Table of contents for October 2019 in Delicious UK

Simple but stunning: this version of medovik (a classic Russian biscuit cake) features a filling of condensed milk and double cream sandwiched between discs of cookie-like honey cake Vanilla & chocolate shortbread pinwheels MAKES 22-25. HANDS-ON TIME 45 MIN, OVEN TIME 15-18 MIN, PLUS CHILLING MAKE AHEAD Chill the dough at the end of step 5 for up to 3 days, then complete the recipe to serve. The baked shortbread pinwheels will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Freeze the unbaked dough, well wrapped, for up to 1 month. Defrost fully overnight in the fridge, then finish as in step 6. FOR THE VANILLA SHORTBREAD • 200g plain flour, plus extra to dust • 25g rice flour • 3 tbsp Billington’s unrefined golden caster sugar •…

SUBJECT: A FAR CRY FROM SEMOLINA FROM: KIRSTEN I’d previously failed to persuade my husband that polenta was nothing like his schoolboy memories of ‘frogspawn’ semolina puddings, but Gill Meller’s roast tomatoes and aubergines with wet polenta [Aug, p42] did the trick. It was made with heritage tomatoes from our ‘local’ greengrocer (eight miles from home in rural Wales). He asked: “When are we having it again?” What YOU’VE been making... @catching.crumbs Tahini, brown butter and sea salt blondies JOIN OUR NEW READER PANEL and have more of a say in your favourite magazine. From time to time, we’ll email you to ask you to take part in surveys on various aspects of the magazine, website, podcast and more. SIGN UP AT deliciousmagazine.co.uk/readerpanel Share The Love! Pull out your pans…

1449 George Plantagenet was born on 21 October. He was a key figure in the War of the Roses but met a sticky end in his late 20s. Accused of treason against his brother, King Edward IV, he reputedly drowned in a butt of malmsey wine. 1889 The Moulin Rouge cabaret opened in Paris on 6 October and the champagne flowed freely. So freely, in fact, that the club earned a Guinness World Record for getting through 240,000 bottles of fizz every year. 1952 Tea rationing came to an end, allowing Brits to enjoy unlimited cuppas for the first time in 12 years – good news for a nation that then consumed a third of all the tea produced in the world. 1966 On 10 October, Simon & Garfunkel released…

PHOTOGRAPHS: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES THE MISSION: TO SHOW THE WORLD THAT DAIRY FARMING CAN BE DIFFERENT Intensive dairy farming typically involves calves being separated from their mothers shortly after birth. The Ethical Dairy is an organic farm that does things differently: their ‘cow with calf’ system allows the calves to stay with their mothers for five to six months. For the first two months they’re together 24 hours a day, but then the calves act like teenagers, playing with their pals and only coming back to their mothers for food. WHAT DOES THE ETHICAL DAIRY DO? The farm had been making cheese for 100 years, but that ended in the 1970s when milk production became the focus. More recently, the Finlays reverted to cheesemaking and now make several styles, from semi-hard…

The blue, green and black Fairtrade logo was first launched 25 years ago, and there are now 4,500 products on shop shelves that meet the charity’s social, economic and environmental standards. More than 1.6 million producers of coffee, tea, cocoa, bananas, wine, flowers, cotton and other products worldwide benefit from Fairtrade. To mark the anniversary, from 4 October, Fairtrade communities around the globe will be throwing local parties and UK campaigners will be holding Make your Mark Count events. To find out how your school, university or workplace can join in, visit fairtrade.org.uk…

How do you decide what to buy? Everything you see and read about here has been chosen from the hundreds of products we see, test and try out. Only the most useful, most beautiful and best value for money make the final cut BALANCED BEAUTIES I’ve fallen for these slender new Elgin carafes from Dartington Crystal. The stopper is just a swirl-filled glass sphere that rests on top, so take care when removing it to pour. From £65, dartington.co.uk (P&P free) THIS MONTH I’M DRINKING… Don Papa Sevillana cask-finish rum from the Phillippines. It’s made in small batches and is a limited edition, so get it before it goes. With hints of orange and sherry (lent by the casks in which the rum is aged), Don Papa is smooth yet spicy.…

Leek, potato and horseradish macaroni cheese SERVES 6. HANDS-ON TIME 30 MIN, OVEN TIME 30 MIN • 300g macaroni pasta • 50g unsalted butter • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil • 2 leeks, thinly sliced • 2 large desiree potatoes, peeled and coarsely grated • 35g plain flour • 300ml single cream • 400ml semi-skimmed milk • 2 tbsp grated fresh horseradish (or use hot horseradish sauce) • 8 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves picked from half • 150g vegetarian mature cheddar or gruyère, coarsely grated • 125g mozzarella ball, torn YOU’LL ALSO NEED... • 1.5 litre baking dish 1 Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C/ gas 6. Cook the pasta in a large pan of salted water according to the pack instructions. Drain well, then set aside to cool. 2 Meanwhile,…

ILLUSTRATIONS: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES I’m going to tell you something now that marks me – just as surely as my abiding passion for pashminas and my unbreakable habit of calling running ‘jogging’ – as being deeply unfashionable. But we’re friends, so I guess it’ll be okay. My secret is this: I don’t like eating out alone. I don’t mean the odd sandwich or coffee while I scroll through Twitter and eavesdrop on the conversations of others (heartbreak on table four, job interview at table five, show-offs at tables two, eight and nine). I’m talking about the full-on, linen-and-silverware, fine-foods-of-many-nations dining alone experience. However frequently I read elegantly illustrated features about sistas eating out for themselves – claiming their space, saying, “Take THAT, patriarchy; I’ll have the entrecôte” – I’d just rather…

