cauliflower soup with roasted hazelnuts

(Date: 3 Feb 2012)

The 23nd recipe in 2013, the 10th recipe from Nigel Slater's. If you asked me again if I am trying to cook through the whole The Kitchen Diaries 2, my answer would still be no, that's not my intention to cook through any book or follow any celebrity chef. But at the moment I'd love to follow Nigel Slater's footsteps in exploring the world of (relatively) simple homey dishes with seasonal ingredients and local produce. Hopefully I'll become a more confident home cook and know more about cooking through using his recipes.

The recipe is from Nigel Slater's The Kitchen Diaries 2. 

broccoli & bacon soup

The 14th recipe I attempted in 2013. I kind of have lost count and not sure how many Nigel Slater's recipes I've done so far. (ok. I just counted. It's the 7th...)

The recipe is "a soup of broccoli and bacon" from Nigel Slater's "Tender Volume 1: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch". Or you can find the free version on The Telegraph website (link here). I followed the recipe almost to letter except (1) I used 6 baby new potatoes instead of 3 smallish potatoes (2) I replaced milk with double cream (solely the expiring cream would either go into the pot or the bin. it's not a difficult choice given I'm a tight-ass housewife)

bacon-wrapped salmon

The 12th recipe I attempted in 2013, and the 6th Nigel Slater's.

This recipe appeared as "Bacon-wrapped Salmon" in "The Kitchen Diaries 2" by Nigel Slater. You can also find it on The Guardian website (link here). I followed the recipe almost to word except (1) I made it for 3 instead of 2, (2) I put the thyme in before wrapping the bacon, instead of tucking it in after, (3) I doubled the bacon.