I love risotto and I can see I may need to introduce an entire ‘risotto’ category to the blog, but for the time being, this can be known as a ‘rice’ dish. (To find out more about the history of risotto, see my post: Fresh Tomato and Herb Risotto.)

For me, risotto is soul food: it nurtures me and it slows me down as I get into the pace of cooking it properly. You can’t hurry a good risotto, so when you go to your kitchen at the end of a working day, put on some mellow music, pour a glass a wine … and smile. This is your time and you are about to make one of the most comforting dishes possible.

Risotto is a very adaptable dish. I don’t think of it as either winter or summer; I adapt it according to the seasons so in the summer will add fresh-tasting vegetables such as courgettes, lots of fresh herbs and tomatoes; I love spinach in risotto, or, as an accompaniment to meat, maybe a simple Risotto Milanese with just onion, stock and saffron. The butternut squash I used today has a lovely sweet and earthy flavour, more suitable for a winter supper.

I’m quite surprised when people tell me they don’t often make risotto because either, it’s a lot of work, or because it’s too much trouble for one or two people. But actually, making it for just one or two people is a lot easier than making it for a large number! If I’m making it just for myself, invariably it ends up being enough for two … but I love any leftovers cold the next day for lunch, taken from the fridge early to get to room temperature, and then some fruity olive oil and balsamic vinegar drizzled over the top before I eat it: an instant lunch! Risottos are really very easy and they are also pretty quick. Since you can add almost anything you fancy – although I do prefer to keep it simple with only one or two main ingredients, not everything that’s lurking in the fridge – and it’s a good standby when you’ve nothing planned or your fridge is nearly empty. I often add frozen peas, for instance, and this is quite faithful to risotto’s Italians beginnings as piselli appear in many Italian recipes; and I always have plenty of Parmesan cheese.

Butternut Squash & Fresh Thyme Risotto

For two portions: peel half a butternut squash (mine weighed 800g) and then chop into small cubes. It’s quite tricky peeling a squash but I just use a very sharp knife and carefully cut downwards. Then finely chop a small onion. Heat about 3 cups of chicken stock (I took some of my ice-stock-cubes from the freezer – see Real Stock Cubes) in a small pan.

Melt about 25g butter with a good glug of olive oil in a frying pan and add the squash with a few sprigs of fresh thyme (if the stalks are woody then take leaves off and throw stalks away). Season with a little salt and then gently fry for about 15-20 minutes until the squash is cooked through and soft and the edges are just very slightly caramelising. Meanwhile, put the chopped onion in another larger pan (big enough to take the whole risotto) with a little butter and olive oil and gently fry till soft but not browning. Now add 1 cup risotto rice (carnaroli, arborio or vialone nano) to the onion and stir to coat each grain; this gentle frying gives the rice its flavour, or insaporito. Now add a good glug or white wine or dry vermouth (I don’t drink much white wine so always keep some dry vermouth for cooking). Allow the alcohol to be taken up by the rice and then add the prepared butternut squash and a little of the hot chicken stock and give it all a good stir.

As the stock gets taken up by the rice, add a little more, and keep stirring so that you eventually achieve that lovely creaminess that’s the sign of a good risotto. The stirring releases the starch from the rice and it’s this that makes it ‘creamy’. If you run out of stock, then just add a little hot water. Near the end, check the seasoning and add more salt if necessary (it will depend how much you added to the squash at the beginning and how salty your stock is). Also grate in a good amount of black pepper. The risotto is ready when most of the liquid has been taken up and the rice is al dente. In Italy, risotto is always served when the rice still has a little bite to it and is not completely soft (just as pasta is correctly served).

Turn off the heat. Now add 25g butter, a good grating of Parmesan cheese and a little more fresh thyme. Gently fold it all together and then put the lid on the pan for a couple of minutes – this step is called the mantecatura and gives the risotto a chance to settle and everything bind together for that perfect creamy effect.

Serve it in a nice bowl and I like to drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over the top and grate over a little more Parmesan cheese.

As I was meeting a local friend, Kate, for lunch, it seemed a good idea to not travel too far … in fact, to walk only as far as Pincho in Church Street in central Twickenham. The central shopping area of Twickenham isn’t particularly attractive but Church Street which, as the name suggests, runs down to a church, St Mary’s, is a pretty road full of interesting little shops, a number of restaurants and couple of pubs. In the summer, the road is often closed to allow restaurants to spill onto it and put out tables and chairs for people to eat al fresco. Pincho, at the far end of the road and opposite the church, has its own terrace and it’s a lovely place to sit in the summer, away from the rush and noise of the centre of town.

From here, it’s a short walk down to the river where you can view Eel Pie Island, famous back in the sixties as a venue for up-and-coming bands of the time like … the Rolling Stones, The Who and many others who became famous. Now there is a strong artists’ community and a couple of times a year various workshops and studios open up and you can cross the narrow pedestrian bridge on to the island and visit them. There’s also a lovely walk along the river and towpath to Richmond bridge – about two miles – and one I often do in the summer. There’s a lot of fascinating history in the area and you can find out about some of it in a little Twickenham Museum, just round the corner from Pincho, going towards the river.