Honey and bay quince jellies with star anise crumble “Like wild mushrooms, quinces are one of the joys of October. Occasionally mistaken for pears, they have a bright daffodil-yellow skin which, when the fruit is picked from the tree, has a fine downy covering of fuzz. Quinces vary in size and shape, but they’re nearly always hard as a stone, so it pays to cook them before you try to eat them – plus the sharp flavour is offset and enhanced by cooking with the sweetness of honey or sugar.Gentle simmering renders the tough but richly aromatic quinces beautifully tender. After cooking and cooling, I keep the fruit in the fridge under their sweet poaching syrup – great for a speedy breakfast with natural yogurt and granola.One of the best…

PHOTOGRAPHS: THEO WARGO, NICK BEARDSHAW, GETTY IMAGES “Delia is a hero. Her cookbooks were the first ones I ever read and they were my mum’s go-to cooking bibles – they were covered in grease, flour and little scribbles. Every single recipe worked correctly. Her TV style is exceptional: everything filmed pretty much in one take, simply explained and cooked perfectly. Delia showed us how a little bit of effort can go a long way to creating great food. She was a pioneer.” FAVOURITE DELIA RECIPE “I’m forever thankful for her choux pastry recipe.”…

“When I was in my teens and early 20s, my maternal grandmother and I used to collect recipes and swap them – many of our treasures came from Delia recipes cut out from the Evening Standard. My favourite, and I cook it still, is Delia’s kidneys stroganoff from Frugal Food. It’s a budget-friendly, full-flavoured recipe that I started cooking regularly in my student years and could probably cook in my sleep. It reminds me of my grandmother and takes me back to those early days when I was first learning how exciting it could be to try new flavours and dishes and build a repertoire. And I am just one of the millions she had this effect on. Thank you, Delia!” •What does Delia mean to you? Email info@deliciousmagazine.co.uk and tell…

“Fathers and daughters share a bond made in heaven. My dad inspired me in many ways, and I thank him each day for my passion for work and life. His joie de vivre was hard to beat. He encouraged me to try anything once, and never to miss out on an opportunity in life.Dad relished my mother’s culinary skills, and our large dining table in Karachi, where I grew up, was always laden with good food, accompanied by friends and family to share it all with.Like many Parsi families, we’ve been blessed with the ‘cooking gene’. My aunt Villie, now 88, has been my guru of encouragement ever since my dad passed away 28 years ago – sadly rather young. She still teaches and bakes, which is what keeps her…

Put 2 large free-range egg whites in a mixing bowl, then whisk to stiff peaks with an electric mixer. Mix 60g caster sugar with 60g icing sugar in a small bowl. Whisk the sugars into the egg whites, 1 tbsp at a time, whisking back to stiff peaks after each addition until the sugar has dissolved (the meringue won’t feel grainy), then transfer to a piping bag. Pipe about 20 ghosts onto a baking sheet lined with non-stick baking paper, then bake at 120°C/ 100°C fan/ gas ½ for 1½ hours until crisp. Cool the ghosts, then pipe faces on with melted dark chocolate (or use a writing icing pen).…

ILLUSTRATION: iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES The soft, buttery texture and sweet-edged flavour of squash (including pumpkins) needs a gentle, juicy wine – avoid anything too crisp and sharp or tannic and oaky. Lighter dishes such as squash soup, gnocchi or risotto work brilliantly with a ripe, rounded white like a chardonnay or viognier. Make it a French chardonnay, though – a New World wine is too strongly flavoured. A Burgundian or Pays d’Oc style is spot on. If you prefer a red, plump for a light, fresh-tasting one – Italy’s marzemino, frappato or bardolino would complement squash roasted with garlic and herbs. Pumpkin pie (see p46 for a recipe) calls for a drink with enough sweetness to balance out the dish. Here you can play safe with a golden dessert wine (Aussie…

RECIPE AND FOOD STYLING: SOPHIE AUSTEN-SMITH. PHOTOGRAPH: SAM STOWELL. STYLING: DAVINA PERKINS Creamy tarragon chicken casserole SERVES 8 (OR TWO BATCHES FOR 4). HANDS-ON TIME 30 MIN, OVEN TIME 1 HOUR • 2 tbsp olive oil • 12 free-range skinless, boneless chicken thighs, halved • 200g smoked bacon lardons • 300g baby shallots, peeled and trimmed • 3 celery sticks, finely chopped • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped • 30g plain flour • 200ml dry white wine • 500g baby potatoes, halved if large • 800ml chicken stock • 2 tbsp dijon mustard • 3 tbsp crème fraîche • 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh tarragon YOU’LL ALSO NEED… • Flameproof casserole with a lid 1 Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/ gas 4. Heat the oil in the casserole over…

Kung pao cauliflower SERVES 2. HANDS-ON TIME 10 MIN, OVEN TIME 25 MIN RECIPE AND FOOD STYLING: SOPHIE AUSTEN-SMITH. PHOTOGRAPH: CLARE WINFIELD. STYLING: LUIS PERAL MAKE AHEAD Make the sauce up to a few hours ahead and keep covered in the fridge. NEXT TIME Try this sauce with tofu or sliced chicken breast (if you’re not vegan/vegetarian). • A few sprays Frylight Vegetable Oil (from large supermarkets) • 1 small cauliflower, trimmed and cut into 1.5cm thick slices • ½-1 tsp sichuan peppercorns (from large supermarkets), roughly crushed in a mortar and pestle • 2 garlic cloves, crushed • 3cm piece fresh ginger • 2 spring onions, white and green parts sliced separately • 2-3 dried red chillies (optional) • 1 tbsp tamari (check it’s gluten-free, if necessary) • 2…

