What’s the secret to a great salad dressing? Mine’s always bitter.
Hilary, Alnwick, Northumberland
Vinaigrette consists of oil, salt and acid (vinegar or citrus juice, usually). There’s a bit more to it, of course – but not much. As in life, it all comes down to balance, which for chef Raymond Blanc means a 3:1 ratio of extra-virgin olive oil to wine vinegar (or balsamic “for a sweeter flavour”). “I often use a tablespoon of water to thin down the oiliness, so the leaves aren’t over-coated,” adds Blanc, whose latest book, Simply Raymond, Recipes From Home was published last week. “You can add a little magic with fresh herbs such as chervil, coriander or tarragon, or walnut oil.”
The best vegetarian cookbooks, as recommended by experts
Publications old and new have been tipped by chefs and food writers from around the world for their excellent recipes
Vegetables are the stars of the show in these collections
Vegetables are all too often considered a mere side dish, but vegetarians and omnivores alike who are looking to expand their repertoire of veg-based dishes can find plenty of inspiration in the highly recommended cookbooks featured here.
This list includes contemporary entrants (such as Anna Jones s
A Modern Way to Eat and two popular titles by chef and restaurateur Yotam Ottolenghi), alongside the well-thumbed classics that have truly stood the test of time (such as
Last modified on Wed 28 Apr 2021 10.06 EDT
Wild garlic usually begins proliferating, in veg boxes, at farmersâ markets and on the forest floor, from now until the start of June â not so much a season as a brief window of opportunity. This year, it is reported to have come earlier than usual â which means it will be gone again before you know it.
Wild garlic â AKA ramsons, or ramps, or bearâs garlic â is expensive to buy but free to forage. It grows in dense green carpets, if you know where to look. But you also want to make sure youâre picking the right thing: the leaves of wild garlic are easily mistaken for lily of the valley, which is more poisonous than it sounds, and also dogâs mercury, which is about as poisonous. Neither of these smell or taste like garlic (dogâs mercury apparently smells foul) so it should be easy to distinguish, but they tend to grow in the same shady spots. If youâre not careful, you may gather up a few st
Three wildly different plates, and all doable in about 15 minutes: harissa lamb chops with spiced aubergine and yoghurt, seafood on rice noodles and a warm chicken and bread salad
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