Cooking, eating and sharing food – a virtual feast from a safe distance

Onions sizzle in the pan. When Rana adds her mix of whole spices a tantalising aroma fills the hall and a small crowd gathers round the table.

Continue reading “Cooking, eating and sharing food – a virtual feast from a safe distance”

Making and breaking bread (without Bake Off)

How to make bread? Here’s a long overdue Friday food story to share a basic recipe which produces good tasty loaves. But first a confession: Continue reading “Making and breaking bread (without Bake Off)”

Meena’s recipe for Leith Mess

A treat in the post. Meena Bhana has sent a recipe for her Indian twist on Eton Mess which she calls  Leith mess. Meena, who is a very talented member of World Kitchen in Leith, came up with the idea for this variation on an old theme when she was planning the menu for one of her Chai Lounge Supper Club nights.

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A cake for all weathers

“I wish I could join you, But perhaps you could share this recipe with your friends instead.”

Rose Jamieson lives in Perthshire so was not able to join us for our recent events in Out of the Blue Drill Hall. But her cake was a hot favourite on the desert stall at Jock Tamson’s Brunch.  We’re hoping Rose can join us in person when World Kitchen in Leith goes on tour (no kidding, more about that later)  but meanwhile here’s her lovely apple cake recipe… Continue reading “A cake for all weathers”

Pancakes for breakfast, tea…any time at all

Apple pancakes with cinnamon butter, a variation on a traditional Scottish theme, went down well at World Kitchen in Leith events this year, here’s the recipe from Fay Young.

Ok, I know dropped scones are really meant for teatime. But they can be good at breakfast too – perhaps, sinfully, fried with bacon and served with maple syrup as a Scottish variation on the Canadian theme. Continue reading “Pancakes for breakfast, tea…any time at all”

Alice’s famous beans in coconut

At World Kitchen in Leith events, Alice’s beans in coconut  disappear off the plates in record time and everyone wants to know how to make them.  Well, here Alice Musamba shares the secret and a little extra tip:  the coconut sauce can be adapted to suit many other vegetables. In fact at last night’s World Kitchen meeting she brought a pot of delicious mushrooms in coconut.  They soon disappeared off the plate too.

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A feeling for Falafel

Rami Okasha rustled up a taste of Egypt for World Food Day.  Here he gives his recipe for Falafel and makes it sound very simple.  That’s Rami in the picture on the right busy dishing up to the stream of people arriving for lunch at Out of the Blue Drill Hall (Ellie and Maka are on the left). Continue reading “A feeling for Falafel”

Practice makes perfect (British) paella


Paella partners: pork, chorizo and squid

For World Food Day in Out of the Blue on Sunday 16 October, Ellie Casson set out to overcome her fear of failure – the perfect paella is hard to make and she has tasted the best in Spain where it comes with sun, sand and the Med. Continue reading “Practice makes perfect (British) paella”

Meena’s menu for an Indian brunch


Meena

A beautiful green spinach cake was a hot (literally) favourite at the World Kitchen brunch.  Here Meena Bhana shares her recipe for the spicy savoury cake but first she takes us to the bustling streets of Indian cities with her menu for the World Kitchen brunch.

I put together a menu of Gujerati dishes for the brunch and then I spent hours in the kitchen experimenting.  We decided to offer Falooda –  a spectacular mix of milk, vermicelli and flavourings topped with ice cream –  as a complimentary drink for guests arriving  at Out of the Blue.  With at least 80 bookings, how much milk would that take? Continue reading “Meena’s menu for an Indian brunch”

Found in translation: Spanish empanadillas

“Knowing what to make is not to same as knowing how to make it.” In a story full of Spanish colour, Ellie Casson explains why she chose to make Spanish empanadillas for the World Kitchen brunch –  and how.

When my family first moved to Spain, we discovered in a nearby village an outstanding family bakery.  It was situated on the square and had a little terrace outside where you could sit with a coffee from the bar (and a little brandy if you were feeling particularly Spanish that morning) and eat pastries or cakes you had just bought at the counter inside. Continue reading “Found in translation: Spanish empanadillas”