It feels a bit like we’re in limbo here at the moment. After a brief burst of warm weather in April, and then chilly temperatures again, most of this week has felt like neither winter or spring. The leaves are green, but we haven’t really had the little glimpses of summer that I associate with this time of year. So we are still eating stews, dal, porridge – the dishes of winter – and waiting for it to feel like it’s time for asparagus, peas, broad beans and artichokes.

Recipes:

• Tarka dal – Slow Cooked
• Roasted Cauliflower gratin – NY Times
• Roasted strawberries – Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson
• Raspberry Ricotta cake – from Bon Appetit via Molly Wizenberg

Without a recipe:

• Pinhead oatmeal porridge – made a batch, and reheated on several mornings this week
• Sausages and jacket potatoes
• Pizza – with confit tomatoes and roasted peppers
• Lasagne – with slow cooker ragu from the freezer
• Chicken Mole from the freezer (also slow cooker)
• Chicken korma – Spice Tailor sauce
• Slow cooker chicken stock

Reading:

• The ever-helpful Dianne Jacob has 17 useful links for food writers and bloggers
• From The Pool, Thomasina Miers writes about her sourdough obsession
• Nigel Slater meringue recipes – particularly like walnut meringue with custard and caramelised apples
• Rowley Leigh’s white asparagus with carrot puree and sorrel makes a particularly striking picture
• This plate of Spring Antipasto from David Tanis looks very inviting