Photo by Matt Russell
Reading Letitia Clark’s Bitter Honey: Recipes and Stories from the Island of Sardinia feels like being on the loveliest holiday, and right now that is something so particularly to be grateful for. And it’s a beautiful book, infused with the spirit of place, and love for good, simple food. I’m certainly biased — for so many of the dishes and flavours in these pages are longtime favourites of mine (I should, in the interests of transparency, also say that I’m touched to have been the influence for some of the recipes) but you don’t need to have eaten in Sardinia to want to run, not walk, into the kitchen with this book. Thinking about the future is difficult at this time, but I’m focussing on filling my summer with her Artichokes Braised with Sage, Lemon, Fennel and Olives with Saffron Aioli, Slow Cooked Courgettes with Mint, Chilli and Almonds, Bottarga Paté, Red Wine and Radicchio Risotto. I could have chosen any of those — and many others — to share with you, but I kept returning to the Fried Ravioli with Cheese and Honey, the celebrated Seadas of Sardinia, a dessert that mixes sharp and sweet, and a very happy memory of mine!
Bitter Honey by Letitia Clark (Hardie Grant, Hardback & eBook).
Photography © Matt Russell.
