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+---
+title: Recipe Index
+sort: 120
+section-id: site
+keywords: recipe index, pasta, risotto, soups, roasts, baking, salads, sauces
+description: An organised index of recipes on The Kitchen Table, organised by category with descriptions of each.
+language: en
+---
+
+# Recipe Index
+
+All recipes published on The Kitchen Table, organised by category. Every recipe has been tested multiple times. Measurements are given in metric first, with approximate imperial equivalents. Difficulty notes are honest.
+
+## Pasta and Risotto
+
+The backbone of my Italian side. I grew up eating pasta several times a week, and I still do. The recipes here range from the very simple (cacio e pepe, which is three ingredients and takes twenty minutes but can go wrong in a dozen ways) to the more involved (fresh pasta in all its shapes). Risotto has its own section because risotto is its own world.
+
+Key recipes: carbonara (the real way, with guanciale and egg yolk emulsion), wild mushroom pappardelle, spring pea and mint risotto, cacio e pepe with proper technique.
+
+## Soups and Stews
+
+Soup is the most forgiving thing in cooking and also the category that rewards the most attention. A good stock makes a great soup. A mediocre stock makes a mediocre soup. These recipes include the stock foundation and build from there. The slow-braised lamb shoulder belongs in this section as much as the stews section — the line between a braise and a stew is the liquid ratio.
+
+Key recipes: ribollita (slow Tuscan bean soup), roasted butternut squash soup with brown butter, French onion soup with proper technique.
+
+## Roasts and Braises
+
+Low-and-slow cooking produces the most deeply flavoured food. These are the recipes I return to when I want to impress without stress — the magic of a proper braise is that it gets better the longer you leave it. Roasting is faster but equally rewarding when done right.
+
+Key recipes: the perfect roast chicken (with dry brining and pan sauce), slow-braised lamb shoulder with preserved lemon and olives, cassoulet (the two-day version, worth every minute).
+
+## Baking
+
+I bake bread twice a week: usually a sourdough loaf and a focaccia. Pastry appears occasionally. The bread recipes here require time and patience but no special equipment beyond a Dutch oven. The focaccia is the most forgiving thing I bake; the sourdough requires the most sustained attention.
+
+Key recipes: sourdough starter from scratch (7-day guide), Ligurian focaccia with rosemary, Grandmother Lucia's Christmas cookies (cuccidati and brutti ma buoni).
+
+## Salads and Vegetables
+
+I eat a lot of vegetables, but I rarely make salads the centrepiece. The recipes in this section are more about preparations that showcase vegetables — roasted, confit, dressed with interesting things — than about assembled salads. The tomato preparations are in this section and are some of the things I am most proud of on this blog.
+
+Key recipes: six preparations for peak-season tomatoes, seasonal eating guide by month.
+
+## Sauces and Condiments
+
+Hollandaise, pan sauces, stocks, and the preserved and fermented things I keep in my fridge. These are the foundations that other recipes build on. The hollandaise post includes a detailed discussion of emulsion science; the stocks post is the one I recommend to new cooks first.
+
+Key recipes: hollandaise (with the science and the fixes), chicken and veal stocks, lacto-fermented kimchi and sauerkraut.
+
+---
+
+## Latest Recipes
+
+```mdcms
+posts-datetime-reversechronological
+limit: 10
+paginate: yes
+```
diff --git a/kitchen-table/pages/techniques.md b/kitchen-table/pages/techniques.md
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+---
+title: Techniques
+sort: 130
+section-id: site
+keywords: cooking techniques, mise en place, deglazing, rendering fat, emulsification, caramelisation, blanching
+description: A guide to the fundamental cooking techniques referenced throughout The Kitchen Table blog.
+language: en
+---
+
+# Techniques
+
+This page is a reference for the fundamental techniques that appear repeatedly throughout the blog. Understanding these techniques means you can adapt any recipe rather than just follow it. I will keep adding to this page as new techniques come up in posts.
+
+## Mise en Place
+
+*Everything in its place.*
+
+Mise en place is a French professional kitchen concept that translates simply as preparing everything before you start cooking. Chopped vegetables, measured spices, stocks ready, equipment assembled. Before the pan goes on the heat, everything should be within reach.
