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Original poster

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

521 replies

Curioustiger · 25/04/2013 10:40

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).

OP posts:
Original poster
Curioustiger · 14/05/2013 11:20

aka try eat your books with a couple of really hefty books, you'll be amazed. I second everything xia says, it's really handy. I also use it to decide if I want to buy a book or not sometimes (on amaxon) as you can get a feel for the recipes without having to have it in front of you. I've got 90 or do books and over half were indexed which makes it worth it for me.

OP posts:
glorious · 14/05/2013 12:51

I'm going to try Eat Your Books, looks good.

Turkey and courgette burgers from Jerusalem all mixed and in the fridge. They win points for using the new Magimix Smile

About to start the frosted marmalade cake from KD as a slightly belated 100 day cake for PFB DD (obviously I'll be eating it for her Grin )

TheRealFellatio · 14/05/2013 13:16

I absolutely LOVE Eat Your Books. It has changed my life. Grin

It's a really good tool for choosing new books as well - you can have a look at all the recipes in it (well, the precis of ingredients, at least, which is pretty much good enough) before you commit to buying it. some of the more well known books that are indexed will have recipes online, so even if you don't own the book you can look at the list of recipes in it and google anything you like the sound of.

I can't resist buying the book in the end though.

I am still waiting for my delivery of KD and Jerusalem. I reckon it will be June before I am cooking from them. Sad

I could cheat and look online but it would be like peeking at my Christmas presents in my mum's wardrobe. Grin

TheRealFellatio · 14/05/2013 13:36

Oh yay! No sooner had I pressed send on the last post and DH walked through the door with my delivery under his arm! They get sent to a PO box at his office. I'm in for a cosy evening of reading.

akarucker · 14/05/2013 13:37

This Eat Your Books thing is fantastic! I've uploaded my five free books, but of course now I'll have to subscribe so that I can upload them all. Hmm, monthly or yearly?

TheRealFellatio · 14/05/2013 14:08

I you can afford it just do the one off annual thing. then it's unlimited I think.

MumOfTheMoos · 14/05/2013 15:46

Hello, I'm new to the thread but am so glad to have found it!

I know we're well into May but I have Jerusalem set aside at my local bookshop for me to go ad pick up and already have kitchen diaries.

I am thinking of doing beef with mint and mustard dressing tonight (won't be a fillet but didn't do a proper Sunday roast this week and have a small topside joint to use up) but its a recipe from August - we can do that right, the recipe doesn't have to be from May, does it?

TheRealFellatio · 14/05/2013 15:50

I've had a flick through both books now, looked at every page but didn't read the text I am very impressed with Jerusalem - it's a stunning book. I want to make just about everything in it.

KD is lovely, the food looks typically NS, simple, homely, creamy and rich, with an emphasis on vegetables. but i am finding the format a bit odd. I guess you are literally supposed to read it like a diary with accompanying recipes of what he ate on any given day, but it's a bit hard to marry up the recipes with the photos - it's a bit all over the place. I think I will like it once I get used to it though.

akarucker · 14/05/2013 15:56

Just made the Really Fast cake (May 15). It was really fast!! Was meant to be for pudding tonight, but thought I should sample it first Grin. It's delicious. I had a skanky old pear and some very old strawberries & blueberries to use up. They worked well. It's more of a mid-morning cake, than a pudding cake iykwim. But I'll eat cake any time, any place, any where...

Nolda · 14/05/2013 18:16

Ottolenghi turkey and courgette burgers just out of the oven. They are delicious!

akarucker · 14/05/2013 18:27

Jerusalem Meatballs with broad beans shoveled down my face for early dinner. Really delicious. I made the basmati & orzo rice to go with it. Oh yum, will never make plain rice again. So Scrumptious. I've never cooked with ghee before. I think it made a massive difference to flavour.

Family are now scoffing what's left of the 'really fast cake' with happy noises.

After a cooked breakfast out this morning, it was a truly splendid eating day (I'm on 5:2). I just hope there's no cake left in the morning...

ELR · 14/05/2013 18:38

nolda and aka the meatballs and turkey and courgette burgers are lovely aren't they? Think they are my fave two recipes along with the semolina, coconut and marmalade cake.

We have just finished tea, we had the Madejra with wilted spinach and sausages I know weird but kids wanted them! I froze half after making it last week it was just as nice.
I also froze some of the semolina, coconut and marmalade cake and am debating whether or not to have a slice already had enough today really, decisions decisions!!

Nolda · 14/05/2013 18:44

ELR, they certainly are. Both DC enjoyed them which is a rare occurrence. I sometimes feel that they have a pact to take it in turns to like something just so I can always have someone moaning when I dish up.

kneedeepindaisies · 14/05/2013 19:15

I'm sitting down with Jerusalem tonight and having a good read.

I'm actually quite excited. Smile

glorious · 14/05/2013 20:43

I agree on the turkey and courgette burgers, we had them tonight and they are lovely and light and fragrant. DH felt they were a bit lacking in umami though.

Also did the KD frosted marmalade cake which is moist and well flavoured but perhaps a bit sweet. It'd be great with blood oranges.

ELR · 14/05/2013 21:06

glorious that's strange as I actually thought they were ever so slightly saltier than I like, and there was not much salt added. So if umami taste was missing then saltiness would be more prominent so your DH may be right!!

glorious · 14/05/2013 21:13

That might be it ELR, DH will be pleased that someone agrees!

ELR · 14/05/2013 21:15

glorious don't actually tell him! You will never here the end of it and he will detecting all sorts of missing tastes to your meals!! Well if he's anything like my DH.

glorious · 15/05/2013 08:35

Heh heh ELR perhaps I won't then

glorious · 15/05/2013 08:36

Where did my Grin go?!

EnglishGirlApproximately · 15/05/2013 13:59

So I've just taken the Tahini cookies (from Jerusalem) out of the oven and I may have eaten five a couple of them warm from the making tray. I really like them as they aren't too sweet but I think they'll be a love them or hate them thing.

I need to move away from Jerusalem now and go onto KD but I'm a bit uninspired - it all seems a bit meh after reading Ottolenghi.

karmakameleon · 15/05/2013 20:56

To everyone who has made the turkey and courgette burgers, what do you serve them with? I was thinking of making them at the weekend and was thinking of serving them with pita and salad but doesn't seem substantial enough.

We had mejadra for dinner tonight. I wasn't sure about it, found it a bit plain but seemed to keep spooning more onto my plate so must have liked it better than I thought. DH was the same. I think it's the kind of thing you make for a light supper when you're feeling under the weather.

We also had the shakshuka the other day. Was lovely and definitely one I'd make again. Probably the only recipe from Jerusalem that will join the weekday supper rotation.

glorious · 15/05/2013 20:58

We've had the haddock with bacon and parsley from KD tonight. It was very good in a simple, homely way - the kind of thing one of my grandmas would make.

I loved the tahini cookies English

glorious · 15/05/2013 20:59

Cross post. We had them with rice and Greek yoghurt karma

greensnail · 15/05/2013 21:31

Kitchen diaries day here. Dd2 and I made the chocolate brownies this morning and they are sooo good. Dh, dd1 and I can't stop scoffing them (dd2 had a nibble but isn't really a cake person, although she loved eating the raw mixture).

For tea we had the pork steaks with fennel, except I didn't bother doing the fennel so just used the recipe for the marinade for the pork really. Was very nice, appreciated by all although dd2 insisted on dipping hers in her drink before eating.

Am planning on doing the turkey and courgette burgers next and then probably the kd Bolognese.