The Family Cook Book

More Alison Roman. Made this on Friday night as part of the cooking the fridge series. We had it with a piece of salmon we had in the freezer. I used ground turmeric and it worked really well. It worked really well with the Asian style salmon we had. (Serves 4 to 6) 1/2 cup grapeseed oil 6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped 1-inch knob fresh turmeric, coarsely chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, plus more for seasoning 9 Persian cucumbers, or 3 hothouse cucumbers, cut into 1-inch chunks 2 scallions or 1 spring onion, green and white parts thinly sliced 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar, white wine vinegar, or rice wine vinegar, plus more to taste Freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup fresh mixed herbs, such as dill and mint, tender leaves and stems or more to taste Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, swirling the pot occasionally, until the garlic is sizzling loudly and looks (and smells) deli...

After the excitement of Lisa’s birthday and the departure of the two prodigals back to the rather large Apple we were left enjoying a quiet night in on NYE (the prodigal daughter was out partying obvs) I decided to cook something from the latest addition to my creaking cookery book shelves which is Alison Roman of the New York Times’ ‘Nothing Fancy’. I have enjoyed following her recipes on the excellent NYT cookery Instagram and the book doesn’t disappoint. This recipe for garlicky broccoli and greens with hazelnuts also gave me the chance to use some of the delicious Nocciola di Bletchingdon that my brother and his wife picked and toasted themselves. Doubly good was the fact that I could use some delicious local greens too. I didn’t want to grill so I did it in a hot oven and it worked well (note. Make sure you do remove the leaves and smaller veg as the start to char as the book says) We had this with buttered salmon, also from the book, and we absolutely loved it. If thi...

There are three of us 50/60 somethings sitting around our desk at work. We were having a conversation about healthy eating and the current debate regarding Bacon/sausage intake. We then taked about what we ate last night ... it was all disgustingly healthy. One of our younger colleagues remarked that this wouldn't have been a conversation you would have overheard in an advertising agency 20 years ago. We agreed wholeheartedly. However I had this Ottolenghi (yes him again) recipe last night and it was unbelievably delicious AND cheap AND local the holy bloody trifecta of food worthiness. Come on!!! Roasted Whole Cauliflower with Green Tahini Sauce 1 large cauliflower with its leaves intact 45g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature 2 Tblspn olive oil wedges of lemon, to serve coarse sea salt Using a pair of scissors, lightly trim the leaves at the top of the cauliflower, so that about 5cm of the cauliflower’s head is exposed. Green Tahini Sauce 80g tahini 3 Tbls...

Who doesn’t love sweet potato fries? Many years of going to Vermont have given us a preference to these over your bog standard Maccie D's variety. The addition of a touch of Middle Eastern flavour and the polenta crust make these a real easy crowd pleaser. The oven bake also makes them even healthier. Recipe from Ottolenghi Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi Ingredients -About 5 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/2” thick fries -1 tbs Sweet Smoke Paprika -1/2 tsp cayenne -3 Garlic cloves, crushed -3 tbs Polenta -3 tbs Olive Oil -Flaked Sea Salt -1 tbs Sumac Method Preheat oven to 200c  Mix the sweet potatoes in a large bowl with the paprika, cayenne, garlic, polenta, oil and 1 tsp flaked salt.   Once combined, tip the sweet potatoes and all the oil, onto a large parchment lined baking sheet and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring gently once or twice, until the potatoes are cooked, crisp and golden brown.   Remove from the ove...

Ottolenghi‘s book Simple is the gift that keeps giving. This recipe is genius! I love tabbouleh and I also love cauliflower, this makes for a really cheap, tasty and healthy salad to accompany grilled meat or fish. Lisa added some cucumber and tomatoes, chopped small to add a bit of substance which worked very well. This will definitely become a firm favourite ... whilst we can still afford cauliflowers that is.  Ingredients 1 large cauliflower (800g) 75ml lemon juice (from around 3 lemons) 7 spring onions, finely chopped 50g parsley, roughly chopped 25g dill, roughly chopped 20g mint, roughly chopped 1 tsp ground allspice 3 tbsp olive oil 100g pomegranate seeds  Salt and black pepper Method 1. Chop the cauliflower roughly the put into a food processor with it’s largest grating attachment in place or just with the usual steel chopping blade. Blitz until the cauliflower looks like cooked bulgar wheat and should weigh about 700g.  2. Place...

Elsewhere on this blog you will find the fabulous recipe for the original Roast potatoes from Lucca which has been a firm family favourite for many years. When looking for the recipe online some time ago I came across this version that adds fennel to the mix. Although its tough to beat the original I think this may well be even better. My only additions to the recipe would be a. don't cut the potatoes too thin and b. make sure the potatoes are starting to break up a bit before removing the foil ... you may need another 10 mins or so. Thank you Ruth Rogers and thank you Waitrose. The recipe Ingredients 2 fennel bulbs 750g waxy potatoes (such as charlotte, although Maris Piper work ok too), 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 w...

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 f...

Another great recipe from Josh Katz and the Berber & Q cookbook. The barbecued carrots are delicious but it is all the other elements that elevate this dish to another level. INGREDIENTS For the lime yogurt 100g full-fat natural yogurt grated zest of 1 lime, plus juice of ½ 1½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil For the spiced nuts ½ tbsp coriander seeds ¼ tbsp fennel seeds 1 star anise ¼ tbsp ground cinnamon pinch of ground nutmeg 20g walnuts, toasted 20g almonds, toasted 5g pumpkin seeds, toasted olive oil For the carrots  3 bunches of small heritage carrots, or 6 medium carrots, peeled and halved lengthways 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp finely chopped thyme leaves 2 tbsp golden raisins 1½ tbsp runny honey To garnish picked dill fronds and coriander leaves 2 spring onions, green parts only, thinly sliced 1 tsp Aleppo chilli flakes or ½ tsp dried chilli flakes extra-virgin olive oil METHOD Mix all the yogurt ingredients ...

I saw this recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi on Saturday kitchen. As a lover of, the very unattractive but delicious to eat, celeriac, I had to give it a try.I made the celeriac and horseradish dressing but had it with roast beef but I bet the dish as a whole is also fabulous. The celeriac is an absolute walk in the park to make and is delicious. The centre is beautifully soft and the outside a bit sticky and 'gnarly' as Jamie would say. Ingredients For the baked celeriac with smoked trout 1 medium  celeriac , skin scrubbed but left on, cut in half lengthways 2 tbsp  olive oil 10g/¼oz  thyme  sprigs 80g/2¾oz  crème fraîche 20g/¾oz fresh  horseradish , peeled and finely grated (use  horseradish  cream as an alternative) 150g/5½oz  smoked trout  or salmon, sliced into 3cm/1¼in strips 2 tsp  lemon juice 2 tsps flaky sea salt and  black pepper For the salsa ·        20g/¾oz ...