The Family Cook Book

  I bought a copy of the Silver Palate cookbook on one of my first trips to the USA many, many moons ago. It is a timeless classic. Over the years I cooked many dishes from it but never tried the legendary Chicken Marbella. It took Yotam Ottolenghi to bring it to my attention. His version, as included below, cuts down on the sugar, but is in most other ways very true to the original. I made it for the first time the other night, it was absolutely  delicious and ridiculously easy to make The recipe This chicken Marbella is a dish I regularly cook for friends. All the work is done in advance – you can marinate it for up to 2 days in the fridge – and then it’s just into the baking tray and into the oven when you’re ready. The chicken loves the long marination but it can also be cooked straight away, if you don’t have the time. If you’re going to do this, just season the chicken with the teaspoon of salt and pepper (which would otherwise go into the marinade), rub it thoroughly into the sk

This recipe is like one of those ingredient tests on Masterchef. What could I make without buying anything from the supermarket, the greengrocer the butcher or even from the garage. I realise that I have a pretty well stocked store cupboard but even so I stuck to the ‘use nothing new’ mantra. My principal inspiration was this recipe but i amended it a bit to fit with a few thoughts I had plus a desire to use the stuff I had in the fridge. Ingredients 35g dried porcini mushrooms 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 300 - 400g spicy Italian sausage casings removed 1 large onion thinly sliced into half moons 3 Tbsp unsalted butter 3 large garlic cloves finely chopped 250g shiitake mixed woodland mushrooms, cleaned, and thinly sliced or finely chopped 1 cup dry red wine 2 Tbsp tomato paste 400g tin crushed tomatoes 1 tbs dried oregano ½ tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp salt ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper ½ cup water 1 - 2 tbs mascarpone grated Parmigiano Reggiano for serving pasta for serving Method

Chicken wings are one of my favourite things to eat, I also love pickles, this recipe combines these things beautifully and simply.  It isn’t a revelation but as with most things Ottolenghi it is delicious. I first saw it in the Guardian . The recipe Sticky wings and pickled things One of the joys of eating dinner on the sofa while watching a movie with the lights on low is that no one can see how messy you get, but make sure you have plenty of napkins to hand for this one. This will make more pickles than you may need here, but they keep for a week in a sealed jar in the fridge and are great in sandwiches. Prep 15 min Marinade 1 hr+ Cook 75 min Serves 4-6  Ingredients Advertisement Support the Guardian and enjoy the app ad-free. Support the Guardian 800g chicken wings 1 tbsp lime juice For the sticky marinade 1 tbsp gochujang , or red harissa  1½ tsp tomato paste 170ml apple juice 100ml dark soy sauce 2½ tbsp demerara sugar 2 tsp paprika 1 tsp cumin seeds, coarsely ground in a mortar 

This is a recipe for meat lovers. Lamb is fatty and that fat makes your house smell, not only whilst you’re cooking but when you wake up the next day its still there lingering around to remind you of your journey into meaty fatty joy. I love lamb, I love lamb fat, it needs to be rendered but when it is the combination of the lovely sweet meat and the crispy fat is a thing of pure beauty. This recipe from BBC Good Food combines that with another guilty pleasure, crisp finely sliced potatoes and onions, oh be still my pounding heart! Combine that with the fact that this is a genuine one-pan roast and you have a wonderful dish. You could combine it with any vibrant green vegetable, tenderstem broccoli, green beans or chard would work well. Ingredients 1 rack of lamb (6 bones is ideal - no I would also ask them to french trim them particularly if you want to limit your fat intake) 25g butter 1 onion, finely sliced 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 anchovy, crushed using a pestle and mortar small

I spotted this recipe in Augusts edition of House and Garden. I’m always looking for new spins on things to have with drinks. This one is pretty substantial but I think that the combination of the flavoured Ricotta and the courgettes is very good The recipe Lucy Carr-Ellison and Jemima Jones – founders of catering company Tart London and the restaurant, retail and event space Wild by Tart – share dishes  for reaping the rewards of late-summer crops This is our ideal end-of-summer snack or starter. We love the great contrast of textures and flavours. It is really worth investing in a griddle pan for the bread. The courgettes can also be stirred into pasta or risotto, or served simply alongside a roast chicken. Ingredients SERVES 6 INGREDIENTS Extra-virgin olive oil, for frying and drizzling 3 medium courgettes, diced 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 2 red chillies, deseeded and sliced into thin strips lengthways 1tsp dried mint 250g ricotta 1 lemon 2tbsp finely grated parmesan 6 slices so

In my humble opinion Josh Katz writes great cookery books, they are both inspiring and reassuringly uncomplicated. This recipe from his latest book  Berber and Q on vegetables is a case in point. This is a great snack with drinks or a simple lunch with a salad.  I have taken the liberty of adapting the recipe slightly to fit my tastes, appetite and ingredient availability. I used a pre rolled sheet of puff pastry and consequently half the amount of the mascarpone-creme fraiche mixture. I also didn’t have any manouri cheese so I substituted Parmesan. Ingredients 100g mascarpone 50g crème fraîche Grated zest 1 lemon 1 large garlic clove, grated Pre prepared sheet of all-butter puff pastry 1 free-range egg yolk 100g parmesan cheese - original recipe uses manouri  1/2 large courgette, thinly sliced 1 tsp zataar  2 tbsp olive oil For the chilli-honey dressing  1 tbsp honey 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 red chilli, blackened, peeled and chopped 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil Method For the chilli-hon