Am I addicted to buying cookery books?

The obvious answer to this question is of course a resounding yes, yes, yes..

I think I have already 'come out' on this before. I suspect its a bit of a bloke thing. I am constantly looking for new inspiration, for another River Cafe, another Jamie. Predictably the course of cookery book love never runs true but I continue to pursue my quest like some star crossed lover.

I have recently added two to my overflowing collection, 'Grill, Smoke, BBQ' by Ben Tish of the Salt Yard group and April Bloomfield's ' A girl and her greens'. I have already waxed lyrical about Bloomfield, the English Chef/owner of many New York restaurants (I particularly recommend The Spotted Pig) but Tish is a newcomer to my collection even though I have been to some of the restaurants and seen him on TV. I particularly like the layout of his book and I am also drawn to the fact that he uses a Big Green Egg a fair amount. There's quite a bit of smoking stuff in there that I might not bother with but I like the cut of his giblets.

I have high hopes of both books, having done a couple of recipes at the weekend. The recipes weren't really much of a test of the books originality as they were really simple spins on traditional italian style vegetable accompaniments but I like the way both of them read and look but most importantly I like the recipes and the range of dishes in both. Look out for more once I have given them a good road test.

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Crack potatoes courtesy of Ottolenghi. Harissa and confit garlic roast potatoes

Another recipe from Ottolenghi's Simple, another recommendation from Will Saunders. I know its the middle of summer but who doesn't love a roastie? These little tinkers are so good that they are like crack, class A calories. The clever bit is the addition of semolina and caraway seeds which adds a new level of crunchiness to add to the delicious warm heat of Harissa. Heres the recipe These make a lovely, spicy change from the traditional Sunday roasties. They’re especially good with spiced roast meat. Serves six to eight. 2 large heads garlic, cloves separated and peeled 130g goose or duck fat 4 sprigs fresh rosemary 6 sprigs fresh thyme 2kg maris piper potatoes, peeled and cut into 5cm chunks 40g ground semolina 2 tsp caraway seeds, toasted and lightly crushed 2 tbsp rose harissa Flaky sea salt Heat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2. Put the garlic, fat and herbs in a small ovenproof pan or saucepan for which you have a lid. Cover and roast for 40 minut

Nigel Slaters deceptively brilliant monkfish

Lisa discovered this recipe in her favourite Nigel book. It is one of those fish, 'but not as we know it Jim' recipes. Not just because Monkfish is the fish that can best impersonate meat but also because of the marinade ingredients that are more often featured with lamb. It's not difficult to do but the flavour is a revelation, which makes it a perfect recipe in my book. This can be cooked on a grill pan or a barbecue. Ingredients 3 bushy sprigs rosemary, leaves finely chopped 4 anchovy fillets 2 large cloves garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 large lemon, juice only 3 tbsp olive oil 800g/1½lb monkfish fillet Method Pull the leaves from the rosemary stalks and chop them finely, then tip them into a bowl large enough to take the fish. Rinse the anchovy fillets and smash them to a rough pulp with the flat edge of your chopping knife. Peel the garlic, crush it flat, then smash it to a purée in the same way. Stir together the herb, anchovy and garlic, adding a grind

Sea Bass on mushroom potatoes with salsa Verde

I felt the overwhelming need to cook something new on Saturday night. I didn't want the tired and tested I wanted to explore new culinary waters. However combined with this desire was an equal and opposing force, driven by being absolutely knackered, that meant it had to be simple too. I returned to one of Jamie's early books, to a recipe that IO had meant to do on countless occasions but never quite got round to. I have done several versions of Sea Bass on a bed of potatoes, some that I have written about on this blog. The one question I would have is about the thickness of the potatoes and the length of time they need to be cooked through ... in my oven I reckon they need about 10 minutes more than the recipe suggests. I would suggest a bit of a trial run if you are going to do it for a dinner party ... however once you have given it a whirl I think this makes for a very easy recipe for a crowd. Here's the recipe. Roasted slashed fillet of sea bass stuffed with herbs, bak

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