Peanut butter and purple sprouting broccoli pad thai SERVES 4. HANDS-ON TIME 30 MIN “In the late 1930s, Thailand’s prime minister held a public competition to find a new national dish. The winning entry combined rice noodles, vegetables, peanuts, shrimp and egg. It was named ‘pad thai’ in a bid to promote ‘Thai-ness’ (pad means ‘stir-fry’). This vegan interpretation celebrates the original while bringing in something new in the form of purple sprouting broccoli.” KNOWHOW Brown rice syrup is used here as a sugar alternative. Or use agave syrup instead. MEERA’S TIPS Buy sprouting broccoli with thin, tender stalks, rather than fat, woody ones. Rice noodles are fragile, so be gentle with them. Pad thai is best eaten with as many garnishes as possible. Feel free to customise yours with…

Quinces look like hard, yellow elongated apples. They will keep for at least a couple of weeks in the kitchen, filling the room with their perfume. When raw, the flesh is inedibly hard, pale and sour, but when you cook it with sugar it turns soft, fragrant and deep garnet in colour. To make quince cheese (membrillo), chop the quinces – skin, seeds and all – put in a large pan with cold water to cover, then bubble until the fruit collapses. Push through a sieve into a bowl (discard the solids). Weigh the purée, then mix it with 450g caster sugar to 600ml purée. Put in a heavy-based pan over a gentle heat, then cook slowly, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until the mixture leaves a clear line…

SUSTAINABILITY They’re usually caught using a weighted longline with hooks at invervals, which trails along behind the boat, or by trawling. Buying wild fish caught using a hand line, which has a low impact on the seabed and other sealife, is the best choice. Turbot are also farmed, in Spain and elsewhere, and the aquaculture system is good, with a low environmental impact. Farmed turbot are currently green-listed (‘best choice’) with the Marine Conservation Society (MCS). WHAT TO LOOK FOR Second only in size to the huge halibut, turbot are available from 1-5kg (although larger fish appear at Billingsgate). Most landed wild fish end up on restaurant menus although good fishmongers do sell it. Best quality fish will be firm to the touch and smell of ozone. Once landed, a…

I peel ginger with a teaspoon to make sure only the very outer skin is removed, as the most nutritious part sits just below the skin. See delicious. kitchen to find out how. Taste your chillies beforehand to check how hot they are before using, then adjust according to your preference. If you don’t like food too spicy, you can remove and discard the seeds before chopping. Keep an eye on the pan when toasting spices; if they burn they will make the dish taste bitter. Be sure to cut the potatoes into small chunks – see [C] – otherwise they won’t become tender in the short cooking time. Don’t overcrowd the pan when frying. If you add too many pakoras at one time, they will cool the oil and…

WEEKLIGHT Food and style legend Donna Hay creates food that looks and tastes fabulous but is incredibly simple to make. Her new book moves veg to centre stage with recipes that are nutritious and delicious. Many are meat free, too. Fourth Estate £20; out 3 Oct GREENFEAST: AUTUMN, WINTER Nigel’s latest, the partner to Greenfeast: Spring, Summer, released in May, is all about seasonal flavours and simplicity. Meat/fish-free recipes focus on just three ingredients and are quick to make. A midweek essential. Fourth Estate £22; out 3 Oct ONE POT FEEDS ALL Practicality and ease figure large in the newest book from Darina Allen of the famous Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland. Eggs, poultry, meat, fish, veg and sweet things – all get Darina’s one-pot treatment and all are the…

We’ve used Billington’s unrefined cane sugars in our test kitchen for all the recipes in this special collection – they are the delicious. team’s sugars of choice. Billington’s sugar has been carefully produced to lock in, rather than refine out, the natural molasses of the sugar cane. That’s what gives Billington’s sugar its unique richness, depth of flavour and natural colour. The sugars are produced in association with the Mauritian Sugar Syndicate to make sure they are all ethically sourced and traded fairly, and the returns have increased the income of the thousands of small cane growers in Mauritius. 1 Dark muscovado Intense and almost fruity in flavour – ideal for dark chocolate cakes, fruit cakes and rich brownies. 2 Barista sugar for coffee A crunchy style of sugar with…

PHOTOGRAPHS: TREVOR LEIGHTON,CORNELIA WEBER/TAVERNE AGENCY It was a day I won’t forget. Back in March, Delia got in touch to say she’d just picked up a copy of delicious. and read it from cover to cover. “I love it,” she said. “It has its own lively personality. It somehow reaches the reader and makes them feel included.” It took me a while to recover after reading that. First of all, I’ve always seen Delia as my own secret adviser in the kitchen (that’s how, through her books, she managed to make us all feel, wasn’t it?). Second, she understood our delicious. goals so well: inclusivity, warmth, inspiration and the passing on of skills – never in a bossy way. That was just the beginning. There was a lunch. A visit…

STAR EMAIL FROM: CLAIRE BURR As a food teacher of 22 years, I’m proud of our role in promoting food to young people. Ms Robinson has taken isolated points and mistakenly applied them as fact across the country. Teachers have to consider a number of factors regarding recipes: 1) Lesson time: some schools have reduced lesson time significantly, so teachers have to simplify recipes to focus on a specific skill. Being asked to bring in tinned fruit for a crumble may have meant the focus of the lesson was teaching how to rub in. In a 50-minute lesson, most students would not be able to weigh out, rub in, prepare fruit, cook, clear up and be ready for their next class; hence the use of prepared fruit. 2) Over-reliance on…