Every time I go to Pincho I think, I must remember to come here more often. I’ve not been that many times but there’s a nice friendly and buzzy atmosphere in the evening – and also today at lunchtime. It’s a great venue for lunch because you can have any kind of meal or snack you fancy – from a selection of tapas (as Kate and I had today), to wraps (the one I saw at the next table, served with salad and chips looked good), salads, paella and substantial main courses if you’re hungry. There was a lunchtime deal on tapas and we decided to go for the 4 for £16 deal, i.e. paying £8 each. And, because it was Friday (or at least that was our excuse), we ordered a small glass of rioja each.

We ordered meatballs in tomato sauce, tiger prawns with white wine, garlic and tomatoes; also a tortilla with butternut squash and leeks, and chicken on skewers with a garlic yogurt dressing.

They were good tapas and certainly enough to fill us up at lunchtime. The service was also very friendly and efficient which always makes such a big difference to one’s enjoyment of a meal. I really must remember it’s there and go back again soon!

Paul Hughes

I’ve written about the lovely A Cena on the Hill deli before and its head chef, Paul Hughes, but thought it was time I headed back to talk to Paul about his Top Ten Cookery Books and find out more about him. Paul is an interesting man to talk to: apart from his obvious love of food – and in particular, charcuterie – he is also passionate about motorbikes (he’s owned 40 or so in his time), architecture and travel, particularly to Japan. His career as a chef has taken him to some of the best kitchens in the country, including Langan’s Brasserie when it first opened and later St John. He’s worked with people like Richard Corrigan and for eight years was at Ginger Pig making sausages, pates, terrines and pies. It’s for his wonderful charcuterie that Paul has received the greatest acclaim, with Jonathan Meades, when writing for The Times, describing his ‘delicious black puddings’, faggots, haslet and raised pies as ‘baroque in their magnificence’. Now the lucky people of Richmond have Paul’s magnificent charcuterie on their doorstep. At the back of A Cena on the Hill, in the small kitchen area, he can be found making his wonderful black puddings, pies, pates and many other fabulous dishes. When I arrived today, he was finishing off some pork pies which were just about to go into the oven and the last time I was there I tasted his haslet, which put all other haslet I’d eaten in my life to shame.

Given Paul’s charcuterie skills and love, his first choice of book was hardly a surprise!

1.  Charcuterie & French Pork Cookery, Jane Grigson (1969) – Paul described this as a ‘bible’ and the first book that caught his imagination. The recipes are simple and classic with lots of the recipes ones he has used for years. It was also, he thought, a brave book at the time, for how many home cooks would have tried to make these things then. It may well have been brave, but it’s turned out to be a classic.

2.  The Fifth Quarter, Anissa Helou (2004) – The ‘fifth quarter’ is offal and Paul likes the way this Lebanese cookery writer brings the Middle East’s respect for offal to this book; something that is often lacking in this country, he feels, where people often dismiss offal. This book, he told me, contains the black pudding recipe he uses.

3.  Thai Cooking, Jennifer Brennan (1984) – This was one of the first complete Thai cookery books. It has no photos but Paul described the book as an ‘exciting piece of writing’, with great recipes. He said it opened with an evocative description of a Thai meal that brought alive all the smells and sights and senses of the experience.

4.  Maynard – Adventures of a Bacon Curer, Maynard Davies (2003) – Basically, the story of a man who learnt to cure bacon – but, Paul told me, really great reading and a great story. The recipes are really an aside and the book is about the man.

5.  Nose to Tail Eating, Fergus Henderson (2004) – Fergus Henderson opened the St John restaurant in London in 1995, with the emphasis firmly on meat. Paul worked there for two and a half years and this book, he told me, contained ‘lots of me’. The recipes, he said, were like old friends; food he cooks on a day-to-day basis but also food he was a partner in evolving, like ‘blood cake’ – blood and polenta.

I asked Paul where his interest in charcuterie came from and he told me that he’d spent a lot of time in France before coming to St John – ‘I’m like a journeyman,’ he said. He brought what he’d seen there to St John and started using every part of an animal or bird; nothing was wasted or discarded. He told me his coppa recipe came from a neighbour in Gascony who had in turn got it from Italian soldiers fleeing in the Second World War. And now Paul’s coppa – of which I was given a tasty slice to try – can be found at the top of Richmond Hill.

6.  A Dictionary of Japanese Food, Richard Hosking (1997) – Paul spends a lot of time in Japan and a St John connection suggested he meet Hosking. Paul said this dictionary is invaluable as Japanese food and ingredients are like a minefield; the book ‘gave me a key into Japanese food’. The book’s subtitle is ‘Ingredients & Culture’ and it’s not a cookbook as much as a guide to demystifying the intricacies and diversity of eating Japanese food.

Paul’s always had an interest in the mystique of Japan. Part of it comes from his interest in motorbikes, he said, but there’s ‘lots of iconic stuff’: Japanese gardens, Zen, and he’s into the aesthetics of their art and food. He likes their bravery in allowing foreign architects to do ‘off the planet things’, like the buildings Philippe Starck has designed; bold architecture that’s less easily accepted here.

