Cookery Book Club April - LEON and The Jewelled Kitchen

[Pantah630]

Hi folks, can't believe it's April already, sun is shining on the South Coast, let's hope it stays that way so we can explore The Jewelled Kitchen with Bethany Kehdy and any LEON book you can lay your hands on.

Thank you, mus

Grr phone. Must get to the library.

Cool, I've just got the Jewelled Kitchen on my Kindle... Will investigate further and return

I'm a day early, but I made the wild garlic chicken from the jewelled kitchen yesterday, and have enjoyed it in a salad today. Absolutely delicious really easy and has me very eager to make more from jk. Can't wait.

I've got book 4 of Leon- friends and family, and I have made the herby meatballs with salad- the cheese inside the meatballs is inspired and this made a very aromatic meatball, lovely with the salad, though if cooking for just dh and I I would add a generous pinch of chilli/cayenne.

I've used this book for packed lunches a few times-
The jacket potato topping of beetroot, chives and creme fraiche is lovely- and not something I would have thought of, but it's a suggestion not a recipe. As is mini mozzarella, cherry toms and basil on a stick, or pear and blue cheese on a stick- great snack in a lunch box! Keeps me away from the vending machines anyway

Marking place, I bought jewelled kitchen in January and I've been waiting for April so I could cook from it! I've got Leon ingredients and recipes and also the baking and puddings so will get those out and have a look through. Def going to try hard this month to cook from Aprils books.

Leons pumpkin squash soup with a zing was todays lunch- it was nice. Without the chilli it's bordering on bland, with it it's very nice, smells of dhall.

The pesto chicken was delicious, basically my usual pesto chicken, but with a glass of wine . lovely weekday meal with steamed carrots and broccoli.

I've just spatchcocked a chicken for the wild thyme recipe, cheating with the spice mix as I've got some za'tar that needs using up. Adding Cyprus potatoes, roasted in the same mix of lemon, garlic oil and za'tar....this is almost the same as I do Greek chicken and potatoes, just without the za'tar and wild oregano instead. Hope it's as tasty.

It was very nice and the chicken cooked much quicker being spatchcocked, would use that method again. I'm intending to try the courgette and sumac fritters, slow braised spiced squid and monkfish with chermoula next week. Just need to source some arak, will take a trip to Charminster and the Arabic grocers.

Pantah, Pernod or pastis makes a good alternative to arak. I remember this from cooking from Jerusalem

Thanks Science I have neither but they're probably easier to locate. I can get some ouzo from my Nanna, do you think that would do?

Ooh, I don't know about ouzo. What does it taste of? Arak, pernod and pastis are aniseed, so it's much like substituting Cointreau for triple sec in margaritas

Yes,aniseedy. :)

Gah! My oven broke, I'd been ready to make Leon's midweek lamb
It's in the slow cooker now. I'm thinking of using leftover lamb for the chickpea soup from jewelled kitchen, will it work?

I have also made a batch of Marian's lentil soup for lunches this week , which is very nice - though it's a veg soup more than a lentil soup , and not nearly as nice as the Rachel Allen lentil soup.

Can it be fixed or is a new cooker in order? No idea on the soup, sorry.

There is a launderette in Cheltenham that's the most technologically advanced in the world, apparently, and you get free soup and 24hr parking
We drove through on the way to a hill climb yesterday and this caused DS2 to snap out of his 'rather be at home' funk.....until coming back home, he read it again and we realised they meant soap!! No idea if they misspelled it or he misread it

Hi all, Ive made the raspberry frangipane tart from Leon was very nice. Just about to make the sumac and courgette fritters from jk so will report back later.

Reporting back on the fritters, they were quite nice I omitted the onions and garlic and added a red chilli instead I also added the optional feta. We just ate them straight off the griddle pan as a snack but they would be nice as part of a mezze or with a nice big salad a nice tomato salsa type dip would also taste quite nice with them.

Has anyone attempted the Turkish delight from JK? Quite fancy giving it a go, but the lack of picture is a little offputting for something that seems quite a faff.

Not been tempted, I'm sure there must be some pics online of it. I did make giant marshmallows once, they were a faff but well worth it for deliciousness.

That's the thing Pantah, I've googled and can't find anything! Well done for making marshmallows. I saw that I needed a thermometer and couldn't be bothered!

I'll have a look in my Greek/Cypriot cookbooks at home and see if there's any. If so can scan and send them over :)

Aargh, just noticed I need a dreaded sugar thermometer so have sent DH an email asking him to buy one from the shops near his work! Thanks Pantah, but I'm going to stop being a wuss and just go for it this evening. What could possibly go wrong?!

(send a search party if I don't report back)

just found this on YouTube, PH Pies and Puds, his guest makes Turkish delight/Loukomi HTH :)

Hmm, looking at that Pantah, I may have poured mine prematurely. Guess I'll find out tomorrow if it has set.

It only blimmin' worked! Could probably do with being a little firmer, but tastes fabulous. I did the pistachio and rosewater, and lime and coconut flavours, and have an enormous quantity!