Still obsessed with rhubarb. It’s in peak season now—tart, sturdy, and showing up in everything. We made a classic rhubarb tart today, no frills, just letting the fruit do its thing & omg it was delish!!
Also practiced French omelettes (the kind where one second too long ruins everything) and made a fresh chicken stock that’s going to carry half the meals this week.
Camellia japonica 🌸 Also known as the winter rose, this evergreen shrub flowers in late winter and early spring, adding colour when little else is in bloom.
Freshly picked for a natural, seasonal touch on cakes and desserts.
350g (12oz) dried spaghetti or other pasta, such as linguine or tagliatelle
4 tablespoons olive oil
6-8 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
10 tinned anchovies, chopped
1-2 pinches of dried chilli flakes
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Good squeeze of lemon juice
Fill a large saucepan with water, add a teaspoon of salt and bring to the boil. Add the spaghetti, linguine or tagliatelle, whichever you are using, and cook for 10-12 minutes, or according to the instructions on the packet, until al dente.
As the pasta is cooking, place another large saucepan on a medium heat. Add the olive oil, followed by the sliced garlic and fry for two minutes, then stir in the chopped anchovies and the chilli flakes, and cook for a further minute.
Drain the spaghetti, reserving some of the liquid, then add the spaghetti to the anchovy mixture with a few tablespoons of the liquid. Tip in the chopped parsley and the squeeze of lemon juice and stir to mix. Taste, adding some more lemon juice if you like. Grind over some black pepper and serve immediately.
Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F), Gas mark 3. Line the base and sides of a 900g (2lb) loaf tin with baking parchment.
Melt the butter, treacle and golden syrup in a small saucepan on a low heat, then set aside.
Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder into a bowl and stir in the spices, sugar and salt. In another bowl, whisk the egg, then add the milk and the melted butter mixture and pour into the dry ingredients. Mix until smooth – it will have a wet sloppy consistency.
Pour into the prepared loaf tin and bake in the oven for 50–55 minutes until risen and firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. (Wait for at least 45 minutes before opening the oven to check whether the gingerbread has cooked, otherwise it can collapse in the centre.)
While the gingerbread is cooking, make the syrup. Place the sugar and ginger in a small saucepan with 75ml (3fl oz) water, bring to the boil over a medium heat and boil, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened and syrupy.
Once the gingerbread is cooked, take it out of the oven and, leaving it in the tin, pierce it all over the top with a fine skewer, then pour the syrup over and leave to cool completely.
When the gingerbread is cold, take it out of the tin and serve.
Still obsessed with rhubarb. It’s in peak season now—tart, sturdy, and showing up in everything. We made a classic rhubarb tart today, no frills, just letting the fruit do its thing & omg it was delish!!
Also practiced French omelettes (the kind where one second too long ruins everything) and made a fresh chicken stock that’s going to carry half the meals this week.
Ingredients
Serves 4
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
350g (12oz) dried spaghetti or other pasta, such as linguine or tagliatelle
4 tablespoons olive oil
6-8 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
10 tinned anchovies, chopped
1-2 pinches of dried chilli flakes
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Good squeeze of lemon juice