7.  Oxford Companion to Italian Food, Gillian Riley (2007) – This is a work of reference, Paul told me, but not stuffy. Indeed, he continued, it’s ‘a work of genius’. The research is meticulous but the reading a pleasure.

8.  The French Laundry Cookbook, Thomas Keller (1999) – This is almost a coffee table book, Paul told me; something you wouldn’t heave into the kitchen. It’s professional cooking – and here there’s genius at work. Earthy things are taken to a higher level. Paul said it was the first time he liked food of this kind; food like this is often messed around with too much but this, he told me, is food you want to eat. He described the photos as almost food porn – you look at them and you want to cook the food. And the recipes were approachable too.

9.  Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art, Shizuo Tsjui (1982) – A monster of a book, Paul told me. He bought it a long time ago and it was one of the first books in English to comprehensively look at Japanese food and has since become a classic. There are all the primary recipes there for things like miso and sushi and also Japanese cooking techniques, ingredients and utensils. Paul says it’s on the level of Escoffier.

10.  Fire & Knives – not a book, but a magazine. Published quarterly, Fire & Knives contains new writing about food – sometimes from established writers for a piece of work that might not be published elsewhere, but also for new writers to find an audience. Everything, Paul told me, was judged just on the quality of the writing; it’s ‘eclectic, funky and very left-field’. He likes it because it’s different and you can pick up interesting bits of information.

Paul could not be persuaded to choose any one of these books over another but what came across was that the emphasis of his passion for food lay in meat and charcuterie, and also Asian food; it’s also about pushing the boundaries and reaching for the new. Which is all the more reason for taking that trip up Richmond Hill to A Cena on the Hill and see what creations are happening in that little kitchen at the back.

I’ve been keen to go to one of Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi’s restaurants since interviewing Katie about her top ten cookbooks and hearing about her passion for Italian food and the way they cook, always sourcing the best local seasonal and sustainable ingredients. I love Italian food and theirs is Italian cooking at its best. When I mentioned this to friends Nina and James who live near the Bray restaurant, they said they’d been there a few times and liked it a lot and offered to take me for lunch. So, I’ve been looking forward to my treat … and I can tell you, when it started snowing last night, the first thing I thought of was, Please let me get to Caldesi in Campagna tomorrow!

As it turned out, there wasn’t too much snow and with the sun shining it was a beautiful – if cold – day to head out into the country and enjoy the peace and prettiness of this rural location. Caldesi in Campagna was opened in 2007. Katie and Giancarlo also run the highly successful Caffe Caldesi in central London and a popular cookery school, La Cucina Caldesi. They run some cookery courses from Campagna too and you can check out their programme for the year at all locations at www.caldesi.com.

There was a very warm welcome as we entered; a warmth and friendliness – but also excellent efficiency – that followed us all the way through our meal. The interior is quite formal but not overpoweringly so; it’s a place to relax in comfort while you enjoy a lovely Italian meal. As we settled down to choose our food, a basket of delicious breads (focaccia, ciabatta and some very good cheese grissini) with a small bowl of olive oil and balsamic were put before us and wine soon came too.

Nina and I opted for the set lunch menu (£12.50 for 2 courses; £16.50 for 3) while James chose a la carte. There’s not a huge choice – 2 starters, 2 mains and 2 desserts – but since I’m happy eating almost anything, then it’s no problem for me and I always think these set menus are a great way to try out a good restaurant without having to pay too much – or to enjoy a lunchtime treat at a reasonable price.

Nina and I had Ribollita to start. I’ve had this Tuscan bean soup with bread and vegetables a number of times and it’s a favourite of mine; this was a particularly good one with deep, earthy, rich flavours. James let me try his scallops with pumpkin puree and they were wonderful – almost melt-in-the-mouth scallops they were so perfectly cooked and a brilliant combination of flavours.

For main courses Nina and I chose the same: Breaded Sardines, spinach, pinenuts and raisins, while James had a sea bass ravioli.  I really like sardines and these had been butterflied before being coated in breadcrumbs, making for easy – as well as delicious – eating. The gorgeous little spinach parcels containing pinenuts and raisins were wonderful – and immediately made me think, I must try that!  James also let me try his ravioli (oh it’s so nice to go for good meals with friends who let you try their choices too!). It was fabulous pasta with a really lovely filling, taking the sometimes humble pasta to glorious heights.

And yes, we all told each other, we rarely had desserts at lunchtime … but … well, how could we resist? I managed one all to myself (though did the shared tasting thing) while Nina and James shared. Sometimes I’m very happy to be a glutton! Well, hardly a glutton with food of this quality. My Vanilla Pannacotta, Poached Rhubarb, Pistachio Nuts was one of the best pannacottas I’ve had: not too sweet, a lovely vanilla flavour and an incredibly light creamy texture. The Tanzanique Chocolate Mousse with Comfit Blood Oranges was pretty good too!

It really was an excellent meal. No wonder Nina and James have been a few times; I’d be back regularly if it was closer to home. It was a wonderfully leisurely lunch too.  The service, as I said, was efficient and friendly; the time between courses nicely spaced so you didn’t feel hurried but neither did we ever feel we were being kept waiting. It may be off the beaten track, but it’s definitely worth a detour or even a special trip.

