The Family Cook Book

This is a spin on a family favourite. I discovered it online (on the Waitrose website of all places) I have now done it a couple of times and I think it beats the original. Also if you have tried the original recipe and found that it burns, i think this may have the answer ... the thicker slices of potato and the fennel seem to cure that problem. On both occasions I have served it alongside the River Cafe fillet of beef wrapped in coppa ... safe to say it has gone down pretty well! Serves 6 Ingredients 2 fennel bulbs 750g waxy potatoes (such as charlotte), peeled and cut into 1cm slices 1 tsp fennel seeds ½ tsp chilli flakes or 1 fresh chilli, deseeded and finely chopped 1 red onion, finely sliced 2 garlic cloves, whole but lightly crushed 3 bay leaves 6 thyme sprigs 2 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked 100ml white wine 5 tbsp olive oil Method 1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C, gas mark 6. Discard the outer layer of the fennel. Cut the bulbs into 1cm

Anchovies divide opinion, there is no middle ground, you are either a lover or a hater. Our family is divided too but personally I am a lover, i love the salty funky pungent nature of them, particularly in sauces. I made this for Joe and I last night. It is very quick and incredibly easy and packed full of goodness. This is one of a number of different anchovy sauces that I considered making and its genesis is from an article I found in Olive magazine . It reminds me very much of the brilliant anchovy and milk sauce that the River Cafe do for asparagus which can be found elsewhere on this blog . Ingredients 4 fillets salmon (skin on) 600g tenderstem or purple sprouting broccoli large handful of spinach dried Chilli flakes extra virgin olive oil Zest of 1 lemon lemon  ½, juiced For the anchovy sauce whole milk  450ml garlic  3 fat cloves rosemary  1 sprig anchovies  8, drained  extra-virgin olive oil  -->

I don't know about you but I love chicken wings, even the electric orange buffalo wings in the US. In fact come to think of it, particularly the electric orange ones. To be more precise particularly the electric orange ones sold at the Hydeaway Inn in Sugarbush Vermont. In fact to add another layer of detail, particularly sitting at the high table in the bar enjoyed alongside a pint of Fiddlehead IPA with the Cook family massive. However the recipe I made last night as a starter for good friends Joel and Nushi Levy is a little healthier than their deep fried US cousin. I also think it might just be one of the favourite things I have made recently. I cooked them on the Green Egg and I have to admit they tasted pretty damn fab. The recipe below is from the brilliant Sam and Sam Clarke's first Moro Cookbook. These guys rival Ruth and Rose and the River cafe series of cookbooks in the 'which is most thumbed' stakes for me, more importantly every recipe works bril

. .. allegedly, or at least thats how the song goes. Well I am sorry. I am sorry that I haven't blogged for so long. Yes, I have eaten, and no golf hasn't taken the place of cooking Peter. Life just got in the way of blogging and then I went and messed up the look of the blog and that put the kaybosh Kaibosh (sp?) on me blogging for a while. But I am back .... back with fresh impetus ....back with fresh recipes ....and back with a new look for the blog I promise not to go away for so long again peace, love and understanding x ... as Elvis Costello would say

This book by Ed Smith is a bit of a genius idea. A book entirely devoted to side dishes. It is already very heavily thumbed and is my go to second book after I have decided on the protein. We had this recipe with Masala roast chicken that you will find elsewhere on this blog The recipe These roasted carrots are absolutely knockout. Of course, pretty much any root vegetable is ace when blistered, sweetened and caramelised in a roasting tin. But the addition here of equally sweet roast onions, fresh coriander, sour lemon juice and the spiced salt makes these carrots a little bit special. To be honest, I’d happily have them as a main course with a spoon or two of curd or ricotta. But serve with something else if you must… most dishes involving chicken, beef, pork or cod work nicely, whether heavily spiced or plain. See if you can get your hands on some heirloom carrots for this: those funny but in fact entirely natural purples, yellows and whites. You could