The Family Cook Book

We had this recipe on Saturday when we had all of the family over to say goodbye to Joe before he heads for the States. It was great to get all twenty one ( only two absences) of us together something that happens all too rarely. The weather was also kind to us and we whiled away the afternoon and early evening in the garden. This recipe seemed to go down well.It looks complicated but I promise you that it isn't, the trick is that it can all be prepared in advance leaving you to enjoy yourself .... and anyway the taste is well worth the little bit of effort. The meal was finished off with the legendary combination of a classic River Cafe pear and almond tart and a giant bowl ice full of Calippos, Nobbly Bobblies and Twisters ... very very sophisticated. Things to do ahead of time To make the basil oil 15g Basil 1 Unwaxed lemon, zest; juice of half 80ml Extra virgin olive oil remove the leaves and place in a food processor with a pinch of sea salt and half the lemon zest. Pulse unt...

We did this recipe for Sunday lunch maybe a little more successfully than the last time. I think that this is partly down to practice and partly due to a few minor tweaks to the recipe. We love this whichever way you do it but these slight tweaks move it into the legendary status! The key things are 1. Potatoes should be king Edward or Maris Piper ie fluffy not waxy 2. Chorizo should be added 20 - 30 mins from end NOT at the beginning as they get over cooked. 3. Forget the greaseproof paper ... use a good well oiled non stick pan 4. make sure you give pan a good shake every 20 mins or so 5. Use two small 1.3 - 1.5kg chickens rather than one big one 6. Use your judgement on cooking time but an hour and a half might be a bit better 7. sprinkle the gremolata over the potatoes in the pan and mix rather than when on plates, it mixes it up better and has a slightly less harsh effect. Ingredients • 1kg potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5cm dice • 4 lemons • a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley ...

I was talking about my lack of blogging this morning with one of my very few followers, yes that's you Will. He was remonstrating (well maybe observing rather than remonstrating) that I hadn't been blogging much. Sometimes that's because I am in a bit of a revisiting rather than discovery phase. This recipe from Allegra Macavedy, that I have already written about once, is an absolute breeze to make and is really different and delicious. The salad here is a little spin on the last entry as it has the addition of radish and lemon juice ... definitely an improvement..... and maybe, just maybe, that justifies a second entry. Lisa and I had this with Joe who returned to Uni today and is therefore unlikely to have Monkfish couscous for some time! Ingredients (Serves four) 180g cous-cous ½ teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon cumin seeds 3 spring onions, thinly sliced 1 preserved lemon, golf-ball sized, roughly chopped 10g fresh coriander, washed and roughly chopped 10 cherry tomatoes...

This recipe has long been a big favourite in the Cook house. Joe is a major league fan and has even cooked it at Uni. However it has never made it to the blog. The eagle eyed of you will notice that a request from Suzy Price was posted yesterday because she had lost the scrap of paper I had written the recipe on many drunken moons ago. So here it is; remember that things have moved on in the Tuna world since this was written so try to make sure the tuna is sustainable or serve it with another Asian influenced source of protein. If you are feeling particularly virtuous you could just add a handful of chopped rocket leaves and have it on its own. Thinking about it has made me want to have it again.... 9.00 in the morning might be a bit early though. Loin of Tuna with Spiced Lentils and Rocket Serves 8 The best quality bluefin or yellowfin tuna must be used for this dish. Ask your fishmonger to skin and clean the blood line, and to cut the tuna into 10 cm by 4 cm blocks: the fish will be ...

ok ok I know its getting boring but Bill Grangers new book 'Feed me now' really is the culinary gift that just keeps on giving. Either that or Bill and I are twins that have been spookily separated at birth but left with identical palates .... as I am an old slaphead and he is a tousle haired, blond, Aussie beach babe it seems unlikely, but you never know. Anyway back to the cooking. This is perfect comfort food for a night like Saturday. The sunshine and soaring temperatures of last weekend were a distant memory, the thunder woke me up and the rain was bashing down like it was the middle of winter.We were all a little bit knackered and this meal was just what the doctor ordered. It is also the kind of dish that happily straddles the desires of all ages with the side orders allowing the adults to add some spice and interest whilst the basic dish will be acceptable to all but the fussiest of kids Serves 4 Mint sambal 150gms finely sliced shallots big handful of mint leaves 1 sma...

I came home the other night to a hive of kitchen activity. Lisa and Gus had been cooking up a storm preparing spicy slaw and these fabulous little chicken burgers courtesey of the ever smiling Aussie's book 'Holiday' We actually had them without buns simply accompanied by the slaw and some very spicy rocket.You have to be careful not to overcook these little beauties and I have to admit Gus cooked them to perfection...... in fact I would even go as far as to say that they were the best that I've had ... ever. By the way our favourite sauce is the sweet chilli variety. These would work really well for a barbie and if our family are anything to go by they are a real hit with everyone. Ingredients * 600 g minced (ground) chicken * 1 onion, finely grated * 85 g fresh white breadcrumbs * 1 garlic clove * 1 lemongrass stalk white part only, finely chopped * 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) * 2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest ...

