Bitter Honey by Letitia Clark cookbook review
Bitter Honey by Letitia Clark cookbook review
Bitter Honey by Letitia Clark celebrates Sardinian food
Bitter Honey by Letitia Clark is a cookbook that champions the food and culture of Sardinia.
But Letitia Clark is not Sardinian. Like many explorers, she’s immersed herself in the place she now lives. And she uses all the colours to paint a gorgeous picture of Sardinia – one filled with incredible food and a distinct culture of its own.
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There’s almost a scrap-book like feel to Bitter Honey – something like a nostalgia for a place where time stands still, and only the luckiest amongst us get to inhabit.
Before reading Bitter Honey I had few cravings to visit Sardinia. That’s all changed now.
And it’s because Letitia Clark paints such a beautiful picture of what it means to be Sardinian, through the food of the place. Of course I want to go there! When they eat the likes of roasted pecorino with honey and walnuts, who wouldn’t?
What are the recipes like in Bitter Honey by Letitia Clark?
The recipes in Bitter Honey are split into eight different chapters, including greens, grains, earth and sea. Most of the recipes have a full-page picture alongside, and the food photography is stunning. Dishes like artichokes braised with sage and Giuseppe’s marinated salmon are dappled in sunlight. Is that Sardinian sunlight? It’s definitely not English :D I want some.
Each recipe comes with a short introduction, giving you an interesting story, before diving into ingredients and instructions. Even though I prefer when the instructions are separated by bullet points, I still find the recipes easy enough to scan.
Ingredients for the most part are easy to source. There are a couple of items native to Sardinia which you may need to go to a larger grocery store for. For example, the Waitrose has some good value trofie pasta, and I went to a big Morrisons to pick up pecorino cheese. All in all, nothings too difficult to get.
Ricotta, figs, thyme and honey
Here’s a recipe that isn’t strictly a recipe. It’s so simple and intuitive, you’ll wonder why you haven’t been eating this way to begin with. The opening line begins ‘If you are going to snack, then make sure you snack well’. Brilliant.
What we have is toasted sourdough (or any interesting bread), smeared thickly with ricotta. The flesh of a fig is torn over the top, honey drizzled, and salt and thyme sprinkled. It’s the best lunch I’ve had in a long while and takes a few minutes to prepare. In spite (or because) of its simplicity, it’s a winner.
Slow-cooked courgettes with mint, chilli and almonds
These slow-cooked courgettes are a great side to the roast chicken (below) and would also go well with a focaccia. This is another simple recipe with minimal ingredients, which gives the humble courgette a new lease of life.
Just be sure to keep the heat high enough so the courgettes caramelize, rather than stew. But not so high that they cook to fast. We made that mistake early on, then whacked the heat up to fix it. Worked out in the end!
A kind of Italian roast chicken
What makes this recipe much more than just an ordinary roast chicken is the anchovy butter. You take a whole tin of anchovies and whizz them up with lots of butter. This gets massaged into the bird – under the skin and in the cavity – and then it’s the oven. There are other additions that make this a delicious thing, but it’s the anchovies that are the game changer here.
I also really like the method, which results in a gorgeously browned and crispy skin.
Trofie with pesto, tuna and tomatoes
Bitter Honey has some great pasta dishes, and this is one of them. The recipe get’s you to make your own pesto, and then combine it with Trofie, a pasta that originates from Sardinia. Of course it would work with any kind of pasta, but, if you can, plump for the trofie.
Trofie is a twisted, short pasta, whose shape is perfect for pesto. The recipe details out how to make an easy pesto, marrying pine nuts with fresh basil and the best olive oil you have. This silky concoction tucks itself beautifully into the twists of the Trofie, and the two together are delicious. I also like the addition of tuna, which lends a satisfying meatiness.
Linguine with lemon, basil, pecorino and mascarpone
This is another simple, but delicious pasta dish. Now Letitia points you to pecorino, a goats cheese originating in Sardinia. Try a chunk first – it’s the most summery cheese I’ve tasted so far, lemony and creamy all at the same time. This, plus mascarpone, cream and basil, make for a wonderful linguine. Thinking about it is making me hungry again 😉
Overall thoughts on Bitter Honey by Letitia Clark
Bitter Honey by Letitia Clark is a brilliant cookbook that also tells the story of what it means to eat like a Sardinian. There are beautiful images, created with both photography and words. And the recipes are never unnecessarily difficult. All in all, it’s a brilliant cookbook.
Buy Bitter Honey by Letitia Clark.
