THE SUN-SOAKED PLATE...Mediterranean recipes for family and friends

  This week I’ve been enjoying the short white asparagus season Often referred to as "white gold", white asparagus is a prized delicacy in many parts of the world, particularly in Spain. Unlike its green counterpart, white asparagus is grown underground or under mounds of soil to prevent it from being exposed to sunlight. This lack of chlorophyll production results in its distinctive pale colour. The process of growing white asparagus is labour-intensive, which contributes to its higher cost and status as a gourmet vegetable. In terms of taste, white asparagus is milder and more delicate than green asparagus, with a slightly nutty and earthy flavour. Its texture is tender yet firm, making it a versatile ingredient in various culinary preparations. The season for white asparagus is relatively short, typically from April to June, which further adds to its exclusivity and desirability among chefs and food enthusiasts. Preparation of white asparagus requires some care. The st...

As I wondered around the market again this week, all the fresh fruit on the stalls was starting to look absolutely awesome. I was tempted with luscious strawberries, stunning looking cherries, thirst quenching melons, along with apricots, nectarines and succulent peaches just coming into season, but in the end, I opted for a large bag of fresh, juicy plums to take home. Plums, belonging to the genus Prunus, are a diverse group of fruit-bearing trees known for their juicy, sweet, and sometimes tart flesh. Originating in China, plums have been cultivated for thousands of years and are now grown worldwide in temperate regions. They come in a variety of colours, including red, purple, yellow, and green, and I really think sweet-sour, aromatic plums, bursting with flavour are a very underrated ingredient. Plums are low-calorie fruits and do not cause unhealthy spikes in your blood sugar levels. They are a healthy way to satisfy your hunger because they contain high levels of vitamin C, ...

  THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER…   The Olivar market in Palma has been in a period of transition over the last few years as the old style, classic market stalls are slowly giving way to a more diverse offering with several Sushi stands and oyster bars opening. Just last Saturday one of the stands was packed with people enjoying a glass of champagne or cava with a dozen or so freshly opened oysters. I know it’s sometimes difficult to accept change, but I do think this is a welcome innovation as it gives people another reason to visit the market. It all seems very decadent now to be eating expensive oysters and swigging a glass of champagne and it made me think about the oyster’s humble beginnings.     A saltwater bivalve with a sea-salty flavour and a succulent texture, oysters were once the food of the poor and were mainly used to bulk out dishes such as pies, soups, and stews. They were even fed to the inmates of London’s prisons!   Bel...

  I spent a few days back in London last week and one of the first places I headed for was Borough Market. I t's one of the most renowned markets in London for artisan prepared food, and fresh organic produce, and it's well worth a visit if you happen to be in London any time of the year, especially for food lovers.   After wandering around for an hour or so and drooling over some of the wonderful food and produce on show, I popped into Wright Brothers for a Fish Pie and a glass of Chablis. For me, a well-made fish pie is the ultimate comfort food. Good quality fresh fish, prawns, spinach and peas all bound together in a deliciously cheesy bechamel sauce; a classic fish pie is a great recipe to have up your sleeve for any occasion. After you’ve secured yourself some super fresh fish and prawns, a fish pie is basically all about the sauce and one of the first sauces I learnt to make at culinary school was a classic béchamel. It was, and still is one of...

Smooth, creamy and luscious…nothing beats a homemade ice cream!   I really love the summer, but as the days get longer with clear blue skies and long, hot, sticky nights, the intense heat can sometimes be a little too much to bear. At times like these we need to find some refreshing, delicious ways to us cool down and a frozen ice cream is very tempting and often hits the point. At our restaurants, we always have a good variety of rich ice creams and sorbets in our freezers as they compliment nearly all our desserts.   Everyday we churn them in our sorbet machine or something called a pacojet, and the advantages of using an electric or hand-cranked machine is that the final result will normally be smoother and creamier with that fabulous silky texture of freshly made ice cream. So if you are lucky enough to have an ice cream machine, making your own ice cream can be fun and incredibly simple.     Off course people have been making ice crea...