Lisa and I had this last night, it's a great stand-by recipe that reminds me of our holidays in Sicily where this dish originates from. The nagic ingredient here is the additon of the almonds to the tomato base. The addition of the nutty texture to the touch of chilli heat and the grainy cous cous makes for a combination that adds a little bit of North Africa to your basic Italian. It makes for a fine combination from a culinary perspective as it does when it comes to holiday destinations. The only non-store cupboard thing that is essential is some decent white fish.... although you could probably use frozen ... I haven't tried it but I don't see why not.It won't be as good but I bet it wouldn't be half bad. As with most of my favourite recipes it is also very simple to make. It is based on a Rick Stein recipe but it is very easy to adapt and dress up depending on what ingredients you have available. Also the base can be made in advance, you could probably freeze it...

I was at dinner last night and one of krow’s delightful and valued clients was asking for ideas for an Italian dinner party … This morning I remembered this dish, which rather amazingly hasn’t yet made it to my blog. So here it is. This recipe is absolutely brilliant. Do not be fooled by its simplicity. It is one of those magic culinary combinations that its hard to believe can taste quite so good. For me it sums up what I love about Italian cookery. Allegedly it was first discovered by Elizabeth David and published in her book Italian Food. Then the Italian chef Franco Taruschio at the Walnut Tree Inn, near Abergavenny, cooked it there. I got it from Simon Hopkinson’s ‘Roast Chicken and other recipes’ apparently he ate it at the Walnut Tree, put it on his menu at Bibendum, and then in his book and now to you. This can be prepared in advance (leave the basil leaves till the last minute though)… and even tastes good the next day. You could serve this on its own or alongside some other I...

Lisa did these two recipes accompanied by some grilled chicken breasts (or was it legs....wings even). Anyway both recipes are from the Moro cookbook. The ingredients are readily available and the recipes are very, very easy making it a perfect mid week family meal. Lisa cooked the flatbreads on the hob in a heavy frying pan (as they say you can) and they were absolutely fab. Turkish Chopped salad • 12 cherry tomatoes, halved • ½ cucumber, peeled • 1/4 small red onion, peeled and chopped • 1/2 red pepper, halved and seeded • ½ green pepper, halved and seeded • 2 heaped tablespoons each of roughly chopped fresh coriander and parsley Dressing • 1/2 garlic clove, crushed to a paste with salt • 1 tablespoon lemon juice • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil • sea salt and black pepper „ To serve • 200g Greek yoghurt thinned with 1 tablespoon milk • 1 teaspoon Turkish chili flakes warm Flatbread or pita bread Method For the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together and taste for seasonin...

Sometimes you need to be able to bung everything in one tray to cook it. However quite often I am disappointed with the results ... this was not one of those occasions. This recipe is from River cafe easy, I have just substituted Chicken for Guinea fowl. It was an absolute winner for Sunday lunch and fed a hungry gang including grandma Betty, Auntie Jo,Gus,his mate John,Joe ,Martha,Lisa and I. Serves 8 Ingredients 10 whole chicken legs or mixture of legs and breast/wings (pieces need to be reasonable size) 10 garlic cloves 4 tablespoons rosemary leaves 3 red onion 6 fennel bulbs Extra virgin olive oil 250 gms smoked bacon (or even better pancetta) cut into 1cm pieces or lardons... or buy them ready chopped if you're feeling lazy 500ml white wine Method Peel and finely chop the garlic and chop the rosemary. Peel the onion, and cut the onion and fennel into eights. Cut the pancetta into 1cm pieces. Preheat the oven to 200C/ gas mark 6. Mix the garlic and rosemary with salt and pepp...

These brownies aren't just brownies. They are food porn. They are culinary corruption. In the wrong hands they could be dangerous. This recipe should come with a coronary advisory. We here at krow believe that they may just be our finest new business tool. Make them and judge for yourself. The recipe is an adaptation of one by the buttoxsome Nigella .... Thank you Mrs. Saatchi Ingredients 375 g soft unsalted butter 300 g lindt 70% cocoa dark chocolate 6 large eggs 1-tablespoon vanilla extract 500 g caster sugar 225 g plain flour 1-teaspoon salt Directions Preheat the oven to 180C. Line your approximately 33 x 23 x 5 1/2cm brownie pan with baking paper. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a large heavy based saucepan. In a bowl beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla. Measure the flour into another bowl and add the salt. When the chocolate mixture has melted, let it cool a bit before beating in the eggs and sugar mixture, and then the flour. Beat to combine and then scrape ou...

