Recent Posts

Padron Peppers with Chips

Any decent tapas bar or restaurant will have pimientos de Padrón, deep-fried Padron peppers, on the menu. I am a great fan of the tapas style of eating. I feature a selection of tapas dishes here at Grandads Cookbook. They’re usually mild in flavour, with low levels of capsaicin. Every once in a […]

Potato Skin Crisps

Potato peels are generally considered a “waste”. In most households, we will either throw away or compost the skins removed from potatoes. A friend of mine suggested I tried making crisps, or chips to our cousins across the pond, from the peelings so I gave it a go and they […]

Sweet Chilli Jam

I have had an abundant crop of chillies this year so I’m making sweet chilli jam. It’s a great addition to any plate of cold meats and if I make my own I can add plenty of chilli because I like the heat!

pasta with anchovy sauce in a dish

Colatura di Alici – Italian Anchovy Sauce

Colatura is made using anchovies that are kept in salt inside wooden barrels for forty days. The juice, or colatura, is then strained off and used to dress hot pasta along with garlic, olive oil, and a little lemon juice.

marry me chicken in a saute pan

Marry Me Chicken – A Proposal

Marry Me Chicken is a popular dish made with juicy chicken breasts smothered in a rich sauce made with garlic and sun-dried tomatoes.

Leeks halved cross ways on a cutting board

How To Sauté Leeks

This recipe for sautéed leeks is quick and easy and makes a lovely, tender buttery side dish to accompany your meal.

Food of Gran Canaria

My wife and I absolutely love Gran Canaria with its year-round warm climate, friendly people and its abundance of great food, especially the locally caught fish.

a ladle full of pasta over a saucepan

Easy Homemade Tomato Passata

I have had a good crop of tomatoes on my allotment, far more than I can use in salads so I am going to make tomato passata and store it for future use.

pickled gherkins in a wooden bowl on a hessian table mat

How To Pickle Gherkins

Sweet and crunchy home-pickled gherkins. You can’t eat fish and chips without one!