THE WOODSMAN Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire  thewoodsmanrestaurant.co.uk Price: about £40 (three-course dinner excluding drinks) WHO A collaboration between chef Mike Robinson (right), co-owner of the excellent Harwood Arms in Fulham, and Hotel Indigo, a boutique brand from the Intercontinental Hotel Group. THE SETTING An ancient half-timbered building – all flagstones, beams and panelling – gives way to a light extension dominated by an open kitchen around a wood-fired oven. THE DISHES Roast venison and beef are the stars of a menu that combines Robinson’s love of traditional cooking methods with impeccable sourcing. Try a pavé of 40-day-aged Hereford beef, its superb flavour enhanced by a meaty faggot and a ‘dirty mash’, heavy with butter and topped with deer biltong shavings. Sunday lunch might feature slow-cooked muntjac shoulder for two – and there’s a…

Restaurateur James Ramsden rounds up the best of London’s Lusitanian offerings After what seems like a long time coming, Portuguese food is finally building some momentum in London. The more cynical might put the delay down to the fact that it’s a cuisine that’s not necessarily easy to ‘get’. While Portugal’s food has plenty of homely, rustic, robust flavours, it arguably lacks the easy wins found in France, Spain and Italy (apart from those delightful little pasteis de nata, above – now there’s an easy win). Key ingredients such as salt cod, potato, cabbage, beans and sardines don’t necessarily have you googling ‘Portuguese restaurants near me’. I’m being reductive, of course. In reality there’s so much more than that. Find out for yourself at some of London’s finest, such as…

FARMING LAD I still live on my parents’ farm in Yorkshire, and it influences my approach to cooking and to life. It’s about seasons and anticipation: what will we use for the menu, what will we preserve for winter? CRACKING EGGS My mum used to run a successful B&B in the farmhouse, and Dad was in charge of our farm eggs for breakfast – he would crack them open into different saucers and grade them for freshness and plumpness: the perfect ones for poaching, less perfect for frying, the rest for making cakes. Both my parents try very, very hard at all they do and that was instilled in me from a young age. DISCOVERING MY CALLING I left school at 17. I’d had lots of health problems, I was…

“Tea-making is a decorative and happy process” JAN OLLIS started her small-scale tea cosy and knitting business, Chi-Chi Moi, in Somerset around 15 years ago. A cuppa is generally on the go. delicious. STAR HOW IT ALL BEGAN I took a degree in fashion and textiles as a mature student and although I didn’t use it directly, I did start designing my own knitting patterns to make tea cosies. The first I made just for myself – a Fair Isle pattern with hearts on. Now I do the designs, a colleague knits up the first cosy and a small group of women make the rest. With the best will in the world, the cosies all turn out a bit different because everyone has their own knitting style. We make tea…

RECIPE INSPIRED BY JULIA CHILD. PHOTOGRAPH: ALEX LUCK. FOOD STYLING: SOPHIE AUSTEN-SMITH. STYLING: VICTORIA ELDRIDGE THE PLOT DIGESTED The movie is adapted from an early 1930s German film made in those louche Weimar days depicted in Cabaret . Impoverished singer Victoria Grant (Julie Andrews) cooks up a scheme with the equally broke cabaret star Toddy (Robert Preston) – Victoria will become Count Victor, a Polish drag queen new to the Paris scene. All goes swimmingly until King Marchand (James Garner) turns up to book acts for his Chicago nightclub, and gender becomes a bit of an issue. WHY KAY LOVES THIS FILM There’s so much to enjoy: Andrews’ display of Garbo-esque cheekbones; Garner learning tolerance of others’ sexuality; some typical wordplay comedy from director Blake Edwards. But the star turn…

For a deep savoury flavour, use porcini – fresh or dried Chanterelles add a mildly fruity note to dishes and will last for up to 10 days in the fridge Chestnut mushroom and red wine soup SERVES 4. HANDS-ON TIME 30 MIN, SIMMERING TIME 10 MIN MAKE AHEAD Make to the end of step 2, then cool, cover and keep in the fridge, or freeze in containers for up to 2 months and defrost overnight in the fridge. Serve the soup as in step 3. • 40g unsalted butter • 1 tbsp light olive oil • 4 shallots, finely chopped • 700g chestnut mushrooms (or use a selection of your favourites), sliced • 3 fresh thyme sprigs, plus extra to serve • 3 garlic cloves, crushed • 500ml red wine…

1 Add wedges of quince to a simmering lamb tagine laced with saffron and dried apricots. The sharpness of the quince cuts through the richness of the meat and adds a fantastic fruitiness to the dish. Finish with honey and fresh coriander. 2 Quinces make a glorious tarte tatin. I like to add soft brown sugar, butter and fresh thyme. 3 Use quinces to make a type of ceviche – the fruit’s acidic flesh has a similar effect to citrus on raw fish. Peel and finely grate a little of the flesh and combine with the raw fish (use the best quality you can), lemon juice, sugar, salt, mint, coriander and chopped red chilli.…