+
+Why it matters: Heat does not wait. When a pan is at the right temperature, a sauce is reducing, or an omelette is setting, you cannot stop to find the lid or chop the garlic. The moment you turn away, something burns. Mise en place is the habit that gives you control.
+
+At home, this does not require professional kitchen organisation. It means: read the recipe all the way through before you start. Then prepare everything the recipe will need before you light the first burner. Chop, measure, bring things to room temperature, get your tools out. Then cook.
+
+The five minutes of preparation pays back ten minutes of calm.
+
+## Deglazing
+
+Deglazing is the technique of adding liquid to a hot pan after searing or roasting, then using that liquid to dissolve the caramelised bits (the *fond*) stuck to the bottom.
+
+The fond — the browned proteins and sugars that have cooked onto the pan surface — contains enormous flavour. It is not burnt food to be discarded; it is concentrated, caramelised flavour to be incorporated. Deglazing releases it.
+
+**How to deglaze:**
+1. Remove the meat or vegetables from the pan, leaving the fond.
+2. If there is excess fat, pour most of it off (leave a tablespoon or so).
+3. With the pan still hot, add your deglazing liquid: wine, stock, water, cider, brandy.
+4. The liquid will steam violently. This is correct.
+5. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula as the liquid comes up to temperature. The fond will dissolve into the liquid.
+6. Reduce the liquid to a sauce consistency, or use it as the base for a longer braise.
+
+Wine (red or white) and stock are the most common deglazing liquids. The choice shapes the flavour of the resulting sauce.
+
+## Rendering Fat
+
+Rendering is the process of melting fat from meat (bacon, pancetta, guanciale, duck) over low heat so that it can be used as a cooking medium. The remaining solids — called lardons, when the meat is pork — become crispy and flavourful.
+
+**Why render rather than add oil:** The rendered fat carries the flavour of the meat and will flavour everything cooked in it. Pancetta-rendered fat is the starting point for many Italian dishes. Duck fat is the basis for confit. The flavour integration is a feature, not a byproduct.
+
+**How to render:** Start in a cold pan. Cut the fat into small pieces and put them in a cold, dry pan over low-medium heat. Resist the urge to turn up the heat. Low heat melts the fat without burning the surrounding meat. As the fat melts out, the temperature of the pan stabilises. Stir occasionally. After 8-15 minutes (depending on the fat), the pieces will be golden and crispy. Remove them with a slotted spoon and proceed with the recipe using the fat in the pan.
+
+## Emulsification
+
+An emulsion is a stable mixture of two liquids that would not naturally mix — most often, fat and water. Vinaigrette, hollandaise, mayonnaise, and the sauce on a properly-finished pasta are all emulsions.
+
+Emulsions are stabilised by emulsifiers — molecules that have both fat-soluble and water-soluble ends, allowing them to bind to both phases simultaneously. Egg yolk lecithin is the most common culinary emulsifier; it is why hollandaise, mayonnaise, and carbonara work. Mustard contains emulsifying compounds, which is why a vinaigrette made with mustard stays together longer than one without.
+
+**Temporary emulsions** (like vinaigrette whisked quickly) separate when left to stand — the fat globules coalesce and the water phase settles out. **Permanent emulsions** (like mayonnaise) remain stable because the egg lecithin has formed a physical barrier around each fat droplet, preventing them from merging.
+
+**When emulsions break:** A hollandaise that breaks — where the sauce separates into greasy pools and watery liquid — has lost its emulsification. The fat and water phases have separated. The causes: too much heat, too much fat added too quickly, or not enough lecithin to stabilise the amount of fat. The fix is in my hollandaise post.
+
+## Caramelisation and the Maillard Reaction
+
+These are two distinct chemical reactions that both produce browning and flavour, and they are frequently confused.
+
+**Caramelisation** is what happens when sugar is heated: it breaks down into hundreds of flavour compounds, producing the characteristic nutty, complex sweetness of caramel. Caramelisation requires temperatures above 160°C/320°F. It is what happens when you make caramel sauce, when you caramelise onions over low-medium heat for 45 minutes until they are sweet and deeply brown, or when the sugars in a crème brûlée crust.
+
+**The Maillard reaction** is a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that produces browning, complex flavour, and hundreds of flavour compounds. It requires temperatures above approximately 140°C/285°F. It is what produces the crust on bread, the sear on a steak, the colour on roasted vegetables, the golden skin of a roast chicken. It is not caramelisation — it involves proteins, not just sugars — and the flavour compounds it produces are different and more complex.
