira sponge – but because of its name. Why does Britain have a cake that takes its name from the Tunisian capital? Is it because of the plentiful availability of ground almonds in Tunis? … Continue reading “This Christmas it’s Tunis cake, British favourite that’s back in fashion”
Read MoreTunisia marks Prophet’s birthday with a unique dessert, Assida zgougou
by Rashmee
Posted on December 23, 2015
Tomorrow, December 24, is the prophet’s birthday and Tunis is alive with anticipation. That it’s so close to Christmas is a once-in-a-435-years event. There are huge baskets in the supermarkets of zgougou, the black seeds of the Aleppo pine. On Mouled, the prophet’s birthday in colloquial Arabic, Tunisia cooks and eats its signature holiday dish, Assida zgougou. … Continue reading “Tunisia marks Prophet’s birthday with a unique dessert, Assida zgougou”
Read MoreBologna’s food quarter: delicious heart of a delectable city
by Rashmee
Posted on September 16, 2015
Bologna’s food is almost as mind-blowing as the fact that its residents live and work and play in and around 1,000-year-old buildings. At 350 acres, Bologna’s historic centre is Europe’s second largest, with row upon row of medieval, renaissance and baroque buildings. So to the food. In Bologna, there is the Quadrilatero, a mediaeval food … Continue reading “Bologna’s food quarter: delicious heart of a delectable city”
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Rashmee has lived and worked in several countries in the past decade, including Afghanistan, India, Haiti, Tunisia, the UAE, US and UK