Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2018 i Woolworths TASTE

“Have you eaten yet?” In Taiwanese, this is the equivalent of saying “How are you?” It’s a country after my own heart. When the standard cultural greeting is about making sure someone is well-fed, you know the food has got to be good. If you’re in any doubt, Ming-Cheau Lin’s recipes prove the point (page 94). I’ve never been to Taiwan myself, the only Asian country I have visited is India, but my experience was characterised by the same kind of food-centric hospitality of which Ming-Cheau writes. My introduction to India was a trip to Kerala in the south, a pilgrimage based entirely on my love of masala dosas and Arundhati Roy’s book The God of Small Things (set in the backwaters of Kerala). As you’ll discover in our travel…

ITALY Depending on the region, the savoury chickpea flour pancakes known as farinata can also be called socca or cecina. The methods for making them also differ – you can fry and flip, or bake them. They’re usually flavoured with rosemary and served as is, but some farinaterias top them with pestos and unaged cheeses. CHINA A bit like a mash-up between spring onion pancakes and dumplings, xian bing are northern Chinese hot pockets of flavour. Discs of dough are filled with a variety of combos, including pork and cabbage, or beef and celery heart, before being rolled up, squashed and pan-fried. JAPAN Hottokēki are little sweet, soufflé-like hotcakes said to have been introduced to Japan via Hawaii. They get their pillowy bounce thanks to the leavening properties of…

You don’t have to head into the woods to find your favourite mushrooms this season – Woolworths has done all the hard work for you. The likes of king oyster, portabellini, shiitake, shimeji, white and brown mushrooms are all extremely versatile (think mushrooms on toast, risotto, soup, burgers, salads and kebabs) and packed with all the moreish, earthy flavour you need to keep warm this winter. woolworths.co.za…

Woolies is serious about bringing you the best dairy products, so it’s amped about winning 27 first prizes at the 2018 South African Dairy Championships. The 10-month-matured Gouda won dairy product of the year, and the judges were blown away by the aroma and oozy texture of white-mould Brie de Roche. The new “Tip & Snack” full-cream cottage cheese with jalapeño salsa snack pot, full-cream plain and double-cream berry trifle-flavoured Ayrshire yoghurts (both contain millions of live bifidobacterium cultures and are made with no added preservatives) also got top marks. Look out for the Dairy Championship and Qualité stickers to find your new favourites. woolworths.co.za…

“THE ORANGE OIL TINGLED SLIGHTLY ON MY TONGUE AND THE JUICE WAS ALMOST AS SWEET AS THE MOMENT I WAS SHARING WITH MY SON” Orange juice before school. Plates of orange quarters at half-time at netball matches. Orange jellies at birthday parties. Cheap orange sorbet in plastic cones bought at the corner café. These were a few of my favourite things. Candied orange peel. Orange segments sprinkled with salt the way my ma used to eat them. Orange slices drizzled with honey and olive oil, and sprinkled with flakes of sea salt and crushed hard-boiled sweets as advocated by Ferran Adrià in The Family Meal. Orange-and-almond cake. My husband’s orange-peel-infused lamb stew made according to the precise instructions of his hero April Bloomfield. Orange slices in Campari. The orange, garlic and olive oil…

Love baked desserts, but not keen on all that meticulous measuring and weighing? No harm in faking it till you make it (yourself), we say. Woolies’ range of Easy to Bake pudding mixes are all carefully measured out and sifted, so all you have to do is add a few wet ingredients, mix, pop your pud in the oven and wait for the timer to signal that the spongy, oozy, saucy splendour is ready to devour. None of the stress, all of the glory. Mixes include chocolate brownie, chocolate fondant and malva pudding. woolworths.co.za Serving suggestion Prepare the desserts according to package instructions. Serve with custard, cream or ice cream. Garnish the chocolate fondant with chopped, shelled pistachios.…

SMOKY CORN SOUP WITH CHEESY EGG TOAST Serves 4 EASY GREAT VALUE Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking: 30 minutes butter 2 T olive oil 1 T leeks 2, chopped garlic 2 cloves, chopped sweetcorn 6 cobs chicken or vegetable stock 3 cups Woolworths Lazy Kettle hickory liquid smoke 1 T sea salt and white pepper, to taste cream ½ cup For the cheesy egg toast: white bread 4 slices, toasted Woolworths 10-month-matured Gouda 8 T grated free-range eggs 4 “ SUNDAY NIGHT DINNER IN OUR HOUSE MEANS A BOWL OF TOMATO SOUP AND GRILLED CHEESE ON TOAST” – ABIGAIL DONNELLY 1 Heat the butter and oil in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the leeks and cook over a low heat until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. 2 Cut…