+
+For practical cooking: both reactions require high heat and low moisture. Wet surfaces steam rather than brown. This is why you pat meat dry before searing, why you roast vegetables at high heat with space between them, and why bread crust forms in the dry heat of the oven rather than the moist heat of a steamer.
+
+## Blanching
+
+Blanching is the technique of briefly cooking a vegetable in vigorously boiling, generously salted water, then immediately transferring it to ice water to stop the cooking.
+
+**Why blanch:** The brief cooking sets colour (the vibrant green of blanched green beans comes from heat driving air out of the cells and stabilising the chlorophyll). It also softens vegetables enough to make them pleasant to eat while maintaining their texture. The ice bath stops the cooking instantly at exactly the moment you choose.
+
+Blanching is the technique behind *mise en place* vegetable prep in professional kitchens: blanch the vegetables in advance, ice-bath them, then finish them in butter or olive oil at service. The hard work is done; the final cooking takes two minutes.
+
+**Ratios and timing:** Use a large pot of water — the more water, the faster it returns to the boil after you add the vegetables. Salt it generously (the water should taste like pleasant seawater). Timing varies by vegetable: green beans 2-3 minutes, asparagus 1-2 minutes, broccoli 2 minutes, potatoes longer. The goal is "just cooked but still with texture."
+
+---
+
+*More techniques are added regularly as they come up in posts. Check the blog or use the search function to find technique discussions in specific recipe posts.*
diff --git a/kitchen-table/posts/2024-02-14-pasta-carbonara.md b/kitchen-table/posts/2024-02-14-pasta-carbonara.md
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+---
+title: "The Only Carbonara Recipe You Need (And Why Most Are Wrong)"
+created: 2024-02-14 10:00
+author: Amelia Fontaine
+keywords: carbonara, pasta, eggs, guanciale, Italian, technique
+description: Authentic spaghetti alla carbonara — no cream, no shortcuts — with a deep dive into why the technique matters and how to nail the emulsification every time.
+---
+
+![Pasta carbonara](assets/images/pasta.jpg)
+
+# The Only Carbonara Recipe You Need (And Why Most Are Wrong)
+
+I learned to make carbonara from a Roman butcher named Giorgio who sold guanciale out of a refrigerated cabinet the size of a wardrobe. It was 2011. I was twenty-three, living in Trastevere for the summer on a fellowship that paid almost nothing, and I ate pasta four nights a week because it was what I could afford. Giorgio noticed I kept buying pancetta instead of guanciale and, with the patience of a man who had seen tourists make terrible decisions for thirty years, spent fifteen minutes explaining why this was wrong.
+
+That conversation changed how I cook.
+
+## Why Cream is Not Just "a Variation"
+
+Let me be clear before we begin: carbonara does not contain cream. This is not culinary snobbery or Italian chauvinism. It is a matter of understanding what the dish is. Carbonara is a demonstration of emulsification — the technique by which fat, egg proteins, and starchy pasta water combine into a glossy, clingy sauce. Cream short-circuits this process. It works, yes. You get something vaguely carbonara-like, pale and rich. But you have bypassed the thing the dish is teaching you, which is how to make a sauce from almost nothing using heat and motion.
+
+Learning carbonara without cream is like learning to drive on an automatic: functional, but you miss something important about how the machine works.
+
+## The Ingredients
+
+For two people:
+
+- **200g spaghetti** (or rigatoni, if you prefer something to grip the sauce)
+- **150g guanciale**, cut into lardons roughly 1cm × 0.5cm
+- **3 egg yolks** plus 1 whole egg
+- **60g Pecorino Romano**, finely grated (or a 50/50 blend with Parmigiano)
+- **Freshly ground black pepper** — and lots of it
+- **Salt** for the pasta water only
+
+Guanciale is cured pig cheek. It is fattier and more flavourful than pancetta, with a particular sweetness that pancetta lacks. In Rome, there is no substitute. In the UK or US, good-quality pancetta works as a reasonable second. Bacon does not work — the smoke flavour fights the egg.
+
+The pepper is not optional. "Carbonara" takes its name from *carbone* (charcoal). The dish was allegedly made by charcoal workers, and the pepper represents the charcoal dust. Use it generously.
