The Family Cook Book

I made this recipe from Jamie on Saturday night pairing it with Ottolenghi's roast vegetables.Be warned, this is not for those of you watching your cholesterol, it is however delicious. ingredients for the lamb • a large bunch of fresh rosemary • 1 x 2kg shoulder of lamb • olive oil • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper • 1 bulb of garlic, unpeeled, broken into cloves for the sauce • 1 tablespoon flour • 500ml good-quality hot chicken or vegetable stock • 2 heaped tablespoons capers, soaked, drained and chopped • a large bunch of fresh mint, leaves picked • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar Preheat your oven to full whack. Slash the fat side of the lamb all over with a sharp knife. Lay half the sprigs of rosemary and half the garlic cloves on the bottom of a high-sided roasting tray, rub the lamb all over with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place it in the tray on top of the rosemary and garlic, and put the rest of the rosemary and garlic on top of the lamb. Tightly c...

We had this as a starter when the Sweeneys visited us on Saturday night. I have blogged about it before but here it is just for you Liz, complete with added cheat. I have to confess that I used the vacuum packed pre-cooked beetroot that you can buy in the veg section at Waitrose. Whilst I'm sure it tastes better if you cook them yourself this definitely saves alot of effort. ingredients 900g beetroot, thoroughly washed 4 heaped tbsp chopped dill 1 small red onion, peeled and very thinly sliced 160g creamy Greek yogurt For the relish 2 yellow peppers 3 tbsp olive oil 1½ tsp coriander seeds 400g tin chopped plum tomatoes 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 tsp sugar Salt and black pepper 3 tbsp preserved lemon skin, chopped 2 tbsp each chopped parsley and coriander leaves This is yet another recipe from the fabulous 'Plenty' by Ottolenghi. Method First boil the beetroots whole in plenty of water until cooked through. This can take anything up to 60 minutes - check by piercing them wit...

Yet another recipe from Plenty. Couscous is one of those things you either love or hate ... if your a hater stop reading now. If you're a lover like me you will really appreciate this new spin on a couscous salad Green Couscous Ingredients 150g couscous 160ml boiling water or stock 1 small onion thinly sliced 1 tbsp olive oil 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp ground cumin 50g shelled unsalted pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped 3 spring onions finely sliced 1 fresh green chilli finely sliced 30g rocket chopped Herb paste 20g parsley 20g coriander 2tbsp chopped tarragon 2tbsp chopped chilli 2tbsp chopped mint 90ml good olive oil Method put the couscous in a heat-proof bowl, cover with the boiling water, then cover the bowl with a plate and leave for 10 minutes. Thinly slice a small onion, fry til soft and golden in a little oil, then add a the cumin, salt and mix. Leave to cool. Next make the paste.In a food processor, whizz up all the ingredients until smooth. Mix the herb paste into the co...

well actually my top seventeen now! In response to a request from Hot meat (or Mr Coldham as others know him) I have added a top ten category to the blog. I actually added it a while ago but I think I forgot to mention it. Its a guide to the things we cook again and again and heartily recommend you try

Another bit of Ottolenghi magic .. we luurve sweet potatoes and this is a nice spin on the 'chip and dip'. If you wanted it to be a little lighter then replace the Creme Fraiche with greek yoghurt. Ingredients for 4 persons: 4 medium sweet potatoes (900g) 4 tbsp olive oil 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander 3/4 tsp fine sea salt 1 fresh red chilli, finely diced (or some dried chilli flakes) 15g coriander, leaves picked for the dipping sauce: 1/2 lemongrass stalk 200g crème fraîche grated zest and juice of 2 limes 50g fresh root ginger, peeled and grated 1/2 tsp fine sea salt Method Preheat the oven to 210°C. Wash the sweet potatoes but don't peel them. Cut each lengthways in half, cut again lengthways into quarters and then once more, so you should end up with eight long wedges. Place them in a roasting tin that has been lines with baking parchment and brushed lightly with some of the olive oil. Brush the wedges with the remaining oil and sprinkle with a mixture of the ground corian...

After Xmas I bought myself a copy of Yotam Ottolenghi's most recent book 'Plenty'. Early signs are that it is even better than his first book. For my money it is better laid out and more mouth-wateringly art directed (can art direction can be mouth watering?) However the really good thing about the book is the inventive combinations of ingredients in the recipes that blend mediterranean and middle eastern flavours in a very modern and light style. We have already had a few recipes from the book, this was the first one I cooked and it has already become a firm favourite, particularly with Gus. This goes fantastically with something like roast chicken but would be equally delicious on its own btw it also tastes great the next day Roasted parsnips and sweet potatoes Treat this recipe as a blueprint for an infinite number of roast vegetable dishes. The point here is to balance slow-cooked veggies with something crisp and fresh. Ingredients 4 parsnips (700g in total) 4 medium re...

I am a predictable cookery bloke .. I love all the gadgets. Over Xmas we added a new Magimix to our kitchen after an incredible 25 years service from our first one, which to be honest hasn't even broken we just fancied a new one. However my favourite new gadget is the rosle digital roasting thermometer which takes the 'oh bugger the recipe said it would medium rare not still alive' out of cooking new recipes. All you GQ loving chefs out there this is for you ... that means you Pricey