The Family Cook Book

I made this last night, principally because we had a batch of red peppers that were beyond date code and getting to the stage where they had lost their shine and developed a severe case of the wrinkles. It was then a case of using up whatever else we had in the fridge or the larder. By a process of elimination, aided by online search, I ended up with a sort of Spanish/Mexican style dish, so really mozzarella was the wrong cheese but it still worked pretty well. The jar of nduja was just sitting there in the fridge, with a couple of tablespoons left in the bottom, begging to be used up and the flavours worked well together. The verdict was that it was pretty good. We also had a pile of home made oven baked skinny fries, to use up the bag of Maris pipers that were starting to grow in the larder. We coated them in a combo of sweet and spicy Spanish paprika, crushed garlic granules and salt and pepper.  INGREDIENTS 4 small to medium red peppers  1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for the peppers

This recipe was born out of availability, not the seasonal variety, the ‘it’s in the fridge and the date code is running out’ kind. Since making it I have discovered via overheard whispers that this is not everyone’s cup of salad, but what the hell? I like it, so here it is. April’s recipe from ‘A girl and her pig’  This is my Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon salad. The two main ingredients—carrot and avocado—might not seem compatible or connected, but your first bite will convince you otherwise. The carrots are roasted with cumin and paired with orange, both classic pairings for the vegetable. The citrus goes great with cilantro, and both are a fine match for avocado. Before you know it, you have this fresh, vibrant salad. I love the carrots roasted to the same creamy softness of avocado. The contrast comes not from the texture but from the fact that one's warm from the oven and the other's cool from the fridge. Sorry if I got your hopes up, but despite the salad's nickname, the

Yet another recipe from the excellent NYT food app, this one by  Martha Rose Shulman  I think toasting the Freekeh first makes a significant difference to the taste and texture of the Freekeh which can be a bit chewy for some tastes. This is great as part of a mezzE of different salads with some grilled chicken or fish alongside for the carnivores amongst us. The recipe There is a lot to love about freekeh, an earthy grain that I’d like to see catch on in more kitchens. It cooks up in about 25 minutes, and it’s light, like coarse bulgur, which it resembles, except that the color is darker and greener. But freekeh has a more complex flavor than bulgur. What stands out is its smokiness, a result of the production process, in which durum wheat — the type used for many pastas — is harvested while still green and soft, and carefully roasted in the husk over open fires. The wheat is beaten to remove the chaff, and in the Middle East it is sold whole or cracked. The cracked version is what yo

  I found this very simple recipe from Martha Rose Shulman on the NYT app but there are versions of it everywhere. It is one of those, quick to bung together, hearty but good for you, recipes that you can put together at the drop of a hat. You certainly could use any tomato sauce that you had sitting in the fridge or freezer and if you don’t have orecchiette then any of the short pasta that hold sauce well like fusilli or penne would work. I added a Spanish onion to the sauce and used a mix of cavolo Nero and English kale. The recipe This is true to the Apulian tradition of serving chopped greens with orecchiette, those little ear-shaped pasta, though the greens might be different in Apulia and the combination doesn’t always include a tomato sauce. Since I’ve always got tomato sauce in my freezer, it’s an easy dish to throw together. This winter version is made with canned tomatoes. INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 Spanish onion finely chopped P

This recipe comes from a book I was given by our lovely friends Liz and Helen. It’s the story of the restaurant Neni. It’s of those cookery books that makes for a good read too, charting the story of the impossibly attractive team behind this Israeli restaurant that very much taps in to the current culinary zeitgeist. Freekeh is not something I have cooked with much but I really like its slightly chewy nutty flavour as an alternative to the usual rice or lentils. The addition of the nuts and dried fruit and the quite complex dressing makes for a really satisfying dish on its own but it would also be nice paired with some grilled fish or chicken. Ingredients For the freekeh: 500g freekeh 25ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling ½ teaspoon cumin seeds 2 tablespoons sea salt 100g walnuts 100g pecans 150g Medjool dates 1 celery stalk, with greens 50g flat-leaf parsley 50g coriander 25g mint 1 aci sivri (cayenne) pepper 1 small red onion 500g Greek yoghurt For the dressing: 40 g (1½ oz) fre

We had these with some salmon and the new potato and green bean salad mentioned in a previous post. They combine what is I think one of the holy trinity’s of cooking: tomato/anchovy/garlic this combination sings to me like a Holland Dozier Holland song. The addition of crunchy, lemony, thyme-y breadcrumbs adds a flavour and textural lift that turns this very humble dish into something very very lovely.  Ingredients 8-9 large plum tomatoes or 4-6 beefsteak tomatoes, halved 50-100g jar or tin of anchovies, drained (reserve the oil) 2 fat garlic cloves, very finely sliced 100g coarse white breadcrumbs (day-old is good) zest of ½ lemon, finely grated leaves from 4 sprigs thyme 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil Diana’s recipe note: I adore anchovies so have no trouble with this being heavy on them, but if you are less keen (and want a waft rather than a  full-on flavour), go for the 50g option.  Method Preheat the oven to 190C/gas mark 5  Put the tomatoes into a gratin dish large enough to hold