+
+## The Method
+
+**1. Get the pasta water boiling.** Heavily salted — it should taste like mild seawater. This starch-rich water is your sauce's best friend.
+
+**2. Render the guanciale slowly.** In a large pan (you will need the surface area later), cook the guanciale over medium-low heat until the fat is mostly rendered and the edges are crispy but the interior is still yielding, about 8–10 minutes. Do not go too high — you want rendered fat, not burnt crisps. Turn off the heat.
+
+**3. Make the egg mixture.** In a bowl, whisk together the yolks, whole egg, Pecorino, and a very generous amount of pepper. The mixture should be thick and pale yellow. Set aside.
+
+**4. Cook the pasta until 90% done.** It will finish cooking in the pan, so pull it out a minute before al dente. Reserve at least 200ml of pasta water before draining.
+
+**5. The critical moment.** Transfer the pasta directly into the guanciale pan (heat off). Add 3–4 tablespoons of pasta water and toss vigorously for 30 seconds until the pasta is well-coated and the temperature has dropped slightly — you want it hot but not searing. 
+
+**6. Add the egg mixture off the heat.** Pour the egg and cheese mixture over the pasta and toss constantly and rapidly. The residual heat from the pasta and the pan cooks the eggs gently. Add pasta water a tablespoon at a time to adjust consistency — you want the sauce creamy and flowing, not dry and clumped. The whole process takes about 60–90 seconds.
+
+**7. Serve immediately.** Carbonara waits for no one. The sauce continues to thicken as it cools. Finish with more Pecorino and more pepper at the table.
+
+## Why It Scrambles (And How to Stop It)
+
+Egg proteins begin to set at around 63°C and are fully cooked at 73°C. The goal is to stay below 73°C while getting the proteins warm enough to thicken the sauce — you want the texture of custard, not scrambled eggs.
+
+The safeguards:
+- **Turn the heat off** before adding the egg mixture. Always.
+- **The pasta water** lowers the temperature of the pan and adds starch, which buffers the egg proteins and prevents rapid coagulation.
+- **Constant motion** distributes heat evenly and coats every strand.
+- **Working quickly** matters more than anything. Have everything ready before you cook the pasta.
+
+If it scrambles anyway: the pan was too hot or the water was too starchy. Cool the pan in cold water for 10 seconds before adding the egg. Add more pasta water. Breathe.
+
+## The Version Giorgio Made
+
+Giorgio's carbonara was almost indistinguishable from mine except for two things. He used only Pecorino, never Parmigiano. And he always added one extra yolk "per il colore" (for the colour) — which turned the sauce a deeper, more vivid gold. I now do the same. It makes no rational sense that I have never been able to verify, but the carbonara tastes better for it, and that is probably all the reason I need.
diff --git a/kitchen-table/posts/2024-03-22-bread-starter.md b/kitchen-table/posts/2024-03-22-bread-starter.md
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+---
+title: Starting a Sourdough Starter from Scratch
+created: 2024-03-22 09:00
+author: Amelia Fontaine
+keywords: sourdough, starter, fermentation, bread, wild yeast
+description: A complete seven-day guide to creating a sourdough starter from nothing but flour, water, and patience — with troubleshooting and the science of wild fermentation.
+---
+
+![Freshly baked bread](assets/images/bread.jpg)
+
+# Starting a Sourdough Starter from Scratch
+
+A sourdough starter is, at its most fundamental, a controlled environment for wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria. You are not adding anything to the flour and water except conditions — warmth, time, regular feeding. The microorganisms are already present on the grain, in the air, on your hands. Your job is to select for the ones you want.
+
+This sounds mystical. It is actually chemistry. Lactic acid bacteria produce acids that lower the pH of the mixture, creating conditions that favour *Saccharomyces cerevisiae* (the yeast responsible for rise) and *Lactobacillus* species (responsible for flavour). By day seven, if conditions are right, you will have a stable, predictable culture you can use for the rest of your life.
+
+## What You Need
+
+- **Flour**: Wholegrain rye or wholemeal wheat is ideal for starting — higher in wild yeast and nutrients than white flour. Once established, you can switch to white.
+- **Water**: Filtered or left to stand overnight if chlorinated. Chlorine inhibits fermentation.
+- **A jar**: At least 500ml capacity. Glass is ideal so you can observe activity.