EDITOR KAREN “The magic method of freezing butter, wrapping the end in foil, then grating it into flour to make the lightest flaky pastry… So clever.” FOOD EDITOR JEN “All-in-one white sauce – it tastes the same and is a brilliant timesaver.” DEPUTY EDITOR SUSAN “How to make mayonnaise in a mini food processor – it’s foolproof.” PUBLISHING DIRECTOR ADRIENNE “Don’t waste time washing lettuce unless it’s really muddy from your garden.” DEPUTY CHIEF SUB-EDITOR HUGH “If things go wrong when you’re making jam and it hasn’t set, tip the whole lot back into the pan and boil again with the juice of a small lemon.” EDITORIAL DIRECTOR JO “I find risottos a bit of a faff, but Delia’s baked mushroom version works its magic in the oven without endless…

1 She caused a national shortage of cranberries when she used them in a recipe in 1995. 2 ‘The Delia effect’ was added to Collins English Dictionary in 2001: ‘The Delia effect occurs when millions seek out an ingredient or piece of equipment she has recommended.’ 3 Her favourite TV show? Breaking Bad. “It was horrific, it was funny – all the clever things.” 4 As a child she used to go to the cinema on her own, watch the film, then buy a bag of chips, go back to the cinema and watch the next film until words came across the screen saying ‘Would Delia Smith please leave the cinema and come and meet her mother.’ 5 Favourite film and film director: Joseph Losey and his classic movie The…

RECIPES PHOEBE WOOD PHOTOGRAPHS CHRIS COURT RECIPE AND FOOD STYLING: OLIVIA SPURRELL. PHOTOGRAPH: MIKE ENGLISH. STYLING: DAVINA PERKINS Chocolate fudge pecan pie SERVES 12. HANDS-ON TIME 45 MIN, OVEN TIME 1 HOUR 40-55 MIN, PLUS CHILLING AND 4 HOURS RESTING MAKE AHEAD Make the pie up to 2 days ahead. Keep in an airtight container in a cool place. KNOWHOW Adding a little vinegar to the dough slows the development of gluten in the pastry, giving a more crumbly result. FOR THE PASTRY • 300g plain flour, plus extra to dust • 50g good-quality cocoa powder • 55g caster sugar • 200g unsalted butter, chilled and chopped • 2 tsp cider vinegar • 100ml iced water FOR THE PECAN CHOCOLATE FILLING • 4 large free-range eggs, at room temperature •…

Spinach and ricotta cannelloni SERVES 6. HANDS-ON TIME 20 MIN, OVEN TIME 35-40 MIN, SIMMERING TIME 20 MIN RECIPE: OLIVIA SPURRELL. PHOTOGRAPH: ALICIA TAYLOR. STYLING: KIRSTEN JENKINS MAKE AHEAD Assemble 1-2 days ahead, cover and keep in the fridge. Bake from chilled until piping hot throughout to serve. • 500g frozen chopped spinach • 1 tbsp olive oil • 2 garlic cloves, crushed • 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes • 1 tsp dried oregano (or use fresh if you have some) • Grated zest and juice ½ lemon • 1 large free-range egg • 25g parmesan or vegetarian alternative, grated • 250g ricotta • 150g cannelloni pasta tubes • 400g firm cooking mozzarella, sliced (we used Galbani) YOU’LL ALSO NEED… • Large piping bag with a wide nozzle; medium…

Harissa-spiced meatballs with houmous and pomegranate seeds SERVES 4. HANDS-ON TIME 30 MIN In a bowl, mix 500g turkey mince, 1 tbsp harissa paste, 2 chopped banana shallots, 1 crushed garlic clove, 40g fresh breadcrumbs and 1 medium free-range egg with salt and pepper. Shape into 16 meatballs. Heat a glug of oil in a large non-stick frying pan, then fry the meatballs for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through. Meanwhile, put 200g couscous in a heatproof bowl. Pour over 200ml boiling water. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes, then fluff up with a fork. Spoon the couscous onto a platter, top with the meatballs, then drizzle with 100g houmous, mixed with water as needed. Sprinkle with 40g toasted pine nuts, a handful of fresh…

THE MEDIC’S VIEW BY TIM SPECTOR “We’re waking up to the fact that, when it comes to nutrition, one size doesn’t fit all” There’s a lot of talk about what a healthy diet looks like – from standard nutritional guidelines to media-friendly mantras from glamorous Instagram gurus. But we all have our own taste when it comes to food, so it makes intuitive sense that our individual metabolisms should be different too. Now the scientific world is starting to catch up, and evidence is emerging to prove this is true. Together with researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in the US and the company ZOE (joinzoe.com), my team at King’s College London recently announced the first results from PREDICT – the largest intervention study of its kind ever carried out. We…

The correct oven temperature is fundamental to successful baking. Some ovens can be as much as 20-30°C off kilter, as we discovered with one of the four ovens in our test kitchen a while back – which would have been a disaster for testing the recipes in our Collector’s Edition (between p74-75). You can buy an oven thermometer for as little as £5 from kitchenware shops (Tala makes a good one – £6 at dunelm.com). TEMPERATURE TOO HIGH Biscuits will be crisper, more golden and at risk of burning. TEMPERATURE TOO LOW The bake will be delicate and pale, and the biscuits soft.…

ILLUSTRATIONS: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES. FOOD PHOTOGRAPH: KATE WHITAKER FOR HALLOUMI Cut into 1cm thick slices, then pat dry with kitchen paper. Fry in a dry (without oil) non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Give the halloumi 1-2 minutes until it turns crisp and brown, then flip using a spatula and brown the other side. Serve immediately (otherwise it goes rubbery). FOR FETA Feta becomes unmanageably soft if fried without a coating. Dip in beaten egg, then coat in flour or breadcrumbs and shallow fry in olive oil until crisp on both sides. THE SIMPLE RECIPE FRIED CHEESE WITH GREEN SAUCE In a mini blender, combine 3 parts fresh parsley leaves with 1 part each fresh basil and mint leaves. Add 1 crushed garlic clove, a splash of red wine vinegar…