STOKBROOD WITH VANILLA-HONEY BAKED CAMEMBERT “I love stokbrood as it’s such a nostalgic recipe. It’s so delicious when the edges catch on the hot coals and the dough puffs up. Add a grown-up twist in the form of a skillet of oozy Camembert and sticky honey and there won’t be a hungry belly in the house!” Serves 4 EASY GREAT VALUE Preparation: 35 minutes Cooking: 30 minutes flour 500 g bicarbonate of soda 1 t sea salt 1 t cold butter 30 g, cubed, plus extra for serving double-thick plain yoghurt (or buttermilk) 2 cups Woolworths Roydon Camembert 250 g, melted honey 2–3 T vanilla pod 1, split 1 Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl and rub in the butter using your fingertips. Once the mixture resembles breadcrumbs,…

“For Father’s Day this year we have decided to get the boys involved. My eldest, Lonwabo, who is five, loves helping me in the kitchen, and I enjoy teaching him, so we have chosen things that are easy for him – and my husband Brian – to help prepare. I find this style of cooking works well for family get-togethers or any kind of casual entertaining with friends. “We decided on a menu of finger food, including smoky pulled pork sliders that I do on the braai – you don’t have to own a fancy smoker to make these. If I have time, I make the pork the night before and finish it off in the oven so that it gets nice and soft, but it’ll be just as good…

“I WAS THREE when my family emigrated from Tainan, Taiwan, to South Africa in 1991. When I look back, I admire how brave my parents were to embark on this journey to provide better opportunities for their children. They settled in Bloemfontein and worked incredibly hard to provide for us. They had spent everything they had getting us here, so we weren’t too well off – we lived at my aunt and uncle’s house in the beginning until we could afford a small townhouse. “TAIWANESE MEALS ARE NOT CENTRED AROUND MEAT BUT RATHER MORE ACCESSIBLE AND CHEAPER PROTEINS (AND SMALLER PORTIONS) SUCH AS SEAFOOD, PORK, EGG, TOFU AND OFFAL” I have many vivid memories of our meals at home. My mama would cook humble dishes with what we could afford,…

SOMEWHERE between backwater and jungle our driver, Babu Vattathara, asked Brandon what he loves to cook in South Africa. Brandon took great pleasure in describing his ritual: source the best possible pasture-reared beef rump, season it with sea salt and cook it to perfection over coals. To which an incredulous Babu responded, “And this is delicious?” To Babu, cooking without spice is inconceivable. It’s what Kerala, the tropical south Indian state we were travelling through, is built on. In an organic spice garden we learned that pepper is the king of spice, cardamom the queen, vanilla the prince and saffron the princess. This is the “royal family” that ties Kerala to Cape Town through the Dutch East India Company. The cardamom pods I purchased are plump and green, not ashy-beige,…

HOPPER MAD Forget those edible bowls that were trending a couple of years ago. Gimmicks. Sri Lankan hoppers are the real flippin’ deal – plus you’ll actually want to eat them, from the spongy base to the lacy edges. Made from a fermented rice flour and coconut milk batter, these pancakes are a popular streetfood, filled with everything from a fried egg to sambals, curries, buffalo curd yoghurt and treacle syrup. Already trending in the UK and US, it’s just a matter of time before we’ll be eating them here. If you can’t wait, turn the page for a recipe to get you started, and more global pancakes we can’t get enough of.…

1 They straddle the line between flatbread and dessert, meaning it’s perfectly okay to devour a stack of crêpes for lunch. Make that crêpes Suzette. Because, fruit. 2 They can be gluten-free (chickpea, rice, coconut and lentil flours all work), vegan (vegetable oil and baking powder can lend a fluffy consistency), dairy-free (coconut, oat and almond milk are your friends) and carb clever (eggs + squashed banana = deliciousness). 3 They work for brekkie, lunch and dessert. Flapjacks with bacon and maple syrup in the morning; a masala dosa with chutney for lunch, and a savoury prawn- and cabbage-studded okonomiyaki for dinner? Challenge accepted. 4 You can dress them up or down. Nothing wrong with a cinnamon-sugar church fête pancake; or a stack drizzled in toffee sauce, melted chocolate and…