+- **A scale**: Precision matters here. Volume measurements are unreliable.
+- **Temperature**: 24–26°C is ideal. A kitchen counter in summer works. In winter, try near (not on) a warm appliance, or inside the oven with just the light on.
+
+## The Seven-Day Guide
+
+### Day 1 — Creating the Base
+
+Combine 50g wholegrain rye flour with 50g room-temperature water in your jar. Mix thoroughly until no dry flour remains. Scrape down the sides, cover loosely (a cloth held with a rubber band, or a jar lid placed on top without sealing), and leave at room temperature.
+
+Do nothing else today.
+
+### Day 2 — First Signs
+
+You may see small bubbles. You may see nothing. Both are normal. The mixture might smell slightly unpleasant — musty or even nail-polish-like. This is also normal; undesirable bacteria are colonising first before the yeast creates conditions that suppress them.
+
+Discard all but 50g of the mixture. Add 50g rye flour and 50g water. Mix, cover, leave.
+
+### Day 3 — Activity Increases
+
+By now you should see more consistent bubbling. The smell may be getting more sour and less unpleasant. This is the lactic acid bacteria beginning to dominate.
+
+Repeat the discard and feed: keep 50g, add 50g flour, 50g water.
+
+### Day 4 — The Starter Wakes Up
+
+You should now be seeing a predictable rise — the mixture expanding within a few hours of feeding before dropping back. Mark the level on the jar with a rubber band after feeding to track the rise. Aim for 50–100% increase at peak.
+
+Switch to twice-daily feeding if your kitchen is above 24°C. Once daily is fine below that. Continue: 50g starter, 50g flour, 50g water.
+
+### Day 5 — Transition to White Flour
+
+If using rye to establish the culture, you can now transition: use 25g rye and 25g white bread flour for a couple of days, then move to all white bread flour if you prefer a milder flavour and lighter bread.
+
+The starter should now smell pleasantly sour and yeasty, like a good craft beer. If it smells of cheese or acetone at this stage, it's too warm or not being fed frequently enough.
+
+### Day 6 — The Float Test
+
+A healthy, active starter will float when a small amount is dropped into a glass of water. Try this 4–6 hours after feeding, when the starter is at or near peak activity. If it floats, you're ready to bake.
+
+If it sinks, continue feeding twice daily for another day or two. Patience.
+
+### Day 7 — Ready
+
+A starter that passes the float test and reliably doubles within 4–6 hours of feeding is ready to use. You have created a living culture that, with basic maintenance, can last indefinitely. Some bakeries use starters that are decades old.
+
+## Ongoing Maintenance
+
+**If baking daily**: Keep at room temperature, feed once or twice a day (same discard-and-feed routine).
+
+**If baking occasionally**: Store in the refrigerator. Feed once a week. Remove from the fridge 12–24 hours before baking to bring it to room temperature and let it peak.
+
+**The discard**: You discard starter each time you feed to prevent the jar from overflowing and to maintain a consistent ratio of culture to fresh flour. The discarded starter is excellent in pancakes, flatbreads, crackers, and waffles.
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+**No activity after four days**: Make sure the water isn't chlorinated. Try a slightly warmer location. Use wholegrain flour.
+
+**Pink or orange streaks**: These indicate contamination. Discard everything, sterilise the jar, start again.
+
+**Liquid layer on top ("hooch")**: Grey-black liquid means the starter is hungry and hungry for longer than it should be. Pour it off and feed immediately; consider switching to twice-daily feeding.
+
+**The smell**: Acetone/nail polish = too warm or too acidic; cheese = too cold; pleasantly sour and yeasty = correct.
+
+## Why This Works
+
+Wild yeast produces carbon dioxide (creating rise) and ethanol (which evaporates in baking). Lactic acid bacteria produce lactic and acetic acids, which contribute flavour and preservation. The ratio of these two acids depends on temperature and hydration: warmer and wetter conditions favour lactic acid (milder, yoghurt-like); cooler and stiffer conditions favour acetic acid (sharper, vinegar-like). This is why bakeries in different climates produce sourdough with distinct flavour profiles even from similar flour.
+
+Your starter is genuinely local. The wild yeasts on your flour, in your kitchen air, on your hands — they are specific to your environment. A starter begun in Manchester will differ from one begun in Marseille. This is one of the things I find quietly extraordinary about bread.