The Family Cook Book

On Sunday we had our first Xmas lunch with both grandmas and one great Aunt .... unfortunately we won't see them on the day itself. We cooked a rib of beef for the first time (amazing I know) ... or at least we think its the first time.... anyway we used a Jamie Oliver recipe from his second book. A very hung-over Gus cooked the Yorkshires (Jamie's thirty minute recipe) and we also did green beans and glazed carrots (Jamie's 30 minute recipes) It was pretty damn delicious! Happy Xmas! Ingredients Serves 8 - 10 * 1 (5 1/2 lb/ 2.5 kgs) rib of beef, French trimmed * sea salt & freshly ground black pepper * olive oil * 3 red onions, halved * 2 heads garlic, plus * 4 garlic cloves, peeled * 3 kgs roasting potatoes, peeled and cut into golf ball size pieces * half a bottle of robust red wine method 1. Preheat oven to 230 degrees, and heat a large thick-bottomed roasting tray on the hob. 2. Rub the beef generously with salt, then add a little olive oi

One of the other Tapas style starters that we 'cooked' on Saturday was this very simple recipe for marinading a jar of piquillo peppers .... this is a great thing to do when you are in a rush Ingredients 1 jar of piquillo peppers 1 clove garlic ... very finely sliced ... I use a small mandoline Extra virgin olive oil Sherry vinegar Ciabatta, sourdough bread or home made flatbread method A really quick recipe that tastes great … whip them out of the jar,drain, tear into three, then mix with the garlic, a few tablespoons of olive oil and a dash of sherry vinegar.. leave to marinate for at least an hour. fab

We had eight for dinner on Saturday night and yet again turned to the excellent Moro cookbooks for a bit of middle eastern/Spanish/ Moorish inspiration. This recipe received pretty good reviews from all diners (and the kids when we re-made it the following day!) Ingredients 200 g (7 oz) chickpeas, soaked overnight with a pinch of bicarbonate of soda (I used canned chickpeas instead.) 6 tbsp of olive oil 1/2 large Spanish onion, diced finely 1/3 tsp ground cinnamon juice of 1 lemon 2-3 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste with salt 3-4 tbsp tahini paste 170g (6 oz) lamb, minced 2 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted 1 medium bunch flat leaf parsley a sprinkling of paprika salt & pepper Method Rinse the chickpeas under cold water, then place in a large saucepan. Fill with 2L of cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, skimming off any scum as it builds up. Cook for 1.5-2 hours, or until the skins are tender. Remove from heat, pour off excess liquid until level with the chi