DRIZZLE into soups and stews for a tart finish. JAZZ UP salad dressing by whisking with extra-virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. GIVE YOUR G&T A TWIST by stirring a few drops into the gin. Serve over ice with Mediterranean tonic and a slice of lime. BRUSH OVER roast pork, lamb or sausages as a glaze at the end of cooking for a sticky, sweet finishing touch. MAKE A CLASSIC creamy houmous or a rich muhammara dip with roasted red peppers and walnuts, then drizzle with the syrup and scatter with toasted pine nuts and chopped fresh parsley.…

RECIPE: BALLINTAGGART COOKERY SCHOOL. PHOTOGRAPHS: ALECIA WOOD. FOOD PHOTOGRAPH: CLARE WINFIELD. FOOD STYLING: OLIVIA SPURRELL. STYLING: LUIS PERAL THE COOKERY SCHOOL WHERE The Cook School by Ballintaggart; ballintaggart.com THE COURSE Soufflé Mini Masterclass (£45 per person for a two-hour class, including tastings of the dishes cooked) TESTED BY Alecia Wood THE SETTING It’s beautiful. A converted stone farmhouse, Ballintaggart Farm is a boutique bed and breakfast, restaurant and cookery school in Perthshire’s Tay Valley. Opened in 2016 by husband-and-wife team Chris and Rachel Rowley, the school offers mini masterclasses on bread, pasta and soufflés, plus longer weekend courses on subjects such as fish, baking and winter entertaining. Chris and a number of Ballintaggart’s chefs studied at London’s Leiths School of Food & Wine, and classes meld classic techniques with ingredients…

When you consider Italy’s foodie hotspots, you might think of Emilia-Romagna with its ragùs, hams and cheeses; Tuscany with its olive oil, bread and chianti; or Puglia for its seafood. But how about Piedmont, in the foothills of the Alps? As I discovered, it has a good claim to be the king of them all. Here’s why... IT HAS BEAUTIFUL HILLTOP VILLAGES Those in the know call Piedmont ‘Tuscany without the crowds’. In most villages you’ll find at least one good trattoria where you can enjoy the region’s classic dishes, such as egg-rich tajarin, the local golden ribbon pasta, with sage butter; vitello tonnato (see p136); and carne crudo, which translates unsexily as ‘raw meat’ and is indeed a chopped pile of veal, adorned merely with olive oil, a squeeze…

A shopper standing in the supermarket meat and dairy section can be overwhelmed by confusing and misleading labels. Phrases like ‘all natural’ and ‘farm fresh’ give the impression that animals are treated well on farms, but these terms have no legal definition – they’re meaningless. To add to the confusion, there’s another factor at play. Some products have packaging designed to give an impression of high-welfare farming: images of green fields, trees, outdoor scenes, cosy family farms, happy animals… At best this packaging gives an unclear impression. At worst it’s misleading, presenting a factory-farmed product – from an animal confined indoors throughout its life or crammed into a barren cage, unable to express natural behaviours, for example – as coming from a higher-welfare system. ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES Understandably, many consumers…

Waste not… Nearly a decade ago delicious. began its We Love Knobbly Veg campaign to challenge stores to sell less-than-perfect fresh produce. The initiative was largely ignored. How times have changed – and now chef Tristan Welch (left) has launched Rubbish Cooks, a series of supper clubs at his Parker’s Tavern restaurant in Cambridge. Guests pay a £20 cover charge – £5 of which will be donated to charity Jimmy’s Night Shelter – and everything on the three-course menu will be what’s normally considered ‘waste’, transformed by Tristan’s expertise. Go, Tristan! Bookings: enquiries@ parkerstavern.com THE SUPER-EASY RECIPE Sticky salted caramel apples SERVES 4. READY IN 10 MIN Melt 30g unsalted butter in a non-stick frying pan. Once the butter is foaming, add 2 peeled, cored and sliced apples, then fry,…

Running out of space on your kitchen bookshelf? If so, ckbk.com could be the answer… Launched following a Kickstarter campaign, the site brings together the content of more than 350 cookbooks (80,000-plus recipes), including many classics and reference titles from authors including Jamie Oliver, Harold McGee and Marcella Hazan. Premium membership, with unlimited access to content, costs £8.99 per month, while free membership allows access to three recipes per month. It’s a great resource for book recommendations – to completely fill that shelf.…

10 tantalising brain teasers 1 Which of these red wines is made from nebbiolo grapes? a) Chianti b) Barolo c) Montepulciano 2 The flatiron steak comes from where on a cow? a) Leg b) Diaphragm c) Shoulder 3 In the 19th century, what was the most important export for the US (by value) after cotton? a) Whale oil b) Ice c) Coca cola 4 In which UK county were turkeys bred almost exclusively before the 20th century? a) Somerset b) Kent c) Norfolk 5 In the 1950s we ate around 1kg of chicken per person per year in the UK. Roughly how much do we eat today per person? a) 10kg b)25kg c) 50kg 6 Commercial canning of food started in 1813. In which decade was the tin opener invented?…