Kew Village Market

The Kew Village Market was set up last year to raise funds for local charities. There are stalls selling food, art and crafts and it’s held on the first Sunday of each month from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm at Station Parade, just outside Kew Gardens Station.

I was told about it a couple of months ago by Andrew Kennedy at A Cena on the Hill.  My favourite local deli has a stall there and Andrew said was a really good market with lots of interesting stalls and products which would be great for my blog. I haven’t been able to get there since he told me about it but put it in my diary for today – 5 February. And then it snowed! However, Andrew said if A Cena on the Hill could get there, they would be there, so your Single Gourmet Traveller thought there could be no excuses. However, I decided to not bother to dig my car out of snow but use bus and tube line to Kew Gardens. Which actually, is a very good thing to do as the market is just outside the station and parking in the area can be quite difficult.

The first thing I did was seek out A Cena on the Hill (it has a link with the lovely A Cena restaurant) and which I’ve written about before.  Andrew laughed as I approached, saying it wasn’t the best day to visit. Apparently it was very quiet and quite a few stalls hadn’t made it there. However, it was still fun – in my snow boots! – and I spoke to some really nice stallholders. I’ll definitely be back another time soon – but hopefully in better weather. I’m sure anyway I’ll be glad I made it there today when I tuck into some of A Cena on the Hill’s lovely chicken liver pate later (and as you can see, it’s very delicious).

A Cena on the Hill’s stall was full of glorious pies, pates and terrines and home-made black pudding – made by that charcuterie genius, their head chef Paul Hughes. As I moved round I found other interesting stalls. Elizabeth Butler at The Butler’s Kitchen had a wonderful array of ready-prepared meals on her stall that looked delicious. She told me she makes dishes to order too, so if you fancy her making, say, a huge lasagne for you, then just call her up.

Kathy Thexton at the Nutty Lady had some very good spicy caramelised nuts. At the Seasons of Kew stall I found some really interesting combinations of chutneys and jams, made locally from family recipes. There were other stalls selling meats and cheese, cupcakes and other food delicacies. And I had a chat with the guy at The Real Ale stall who have a shop in East Twickenham; he told me they get in special beers for the rugby matches, e.g. some South African beers when there was an England v. South Africa match.

There were other stalls selling arts and crafts which looked great – though I’m sure you won’t be surprised that your travelling gourmet concentrated her attention on the wonderful food stalls. Even at a depleted number of stalls in the inclement weather, it was an impressive market where I felt there were lots of things I might really want to buy. So I’ll definitely be back soon.

There have been some great food programmes on TV over the last few weeks, but I felt a special excitement (yes – food programmes do get me excited!) at the promise of this new series with Raymond Blanc, in which Blanc goes back to France to rediscover his French heritage and cooks professionally in his home country for the first time. Raymond Blanc is one of the most engaging and natural chefs on TV and I always find his passion and enthusiasm infectious. And if the first programme in this new series, shown tonight on BBC2, is typical of what’s to come, then my own excitement and enthusiasm was well founded.

In this series, Blanc will visit different regions of France and suitably, he starts off in the area he was born and raised in: Franche-Comte and the town of Besancon.  Anyone who follows anything Blanc does knows his strong love and attachment to his mother – Maman Blanc. Seeing her in the modest home where Blanc was brought up and still tending her kitchen garden at the age of 90, one can see where Blanc’s own passion and strong character come from. What a wonderful lady Maman Blanc is!

Blanc takes us on an entertaining tour of Besancon and shows us the restaurant, Poker d’As, where he enjoyed his first gastronomic experience. The young Blanc, just 19, was enticed into the expensive restaurant by the smell of the cooking and spent a small fortune – he couldn’t really afford – on enjoying his first fine dining meal. Another restaurant gave him his first job – as a cleaner. But Blanc, ever the perfectionist, was determined to be the best cleaner ever … and was soon promoted to waiter.

He came to the UK at the age of 22, barely speaking the language and with no formal training. Ten years later, self-taught, he had earned the coveted 2 Michelin stars. Many of the big name chefs around today started in Blanc’s kitchen and what comes across in all his TV programmes, including this new series, is that Blanc is a natural teacher. When I interviewed Shaun Dickens at Fallowfields, who trained with Blanc at Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons, he talked about Blanc’s passion, and this passion for good food is what Blanc brings to the screen. How can anyone who loves food not be delighted by someone who obviously feels such joy for everything he eats and cooks: from the growing of the finest vegetables and rearing the best animals, to the preparation of that food.  Even the way Blanc speaks bubbles with happy excitement and a touch of the poet as he talks about how his grandmother ‘made food sing’.

In the first programme of the new series we see Raymond, with the help of two of his young Manoir staff, prepare a feast for the local people. The guest list included not only the infamous Maman Blanc, but other family members, friends and local gastronomes. For Raymond, this was a momentous occasion: not only the preparing of his first professional meal in France – 40 years after he left home – but for the people he loves and cares about the most. We see him sourcing the best ingredients, from his favourite local Comte cheese (to make the most gorgeous looking cheese souffle flan), to choosing vegetables for Salade Maman Blanc in a local organic farm and the perfect wines in local vineyards both to cook with and as an accompaniment to his food. This, as one expects from Blanc, was French cooking at its best.

