Chili is just one of those foods which is, you know, well it’s just one of those foods. It’s always there, in the back of my mind, waiting for the weather to change or for leftovers to need using. It’s a meal I don’t exactly crave, yet it needs to be had on a somewhat regular basis during the cooler months. Everyone has their own recipe and no one (save my mother in law) is opposed to a steaming bowl of chili. It’s delicious fresh and only gets better over time.

So it’s my turn to share my own version, my own secret ingredients to make the perfect chili to soothe you on those cold winter nights.

It helps that it’s also ridiculously easy to make.

Recipe Notes

Regarding my use of espresso and chocolate, note that the measurements are vague. You could add up to a tablespoon of espresso and up to the same of cocoa, though I would advise not getting too liberal. Also know that when I say espresso I mean a finely ground dark roast coffee, so anything from a Turkish to espresso grind will be appropriate.

If you’re using fresh tomatoes, something I rarely use in chili because tomatoes aren’t in season during the months in which I enjoy this dish, you could might get away with omitting the sugar.

Chili is a dish which, no matter who’s cooking it, how many times they’ve made it, and how confident a cook they are, should be tasted constantly throughout the cooking process. This opinion stems from more than an excuse to snack before dinner hits the table; a good chili holds a bold and robust flavour and a pinch of chili or a dash more salt can make or break a good turn out. That’s what I think anyway. Experiment until you find your own perfect spice blend!

Ratatouille, aside from being a pain in the arse to type, is one of my favourite comfort foods. I have a series of different methods for cooking this French inspired dish, depending on how I’m feeling and what flavours I’m craving. Regardless of the method, this dish includes some of my favourite vegetables… and since I’m a fan of roasted tomatoes, a roasted version is particularly appealing.

A stew of sorts, generally containing aubergine (eggplant), courgette (zuchinni), peppers, onion, and garlic, the “proper” method of ratatouille preparation is often debated. My view? Cook stuff and make it taste good. Who cares how you reach the end result, so long as the end result doesn’t burn holes through your intestinal tract?

Anyway, that’s why you have someone else taste your experiments first.

Recipe Notes

This particular incarnation of my oven roasted version of ratatouille failed to include garlic. More to the point, garlic failed to appear in my kitchen in order to be included. It is a rare event indeed when the garlic is out. Alas, I managed to found a single clove and cooked it in some oil to put on the pasta before serving with the veggies. Normally I would roast a whole head or two with this.

Speaking of which, a good way to serve this is with pasta, but it can of course be eaten on its own as well. Keep in mind this is enough for a couple of very hungry individuals if you also include pasta.

I roasted this at a fairly low temperature for a fairly long time. Feel free to experiment with those times. Perhaps turn up the heat and reduce the time. Maybe you prefer some burnt aspects to your veg (hey, don’t laugh- I love burnt aubergine). If you reduce the time, it might be an idea to also reduce the size of your vegetable pieces before popping in the oven.

Let me begin by saying that I am perfectly aware that this is probably no traditional way to make couscous and I’m happy with that. I’m interested in food tradition, but I find the end result far more appealing; if it tastes good then who cares how it was made?

I have been wanting to find a way to use goat’s cheese for awhile, but I wanted it to be in a simple and non-time-consuming recipe. This is because my husband has always, since the dawn of time, complained he doesn’t like goat cheese because it tastes “like goats.” As a result, I had only tried it once or twice myself and was growing more curious. Basically, I didn’t want to end up slaving away for hours in the kitchen only to come up with a meal on which he wasn’t too keen.

There was a yellow pepper in the fridge that was in need of using, so I knew whatever I made would need to somehow combine the cheese and the pepper. The goat cheese, in the end, was a perfect choice to top this couscous as it just lightly complemented the flavours in the salad itself. Even my husband wanted seconds!

This dish serves one as a main, or two if used as a side.

I discovered the flavour of pomegranate molasses at a Syrian restaurant in Yerevan, Armenia. My taste buds had never experienced anything like it before and I was instantly in love with what I would soon learn to be a food product to consume my life. I am referring to the hunt I went on after returning home. What was this stuff and where could I find it? Eventually I found a bottle in Sainsbury’s (and have since found it in a few other places in London) and went home to try to re-create the masterpiece of a meal I’d had in this Syrian cafe on the streets of Yerevan.

If you’ve never experienced the sweet-tart taste of pomegranate molasses, I suggest you hunt a bottle down. I would probably have to say that in 2006 it was my food discovery of the year!

This treat is fabulous served with fresh bread, like Syrian onion bread, pitta or lavash as part of a great mezze spread.