THE FLAVOUR-PACKED ONE New from Odysea, this Roasted Red Pepper & Feta Meze is wonderful as a dip, or spread on slices of toasted mini baguette for an easy canapé. Look out for the aubergine meze and nocellara olives, too. £2.89 for 220g, odysea.com THE SWEET ONE Bonne Maman is my go-to jam because I love its fruitiness and soft set. Now there’s a chilled rice pudding, and it’s a petite single pot of a treat. Riz au Lait, £2.50 for four, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrison’s, Waitrose and Asda THE NUTTY ONE You need to try Whole Earth’s peanut butter with crunchy toasted hazelnuts. It’s less claggy than all-peanut butter and is made with nothing but nuts and a little sustainable palm oil. £3.49 for a 340g jar, Waitrose…

“ There’s something about yielding tender meat and crunchy crackling – two elements that make a juicy pork roast irresistible. Here I’ve partnered it with the last of summer’s figs, seasonal pears and, for good measure, a glug of dry sherry. I hope you’ll love it.”JEN BEDLOE, FOOD EDITOR Roast pork belly with figs, pears and sherry SERVES 6-8. HANDS-ON TIME 20 MIN, OVEN TIME 4-4½ HOURS, PLUS OVERNIGHT CHILLING FOOD TEAM’S TIP See delicious. Kitchen for tips on how to perfect your crackling. • 1.5kg British free-range pork belly, on the bone, skin scored (ask your butcher to do this – see tip) • 2 tsp caraway seeds • Large pinch dried chilli flakes • A few thyme sprigs, leaves picked • 1 tsp sea salt flakes • 2…

“If I had to pick a time of year to give an award to in my own ‘best produce’ category, October would be it. The colours, textures and flavours never cease to bring me joy. Creamy, versatile pumpkins and squash, earthy beets and celeriac, sweet parsnips and even a few cobs of still-vibrant sweetcorn. Yet with the onset of colder, shorter days I want comfort as well as vibrancy.I’m a big fan of one-pot cooking. If I can make a deeply flavoured, homely meal with as little washing up as possible, I am there. And now is the time for these recipes – easy slow-cooked meals using beautiful seasonal produce that can be eaten then and there, or batch-cooked for a later date. If I was being organised, I would…

1969 Delia became cookery writer of The Daily Mirror’s new glossy magazine 1969 Baked the cake for the cover of the Rolling Stones album Let It Bleed 1971 Released her first cookbook, How to Cheat at Cooking, which is full of timesaving ideas and shortcuts 1973 Made her TV debut, presenting Family Fayre for the BBC. It aired until 1975 1978 The first series of Delia Smith’s Cookery Course aired on the BBC. It can still be viewed on BBC iPlayer 1978 Following the success of the show, Delia Smith’s Cookery Course: Part One came out 1979 A second TV series followed, with a second book – Delia Smith’s Cookery Course: Part Two 1981 Delia Smith’s Cookery Course: Part Three was published. The books (and an omnibus) have sold 6m…

“Many telly cooks have entertained us over the last 50 years, but Delia is the one we’ve trusted. She’s always combined sensible, classic cooking techniques with on-the-button food fashion. She’d use avocados, balsamic vinegar or crabmeat when these ingredients were new and trendy, but not before they were available in supermarkets. She thinks like a home cook, not like a starry chef, and always has the ordinary reader in mind. The only negative thing about Delia I can say is that my brother, a good cook himself, swears by her. Every time I visit his house, he’s always cooking out of Delia – never, ever out of Prue.”…

Breast Cancer Now’s ‘Wear it Pink’ day takes place on Friday 18 October during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, raising money for life-saving breast cancer research and vital support for people with breast cancer – and their families. The campaign has raised over £33 million to date. Here’s what to do: Anyone can take part in ‘Wear it Pink’, and you can host an event at any time during October. Whether you choose to hold a cake sale or organise a raffle, these recipes are a brilliant place to start planning an event. The practical bit: Visit wearitpink.org to register and claim your free fundraising pack. You’ll also find all the info you need to plan a successful event.…

THE BARGAIN RED Lidl Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2018, Italy (£4.29) If you like fresh, tangy, red-cherry flavoured reds, then you’ll love this (including the price). Best chilled a little and sipped with platters of cold meats. THE BARGAIN WHITE Laughing Llama Chardonnay 2018, Curicó, Chile (£5, Sainsbury’s) A bright fruit cocktail of tangerine, pineapple and mango, this unoaked Chilean chardy shouts out for roast chicken or salmon steaks. THE MIDWEEK TREAT The Best Negroamaro 2017, Puglia, Italy (£7.25, down to £6.50 until 6 October, Morrisons) Packed with flavours of rich blackberries spiced with twists of cinnamon and clove, this red from Italy’s ‘heel’ suits a big, beefy autumn casserole. THE SPLASH-OUT WHITE Mathilde de Favray Pouilly-Fumé 2018, Loire, France (£17, Marks & Spencer) A beautifully balanced sauvignon blanc – bone dry…

Whether it’s a simple supper for two or a special celebration with family and friends, you’ll dine in style with this elegant cutlery from Robert Welch. The 60-piece Radford Bright Cutlery Canteen includes table knives and forks, side knives and forks, soup spoons, dessert spoons and English teaspoons for up to eight settings, along with three serving spoons and a serving fork, all in a beautiful oak case. Ever since he opened his first studio shop in Chipping Campden in 1969, Robert Welch’s cutlery and homeware has been one of the most covetable collections in the world. The company still employs the finest materials and craftmanship, and the talented team of designers continue to create award-winning British designs. robertwelch.com FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN … Make any recipe from this…