Recipe from  Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking   by  Michael Solomonov  and Steven Cook We were given this book by our friends from Philly. I had always wanted to go to the restaurant but I have been beaten to the punch (Sort of) by Gus whose girlfriend Kass hails from Philly and on a home visit they have been to their new venture Laser Wolf . Apparently the hype is all worth it. Anyway to the recipe, I love tabbouleh, all kinds of tabbouleh. This recipe swaps quinoa for bulgar wheat and uses peas instead of tomatoes or cucumber. It’s delicious. Make a big batch and keep in the fridge it’s great the following day. Serves 4 to 6. Ingredients 75g quinoa 150g Fresh or thawed frozen peas Big handful chopped fresh Italian parsley 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint 1/2 red onion diced 3 tablespoons lemon juice 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper Method 1. Bring 200 ml of salted water to a boil over high heat in a small saucepan, stir in the quinoa,

This is a very summery salad that is a perfect foil for jersey royal or other baby new potatoes. The basis of the recipe comes from David Tanis in the NYT, his version has eggs and uses larger potatoes. He says ...... If this sounds like a pared-down salade niçoise, it is. Make a bold vinaigrette that is unapologetically fragrant with garlic and anchovy. Boil medium-size potatoes in their skins. Peel, slice and dress them while they are still slightly warm. You can even do the work in advance and then assemble it all just before serving. Authentic, traditional or somewhere in between, maybe we’ll just call this a potato salad with a southern French accent and let it go at that.  We served it with Diana Henry’s Provençal tomatoes and the old classic,salmon fillet wrapped in Parma ham. Ingredients 1kg new potatoes Salt and pepper 1 bay leaf 1 large thyme sprig 3 garlic cloves, smashed to a paste with a little salt 1 tablespoon chopped anchovy 1 tablespoon chopped capers 2 teaspoons Dijon

This recipe is from the Heartwood cookery book that Mr Peter Price gave me.The restaurant is in Tulum in Mexico and looks absolutely fabulous, quite a few of the recipes require ingredients that are hard to get here but this goes with delicious slow cooked and then seared short ribs. It’s a bit of a revelation because I only like corn ON the cob, I’ve always only liked corn ON the cob, corn off the cob reminds me of those jolly green giant tins of corn. So imagine my surprise, not only is this off the cob but is blended to a purée, not promising I hear you say, well I can promise you it is bloody delicious! Dial the chile up to your taste creamed corn 4 ears corn Zest of two limes  Juice of 1 lime 1 tsp Maldon salt Chile flakes 1 tsp butter per corn 1 jalapeño chilli Sour cream 4tbs water 2 Serrano chillies Get 4 individual sheets of foil large enough to wrap each corn. Put an ear of corn in the middle of the foil. Spread the butter on each No

This is yet another recipe from the amazing @chefjoshkatz of @berberandq  Ingredients cauliflower 1 whole tahini 80g lemon juice 2 tbsp garlic 1-2 cloves, crushed  sea salt flakes pomegranate molasses 1 tbsp  pomegranate seeds 2 tbsp pine nuts 1½ tbsp toasted dried rose petals 1 tsp (optional) flat-leaf parsley 1½ tbsp, finely chopped Shawarma spiced butter unsalted butter 100g, softened to room temperature lemon 1, juiced garlic 1 clove, crushed coriander 1½ tbsp ground cinnamon 1 tbsp sumac 1 tbsp ground cumin 1½ tsp ground allspice ½ tsp nutmeg a pinch of grated ground cardamom a pinch Method STEP 1 Trim the outer cauliflower leaves, but don’t be afraid to leave some on – they taste good and look great when charred and crisped on the barbecue. STEP 2 Put the cauliflower in a large pot in enough salted water to cover it, and bring to the boil on a high heat. Once the water is boiling, turn the heat down to medium so it has a gentl

  This is one of my favourite meals for this time of year. It takes no time and is absolutely delicious Which makes it perfect for lockdown.  For today’s version I toasted a slice of Gail’s seeded sourdough, spread it with a bit of salsa verde left over from last night’s dinner then topped it with Isle of Wight heritage tomatoes, anchovies, half a red birds eye chilli, rocket and a drizzle of extra virgin .... bloody fab!

It’s time for British asparagus, that very small window where the finest asparagus in the world is in plentiful supply. We love them and with time on my hands I have been trying a few different recipes. This one is from the New York Times Linguine with asparagus pesto Ingredients 1 bunch asparagus, pencil size (some of mine were a bit bigger tbh) 2 cloves garlic, chopped 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup grated Grana Padano (about 2 ounces), plus more for serving, or substitute Parmigiano-Reggiano Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon Salt and ground black pepper 12 ounces linguine or other pasta 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves ( I haven’t got any so will use basil, or thyme or whatever I have in the fridge ... or nothing!)  Method Step 1 Snap off and discard ends of asparagus. Cut off top two inches of spears and reserve. Chop rest of spears and put in food processor with garlic, processing until very finely minced. With the machine runnin