1 Stuffed large brown mushrooms Remove the stems and chop roughly. Combine the chopped stems with 50 g chopped chorizo and a handful panko crumbs. Smear 1 T Boursin garlic cream cheese into the cap of each mushroom, then top with the breadcrumb-and-chorizo mixture. Tuck a few pieces of chopped kale into the crumbs. Drizzle with olive oil and season to taste, then bake at 180°C for 20–30 minutes. 2 Easy stuffed mushroom pies Place the uncooked stuffed mushrooms on a square of puff pastry cut to the same size as the mushrooms. Fold it around the mushrooms and bake at 180°C for 20–30 minutes. 3 Grain-and-mushroom salad Prepare 1 x 250 g pack Woolworths golden grain medley according to package instructions. Sauté 1 chopped shallot and 1 cup each…

… CHARLIE’S BAKERY: for crazy-cool cakes and cupcakes 38 Canterbury Street; tel: 021 461 5181, charlysbakery.co.za … DIAS TAVERN: for the best prego rolls and some langarm action 15 Caledon Street; tel: 021 465 7547, diastavern.co.za … BOOTLEGGER: for coffee and breakfast 50 Harrington Street; tel: 021 201 6708, bootlegger.co.za/bootleggerharrington … THE FUGARD THEATRE: for pre-show drinks at the downstairs bar or on the rooftop terrace, weather permitting. Corner Caledon & Lower Buitenkant streets; tel: 021 461 4554, thefugard.com…

Serves 6 EASY GREAT VALUE Preparation: 15 minutes oranges 8 extra virgin olive oil 2–3 T garlic 4 cloves, finely chopped (more if you’re feeling adventurous) fresh oreganum 4 stems (if you can’t find fresh oreganum, rather leave it out) sea salt and black pepper, to taste 1 Peel the oranges and remove any pith, then cut into smallish chunks or thin slices. Remove the seeds and preserve as much of the juice as you can. 2 Place the orange and the juice in a bowl. Pour in a glug of olive oil. Add the chopped garlic and small oreganum leaves. Season to taste. FAT-CONSCIOUS, HEALTH-CONSCIOUS, DAIRY-FREE, MEAT-FREE, WHEAT-FREE WINE: Simonsig Sauvignon Blanc 2017…

JAVA JUICE Just when you thought there was no way to possibly improve on your perfect cup of joe, along comes a twist like this: add a squeeze of grapefruit, lemon or orange juice. The citrus picks up on the flavour notes in the beans, especially those from high-lying regions in Ethiopia and Central America, which is why you’ll find Italians squeezing lemon into their espressos and Australians drinking sparkys – lime with a double shot of espresso. We think you should add a shot of liqueur. Because winter… Turn the page to see how.…

The French take dairy products very, very seriously. So much so that, for an article published in the prestigious Journal of Food Science in 2016, a Dijon-based culinary institution assembled a panel of expert judges who paired four wines and four cheeses in various permutations and proved conclusively that perception of wine changes positively after eating cheese. In other words, the cheese never had a negative impact. In fact, for both red and white wines, the number of “likes” increased or remained the same regardless of the combination. As the main author of the report, Mara V. Galmarini, explained, “when having a plate of assorted cheeses, the wine will probably taste better no matter which one they choose.” So much for the dark art of cheese-and-wine pairing! Embrace the cheeseboard…

MAKE A GREAT BASE. Garlic and onions are the usual base of most soups, but you can use leeks instead of onions for a slightly sweeter flavour. Always sweat vegetables to bring out their sweetness before you add liquid, as this helps marry the flavours. COOK UP A FLAVOUR-PACKED BROTH with beef and chicken bones you’ve stockpiled in the freezer. Prevent a cloudy broth by skimming off any foam that rises to the top (you can also strain broth through cheesecloth before adding other ingredients). INSTEAD OF MAKING A BOUQUET GARNI wrapped in muslin, just pop your herbs (usually thyme, parsley and a bay leaf ) in a tea ball for the pot. MAKE A CREAMY SOUP. If you’re avoiding dairy, or have simply run out of cream, add a…