By the time I’ve watched the next four programmes in the series I’m sure I’ll feel inspired to want to take a month off and travel round France in Raymond Blanc’s footsteps. Vive le Blanc!

Mark Mosimann

Mark and his brother Philipp are now joint Managing Directors of Mosimann’s, one of the most prestigious dining clubs in the world, and opened by their father, the famous chef Anton Mosimann OBE, in 1988. Mark also runs Mosimann’s Academy, based in a converted Victorian school in Battersea, which offers a wide range of cookery courses, mainly for corporate events. It was here that Mark agreed to meet me to talk about his Top Ten Cookery Books – an especially suitable location as it houses his father’s huge cookery book collection. Anton Mosimann’s library contains over 6,000 cookery books and is thought to be the largest collection in the UK. There are about 4,500 books on show and the others are in storage – or kept at a bank, for some date as far back as the 15th century and are very valuable. It’s a hugely impressive and exciting collection and has been catalogued by Mark’s assistant Lizze so that via a quick computer link, any book can be found instantly. Rather a necessary tool when you’ve so many books to look through for that elusive recipe!

The library also contains a wealth of interesting things that Anton has collected over the years: there are files containing information about every trip he has ever made, going back years and years, from flight ticket stubs to restaurant bills and brochures. Other files contain copies of all the speeches he has ever given with copies of menus from the events; a row of drawers were labelled with different countries and contained menus from all parts of the world. Mark remembered how he or his brother would be charged to carry menus out of restaurants when on holiday. It seems that no restaurant Anton has ever visited has escaped him leaving without souvenirs. But what a treasure for the food lover. Mark explained how these were research items and if, for instance, they were doing a themed meal at the club, perhaps food from south-east Asia, they would get out the menus from that place and look at them as they came up with a menu that was authentic. Other deep drawers contained files which were also themed to things like Mother’s Day, and other special days and holidays. These were recipes his father had torn out of newspapers and magazines and filed and again, they were wonderful references for the club when preparing meals for special events.

Mark showed me round the cookery school and I saw where the courses were held: a large space wonderfully decorated in the Mosimann colours of black, red and yellow, and state-of-the-art equipment and individual cooking stations for each participant of the course.

The Mosimann Academy, with all its wonderful space and equipment to teach people to cook, and Anton’s personal collections, is a glorious record and representation of all that he has achieved – and all that he is still doing; Mark said he was still in the kitchens at the club when in London and travelling the world to discover more about food.

When Mark and I sat down in the library to discuss his book choice, I asked him if he’d always been interested in food and he said, yes, he’d always wanted to work in the industry. From a small child, he’d been taken into nice restaurants and as a family they would talk about food and sit round a table together when they could – most often at breakfast when he was a child, as Anton would be working in the evening.

Mark loved to cook from a young age and learnt most from his mother, who did the cooking at home. After A levels he worked in fine restaurants in France and then went to Lausanne Hotel School where he studied hotel management and from there went on to work in prestigious establishments around the world, including spending four years in China. He said he had to make a choice between becoming a chef and management and although he primarily works as a manager, he does sometimes don his chef’s apron and get to work in the kitchens.

Mark’s style of cooking reflects the influence of the ‘cuisine naturelle’ that his father developed and became famous for, especially as he and his wife Jenna now have a ten-month-old daughter, who they want to love food but also to eat well and healthily. He said the Mosimann Club still doesn’t possess a deep-fat fryer because of its commitment to healthy cooking.  Mark likes simple cuisines and has a particular love of Chinese food from his time in China, preferring the southern Szchewan style which is more spicy and less sweet than that of Shanghai where he lived. And, as we moved on to his book choices, he said the first one reflected his and Jenna’s new love of slow cookers, and is a book he bought only two months ago.

1.  Ultimate Slow Cooker, Sara Lewis (2008) – Mark said it was full of great simple recipes for things like Moroccan dishes, and beef stews and the slow cooker had the advantage of keeping all the taste and the nutrients in the dish. They often chose something that would also be suitable for the baby and the slow cooker was great if Mark came in late, as the food was hot and ready to eat but not spoiled.

2.  The Top One Hundred Thai Dishes, David Thompson (1993) – David Thompson, an Australian chef, opened his Nahm restaurant in London in 2001 and it was the first Thai restaurant to gain a Michelin star. Mark said he manages to  create authentic flavours but with his own twist – like an ‘amazing rabbit Thai curry’ that Mark had enjoyed in his restaurant. Mark said he especially likes Thai cuisine and it’s one that can also be light and healthy.

3.  Cuisine Naturelle, Anton Mosimann (1985) – Anton’s cuisine that focused on the natural flavour of the ingredients and used no dairy or alcohol was revolutionary in its time, back in the 1970s/80s. Mark told me how Anton moved to the Dorchester Hotel in London to become head chef when he was just 28.  He was shocked to discover how vegetables would be cooked for hours on end and soon brought his own ideas about cooking to change things in that famous kitchen. Mark showed me some of the pictures in the book and we agreed they were visually, stunningly beautiful, but also timeless. These were dishes that you’d be served in fine restaurants today and Mark said many of the dishes at the Club were old ones, from its beginning, and new chefs had to learn how to master them – otherwise the regular clients would know they weren’t right!