RECIPE AND FOOD STYLING: SOPHIE AUSTEN-SMITH. PHOTOGRAPH: CLARE WINFIELD. STYLING: LUIS PERAL Roman-style gnocchi with rag • SERVES 6. HANDS-ON TIME 30 MIN, OVEN TIME 30 MIN, PLUS CHILLING MAKE AHEAD Make the gnocchi and ragù up to 2 days ahead and chill separately. Continue the recipe from step 3. KNOWHOW Roman-style gnocchi are made with semolina and traditionally oven-baked. NEXT TIME Serve the ragù with cooked pasta or use a pack of ready-made potato gnocchi. • 400ml whole milk • 50g butter, cubed • 100g freshly grated parmesan • 200g semolina • 2 medium free-range eggs, beaten FOR THE RAGÙ • 1 tbsp olive oil • 1 small carrot, grated • 1 celery stick, finely chopped • 450g British free-range sausagemeat • 500g jar passata with onion and garlic…

OUT: BASIC VINAIGRETTES IN: DRESSED UP DRESSINGS A simple oil and vinegar dressing is a fine thing, but why not turn up the volume with some extra flavour, texture and nutrients? MAKE UP A STANDARD BASE of three parts extra-virgin olive oil to one part lemon juice or vinegar. Season, then accessorise: add tahini, yogurt or miso paste; whole or ground seeds (try Hodmedod’s camelina seeds, rich in omega-3s); finely chopped kimchi for a dose of good bacteria or chopped herbs for a boost of beneficial vitamins.…

10 PAGES OF KNOW-HOW ... When the delicious. team test recipes they often debate the best way to do things, as well as answering questions that arise in the test kitchen. What are some creative ways to use up quinces? Why does the texture of slow-cooked meat change so much as it cooks? Why doesn’t crackling always ‘crackle’ – and is there a way to ensure it happens? It’s the kind of information you won’t find anywhere else and it can take your skills and knowledge to the next level MEET OUR EXPERTS JEN BEDLOE Food editor SOPHIE AUSTEN-SMITH Deputy food editor OLIVIA SPURRELL Cookery assistant LUCAS HOLLWEG Chef & food writer IMAGES: GETTY/ISTOCK GAME-CHANGER INGREDIENT Discover how to harness the sweet-tart power of pomegranate molasses CHEF’S STEP BY STEP…

PHOTOGRAPHS: KAREN THOMAS, GARETH MONTGOMERY Slow-cooked, fall-apart tender meat is a joy to eat. After several hours in a low oven or slow cooker, a tough lump of fatty, sinewy flesh re-emerges as moist, tender and richly flavoured. The magic behind this transformation? Gelatine, which also happens to be the (non-vegetarian) setting agent used in jelly and countless puddings. Science tells us why there’s no way to rush cooking a sinewy beef brisket or fatty lamb shoulder. Connective tissue, the inedible ribbon-like sinews that are woven through the flesh of stewing meats, are made of tough, rope-like protein molecules called collagen. When cooked at above 70°C for prolonged periods these inedible white strands slowly start to disintegrate and form gelatine, which has a succulent, velvety mouthfeel. Thick layers of fat…

“This is a playful Indian take on fish and chips and mushy peas – no malt vinegar required! Make up a batch of these crunchy delights for friends for a Diwali celebration (27 October this year) or any time you want a stylish nibble with drinks. If you can’t track down the spices chaat masala and ajwain, omit them – the recipe will still taste delicious without them.” A BIT ABOUT RAVINDER She was born in Kenya to Indian parents and Ravinder’s food is inspired by her East African-Asian heritage and culture and her London upbringing. She opened her restaurant, Jikoni, in Marylebone in 2016. As well as being a chef and restaurateur she’s an award-winning food journalist and cookbook author. PHOTOGRAPHS GARETH MORGANS FOOD STYLING SOPHIE AUSTEN-SMITH STYLING SARAH…

HOW WE TEST Our panel are taste experts. We conduct our tests without packaging, so tasters don’t know who produced each product or how much it costs. And to prevent one tester influencing another, the panel aren’t allowed to talk during the tests, so the results you read here are unbiased. WHAT WE LOOKED FOR Flavoursome dough with a crisp base and chewy crust, a balanced tomato sauce, creamy mozzarella and generous, tasty additions such as pesto or sun-dried tomatoes. SUPERMARKET JOINT WINNER Iceland Luxury Ultra Thin Wood-Fired Margherita Pizza £1.75 for 374g Rectangular pizza with generous diced tomato topping, punchy pesto and a thicker, crusty base. JOINT WINNER Aldi Specially Selected Semi-Dried Tomato & Buffalo Mozzarella Sourdough Pizza, £3.29 for 490g Good tomatoes and masses of cheese – too…

• Langhe Country House A renovated 18th-century farmstead B&B (above) near Neive serving a great breakfast spread full of local goodies. There’s a pool for the summer. langhe countryhouse.it • Ascheri Hotel is built over the cellars of the Ascheri winery in Bra, so a visit and tasting are essential. Its informal restaurant, Osteria Murivecchi, has a vine-draped terrace. ascherihotel.it • Mongalletto is a friendly agriturismo with terrace and pool, overlooking the Roero village of Castellenado. Expect hearty dishes such as rabbit in arneis wine with herbs. mongalletto.it •Casa Scaparone Near Alba, this artfully rustic agriturismo has heritage-chic rooms and a twinkly courtyard for convivial traditional dinners. casascaparone.it GETTING THERE Packages include: eight nights in Turin (Piedmont’s capital) and the Langhe with Citalia (citalia.com) from £1,199pp B&B with car hire…