February

My sort of first newsletter

This is technically my second newsletter but the first on this platform, the first in over a year and the first since the world went mad so let’s count it as number one ok? Thank you for being here.

I’m hoping it won’t land in your junk mail but please flag it as legit mail in order to receive it.

I don’t 100% know what I’m doing or how it will evolve, but for now, this is where I roundup the recipes I post in a month and where I share other delicious things. You will hear when my eBook will be published (sorry it’s taking so long), any cooking classes and courses I (might) run and a few sneak peeks behind the scenes. I am planning on sharing a few photography & cooking tips too. I’ll keep it interesting.

Being banned from going to the beach in the middle of blazing hot summer is something I would never have contemplated enduring, but there we were. Another simple aspect of life taken for granted. I luckily managed to escape to De Hoop Nature Reserve in mid-Jan to bask in all its natural beauty. It’s the perfect place to escape people, commune with nature or see the beach again. The star gazing is the best you can get if there is no moon, and staying amongst wild animals is always special. You can read all about my weekend here in case you missed it. Are you longing to travel as much as I am?

Its been a slow start to the year as I claw my way back into work and tackle the very long list of recipes I’m dying to produce. There is no shortage of ideas despite doing this for 11 years. I totally missed my 11th blog birthday on the 3rd of December as it was in the middle of my house move and life was as chaotic as it could get. I’m planning on making a LOT of cakes this year to make up for it. I did, however, manage to get my annual BEST of the years recipes list out and you can see my top recipes for 2020 here.

RECENT RECIPES ON MY BLOG

I shot my first recipe in my new home studio and was smitten with how it all turned out. The light is good and faces more ore less the same direction as it did in my last house (ie South), but I have more of it for longer hours so this should expand the times I am able to shoot. I always wanted a north-facing studio as the quality of that light is more intense, but I have spotted a few windows that deliver up amazing North light so might sneak the odd dish in front of those. The part about my new studio I love the most is the space. I have so much more of it. And that my desk can fit in the room too creating a totally separate work/shoot area which I can walk away from whenever I want. It’s often very messy.

I did a very simple recipe of fried eggs in cream with sage and bay and its a game-changer. Like butter but only silkier and arguably better. It was a gentle and comforting way to kick off my year of cooking and before I start slashing the calories from my diet in order to shed some unwanted pandemic weight.

Eggs fried in cream with sage & bay

Egg & Bacon salad with blue cheese, watercress & a creamy blue cheese dressing

I kick off a series of lovely summer salads with this delicious low carb bacon and egg number. It’s been on rotation if my house since November.

Asparagus with anchovy butter & Parmesan

We could all do with simple delicious all the time.

Crispy noodle slaw with a soy honey & ginger dressing

This is another crowd-pleasing salad that everyone loves and it goes with everything. A perfect salad for a braai (BBQ).

Raisin pancakes with ricotta & orange

Just in case you thought I was being too healthy, I made these delicious pancakes doused in syrup.

In Season:

Plums: Purple plum torte ** Roasted plum ice cream with cinnamon & bay ** Easy plum and frangipane galette ** Easy plum muffins

Mangoes: Mango, passionfruit and yoghurt brûlée

A few of my favourite summer recipes

The 10 summer fruit recipes you should be making

Kitchen tips

Freezing cheese

In case you didi’t know, you can freeze most cheese. Especially softer cheeses like Brie and Camembert. This is great for when you want to whip up a quick baked Camembert treat. For a hard cheese like Cheddar, it tends to crumble after being frozen, so grate it and then store in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. You will have a constant and easily accessible supply of grated cheese.

Whipping ricotta

Whipping ricotta in a food processor turns it into the most delicious creamy texture. Flavour it with a variety of things like lemon, honey or savoury herbs and spices. Spread it on a plate and top with roasted vegetables to add creaminess and a cheffy touch.

A call to help the South African wine industry

I put out a plea to help our wine industry by buying some wine. Paying it forward if you are local and just generally supporting us if you lived overseas. 3 bouts of alcohol prohibition were brutal on our industry. I put together a list of retailers (online and physical) in the UK that stock South African wine on this IG post. Please share in order to drive awareness and thanks in advance for your support.

drizzleanddip

A post shared by Sam Linsell (@drizzleanddip)

Delicious drinks

Masimo’s in Hout Bay has launched their three Spiriti Famosi Italian liqueurs. Pour the chocolate over vanilla ice cream, turn the Limone into a LiMojito with mint leaves and crushed ice, and add a shot of vodka to the Zenzero ginger liqueur to make a ginger mule.

Thank you for joining my monthly update and as always please stay safe.

Sam xox