Cookery Books read in 2016

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

I know it's not fiction, but some of us on the 50 books thread fancy talking about cookery books, and fiction gets more traffic.

I've read two this year so far, dipping in and out of them when cooking/eating etc - neither are new but both are really lovely to read:

Madhur Jaffrey 'World Vegetarian' - I haven't made a lot from here, but what I have made has been good and there's lots more I want to try. My biggest problem with it is she says that things serve 4 or whatever, but it's often that they serve that number as part of a combination with other foods/recipes, and she doesn't always make that clear.

Nigella Lawson 'Feast' - The Guinness cake from this is sublime, and the veggie chilli is good, although my Mother of All Veggie Chillis recipe is better! I fancy trying the vodka pasta, but can't stand tinned tomatoes - I might try replacing with fresh.

Anybody cooked anything from either of these?

[magimedi]

Haven't read them, but I do love Madhur.

I find her recipes can be tricky to follow though & not always as clear as they could be. They need a really good read through before starting them as she often does things in (to me) a strange order that either wastes time and/or uses more equipment than you need to.

I would love your Mother of ALL Veggie Chillis recipe if you have time to post it.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Here's the chilli recipe - well, not a recipe as such, but how it all gets thrown into a pan and turned into something lovely. :)

This is how I do it:

2 diced onions, 2 diced carrots, 1 diced courgette, 1 or 2 diced peppers, 3 cloves garlic, any other vege I fancy (celery, leeks, sweet potatoes, butternut squash) plus a chopped red chilli. Fry for a few mins. Add paprika, cumin seeds, chilli flakes, cocoa powder, black pepper. I then add a cup of strong black coffee and a tablespoon of barbecue sauce (currently a Jack Daniels one!) plus a teaspoon of chipotle paste. Add passata, water and red, green and puy lentils (the red add bulk and the other two add texture) plus a little bottle of lager. Add some chopped parsley and coriander. Shove in the oven for about 40 mins (it may need more water). Then add a couple of drained tins of kidney beans and warm through. Lots more coriander on top to serve, plus soured cream, cheese and homemade guacamole ideally.

[magimedi]

That sounds amazing - I will certainly give it a go but I might halve the quantities! Just DH & me here & I think that would make enough to feed us for a week!

[bigbadbarry]

That sounds lovely! Will add to menu next week.
I have Nigella's Feast. I strongly recommend the ritzy chicken nuggets, although I am guessing you might be vegetarian? In which case, maybe not ;)

[WhoTheFuckIsSimon]

Great idea for a thread.

Ive been reading Simply Nigella. So far ive made the breakfast bars and the Malaysian chicken and theyve both been good.

That chilli recipe looks yummy.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Yep - am veggie.

Any non-carnivore recs from 'Feast'?

[bigbadbarry]

I don't think I have cooked an awful lot from it - I am so rarely called on to feed 20! I do like Nigella though so in a minute when I can drag myself off my sofa I am going to get it and see a/ if I have done anything non-meaty from it and b/ if I fancy trying something this week.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

I keep meaning to try the melon with a spicy relish thing - that sounds good. Would do with an easier version of cheesy bread and maybe borscht (which I've never tasted).

[Robertaquimby]

I have made the Brownies from Feast, which were great and the Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake which is my staple birthday cake. Made the Cramberry tart at Christmas. It looked beautiful but too sweet. The Buche de Noele was similar, making the Swiss Roll was a bit of a faff
Then the icing was so thick you couldn't tasted the sponge. Kids loved it though.

I love reading Nigella books though. Still want her hair although it is never going to happen without a personal stylist.

[bigbadbarry]

My copy of feast is awol! Disaster.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Oh no, Barry.

Rob - I had absolute disasters with not one but two brownie recipes from, 'Goddess' for which I'm not sure I will ever forgive her. Not sure I'll ever trust her enough to try another one.

[bigbadbarry]

I agree. Delia does brownies in our house.

[AgentCooper]

My two favourites at the moment are Mamushka by Olia Hercules (Ukrainian and East European/Eurasian) and Persiana by Sabrina Ghayour. I made ras el hanout chicken wraps out of Persiana and they were lovely. I haven't made anything out of Mamushka yet but it's a beautiful book to sit down with The meat dishes and breads look amazing.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

'Persiana' looks really good.

[AgentCooper]

It's a beautiful book, Remus, one of those that's tempting just to sit and read but it's absolutely worth cooking from.

[Sadik]

Great thread :) I'm aiming to cook one new thing a week this year, so looking forwards to reading other people's recommendations/favourites

So far I've been working from cookbooks I already own - I've recently reclaimed The Great Green Cookbook by Rosamund Richardson from my parents, and had another look at River Cottage Veg Everyday which I dismissed rather when DH bought it a few months back.

I haven't read World Vegetarian, but I use Madhur Jaffrey's Eastern Vegetarian Cooking quite a bit.

[cdtaylornats]

Tom Kitchin Kitchin Suppers has a few interesting recipies

Calvados Pork for example.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Sadik I have Eastern Vegetarian too but find it harder to read, as mine is a paperback version with a tiny font (Insert old gimmer emoticon here)!

I have Vege Everyday but don't like it, although I do keep meaning to try the potato and egg salad.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Agent Will try to order it from the library - I absolutely can't buy any more cookery books!

[Snoopadoop]

There was a radio 4 programme about reading cookbooks recently and although massive I remember a highly recommended one this year was the Nordic cookbook.

[AgentProvocateur]

Other Agent , I'm enjoying Persiana, but had an absolute disaster with one dish from it. It was for guests, and we rushed out at the lady minute to get steaks instead. The recipe was chicken in a walnut and pomegranate sauce. DS1 has NEVER in 21 years refused to eat anything, and even he hated it. It was truly bouffing - simultaneously flavourless but with a horrible taste.

[InTheTeapot]

Great idea for a thread! I love reading cookery books.
I recently got Neris and India's Idiot Proof Diet Cookbook. I actually meant to order their Diet book for the theory as I was thinking of trying low carbing.
As is sadly too usual it's full of things I wouldn't try in a million years- courgette soup with gingered onions, Thai green avocado soup. Things that are far too expensive for me- champagne salmon, lots of crab recipes, steak. And things which would take too long for me to prepare at the end of the day with three children clamouring for food.
However it is an entertaining read.

[Sadik]

I suspect it's probably the same version of Eastern Veg., Remus - yellowed slightly sticky pages and all. It must date from the early 90s. The distressing thing is that's quite new by my recipe book standards Hence the need for some new ideas . . .

[justkeeponsmiling]

Great idea for a thread remus !
I too am a veggie and enjoy reading/using non-veggie cookbooks. And I just ordered Feast, my first Nigella book :) Can't wait to try some recipes. And thanks so much for your chilly recipe, it sounds awesome.
I have HFWs veg everyday, it has a few nice recipes in it. I highly recommend the butternut squash and chickpea stew, DH and DCs aren't veggie but we all love it and it's a firm staple in our house.

[cdtaylornats]

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