Two recipes on one page — a kale salad with a hummus and caper dressing that you massage right into the leaves, finished with sunflower and sesame seeds; and a versatile spinach pesto with nuts, seeds, and nutritional yeast in place of cheese. The pesto works as a dip, pasta sauce, or spread. ✦ ✦ […]
Aisha’s iced coffee — condensed milk, strong instant coffee, and vanilla, with an optional shot of brandy or rum. Rich and sweet, the kind you drink at a table with people you love. Five minutes start to finish. ✦ ✦ ✦ Ingredients Ingredients 1 tin condensed milk 1 pint milk ½ pint strong Nescafé or […]
A warm, bubbling dip that disappears faster than it takes to make. Cream cheese, two kinds of grated cheese, artichoke hearts, and spinach — baked until golden and irresistible. Serve straight from the oven with crackers or crusty bread. ✦ ✦ ✦ Ingredients Ingredients 8 oz cream cheese, softened ¼ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup grated […]
A deeply warming Eastern European borscht — stewing beef, cabbage, leeks, carrots, and earthy beets in a tomato-rich broth, finished with red wine vinegar and brown sugar for that characteristic sweet-sour balance. Gets better the next day. Serve with sour cream and warm bread. ✦ ✦ ✦ Ingredients Ingredients 6 beets, trimmed 3 tbsp olive […]
Low and slow is the whole game here — four large red onions and leeks, coaxed down to a deep caramel over 45 minutes, then simmered in beef stock with white wine and thyme. Ladled into flameproof bowls and gratiné under the broiler with thick baguette slices and melting Gruyère. ✦ ✦ ✦ Ingredients Ingredients […]
Russet potatoes boiled briefly with bicarb to soften the exterior, then tossed in a lemon-oregano-garlic marinade and slow-roasted in a covered dish for an hour before the lid comes off. The result: crispy edges, fluffy interiors, and deep flavour all the way through. Don’t skip the extra lemon at serving. ✦ ✦ ✦ Ingredients Ingredients […]
Massaged kale left to sit in a balsamic-lemon dressing until the leaves soften and the flavours meld. Tossed at the table with toasted pine nuts, currants, lemon zest, and Parmesan. One of those salads that’s actually better the next day. ✦ ✦ ✦ Ingredients Ingredients 2 cups shredded kale ¼ cup currants ¼ cup toasted […]
Eggplant baked until soft, then folded into a thick, deeply spiced paste of onion, garlic, turmeric, paprika, cumin, and cardamom with coconut oil. These are Aisha’s personal notes — a reminder of a dish she knew by feel. The sauce should taste strong; the eggplant softens everything once it goes in. ✦ ✦ ✦ Ingredients […]
A smooth, golden corn soup with leeks, red potatoes, and a gentle kick of curry powder. Puréed, sieved until silky, and chilled before serving. Finished in the bowl with blanched corn, sour cream, and lemon. Serve it cold — it’s worth the wait. ✦ ✦ ✦ Ingredients Ingredients 2 leeks, finely chopped 2 small red […]
A proper corn bread with real corn, cheese, jalapeños, and spring onions — baked in a cast iron pan for a crispy, buttery base. Not the sweet cake-like kind. This one has character. ✦ ✦ ✦ Ingredients Ingredients 100 g butter 270 ml buttermilk 2 eggs 140 g corn flour (cornmeal) 140 g plain flour […]