Joe and I are home alone whilst Martha and Lisa are in Venice, he revised all morning so that we could settle down in front of the telly to watch Portsmouth take on Cardiff in the FA cup final. This is a slight spin on Bill Granger's Spicy asian slaw that turns it from an accompaniment into a protein packed (good for revision) meal. Ingredients For the chicken 3 chicken breasts skinned 1 talk lemon grass, crushed 1 thumb size piece of ginger peeled and sliced 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed 1 tbs marigold stock powder For the slaw 2 tbsp caster sugar 2 tbsp rice vinegar, or white vinegar 1 bulb fennel cored and finely sliced or shredded half cucumber seeded halved and finely sliced 2 large handfuls shredded white cabbage 2 large handfuls shredded red cabbage 1 stalk Celery, trimmed, cut into thin matchsticks 1 large red onion, thinly sliced 1 large handful fresh Vietnamese mint leaves, (or ordinary mint leaves) 1 large handful coriander leaves For the sweet chilli dressing 1 t...

Last weekend witnessed the magnificent victory of England over France in the Rugby world cup. Joe was home and I decided that a full stomach would make the tension slightly more bearable. Obviously we weren't going to be eating french food ..... and somehow the situation didn't call for Italian, we decided on Spanish and Paella so obviously we turned to the fabulous Casa Moro cookbook for their chicken and prawn version. ingredients (serves 4) 300g uncooked prawns I lire chicken stock pinch of saffron - 20 threads 6tbs olive oil 350g boned and skinned chicken cut into 2cm cubes 300g chorizo sliced into thick slices 1 1/2 spanish onions finely chopped 1 green pepper halved seeded and finely chopped 4 garlic cloves finely chopped 150g green beans cut into 3cm pieces 1 tsp sweet paprika 250g paella rice (calasparra) 75ml white wine sea salt and black pepper 2tbs chopped flat leaf parsley 1 lemon cut into wedges Method If prawns still have shells, remove them and put shells into ch...

Cookery books are a bit like albums. Quite often the first one contains the pent up creative energy of years of unrealised ideas and the unbridled enthusiasm of being published for the first time. Whereas the difficult second and third are there to feed the publishers desire to maximize financial return and the writer’s to be on TV. This recipe is from Jamie’s classic first outing as the Naked Chef (UPDATE. After I wrote this I realised that this actually came from Jamie's immaculate second outing 'The return of the Naked chef'. so all that stuff above is clearly rubbish. Good recipe though) The only variation I make is to slightly change the ratio of spinach to lentils. This recipe is very easy, the parma ham keeps the salmon beautifully moist and the lentils, spinach, herbs and yoghurt combo is absolutely pukka …. As Jamie would have said

 For 4 people 
 Ingredients 
 175g/6oz lentils 
 4 x 225g/8oz salmon fillets, skinned and pin-boned 
 salt and freshly ground black p...

I had overpurchased on the aubergine and red pepper front so I decided to do this fabulous Moro standby. This dish is delicious scooped up with some decent flatbread or even some shopbought pitta bread lightly toasted. Have it on it's own with some salad, as part of a meze or allegedly (I haven't tried it yet) with grilled lamb. This is incredibly easy Ingredients 3 aubergines 3 red peppers 1 clove of garlic crushed to a paste with salt (do this in a pestle and mortar if you have one) a squeeze of lemon 2 tablespoons olive oil 220g greek yoghurt thinned with two tablespoons milk and seasoned with salt chopped fresh coriander salta and black pepper Method 1. Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees 2. Line a roasting pan or baking sheet with foil (saves on the washing up) 3. Put the peppers and aubergines in the oven for 45 minutes 4. Take them out of the oven and put into seperate bowls and cover with clingfilm. Allow them to become cool enough to handle easily. 5. Slit the aubergines...

Gus has just come back from Australia. It's great to have him back, particularly to have him back in one piece. He's off to Falmouth next week to start Uni so we are making the most of him for the week and a bit that we've got him for. Last night Lisa was out and I came back a bit late after three pints in the Crown (Clerkenwell Green) with the three other founding krows. Lisa had very graciously prepared all the ingredients for this great recipe by Saint Jamie from his 'Jamie's Italy' book, so all Gus and I had to do was to bung it together with father and son working in very happy harmony. Like me he is happy in the kitchen and rather soppily I love these shared culinary moments. This takes a bit of preparation but is very easy and has a lovely tomato-ey, spicy, lemony taste. Despite it's ease this also has a deceptive elegance that means you could easily serve it for a dinner party. Ingredients 455g dried spaghetti sea salt & freshly ground black pepe...

This is from The River Café blue book it’s so simple but absolutely delicious, however it really does rely on having fabulous beef as the meat is barely cooked. I know it sounds poncey but I now think that you can really only get that level of quality if you have a really good butcher. For most things I think a good supermarket is absolutely fine, but for some things you just can’t beat Peter Dale (or your local equivalent of course) Anyway, back to the recipe, if you can call it that. Buy a piece of fillet, not steaks, a big piece (allow about half a pound per person) later on you’re going to sear it and slice it a bit like carpaccio. It will cost a few bob, about five or six pounds per person but it really is worth it. Get some rocket too; loads of it if you’re anything like us. I can remember having dinner in Italy with the lovely Jeremy Pemberton about fifteen years ago and us saying we should become rocket farmers, or Rucola farmers, or even Arugula farmers. Based on my families ...