Caramelisation is the oxidation of sugar, which gives you a fantastic nutty flavour and brown colour. As the browning process takes place, sugar is broken down and chemicals are released to produce that delicious caramel flavour. Numbers to remember: sucrose and glucose caramelise at around 160°C, and fructose at 110°C.…

PERSIAN JEWELLED RICE “Some versions of this celebratory dish are more complex, adding caramelised carrots, orange peel and orange blossom water, but I find this recipe by chef, food writer and cookbook author David Tanis splendid enough.” Serves 6 to 8 EASY GREAT VALUE Preparation: 20 minutes Cooking: 50 minutes basmati rice 400 g saffron ¼ t, soaked in ¼ cup of boiling water currants 40 g dried cranberries 40 g dried apricots 65 g unsalted butter 90 g large onion 1, finely chopped butter 90 g ground cinnamon a pinch ground cardamom a pinch ground cumin a pinch ground allspice a pinch sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste almond flakes 40 g pistachios 40 g, roughly chopped “ PERSIAN ‘JEWELLED RICE’ IS NAMED FOR ITS GEMSTONE…

DON’T … REST CHOPSTICKS BY STICKING THEM INTO FOOD This represents death. Why? In East Asian culture, we give offerings to the deceased to honour them, placing incense sticks into bowls of rice. Of all the don’ts, this one is the worst. DO … PLACE THEM TOGETHER (PARALLEL) Placing them separately from each other doesn’t make sense as the two sticks are one piece of cutlery. DON’T … USE THEM TO IMPALE FOOD Your chopsticks are utensils for picking up and holding. DO … PLACE THEM TOGETHER ON THE SIDE ON TOP OF A BOWL If you don’t have a chopsticks rest, this allows you to rest them without your “used” chopsticks touching the table. When you place them together in the centre of the bowl, this indicates you’re done…

BEST KEPT These experiences formed part of a larger itinerary curated by SA travel company Best Kept and both addresses (Paradisa and Vismaya) deliver on the promise of the name – they feel like Kerala’s best kept secrets. Best Kept also arranges transfers, drivers, guides and immediate assistance in the case of illness or lost luggage. bestkept.co.za PARADISA PLANTATION RETREAT Individual wooden heritage houses are strategically placed to maximise peace, privacy and views and minimise disturbance to the natural environment. paradisaretreat.com VISMAYA A two-bedroom lake house subtly redesigned without losing the integrity of the original 400-year-old structure. Book the entire villa – you won’t want to share this space. vismaya.in…

TAKE A BAO We say you can never have enough Chinese steamed buns (baozi) and dumplings ( jiaozi ) – called pot stickers when they’re fried until crispy (above). These irresistible bombs of umami flavour are utterly addictive. Bao means “to wrap” and popular fillings include pork, vegetables or seafood. Buy them ready-made or make them yourself – turn the page to see how. “ DUMPLINGS SYMBOLISE THE GOLD OR SILVER INGOTS USED AS CURRENCY IN ANCIENT CHINA, TO BRING THE THEME OF ‘WEALTH’ TO A LUNAR NEW YEAR SETTING ” – MINGCHEAU LIN STEAMED BUN DOUGH Makes 10 EASY Preparation: 40 minutes, plus 2 hours’ resting time Cooking: 15–30 minutes active dry yeast 2 t water ¾ cup flour…

Produced exclusively for Woolworths, Warwick Wine Estate’s Cape Lady Sauvignon Blanc and Cape Lady Cabernet Sauvignon are the types of timeless tipples you can never have enough of. A delicious match for grilled seafood and braaied chicken, the Sauvignon Blanc boasts tropical aromas of granadilla and kiwi fruit on the nose, and a zippy citrus freshness on the palate. The Cab Sav is more of a heavy hitter, perfect for wintry weather with its chocolate aroma, dark berry flavours and velvety mouthfeel – the ideal wine to pour with a smoky flame-grilled, grass-fed steak. Now, imagine having a year’s worth of these delicious wines at your disposal at home… warwickwine.com THE PRIZE: Four lucky readers will each win a year’s supply of Warwick’s Cape Lady Sauvignon Blanc and Cape Lady…