4.  Eat Up: Food for children of all ages, Mark Hix (2000) – A beautifully presented book of good recipes for kids, which reflects again the influence Mark’s small daughter is making on his cooking at home!

5.  Larousse Gastonomique (First published 1938 in English) – Simply, ‘the bible’, according to Mark. It’s one of the first books he got when he got into cooking seriously and is one of the must-haves in a kitchen. You can look up any reference to what a food is and how to prepare it, and find the classic recipe for all the classical dishes. Knowing how a dish should be, how it was originally put together, is essential to understanding it.

6.  Lehrbuch der Kuche, Eugene Pauli  (1976) – Mark said this was similar to Larousse with lots of references and recipes for all the classics. It’s nicely illustrated with, for instance, pictures of different kinds of mushrooms so they can be identified, or the different cuts of meat on different animals. Pauli is a Swiss chef who has worked extensively in Sweden and London. Everyone doing a cooking apprenticeship in Switzerland has to have a copy of this book, Mark told me. It goes beyond Larousse because it contains lots of information about how to operate a kitchen from the management level. It has all kinds of tools and information that Mark says he uses regularly in the club: menu engineering – about putting menus together so that textures, tastes etc all complement each other; it gives you the means to work out how to cost each element of a dish, which is invaluable when catering for large numbers.

7.  Culinary Art and Traditions of Switzerland, Patrice Dard (1987) – This contains recipes for old Swiss dishes and shows the different cooking in the various cantons of Switzerland. Mark finds it great if friends come round and he wants to cook a traditional Swiss meal. His favourite (the book opened automatically here when I looked at it!), is Sliced Veal Zurich Style with Rosti potatoes. Mark said the cooking from different cantons varied quite a bit – for instance, he preferred a more German-style fondue from Zurich using Emmenthal than one from a canton near France that used something like Vacherin.

8.  A Book of Mediterranean Food, Elizabeth David (1950) – Mark said this was such a good book to go back to for finding out how a recipe should be made and for ingredients like mutton, which are not much used today. He said they had a dinner coming up where mutton was to be the focus of the dishes and this book was a source of great recipes. He told me they are now using Swiss cookers called Holde-omats, which are a kind of large slow cooker that always maintains the same heat. It allows them to cook to perfection all kinds of meat and keep them without spoiling for hours.

9.  A Guide to Modern Cookery, Auguste Escoffier (1903) – This was a very old copy and I forgot to ask if it was a first edition. I handled it carefully! This is the source of many classical dishes. Mark said so many of the dishes we know – things ‘a la whatever’ – were created and named by Escoffier. Yet, he too was interested in and influenced by old dishes – like the Aylesbury Duck with Mint in the book, which dates from the 1700s. He created, for instance, Peach Melba while working at The Savoy. It’s a great reference book, Mark said, that he shows to new chefs. The classic recipes haven’t changed much and researching the original recipes is relevant for preparing dishes today.

10.  Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management (1861) – Another very old copy! It was so wonderful to look through it. Mark said it’s fascinating and he likes the way it’s written. He read out a passage about the etiquette for a dinner and how ladies should behave when they arrive; how to behave at the table; what to say. He also told me that it was the first cookery book to use diagrams and give explanations of history with the recipes – something we take for granted these days.

When I asked Mark what his No.1 choice would be, he unhesitatingly told me the Eugene Pauli book.

I had a wonderful time talking to Mark and seeing round the Mosimann Academy and library. There was a lovely sense of family pride and respect for the enormous amount his father, Anton, has contributed to the world of cooking. And it’s something that carries on with even the youngest member of the family being introduced to exciting flavours, good cooking and food with an emphasis on natural and healthy. Mark said that what they are doing in the Club today carries on the traditions: you don’t change something that is excellent and works so well.

A copy of the just published The Fabulous Baker Brothers cookbook arrived in my post on Friday, kindly sent by Marion Donaldson at Headline, who publish a lot of great cookery books. Thus, baking was on the menu for the weekend!

Now, I have to confess that baking as such has never been one of my strong culinary fortes. When my kids were little I managed to turn out reasonable banana loaves for their tea when they got home from school … but then, that doesn’t really need a light touch. Floatingly light, melt-in-the-mouth Victoria sponges I never mastered and bread was given up all together years ago, apart from a very good focaccia recipe in Antonio Carluccio’s My Favourite Italian Recipes (top of my Top Ten Cookery Books). So, the thought that passed through my head this morning as I decided to try the Soda Bread from The Fabulous Baker Brothers and started assembling the ingredients was, Would the fabulous brothers Henry and Tom Herbert be happy to leave one of their recipes in the hands of The Single Gourmet Traveller? Sorry boys! But read on …

The Herbert brothers’ book is a great one for the novice baker as well as containing a wealth of exciting recipes for the more accomplished – and confident – baker. Baking has been in their family for five generations, so they know a thing or two about making good bread – as well as meat, for brother Henry runs the butchers next to Tom’s bakery. The book combines both their skills. There’s a nice history of the bakery and their family at the beginning of the book, followed by Tom’s guide to baking in which he explains exactly what you need and why: he describes all the necessary ingredients and how they work – why a certain type of flour; warm water instead of hot; how salt helps the fermentation as well as give flavour. The section on ‘Kit’ I noticed included apron: I’m not a great one for getting out the apron but – specially for Tom! – I actually wore one to make the bread … no photos of that though!

