The spice mix ras el hanout is known to contain various aphrodisiacs and always a bit of mystery. It stars in this dish that will sweep you off your feet.
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At the start of a new year, predictions are invariably made.
“Pistachios are in, hazelnuts are out,” I hear on a podcast on the BBC, while assembling a simple tray bake for dinner. It’s said with the conviction of a seer. Sauvignon Blanc is out, Bacchus grapes are back. Honey: out; peanut butter: in. Flavored gin: in the bin; creamed liqueurs are here! “Swicy” — sweet and spicy — is the new “swalty,” we’re told, as everyone looks for the next salted caramel. Who knew? I inspect my simple tray bake — chicken and chickpeas, potatoes and peppers: It’s familiarity, it’s timelessness. It seems almost quaint.
Recipe: Chicken and Chickpea Tray Bake
Predictions used to be something of a hunch, everyone’s best guess about what would take off in a given year. People traveled back and forth, saw something on television, read the latest cookbooks or looked things up online. Trends churned, at least to my mind, a bit more slowly.
Today it all spreads far faster, mostly on social media platforms. Somebody eats somewhere, and before you know it, a line forms around the corner. A dish, a diet, a tool can suddenly go viral and be seemingly everywhere. An air-fryer is great, I have no doubt, but what about the toaster?
When it comes to cooking, the internet can be a limitless source of information, but this sense of endless choice can be misleading. What you’re seeing amplified by the algorithm is just a very small number of dishes of the many, many in the world.
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