Food In My Home

My Uncle was in New York for a few nights a couple of weeks ago so I got to pick a good restaurant for dinner. I chose Barbuto an Italian in the West Village where the owner and chef is a friend of my Paris Uncle Marks.  Thankfully it was a really warm night so we sat outside and ate and drank too much. I took advise from the waiter and ordered the stuffed Quail followed by Gnocchi with autumn squash and pumpkin seed pesto which I was told was good if I wanted a light meal. I didn't believe him as gnocchi is normally quite stodgy and make you feel a bit like you have to be rolled home. Both were delicious and the Gnocchi was absolutely amazing and I wasn't even very full after.  I have been thinking about it ever since and I finally had a go at cooking it last night. My version wasn't quite what I had planned since my kitchen in the studio is not exactly well equipped, so instead of the squash purée I had sort of mushed with a fork squash, it still tasted good but I want...

At the weekend I went to my first food market in New York called Union Square Greenmarket with my friend Rosie and her very sweet rescue puppy Crosby. I saw all kinds of crazy looking vegetables that I didn't know existed, what looked like tiny watermelons were actually something that tasted like cucumber and some man popped a tomato out of a shell and told us it was a pineapple tasting tomato...well he was right, quite a bizarre concept but delicious in a sort of crazy Willy Wonker way. Since it's apple season there were hundreds of boxes of every different kind and they sell apple cider everywhere too which you can get hot or cold, not to be confused with the english cider as it is sans alcohol. Millions of pumpkins and squashes everywhere you look especially since Halloween is this weekend and American's go nuts for it. There has also been a pop up food market Madison Square eats for the last few weeks. I went one day with a friend in the afternoon which was a mistake as...

New York life seems to consist of eating out every night which is causing me some serious problems in the cooking department. So far I think I have only cooked once so I thought that since now I'm living the  American dream I would make the classic Mac 'n' Cheese with a bit of an English twist. Sauce 20g butter 1½ tbsp flour 1 garlic clove, sliced 500ml milk 300g Macaroni handful of cherry tomatoes whole or chopped 1 onion diced 1 big leek sliced very finely 7 slices of bacon 75g chedder or red leciester 80g parmesan a few sprigs of thyme Get a pan of salted water on the boil and preheat the oven to around 220˚c. Melt the butter in a large pan and add the flour and sliced garlic, keep stiring all the time and you should have a paste, when the garlic has a little colour start whisking in the milk a little at a time so you make a smooth sauce. When all the milk is in let it gently bubble for a bit whilst still stirring and then leave on a very low heat while you get everythin...