The Family Cook Book

  We have pretty much stopped using bags of salad (aside from Rocket which we can only really get that way)they go off very quickly and quite often the don't taste great. They also wilt terribly when dressed. We now use the best combination of firm leaves we can get …. little gem, Romaine, chicory, endive, radicchio and occasionally the very lovely looking castelfranco. I love David Tanis’ recipe from his book Market Cooking . Ingredients  mixed chicory leaves, such as radicchio, Castelfranco or Belgian endives, trimmed and washed 2 garlic cloves, grated 4 anchovy fillets, chopped 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons lemon juice Kosher salt and black pepper 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Method Tear radicchio or Castelfranco leaves into rough 2-inch pieces; or leave whole if they are small. slice any other chicories into 2-inch-wide ribbons. Put the leaves in a salad bowl. Make the dressing: smash the garlic to a paste with some salt, no...

I love a cold soup, particularly gazpacho. On a recent trip to Mallorca we had Ajo Blanco and it inspired me to make some last night. We had it in the garden with some drinks and other tapas style starters. Ingredients   220g blanched almonds 200ml cold water 1/2 large cucumber peeled and roughly chopped 2 cloves garlic 150ml good olive oil Sherry vinegar to taste 1-2 tbs Grapes or Melon Serrano ham Method Toast the almonds at 160C fan, for no longer than 10 minutes, you just want the slightest hint of brown. Leave to cool. Place in a food processor and blitz for longer than seems necessary… about 10 minutes. Keep scraping down the sides. Once the almonds are as smooth as you can get them, start trickling in the water until you have the consistency of double cream. Now add the cucumber, grate in the garlic and blitz again. Finally, with the processor running trickle in the olive oil. This should make the sauce velvety and thick. Then season well with the vinegar and salt, this is a...

  April Bloomfield turns classic mushy peas into an elegant spread in this minty and lemony recipe. I like to serve these with drinks on crackers or small toasted slices of Ciabatta or french stick. It’s great on its own but elevated a bit by a small dollop of nduja on top.    Ingredients 300g fresh or frozen peas 25g aged pecorino or vegetarian alternative, finely grated, plus extra shavings to serve 1 tsp sea salt flakes, plus extra to season ½ garlic clove, roughly chopped Small bunch fresh mint, leaves removed 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil Scant 2 tbsp lemon juice, plus extra to season Sliced Toasted french stick or good quality crackers like Gail’s seeded Nduja (optional) Method Put all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse to a coarse purée. Scrape the mixture into a bowl, then roughly stir and smoosh a bit so it’s a little creamy but still chunky. Season to taste with more salt and lemon juice – you want it to taste sweet and bright but not a...

Julius Robert’s isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Some people find his Insta posts a little too much, a bit too gushy, a bit too posh boy Jamie. I know what they mean but I resolutely remain a fan, why? Because his recipes work thats why. His book  is certainly not a revelation but the recipes are well chosen, the instruction clear and helpful and the book is easy to use. Here’s a case in point. I would add either some roasties or a nice new potato salad   Ingredients 1 decent sized chicken 3tbs olive oil 250ml double cream 20g fresh tarragon 1 large heaped tbs Dijon mustard Glass of dry white wine Method Preheat your oven to 220°C fan and start by spatchcocking the chicken. To do this, turn it over and cut along one side of the spine from the tail to the neck. Then turn it over, open out the two sides and press down hard to flatten it. Your butcher will gladly do this for you.  Lay the chicken in a large, high-sided roasting tray, season generously with salt on both sides an...

 After a prolonged technical hiatus that has interrupted my ability to post normal service will be resumed.  I’ve got plenty of recipes to tell you about. Glad to be back