Food writer Skye McAlpine tells Sarah Maber about the power that food has to heal and connect, and shares recipes from her new book, A Table Full of Love
Saffron and lemon risotto
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Skye McAlpine is a cookery writer who divides her time between London and Venice. A Table Full of Love is her third book. Follow her on Instagram @skyemcalpine
Cookingcan often feel like something we have to do: a humdrum chore to add to the ever-growing list of chores in daily life. But my hope in writing my new book, A Table Full of Love (Bloomsbury, £26), is that it prompts you to want to cook, especially for those people you care most about. I hope you’ll find recipes to comfort, seduce, nourish and spoil your loved ones, as well as yourself.
Food is about the people we share it with. And cooking is always so much cosier and more fun than getting a Deliveroo or going out. It allows you to welcome people into your world and show them that you love them. When someone finds themself in an awful situation, you can’t fix it or heal whatever they’re struggling with – but you can cook.
I grew up in Venice and I still spend six months of the year there. The Italians have this magical relationship with food. It’s very important to them,but food is all about pleasure. There’s no stress; there’s not even an equivalent word for our ‘entertaining’. Instead of striving for perfection, the emphasis is on being together and eating together. I take inspiration from this!
I love cooking for friends – instead of a starter, I’ll put out bowls of crisps and olives, salted almonds, or a chunk of cheese with a knife and honey for dipping. I’ll cook a roast chicken – that’s a real go-to – with some roast or mashed potatoes; a green salad with a nice dressing. For pudding, I love the no-churn chocolate ice cream [in the book]; you can make it ahead of time and shove it in the freezer, and it’s delicious. I serve it with cones and Flakes!
What matters is to cook something, rather than trying to make ever-more challenging food, then losing heart along the way. When it comes to cooking, less is blissfully more; with one simple thing, you can show someone you love them and that’s a great part of the magic of it.
TONNO ALLA FILICUDARA
‘The first time we ate tuna this way, in a tomato sauce peppered with olives and capers, was on holiday in the remote island of Filicudi in the Aeolian Islands off the coast of Sicily. It tastes like sunshine and summer days even when it’s cold, dark and raining.’
◆ 2 tbsp olive oil
◆ 1 red onion, sliced
◆ 600g baby tomatoes, halved
◆ 2 tbsp capers
◆ 100g black olives, pitted
◆ ahandful of mint leaves, chopped
◆ 4 small tuna steaks, about 120g each
1 Heat the oil in a large fryin