The book is beautifully illustrated with great photos. They just make you want to try out the recipes: all kinds of wonderful loaves, pizza, pitta bread, chapatti, sourdough pancakes. There are lovely recipes to use them too: all kinds of sandwiches, Pate de Campagne to go with toasted sourdough bread; Eight-hour Smoky Pulled Pork Shoulder to go inside hot fresh pittas. I love Eggs Benedict and thought their recipe for them made with spinach muffins sounded a really brilliant idea – definitely to be tried out. The ‘Enriched Dough’ chapter has gorgeous Brioche and Ultimate Burger Buns as well as things like Hot Cross Buns. In the final chapter they offer ‘Things Men Like to Make’ and include a ‘Get Out of Trouble’ Chocolate Cake – I can only imagine this gets them very often into trouble … just for the benefits of their apology!

The book is a whole lot more than baking: there’s a lot of home cooking here too – lovely meat dishes, snacks, breakfasts, puddings, salads and fish dishes. I decided to do bread though today and as I like Soda Bread and couldn’t remember if I’d ever tried making it, that was my choice. In theory, it’s very quick and very easy.  In practice it was indeed very quick and easy … once I’d got the ingredients. Some lovely wholegrain spelt flour – to give a nice nutty flavour – was easily found … buttermilk was the problem. It would have been easier to follow their instructions to make my own in the end but I remembered I’d seen it in supermarkets, so thought buying it would be easy. A search of local supermarkets this morning didn’t lead me to any and, indeed, blank stares when I asked for it. After meeting a friend in the Knightbridge area at lunchtime I even went into Harrods and Harvey Nicks. They at least knew what I was talking about. Setting off home I thought I’d have to re-read how to make my own … but stopped at the smallish Richmond Sainsbury’s in Manor Road on the off chance: ‘Do you have any buttermilk?’ I asked a man stacking shelves in the dairy section. ‘Yes,’ he said, without hesitation, and led me immediately to it. Success! Well done my local Sainsbury’s. I was all set …

I didn’t have a baking stone so I used a heavy-duty pizza base. The recipe all comes together very quickly – so it really is necessary to get your oven hot before you begin as Tom suggests. He also tells you why you need to get the dough straight into the hot oven once you’ve made it (I do love having things explained like this; once things make sense, you remember them); so, no advance preparation here. From measuring everything out, the dough was made in less than 5 minutes, then into the hot oven and 15 to 20 minutes later – the bread was done.

I was really quite excited watching it rise in the oven. Once out … it looked pretty good … not as good as the photo in the book maybe, but with practice I could become a dab hand at this. It certainly tasted delicious … and it was ready in time for tea to eat with some of my friend Nina’s delicious home-made damson jam. Yum! It was really so amazingly quick to make – in under half an hour – that it would have taken me as long to go out to the local supermarket to buy bread. And that wouldn’t have been nearly as nice.

There are lots of other great recipes in The Fabulous Baker Brothers book and I’m sure I’ll soon be trying out some more.

I’ve said in one or two other ‘Favourite Haunts’ posts that they are not necessarily about great food but a host of other things that make them favourite places to revisit again and again. However, A Cena stands out as being one of my favourite haunts where the food is of an exceptionally high standard and I’m definitely there as much for that as for the wonderful, light, sophisticated but friendly and informal ambience that makes it a delightful place to spend a leisurely couple of hours or so over an excellent meal. In fact, as I slowly wandered across Richmond bridge with Jonathan and Lyndsey after our lunch today, discussing our meal and what we thought about A Cena, we decided it definitely was, without doubt, our very favourite restaurant. We love the atmosphere and it serves the kind of food we like best.

It’s been a favourite family since it opened its doors in 2001 and since then has won much praise in the press and been acclaimed one of the best Italian restaurants in London. I have to confess that I’m more often ‘haunting’ its Panino Bar for morning coffee, but whenever there is a celebration … or just a desire for a wonderful gastrononic treat … A Cena is the place to go. Today was a slightly late celebration of Jonathan and Lyndsey’s first wedding anniversary, but I’m already getting the family to pencil in going there for my birthday in April.

A Cena’s Sunday lunch menu is excellent value at £21 for 1 or 2 courses; £25 for 3. There’s plenty of choice too: 6 starters, 8 main courses and 3 desserts or cheese. I could have happily eaten everything on the menu but while we made up our minds, we tucked into the delicious focaccia put on the table and ordered glasses of prosecco.