Classic tiramisu Whisk 3 free-range egg yolks with 75 g caster sugar and 1 t vanilla extract until pale and fluffy and almost doubled in size. Gradually whisk in 450 g mascarpone until smooth. Whisk 3 free-range egg whites until stiff peaks form, then fold into the egg yolk mixture. Working with 1 x 200 g packet Boudoir biscuits, dip a few biscuits into ½ cup espresso or strong coffee for about 5 seconds, then arrange in the bottom of four wide glasses or a large bowl. Spoon over 1 T Marsala. Top with a layer of the mascarpone mixture, then add another layer of biscuits and Marsala. Repeat the layers until the glasses or bowl are full, ending with the mascarpone. Smooth and dust with cocoa powder. Chill for…

CAULIFLOWER KORMA Turmeric-roasted cauliflower in a creamy coconut and garam masala sauce with saffron, almonds, coriander and pilau rice, R69.99 for 350 g. PULLED PORK MAC AND CHEESE Slow-cooked, BBQ pork in a creamy sauce with free-range egg macaroni and a Cheddar topping, R69.99 for 400 g. CHILLI BASIL PRAWN NOODLE Prawns and sesame-soya wheat noodles, with wok-fried red peppers, spring onion and a chilli basil dressing, R79.99 for 400 g.…

Depending on who you ask, the area enclosed by Roeland, Canterbury, Caledon and Buitenkant streets in Cape Town should be called the East City Precinct, Zonnebloem, District Six or Lower Gardens. What most opinionated Capetonians do agree on, however, is that this former semi-industrial stretch is virtually unrecognisable from what it was just three or four years ago. Hailed as the new Woodstock, it’s now a hipster centre of independent design, media and IT start-ups, whose MacBook-toting creatives are sustained by an ever growing number of cool eateries, coffee haunts and watering holes. 1 THE ELECTRIC FOR FRESH JUICE AND INSTAGRAM OPPS APLENTY Set in a former auto-electrical shop that burnt down, The Electric is part café, part event space, part shoot location. The new owners retained the soot-stained walls,…

When it comes to warming winter meals, few contenders beat a moreish, meltingly tender lamb dish – especially when it stars flavourful lamb from Woolies. And it’s even better when it’s the new Easy to Cook slow-cooked deboned leg of lamb in a Greek-style tomato sauce with sweet potato and pumpkin wedges. All the prep has been done and it’s packaged in a convenient foil tray, so all you need to do is pop it into the oven for 50 minutes before dishing up. And we think you’ll manage that quite nicely, glass of red in hand. woolworths.co.za Serving suggestion Prepare Woolies’ Easy to Cook slow-roasted deboned leg of lamb according to package instructions. Serve with a crunchy salad or Woolies’ broccoli-and-cauliflower cheese bake.…

“I INHALED DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF KIMCHI. I SLURPED CHICKEN-GINSENG BROTH. I DEMANDED SECOND HELPINGS OF RICE FLOATING IN HOT GOCHUJANG SAUCE” When I first moved to South Korea to teach English as a foreign language, the only thing I knew about the country was that it was not North Korea. That’s it. I didn’t even know what kimchi was. I was 21, hungry for adventure and eager to see who I really was without the comfort and familiarity of home. It turned out that my real self was a picky, overly cautious eater. I ran from kimchi. I hid from meat dishes because practically everything had pork in it. I’d grown up in the Zionist Christian Church so had only started eating bacon the year before – the rest of…

TWISTED BITTER Seasonal citrus and strong coffee make for a potent pick me up Combine ½ shot brandy, ½ shot Grand Marnier, ½ shot Kahlua and ½ cup hot coffee in a heatproof glass or mug. Take one pink grapefruit or ClemenGold rind, lightly “burn” it over a flame (use a lighter or your gas hob), then use to stir the drink and garnish. LIQUEURS WITH A BUZZ KAHLÚA An integral ingredient in the preferred poison of The Big Lebowski’s The Dude – the white Russian – this rum-and-coffee liqueur was born in the 1930s in Mexico. kahlua.com PATRÓN XO CAFÉ TEQUILA If rum isn’t your thing, this liqueur – a blend of Patrón’s silver tequila and pure coffee essence – offers a drier,…

So, you already know that if there’s a chicken dinner on the cards, you need to get yourself to Woolies to stock up on one of its free-range offerings – be it a whole bird, pieces, fillets or sausages – because Woolies chickens aren’t given any routine antibiotics or growth promoters. The great news is that their range keeps expanding. The latest additions? Easy to Cook succulent free-range breasts stuffed with mozzarella, Cheddar and feta, and free-range breasts coated in a quinoa-and-sunflower seed crumb, served with a creamy red pepper sauce. Simply pop into the oven and tuck in. woolworths.co.za Serving suggestion Serve the chicken breast fillets with creamy red pepper sauce and quinoa-and-sunflower seed crumb with warm marinated artichokes and rocket. Add black and green olives and cherry tomatoes…

