Red lentils, and lamb and barley: Ilhan Mohamed Abdi’s soup recipes for Iftar

There is nothing quite like that first bite after a long day of fasting. It’s quiet, intentional and deeply comforting. The stillness just before sunset gives way to movement – the table being laid, the clinking of glasses, the pause as everyone waits for the call to prayer. Then, with a date in hand and water on the tongue, the fast is broken. That moment never loses its meaning, no matter how many times you experience it

RecipeTin Eats founder farewells Dozer the golden retriever: ‘I will love you and miss you forever’

Nagi Maehashi, the celebrated cook behind RecipeTin Eats, has announced the death of her beloved canine companion, Dozer, on Sunday, saying the cover star of her bestselling cookbooks would be missed “forever”.Dozer, a golden retriever, was Maehashi’s supporting star on her hyper-popular cooking blog and featured in many images and stories in her two books: Tonight and Dinner. Dinner was released in 2023, and became the fastest-selling cookbook in Australian publishing history. Maehashi’s blog receives more than 500 million hits each year.On social media, Maehashi said Dozer, who was 13, was hospitalised at the vet in January with a lung infection, which was complicated by his older age and existing medical conditions

How to cook the perfect brigadeiros for Valentine’s Day – recipe | Felicity Cloake's How to cook the perfect …

If you’re not au fait with these soft, chocolatey treats, you clearly haven’t spent much time in Brazil, where, in the words of blogger Olivia Mesquita, they’re national treasures, “a must-have at special celebrations, from kids’ parties to weddings”. As content creator Camila Hurst puts it, “It’s basically not a party without them.” Quick and simple to make from everyday ingredients, they’re also an ideal last-minute gift for someone you love.Older recipes tend to call for hot chocolate powder, but plain cocoa powder makes for a less intensely sweet result. Mesquita’s book, Authentic Brazilian Home Cooking, uses dark chocolate, and TV chef Leticia Moreinos Schwartz suggests combining the two

Cylla, Birmingham: ‘Maybe the best potato side dish being served in the UK today’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants

Punchy cocktails and roaringly traditional Greek food in the heart of BirminghamCylla, a classy Greek restaurant on Newhall Street, Birmingham, draws inspiration, it says, from Scylla, the legendary Greek man-eating sea monster that lives close to the whirlpools of Charybdis. She’s a beautiful woman, but has six dog heads, all grumpy and snarling, as well as a serpent’s tail.If Scylla herself were ever to turn up at Cylla, dogs’ heads barking and tail flapping, they’d have to seat her in one of the gorgeous private booths at the front as you enter the room. These are the spots to grab if you want a little privacy, which is why we eschewed the long, prettily lit cocktail bar and headed straight to this cosy hidey-hole for a round of Poseidon’s Wrath. “It’s a bit like a dirty martini,” explained our server, who was one of those warm, bright, commanding, knowledgable souls who, in a hospitality setting, is worth her weight in drachma

Spice up your life! 17 soups with a kick – from chicken curry laksa to roast pumpkin

Technically, many soups are spiced in some way, even if it’s just with pepper. But we all know what is meant by a spiced soup: something with a jolt to it, and a bit of heat to warm up a winter evening. When it comes to soup, spice is the ultimate companion to a main ingredient that may otherwise be considered boring or bland. In this sense, the spices are the most important component: they are what the soup will taste of.But which spices go with which ingredients, and how? Here are 17 different recipes to help you figure that out

Helen Goh’s recipe for Valentine’s chocolate pots de creme for two | The sweet spot

These chocolate pots are dark, silken and softly bitter, with enough richness to feel a little decadent, but not heavy. Make one to share or two individual ones, depending on your mood. They can be made ahead, anywhere from an hour to a full day in advance, and will keep happily in the fridge. If they’ve been chilled for more than a couple of hours, let them sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving. They should feel cool against the spoon, but not fridge-cold, which dulls their luxurious texture