Recipes

After a break from giving chapters headings of their own I returned to it with Ash O’Halloran and My Favourite Goodbye.

Ash is a kind of anti-hero woman. I was getting very tired of the portrayal of women as being obsessed with their weight and shopping and boyfriends and spending all their time talking about it to their friends. I wanted to write about a more self-contained woman. Interestingly, I’ve had tons of letters from women who say that they see themselves in Ash.

Ash is a chef and so in this book I decided to give each chapter a recipe of its own. This was a particular challenge for me as I’m not one of the world’s greatest cooks. I’m big into anything that can be done in one pot or pan, so stir-fry works well for me!

I didn’t cook everything in the book myself but I did taste it – after all, the research has to be authentic….so I probably put on weight while I was writing it.

The Seared Tuna and salsa (Chapter 5) is a particular favourite as is Minestrone Soup (Chapter 22). The Minestrone Soup and the Sicilian Vegetables (Chapter 26) were inspired by Antonio Carluccio’s own recipes. I’ve eaten in Antonio’s restaurants and I love their energy and informality.

http://www.antonio-carluccio.com/

http://www.carluccios.com/

I’m not a big dessert person but the cookies recipe is one that I was shown when I was a child. And so when I’m feeling particularly in need of comfort, they’re what I like to bake.