The Family Cook Book

We had these with some salmon and the new potato and green bean salad mentioned in a previous post. They combine what is I think one of the holy trinity’s of cooking: tomato/anchovy/garlic this combination sings to me like a Holland Dozier Holland song. The addition of crunchy, lemony, thyme-y breadcrumbs adds a flavour and textural lift that turns this very humble dish into something very very lovely.  Ingredients 8-9 large plum tomatoes or 4-6 beefsteak tomatoes, halved 50-100g jar or tin of anchovies, drained (reserve the oil) 2 fat garlic cloves, very finely sliced 100g coarse white breadcrumbs (day-old is good) zest of ½ lemon, finely grated leaves from 4 sprigs thyme 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil Diana’s recipe note: I adore anchovies so have no trouble with this being heavy on them, but if you are less keen (and want a waft rather than a  full-on flavour), go for the 50g option.  Method Preheat the oven to 190C/gas mark 5  Put the tomatoes into a gratin dish large enough to hold

Recipe from  Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking   by  Michael Solomonov  and Steven Cook We were given this book by our friends from Philly. I had always wanted to go to the restaurant but I have been beaten to the punch (Sort of) by Gus whose girlfriend Kass hails from Philly and on a home visit they have been to their new venture Laser Wolf . Apparently the hype is all worth it. Anyway to the recipe, I love tabbouleh, all kinds of tabbouleh. This recipe swaps quinoa for bulgar wheat and uses peas instead of tomatoes or cucumber. It’s delicious. Make a big batch and keep in the fridge it’s great the following day. Serves 4 to 6. Ingredients 75g quinoa 150g Fresh or thawed frozen peas Big handful chopped fresh Italian parsley 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint 1/2 red onion diced 3 tablespoons lemon juice 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper Method 1. Bring 200 ml of salted water to a boil over high heat in a small saucepan, stir in the quinoa,

This is a very summery salad that is a perfect foil for jersey royal or other baby new potatoes. The basis of the recipe comes from David Tanis in the NYT, his version has eggs and uses larger potatoes. He says ...... If this sounds like a pared-down salade niçoise, it is. Make a bold vinaigrette that is unapologetically fragrant with garlic and anchovy. Boil medium-size potatoes in their skins. Peel, slice and dress them while they are still slightly warm. You can even do the work in advance and then assemble it all just before serving. Authentic, traditional or somewhere in between, maybe we’ll just call this a potato salad with a southern French accent and let it go at that.  We served it with Diana Henry’s Provençal tomatoes and the old classic,salmon fillet wrapped in Parma ham. Ingredients 1kg new potatoes Salt and pepper 1 bay leaf 1 large thyme sprig 3 garlic cloves, smashed to a paste with a little salt 1 tablespoon chopped anchovy 1 tablespoon chopped capers 2 teaspoons Dijon