Toasted Brioche with Artisan Trout Roe Tarama, Trout Roe and Scallops in White Wine

 This is one of those plates that happen when good ingredients meet minimal intervention. A thick slice of brioche, lightly toasted until the edges crisp and the crumb warms through. On top: a generous spoonful of artisan trout-roe tarama — creamy, saline, subtly smoky — the kind of spread that’s already a complete pleasure on its own.

A French Dip, Nothing to do with France

We have a sandwich from yesterday's  leftover pot roast beef.  

I'm giving credit for both the sandwich and my love of pot roast to the U.S.A.   I know many countries have a pot roast beef but the U.S of A has really taken the dish to their culinary hearts.

We have a delightful 'leftover' sandwich with beef, Emmental cheese, mustard, horseradish and caramelised onions.  Umami me up again.  This really is a treat to have in the back pocket after a pot roast.  Why the pot roast?  An abundant gift of lovely free beef gravy.

The sandwich is toasted and gratuitously dipped in gravy as we scoff, of course for extra yum.

Toasting..

Hot and Sour Soup

This Vegan favourite is also great for cold and flu season. There's heat from lots of black pepper and sour from Black Rice Vinegar.

Pictured here with a drizzle of sesame oil.

It's quick too, easy for a working from home lunch.

Salad, with Potatoes and Meat

It started with 'good' salad intentions (don't they all?)

Meat and potatoes make a good salad over here.  We have baby potatoes (small waxy ones), jarred artichoke in oil, prosciutto and parsley.  Boiled egg would have worked too.

Carpaccio with stracciatela

 No-Cook Luxury Protein Lunch 🥩🌿

Sometimes the best meals require no heat — just impeccable ingredients.

Today’s lunch is a thick beef carpaccio draped with fresh stracciatella I made this morning, creamy avocado, razor-thin Thai chillies for fire, a scatter of chives, and a generous pour of ultra-fruity olive oil I brought back from Santorini. Finished simply with salt, black pepper and a sharp squeeze of lime.

Rainbow Chard Quadrato (Square Spaghetti)

This is what happens when my shopping list (on App) simply says Vege.

The list is often vague so I can choose whatever catches my eye in the supermarket then figure out what to do with it.

Here we have a sauce with bacon, egg, garlic and chard (stalks plus leaves).

Five minute miracle

 🍤 Shrimp & Garlic Butter Egg Noodles with Cherry Tomatoes and Fresh Basil 🌿

(The five-minute miracle that makes working from home bearable)

Fusili Enrigii and sage

 🍝 Fresh Fusili with Eringii & Sage

A comforting Italian-style dish with a hint of heat and smokiness — simple, elegant, and ready in minutes.

Bacon, Cheese and Jam Bagel

Five favourite ingredients and why not pair them, US style?   Bacon, tomato, raspberry jam, Munster cheese and a Bagel.

I did!  Approved.

Tuna Melt Stuffed Mushrooms

Someone once said, "life's too short to stuff a mushroom," I disagree!

I loved a Tuna melt at Mitsuii (a Japanese bank I worked at in London).  The chef added corn and spring onions to the tuna then topped it with mild cheddar.  The melt mixture went into a small baguette type sandwich that was grilled.  I always tipped on a sachet of black pepper.

Brie and Balsamic Roasted Grapes on a Pretzel Roll

 The finished creation.

Is it saying, "eat me?"  I like to think so.

This is described per person (as we aren't typically making a working from home lunch to feed a crowd).

The treatment of grapes felt unnatural to me but trust me and try it (I did). 

Scallops Florentine

 Scallops Florentine – My Benedict Twist

Pesto Pasta Salad, with Feta and Sundried Tomatoes

Apologies Italy (Genoa in particular) but I love this.

It's such a favourite there are lots of variations.  Sundried tomatoes (semi-soft), roasted stoned black olives and cubed roast feta pictured here.

The Pesto (per person):

17g warmed almonds, ground and removed

1 sml garlic clove, crushed with salt

A good handful of basil leaves, grind again

17g finely grated parmesan or parmesan/pecorino mix

Salt and pepper

I'm told by the Genoese, "no we don't tip up the olive oil bottle at this point and count to 10."  I listened.  The pesto is very creamy.

Pea and Anari Fritters

 The finished creation:

Thinking ahead here for a working from home lunch.  Anari is Cypriot Ricotta, it's quite firm textured and inexpensive.  You could always swap feta or Halloumi if you can't urban forage some of this.

The recipe couldn't be simpler. To make 3 fritters (as pictured - admittedly with a healthy slosh of Cholula hot sauce).