Leon, pg. 231 The marinade is crucial here, almost does a cerviche kinda thing… Only it’s chicken, so don’t eat it until you apply some heat. Pumpkins were oddly difficult to come by, so used a squash. Really enjoyed. Quite quick and simple as long as you remember to prepare the night before. Would definitely do again.
Nigel Slater – Appetite, pg. 205 Really excellent. Don’t change a thing… Other than the suggestion of cooking the spinach before hand, which is a silly idea, just bung it in. The only reason I can see for that is to change the texture of the spinach in some minor way, which is silly; or to reduce the amount of liquid going in the pot, which would be valid in many dishes, but here it’s a drop in the ocean and really more bother than it’s worth. Delicious.
So I used Felicity Cloake’s perfect recipe, albeit without the double cream… And it didn’t go well. The milk curdled, I think because of the lemon zest, which I would leave out in the future regardless of this. Perhaps also because of using a cast iron pan, perhaps pushing the temperature too high. The rice had no body, it had all but disintegrated. There was no creaminess. Possibly due to the curdling. The flavour was lovely, the sherry was nice and the spice well measured. Other than the cream everything was exactly as listed in the recipe. Think I would…
Rik Stein – Venice to Istanbul, pg. 49 This was a lovely mezze. The soda bead with the delicious saganaki and other bits. The oregano, pepper, poppy seed mix really made it. And the honey wasn’t over powering thanks to the salty cheese. Would love to compare this with how it works with halloumi as well as goat’s cheese, although that would have to be baked.
Dan Lepard – Short & Sweet, pg 51 29/09/2018 Used a mix of plain flour, rye and self-raising, only due to what was in the cupboard. Also greek yoghurt. These are great, close to muffins but without butter or much sugar. Delicious with butter and a sweet topping. Very quick, very filling.
From Nigel Slater – Kitchen Diaries 3, pg 206 They don’t quite look like his, with the saucer like edges and the bulge in the middle. More like glorious mounds of short biscuit with a slight almond chewiness, and I wouldn’t change a thing. Absolutely outstanding. The barest colour on the edges is enough in the oven. It should be pointed out that Lisa did the leg work on these, I merely facilitated. Do again.
Tom Kerridge – Lose Weight, pg. 196 There might be something to using feta or halloumi instead of mozzarella here, I felt most of it had melted away and burnt in the tray and I’m not sure I got the benefit. Very large peppers are also required for a full meal, these were pretty tiny. The filling is great, very tasty, I are most of it from the pan given that it wouldn’t fit in the peppers. I also added some sriracha as well as some dressing from yesterday which really helped. Finding a way to get the peppers a…
Done in the slow cooker for 5 or 6 hours. Removed the meat at the end and thickened the sauce on the hob (after skimming the fat). Anya potatoes are my favourite. Something disagreed with me though… Felt quite ill afterwards… Although it may have been the portion size which was too much… Or I’m now allergic to beef, mushroom, potatoes, parsley or shallots…
Tom Kerridge – Lose Weight pg. 186 This a lovely. The first couscous Lisa has ever enjoyed! You need all the stuff. Don’t skimp on the herbs on top at the end. Wouldn’t want this without both the basil and mint. The dressing is perfect, using a little alchemy with the cornflour to provide an oil consistency that will coat the veg.
The Doctor’s Kitchen, pg. 178 After the frying then the oven, the onions caught a little, although not such that the bitterness came through. Also with the chicken the pan was a little crowded and struggled to crisp up while frying. Would use a larger pan and have a little care with the onions. Lisa helping! Mixing the greek yoghurt, sumac and lemon. The carrots were roasted for 20 minutes, but covered with foil on the bottom shelf they were in the oven for much of the time the chicken was in there also. Really enjoyed this dish. The chicken…