Hi folks,
Would anyone have a recommended recipe for a nice peppercorn sauce please?
Depends how creamy you want it. I've 2 go to sauces.
Basically this one but with tarragon instead of parsley. Double the amount of pepper.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/steak_with_peppercorn_07284
Or this one which Ive been playing with, AI lays the recipe out nicely.
I use this one and find it simple and tasty
Peppercorn Sauce | ILoveCooking
Reminder to self- don't forget to put parchment paper in the AF.
Looks nice. What is it?
I cooked diced halloumi cheese in the air fryer last night. Much better result than frying.
Thanks. Just scotch eggs that stuck a little. I've posted them before.
I tossed the ingrediencies for a French dressing together, just used the amounts left in the bottles etc. I used Balsamic vinegar and lemon juice but its still a bit sweet. I have a different Balsamic/sarson's/acv left.
What can I do to make it more palatable?.
Dijon mustard?
Thanks a mill, will try both of those. I normally make a creamy pepper sauce but am a bit tired of it, so will try these and see how I get on.
Thanks so much to both of you for your replies, I appreciate you taking the time.
I wish the Indo would ever spring for a photographer to go on restaurant reviews with Lucinda O'Sullivan, her photos are always atrocious.
are the reviews prearranged?
if not, it makes sense to not draw attention to the fact that a review is under way; though maybe she needs a quick primer on how to get the best photos on her phone, or buy her a phone with a better camera.
Believe me, every half-professional restaurateur in the country already knows who the main reviewers are, it's not like she's flying under the radar by taking her own pics.
It would defeat the point if they were pre-arranged, the idea is to review the restaurant in normal conditions as any Joe Soap off the street would experience it if they walked in.
My attempt at making mashed potatoes. Haven't tried it in many years.
Am I even Irish? 😂
What, no recipe?. 😉
Nope😂
That looks… SMASH-ing… 😑
Well, I never knew about this thread!!
At the request of @igCorcaigh , here's a brown soda bread recipe I've been using lately - so easy and tasty.
I've been experimenting with using 300g wholemeal/100g plain flour just to get that extra bit of fibre, but it makes it quite crumbly. I also add pumpkin seeds on top, because I LOVE pumpkin seeds.
(ETA I would also recommend lining the tin with parchment or one of those reusable liners, the thing stuck like fecking cement the first time I tried it!)
250g wholemeal flour
150g plain flour
50g oatmeal plus extra for sprinkling
2 level tsp bread soda, sieved
1 tsp salt
30ml sunflower oil
500ml buttermilk
Many thanks Heidi! 🌹
I actually love Smash 🤭
So handy for things like smooth potato salad,I like the lidl/aldi own brands too.
I got some Chick pea hummus with jalapeño, the chilli is to strong for me, is there a way to save it?
Add some yoghurt or cream?
Mix it with mild hummus.
Those deli packs of generally low quality meats (ham, beef etc.) you can get fairly cheaply from the supermarket?
Yeah, I find them very handy for fried rice.
While making my spinach, potato and black eye bean curry today, and while I was also having beetroot recently, I noticed how I really love earthy flavours.
The following is obviously AI written, but it captures our conversation about this:Earthy flavours, forest ingredients, and a few dishes
I’ve been thinking lately about the flavour we often call “earthy.” Mushrooms, spinach, lentils, beetroot, buckwheat, rye bread, good potatoes — they all share that deep, grounding taste that somehow feels very satisfying.
It struck me that it’s actually related to the smell of rain on soil (petrichor). That scent comes largely from a compound called geosmin, produced by soil bacteria. Interestingly, similar aroma compounds appear in foods like mushrooms, beetroot, spinach, and roasted grains, which may be why these foods evoke that same forest-floor character.
Once you notice it, a kind of “forest pantry” emerges. Ingredients that naturally belong together in this flavour space include:
Many northern and eastern European dishes revolve around exactly these ingredients, probably because they grow well in cool forested landscapes and mineral soils. The cooking often combines an earthy ingredient, a grain or potato, some fat, and a fresh herb or sour element to lift the flavours.
A few dishes that really showcase this style:
What I enjoy about these foods is that they feel grounded and nourishing rather than flashy. The flavours are deep rather than bright — soil, grain, mushrooms, herbs — balanced with butter or acidity.
It’s also a nice reminder that cuisine often reflects the landscape it comes from. Forest regions give us mushrooms and berries, cool fields give us rye and buckwheat, and root vegetables pull minerals from the soil. In a way, those earthy dishes are literally the taste of the land itself.
With wine, there is the notion of terroir; cheeses are particular to each region. Even ice cream, I remember having some ice cream from that Irish company (? the name has left me), but I could taste the grass that the cow ate…
These are deep connections with environment that real foods can relay to us.
My first attempt at making chapati.
So, what's everyone's go-to-meal for when they really can't be arsed cooking? Other than pulling something from the freezer and re-heating it obviously.
I've been good lately, but still need to break myself off from takeaways completely if I can…
Microwave baby potatoes, broccoli or spinach and good quality burger or sausages, that my go to lazy but relatively wholesome dinner job. Sometimes steak either
