20 Friday Aug 2021
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I suppose there are worse “habits”. This one is made with cilantro, basil and toasted marcona almonds. Also “cheated” and used a stick blender instead of the mortar & pestle. So delicious. What’s the last thing you got hooked on making?
13 Tuesday Apr 2021
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I have bought an apron! It’s not my first apron to be sure, but it’s the first one I’ve ever used. Or even bought. Over the years I’ve been given aprons by friends, by event organisers in their swag bags, by cooking schools… and they have all been politely folded in a kitchen drawer and forgotten. Because… well I don’t know! It just always seemed like that ONE EXTRA THING to have to deal with. And frankly, I’ve always been quite a tidy cook and don’t end up getting splashed with sauces, grease, etc. That is, UNTIL…
Yep. Lockdown. During the past year I’ve been cooking up a storm, as many you who follow my personal @azahar Instagram will have seen. Just home style cooking stuff, often using up leftovers, fridge foraging, and sometimes trying out dishes for the very first time. Much of which also gets posted on Azahar’s Kitchen.
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26 Tuesday Jan 2021
Posted in azahars kitchen, cooking, homecooking
If you haven’t been to Azahar’s Kitchen for a while, go check it out. New recipes have been added and #homecooking photos are also posted on my azahar Instagram account (along with cats and city pics). I was actually quite excited about this new spinach with garbanzos version. A bit like making it up as I went along, but it turned out great. Honestly, making lunch has become the highlight of my day.
03 Tuesday Nov 2020
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It’s been close to three weeks since THE MANDOLINA INCIDENT and although I removed the steri-strips the other day since they were mostly falling off on one side, I kept a bandage on the still-healing thumb. Until now! The severed flap of skin has totally reattached itself and although it is still quite pink and the area still feels quite tender, it feels great to be able to use my thumb again. Amazing how you don’t miss something until it’s gone.
19 Wednesday Aug 2020
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So this was supposed to be a grilled chicken sandwich on crusty bread with grainy dijon and paper-thin raw sweet onion underneath, and piles of chopped romaine and salsa az on top. Never happened. Because when I opened the packet of free-range chicken breasts I’d bought on Monday (expiry date TODAY) there was a… smell. It wasn’t strong, or even particularly unpleasant. It just shouldn’t have been there. And so I got on Twitter and asked what I should do. Meanwhile I started cooking the fuckers, since I had paid for them and, you know, maybe after cooking they’d be fine?
Well can I say? I’ve never had such a response to one simple question on Twitter before. Hours later people are still replying. Who knows? I may start trending!
Bottom line, I cooked them and then tossed them. As my pal Edward pointed out, the chicken might be fine but I wouldn’t be able to enjoy it because I’d be worried about whether it was okay or not, so why go through that. And he was right. So out they went, with me slightly annoyed that I now had extra washing up and that I had wasted perfectly good seasoning and olive oil for nothing.
Had a ham sandwich instead. Actually it was the SAME sandwich, but with sliced ham instead of chicken. And it was actually really good. So the moral of the story is… well nuthin really. It’s Wednesday! What do you want? 😉