We all went for different starters (which happily meant we could have fun tasting each others!): I chose Cauliflower Fritti with Parmesan, Lemon Mayonnaise and Fried Capers; Lyndsey had Salame Milano with Fennel and Parmesan Salad and Jonathan had Bruschetta of Cannellini Beans, Tomato, Sage, Parmesan and Balsamic.

My cauliflower fritters were amazing; really good. They tasted intensely of the cauliflower itself, but the light batter enhanced the flavour and they were perfectly cooked: soft but with a slight – al dente – bite still. The creamy mayonnaise was a wonderful accompaniment with the acidity of the added lemon, while the slightly salty capers and Parmesan gave a brilliant punch to the dish. The other two starters were equally good.

We had different main courses too: Baked Seabass Fillet ‘in a bag’ with Semi Dried Tomatoes, Radicchio, Oregano, Vermouth and Olive Oil Mash for me; Baked Crepes Stuffed with Seafood, Spinach and Dill for Lyndsey; and Veal Scallopine with Green Beans, Butter and Parmesan for Jonathan. We also ordered a delicious bottle of Valpolicella Classico to go with the main courses.

I love seabass but was also intrigued by the chef adding radicchio, which I like a lot but has a slightly bitter taste. It worked brilliantly set against the sweetness of the fish and tomatoes; a completely divine and glorious dish. I tasted the crepes which were delicious and surprisingly light – stuffed crepes can be quite heavy – and Jonathan said his veal was excellent.

We hardly needed dessert – but how could we resist? Lyndsey and I – being girls! – went for the chocolate option: Chocolate and Praline Panna Cotta with Roasted Hazelnuts, Chocolate Sauce and Cream, while Jonathan chose Apple Fritters with Cinnamon Sugar and Cream.

The panna cotta was a heavenly concoction of chocolate and praline: it was a bit like a big praline chocolate but with a lighter, more mousse-like texture, and a full, rich flavour. The fritters were good too … but I’m a chocolate girl.

A Cena’s Sunday lunch is really fabulous and, I think, good value for food of this quality. At the end, we got talking to a couple at the next table who go often and travel 35 miles from Marlow for it. The bill for the three of us, 3-course Sunday lunch menu at £25 each plus two bottles of mineral water, three glasses of prosecco, one bottle of wine and two coffees came to £133 before tip.

Can’t wait to go back … well, my birthday and April isn’t so far away …

See also Tim Healy of A Cena’s Top Ten Cookery Books and A Cena’s Panino Bar

I know that I’m guilty of sometimes turning my nose up at short cuts, criticising the inglorious stock cube for instance, but sometimes short cuts have their place and really will do as well. I couldn’t buy a box of dried puy lentils one day in the supermarket so settled – rather uncertainly, it has to be said – for some ready-to-eat ones. Well, they were Merchant Gourmet and their foods are very good. And it turned out, so were these puy lentils; they were very good indeed. I was wanting to serve them with some salmon, remembering a lovely Jamie Oliver dish I used to cook a lot years ago – and that’s when I discovered my The Return of the Naked Chef had gone AWOL, and since I believe no cookery shelf should be without a copy, I ordered another (used) hardback copy from Amazon. In the end, I didn’t really do Jamie’s dish, but the idea of serving the salmon with puy lentils started with his recipe, as is the dollop of natural yogurt on the lentils at the end.

It was one of those occasions when a seed of an idea takes shape as you go and there I was, thinking, how about some celery? How about some balsamic vinegar? I think I’ll use red onions. And the following is what emerged from my kitchen. My daughter Nicola was around and loved it and I instantly bought another pack of ready-to-eat puy lentils and have been meaning to make it again. This makes plenty – certainly enough for 4 – but it’s great cold as well. And I guess, lentils being so good for you, it could be a meal all on its own.

Puy Lentils with Tomatoes, Red Onion, Herbs & Balsamic

Finely chop a medium red onion and put in an ovenproof dish. Chop a stick of celery (about 5mm pieces) and add to the onion. Chop about 200g tomatoes. I had lovely little baby plum ones, which are ideal for this dish; cut them into halves or quarters, depending how small they are.  Add these to the other ingredients with 1 thinly sliced garlic clove. Now add some herbs. It really depends what you have to hand and – it being winter – my fresh herb supply is limited but I put in some fresh thyme that I have growing in a pot on the windowsill and a little chopped basil. I also added some dried oregano – I had a big pot growing in the garden last summer and dried some as autumn was setting in. The smell and taste are wonderful. Now, pour over a reasonable glug of olive oil – maybe 4-6 tablespoons – season with salt and pepper and give everything a nice gentle mix with your hands. Put in a 200C/180Fan oven for about 20 minutes. Stir a couple of times as it cooks as it’s best not to let edges of the vegetables burn. When it looks as if the onion is soft and the tomatoes are slightly breaking apart, gently stir in 1 packet (250g) ready-to-eat puy lentils. Put back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes; just enough time for the lentils to warm through. Take from the oven and sprinkle over a little balsamic vinegar and stir.

I served with some roasted salmon and spooned just a little natural yogurt over the lentils. The lentils have a wonderful deep earthy flavour; there’s the sweetness of the vegetables; a slight bite to the celery, and the balsamic cuts through making an almost sweet-sour taste.