Paris: Hotel Regina

My elegant wife, Borough Market

Shamefully, I had never visited Borough Market in my adult life in spite of being a (not quite born but raised) Londoner. On Saturday my wife and I were finally able to cross this off our list. 

As always, my wife was looking as stylish and elegant as ever and I couldn't resist taking yet another photo of her.

Borough Market bustled with artisanal food aficionados and curious tourists. We did a full lap around the market to get our bearings before deciding to purchase some delicious feta cheese and fig relish from Neal's Yard Dairy; we then embarked on our usual Saturday morning routine of finding the best sweet treat available (a fist size mince pie on this occasion, also from Neal's Yard Dairy - nice but not amazing) and some decent caffein pick-me-ups from Monmouth Coffee. 

As nice as Borough Market is, Maltby Street Market, located a stone's throw away, definitely has the edge, simply in terms of it having a similar high quality level of street food available, coupled with it's off-the-beaten-track location and the fact that swathes of tourists haven't yet descended upon it.

My elegant wife, Maltby Street Market

As my wife and I ventured to Maltby Street Market this morning in the biting cold she passed a vivid turquoise wall against which, in her blue greatcoat, she looked too good not to snap. Check out her blog, A Bite of Peach.

Luxor, Egypt

In the moments after our guests had left I lay on the sofa and took a series of photos of the things around me, including a vase which holds some supermarket-bought roses. I had removed the leaves from each rose and placed a single white rose amongst the prevailing oranges and pinks. I like the effect and was inspired in a quiet way by "fleuriste romantique", Thierry Boutemy.
In the latest issue of The Plant Journal Clarisse Demory offers an interesting interview with Boutemy whose tactile and intuitive approach to flower arrangement elevates the craft to a level of art. He has worked for a long list of artists and filmmakers, including Matthew Barney and Sofia Coppola (Marie Antoinette).
Demory notes that during the interview she sees a Cy Twombly art book in Boutemy's studio which is intriguing as Boutmey's floral art would seem to embody the same "solemnity" and "lightness in form" that Boutemy speaks of when describing his love of Twombly's abstract canvas paintings.

Bedbound

I found myself in bed for much of the day after falling ill with acute tonsillitis. I needed the rest but there's nothing I dislike more than feeling unproductive. At sundown the lighting in our modest flat is particularly beautiful so I decided to take a photo of the delicate light-painting on my bedroom wall. That's as productive as it gets today I'm afraid.

It starts here...

The journey of this blog starts here, in this quiet place, with a simple recipe.

Makloubeh, a Middle-Eastern dish, means "Upside Down" in Arabic. It is a rustic, unpretentious dish, and yet it remains fairly obscure. It consists of a harmonious medley of spices, herbs, vegetables, and meat that, together, almost conjure a feeling of Christmas or the Tudor period.

Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, white pepper, evoke the festive season. Images of open fire places, mulled wine, mince pies, take shape in my mind's eye; whilst coriander, aubergine, cauliflower and pine nuts are suggestive of the Orient: Agarwood trees, kohl, cardamon and black coffee.
Penultimately once the pot is turned and the ingredients fall into place, it reveals itself to be a delicious, hearty, somewhat unkempt, yet alluring, banquet dish.

The objective of this blog is both straightforward and manifold. The overriding aim is to "create", and by "create" I mean to be creative, to write (but also to think about how I write and how I wish to write), to take photographs (hopefully half decent ones), to express my inner voice as faithfully as I hear it, and to document and draw light upon the stark beauty of the small and every day, and to hopefully create something that is, in the end, quite special.

Thanks for coming on this journey with me. Let's see where things takes us.

Makloubeh
(Dedicated to umi, Malika, for teaching me this recipe and many others)

Main ingredients:
Basmati rice (4 cups)
1-2 medium size aubergines
1-2 medium size cauliflowers
1-2 medium size onions
1 bunch of parsley
1 bunch of coriander
Chicken drumsticks / thighs (enough for 4-6 people)

Spices:
1 heaped teaspoon of cinnamon
1 level teaspoon of ground ginger
1 level teaspoon of white pepper
1 whole nutmeg (grated)
3 cloves, crushed

Garnish:
Generous handful of roasted cashew nuts or pine nuts

Part One / Preparation:
Soak 4 small cups of rice in water, add salt, a dash of olive oil, stir once, and then place to one side.
Wash and slice the aubergine, salt generously and leave to settle for approx. 30 mins (this will reduce the amount of oil consumed at the frying stage).
Heat approx. 50% vegetable oil, and 50% olive oil in a frying pan.
Fry the aubergine until sliced pieces are nicely browned, before placing to one side.
Repeat the same process with the cauliflower.

Party Two:
In a large pot heat approx. two tbsp of olive oil on a medium-high heat.
Add the chopped onion/s and fry until soft.
Add the chicken, fry until sealed.
On a medium-low heat, add all the herbs and spices
Add a cup of water, reduce heat, leave to simmer for approx. 20 mins, until water has reduced.
Layer the cauliflower on top of the aubergine.
Layer the aubergine on top of the chicken.
Add the rice to the pot.
Add 2 cups of water to cook the rice and all ingredients.
Cover with a lid and leave to simmer on medium-low heat for 30 mins.

Part Three:
Roast or fry a large handful of cashew nuts or pine nuts (not both) until golden brown.
Upon serving garnish the rice with the roasted nuts.