Beetroot and Yoghurt Dip with Za’atar

I love beetroot in any form - it is probably my favourite root vegetable, as it is so versatile and combines beautifully with many other ingredients. For a while, I was obsessed with finding great beetroot dip recipes. There is something about the vibrant, magenta colour of a beetroot dip that is just so appealing – it calls out to you, just asking to be scooped up with your crudités of choice, again and again and again. After several experiments, with several recipes, I have finally settled on this one, from Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi's beautiful book, Jerusalem -a purée of beetroot lightened with Greek yoghurt and perfumed with za'atar - as my favourite.

Pesto and Pasta alla Genovese

We are having bright, hot, sunny days in Colombo, and my herb garden is thriving. Without exaggeration, I have a forest of basil on my rooftop right now. Ok, so that’s a slight exaggeration… 12 pots do not quite a forest make. I’ve been growing basil in my little potted herb garden since we moved into our place in Colombo – it is a delightful plant to grow, mainly because it requires very little care to do well. A cool drink every day and plenty of sunshine and it grows faster than my toddlers. As a relatively inexperienced herb-gardener, the abundance of basil didn’t always send me into a pesto-making frenzy. In the early days, I was so thrilled that my herbs were not just surviving but actually thriving, that I naively refrained from too much pruning. This was a mistake because the more vigorously one prunes basil, the more verdant and lush it grows. I now prune enthusiastically, which means that I have a constant, fresh supply of these fragrant, emerald leaves to hand.

Florentines

Florentines were one of the first biscuits I ever made, very early on in my baking career. The recipe was from one of the first volumes in my cookbook collection, Essential Baking, presented to me by my sister-in-law and brother-in-law. I have been making Florentines from this recipe for over 12 years, but thought I should probably do some research before baking and writing about them for this post. And I’m glad I did, because I’ve learned a few things… first, despite its name, this lovely biscuit is more of a French confection than an Italian one.

Amaretto Ice Cream with Stewed Balsamic Blueberries and Almond Bread

Did I mention earlier that making home made ice cream can become something of a compulsive habit? In case anyone doubts the truth of that statement, here I am again with another post on ice cream. The stuff is so moreish, so highly addictive, that I am of the firm opinion that domestic ice cream machines should come with a health warning.