Okay, so croutons aren’t going anywhere (we’ll always love their classic crunch) but try these ideas for adding texture to your next bowl of soup CARAMELISED PEAR OR APPLE Top a bowl of cheesy or butternut soup with a few spoonfuls for delicious fruitiness to complement the rich flavours. CHICKPEAS Roast them in olive oil and herbs of your choice (also a delicious snack on their own). NORI Lightly toast sheets of this seaweed snack in the oven and crumble over Asian soups for an umami punch. RUSKS Save the broken chunks at the bottom of the bag for garnishing and adding moreish crunch.…

Sugar goes through several stages as it boils: thread, soft ball, firm ball, hard ball, soft crack and hard crack. As the liquid boils away, the temperature increases and the concentration of sugar becomes greater. Each stage describes what its consistency will be when dropped into cold water. Fudge needs the soft-ball stage, while marshmallows are cooked to the hard-ball stage. Ideally, you should use both the cold-water test and a sugar thermometer for the most accurate result.…

According to Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi’s book Jerusalem (in which they call it musabaha) mashawsha is a dish traditionally served for breakfast, or a weekend brunch, with various pickles, fresh radish and spring onion. Use pitas to scoop it up when eating. Follow the recipe (left), then add this lemon-chilli sauce for a final flourish. Mix 4 T lemon juice with 2 T white wine vinegar, 2 t finely chopped parsley, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1 finely chopped green chilli and ¼ t salt. Drizzle the sauce over the mashawsha just before serving.…

AMARULA-ANDCOFFEE PUDDING “Make sure you have this one in the oven while you’re eating the main course because it’s best served immediately.” Serves 6 EASY GREAT VALUE Preparation: 20 minutes Baking : 40 minutes flour 200 g baking powder 1 T cocoa 33 g brown sugar 120 g Amarula ¼ cup espresso coffee powder 2 T milk ¾ cup free-range eggs 2 butter 100 g, melted chocolate-coated coffee beans, to decorate (optional) For the topping: brown sugar 2 T cocoa 1 T instant coffee 1 t boiling water 11/2 cups 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 17 cm round ovenproof dish. 2 Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar and stir to combine. 3 Add the Amarula, espresso, milk, eggs and…

Love the idea of eating an authentic chicken jalfrezi as you would on the streets of Kolkata, or a chicken katsu you’d find in the back alleys of Japan? How about a spicy Mexican chilli popper? The good news is that you don’t have to pay for an air ticket to taste these flavours – Woolies’ new global menu range of prepared meals and deli snacks brings them into the heart of your home. woolworths.co.za…

MEXICO: BABY MARROW NOODLES WITH POACHED EGGS AND SMOKY ROAST PEPPER SAUCE Preheat the oven to 200°C. Rub 1 pack Woolworths pimento peppers with 1 T olive oil, season and grill until blackened, taking care not to burn. Remove from the oven, place in a bowl, cover with clingwrap and steam. Peel, seed and chop the peppers, then place in a pan with 2 T olive oil, 3 cloves chopped garlic, 1–2 t chilli flakes, 1 t smoked Spanish paprika and fry until slightly jammy. Set aside 1–2 T, then add 2 x 400 g cans cherry tomatoes, season and simmer for 10–15 minutes. Add 2 x 350 g packs Woolworths baby marrow spaghetti and heat for 1 minute. Divide between bowls and top each with a poached free-range egg.…

“I don’t get a lot of time to cook, but on special occasions when I have some people over, I’ll make my mother’s lasagne. I think the perfect lasagne comes down to the three main components done really well: traditional lasagne sheets, the best Bolognese made with top-quality mince, and a great cheese sauce with loads of Parmesan sprinkled on top. The layers must be thin and uniform and the lasagne should keep its shape when you serve it. That’s what my mom taught me! There’s a lot of sentimentality behind this dish. It reminds me of cold winter days when I was at school. I’d play club sports until 8 pm and then still had to do my homework, but my mom always had a plate of something warm…