As a teenager I spent a few years working in a greengrocers. On the whole, I hated it. There was no heating so I’d spend those dreaded Saturday mornings wrapped in scarves with a hot water bottle stuffed inside my coat. When I wasn’t fending off the advances of the butcher boy opposite, I wasContinue reading “Lemon and asparagus risotto”
Author Archives: Alice Mulhearn Williams
Tater ‘Ash
It’s hard to write about the meaning of a dish you’ve never grown up with. Write in any sort of meaningful way, I mean, without feeling a fraud. Especially when it’s the sort of recipe that’s so undeniably lived in – the kind that isn’t written down by its owner or even memorised, but internalisedContinue reading “Tater ‘Ash”
Polenta: A History
Every cuisine is built on a staple food – a starchy backdrop to the main event. It might be potatoes, rice, bread, or, if you’re from the north of Italy, polenta. Cheap, rib-sticking, and innately comforting, it is – as tradition dictates – the perfect starchy staple. Yet, ever since Elizabeth David introduced the UKContinue reading “Polenta: A History”
Finally
Well hello there. Long time no see. Every day for the past month or so I’ve woken up and vowed to write a new blog post. Yes, I tell myself, today will be the day. But then the evening swings around, and there’s a glass of wine in my hand and an old X-Files episodeContinue reading “Finally”
Potted Shrimp
We pass through the Peak District. The hills are heavy with damp. The train stops at yet another Northern mill town on its long journey back to Norwich. I always do my best thinking on long train journeys, especially once the view fades into black and my reflection is the only thing staring back. Apart fromContinue reading “Potted Shrimp”
Letters to Santa Lucia
In Verona, children don’t leave letters by the fireplace for Father Christmas, but for Santa Lucia – the patron saint of the blind. She visits on the 12th December with gifts for the good, coal for the bad, and for the nosy, a fistful of ash thrown in the eyes. The girl I look afterContinue reading “Letters to Santa Lucia”
Risotto alla Milanese
Today I’m bringing you one of my absolute favourite recipes – risotto alla milanese. I wrote this recipe for a guest post on Bistropop a while back, but it’s so perfect for a crisp late November evening that I want to share it with you all now. My usual ramblings about Verona will return later thisContinue reading “Risotto alla Milanese”
Italian sausages and beans (and Verona)
I was planning to write about sausages and beans, but then I remembered that I haven’t properly told you about Verona. About the way the crisp morning air nips at my fingers as I cycle to my Italian class (late, of course), or how the narrow streets ripple with life, and music, and spritz-drinking revellersContinue reading “Italian sausages and beans (and Verona)”
Taverna Tipica Veneziana: the Venetian chippy that’s bringing life back to Torcello
The Venetian island of Torcello has 11 inhabitants. Last year there were 16, but then Carmen’s cousins upped sticks and moved to Burano. Apparently they didn’t have a boat – problematic on an island where the local amenities consist of a couple of restaurants and a Byzantine cathedral (beautiful, I might add, but not muchContinue reading “Taverna Tipica Veneziana: the Venetian chippy that’s bringing life back to Torcello”
Risotto al radicchio di Verona
Autumn eating in Italy is a bitter-sweet affair, and no more so than in Veneto where bitter red bulbs of radicchio di Verona stands alongside hunks of sweet pumpkin at the market – both destined for risotto, ravioli or soup. Rich, sweet lunches are bookended by an Aperol spritz as an aperitivo and a shot of bitter darkContinue reading “Risotto al radicchio di Verona”
To The Table 