Cookery bookclub - May - Jerusalem by Ottolenghi and Kitchen Diaries I by Nigel Slater

[Curioustiger]

Come join the Mumsnet cookery bookclub! Each month we choose two cookery books - one popular, like Nigella / Jamie / Delia, so you probably already have it / can borrow it and one a bit more unusual. We cook a minimum of two recipes each - you choose the recipe, they just have to be ones you have never cooked before- which works out at four new recipes each month.Then we chat about them!

To see our April thread about Feast by Nigella and the Smitten Kitchen blog / cookbook, click here ... This thread is still live as we're quite taken with these books and are keeping on going!

For May, our books are:

• Jerusalem by Ottolenghi
• Kitchen Diaries

and we'll post on this thread.

For June our books will be

• Mexican Food Made Easy by Thomasina Miers
• Thirty Minute Meals by Jamie Oliver

We will always try to pick at least one book with recipes available on the Internet, and local libraries are great for cookbooks if you can order in advance, so don't be put off if your cookbook collection isn't threatening the foundations of your house extensive.

We have veggies, low carbers and 5:2ers on the thread so this is very diet compatible! Although I refuse to take any responsibility for cake-induced weight gain (even my own).

pantah that's what the ones you can buy freeze dried look like. I have a little herb collection on my patio, might try growing curry leaves! Btw in later months I am going to suggest the reza Mahammad curry book (can't remember the exact name but it is fabulous) and every single recipe seems to ask for curry leaves...

Ps love the sound of a spice shop!

So I ordered KD from the library, in the hopes that it would get here soon and I could join in your thread. It just arrived, so can I jump in? (The nice 5:2 fasters referred me over here, picking up on my food obsessions).

At first glance at KD, there seem to be loads I want to make, but what a lot of waffle he adds in. It'll make for a good night time read, but takes a while to get to the actual recipe!! Too much chit chat and blib blab...

I have everything for the Dal & pumpkin soup on 1st Jan. Well,I have a can of pumpkin purée, that'll do won't it? Oh, and I don't have groundnut oil - what can I substitute? Ok, so I don't have everything for the soup - that was a lie! But today is cold & windy so I might try it anyway.

Hi akarucker jump right in. Totally agree re KD chat...

My mum used to grow curry leaves when we were kids. It was in the olden days when it was difficult to get hold of fresh Indian ingredients. The plants need lots of sun and warmth so a south facing window is best. If I remember correctly she didn't have the best of luck with it and gave up. She just used frozen ones in the end.

Btw tiger I gave in last night and ordered Prashad. Have had my eye on it so long, thought I may as well go for it.

Curry is on the stove. The shop is about half a mile from the sea, south facing and on the south coast so despite this springs weather, we do normally get a better go of it than most of the country. It doesn't smell like curry though, despite following the recipe slavishly. When its finished cooking I'm going to turn it off, leave it for an hour and reheat. Hope it tastes ok, am a bit dubious at the moment.

Karma let me know how you get on with prashad. I think it's the kind of book that needs a bit of planning in terms of getting ingredients etc. but iirc last year when it came out it was on lots of cookery writers' top ten end of year round up type lists, so I have high hopes. Although have been totally distracted by this thread so still haven't cooked anything from it!

Akarucker, use any unflavoured oil instead of groundnut. Sunflower is good, so is mild normal olive oil (none of your virginal stuff).

Unrelated, but I have decided to give sourdough a try. Bought my organic apples and a cheap bag of flour, now impatiently waiting for my kilner jar to arrive so I can get the starter, um, started! I've also ordered some proving baskets, which will take a bit longer but as the starter takes a while, that shouldn't be a problem.

Very proud of myself for resisting a new cookbook yesterday. I have had my eye on Bread by Paul Hollywood, but my concerns that it will duplicate too much of How To Bake have won through. Also, while I love his bread recipes, I'm not sure about all the other stuff he does (baking is his thing, not making soups and the like) so rationale, for once, won!

Pantah we are about half a mile from the sea, south facing + on the south coast too, but sadly not remotely near a spice shop! Still, found a couple of online suppliers of curry leaf plants so might as well order a couple and give it a try. (Will also try Tesco for frozen, thanks for tip Xiao!)

manic if you're anywhere near the doomed pretend reef you

..are :)

Lamb shawarma is marinating nicely in the fridge. Going on the smell of all the spices and herbs I have high hopes for tomorrow's dinner!
I succumbed to temptation and bought Jerusalem (up to now I was cooking off recipes on the Internet). It had been sitting in my amazon basket for days but it definitely deserves a place on the shelf ( or worktop).
I have not made any KD recipes yet. I might try the sea bream one. Any other fish ones you would recommend? I do not have a fish steamer. Is the cucumber sea bass one not doable in another way?

kefybaby I haven't looked at the recipe so this may not work in this instance but I have steamed fish over a frying pan and splatter guard with tin foil over the top quite successfully in the past when a steamer wasn't available.

maniac No I've never been to the field kitchen but would love to, it looks yummy! I wonder if there's any more of us down this way, we could maybe have a field kitchen meet up to rival the swanky London one

That's very creative, Hunn1e!

greensnail Riverford are in Devon yes? I'm the next county over and more than happy to ride down there

Surprisingly, after the odd smell, the curry was very tasty. I must admit I did pick out at least half of the curry leaves before eating. When I make it again I may slip them in a bit of muslin a la bouquet garni. I had major success with the rice this time as well. Having rinsed and put in a saucepan with water about 20mm above it, I left it sat like that for an hour while picking up some furniture for DS1s new houseshare. Then I brought to the boil, turned it off, put a tea towel over, then clamped the lid on and left for 15 mins. The best rice, without cardamon, I've done and so easy.

Oooh Pantah I'm not far from the pretend reef! I live in the next town.

Was it you that asked about salmon and dill fish cakes from KD? I'm attempting them tonight so will report back.

kneedeep you might be in my town too then, I work in Boscombe but live in the nearest small town with two rivers, lovely beach huts and a harbour ;)

Yes please report back on the fish cakes, fancy tring them next week. I'm going to get some pork mince and make the polpettine later.

If we did a Field Kitchen meet up I can bring spices and barberries :)

We live in the same town

I'm going to be dropping Jerusalem and Guinness cake into all my conversations today to see if I get a glint of recognition

Am at work all day today so I get the food festival off

Thanks for the cookie recipes will be making some shortly! I can recommend the lemon and mint lamb we had last night. Very easy to,do, great flavour, DH loved it.

I'll apologise now kneedeep I have Madhur's Curry Bible ordered and will pick it up Monday when library reopens, pretty sure there was only one copy available on Dorset Library Service. I'll try and not keep it too long and let you know when I return it

Pantah and kneedeep I am further west, but will be driving past you later this morning on my way to a long-awaited + much-needed girls' weekend in the New Forest. (Dinner at The Pig, can't wait!) So no Jerusalem/KD for me until next week. Happy cooking, everyone!

Very jealous maniac can you give us a review, might make a nice change from The Jetty for special occasions. Enjoy your weekend, if you get a free couple of hours Christchurch Food Market this weekend, from 10am both days, lots and lots of lovely food from around the world and demonstrations as well, always a good day out despite the number of people.