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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).

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pregnantpause · 02/05/2013 07:38

Well I am paying no heed to the season/month in kd. I feel naughty about it thoughGrin

The coriander and lime patties were fragrant and delicious. With a salad they made for a very tasty light supper.

Off to find a recipe from Jerusalem that I can take to work as a lunch, everything looks lovely.

ELR · 02/05/2013 11:31

Morning, I'm fasting today so not cooking but have spent the morning sitting in the sun with a black coffee and drooling over May's books.

So from Jerusalem I am going to make the courgette and turkey burgers with sour cream and sumac dressing I will serve them in flat breads and think I will make the lemon and celery salad again to go with them.

Kitchen Diarys, I am going to make the lemon ice cream as i think it will make a nice pudding after the turkey and courgette burgers.
I have been looking at April, may, June months but am liking a lot in August.

I have got loads of other things I am going to make but am choosing two at a time to keep it simple.

I will make the above on Saturday.

Kiriwawa · 02/05/2013 13:55

I've got friend staying this weekend so I'm going to make the stuffed aubergines from Jerusalem that snoworneavha recommended.

I realised that I don't own KD annoyingly - I got confused Blush

Perhaps I should get it - the reviews are brilliant!

ScienceRocks · 02/05/2013 13:55

Just popping in to list some of the stuff I have cooked in the past from kitchen diaries:

Feb - smoked haddock, flageolet beans and mustard - quite nice
Pork chops, mustard sauce - good

May - lemon and basil linguine - quick and easy, keep some of the pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce
Asparagus and lemon risotto - takes much longer than he says, but good (I often add leftover roast chicken to great effect)

September - courgette and Lancashire cheese crumble - takes over an hour to make but I actually really liked it

October - roast haddock with bacon and parsley - nice

November - mushroom lasagne - really good and freezes well

December - sautéed chicken with spices, fennel and cream - I love this, and cook it a lot but use single cream or creme fraiche to cut down on the calories and save the fennel fronds for garnishing
Grilled pork steaks with vermouth and fennel - very good

kefybaby · 02/05/2013 14:31

Could I also join you, please? I've read the April thread and got all excited about expanding my culinary horizons! Are there any Ottolenghi recipes online? Preferably one or two the ingredients for which can be sourced at a (large) tesco, please!

ELR · 02/05/2013 14:32

Thanks science I love fennel so will give those december recipes a go.

Kiriwawa · 02/05/2013 14:50

Thanks science - I also love fennel and have found both those fennel recipes online :)

Original poster
Curioustiger · 02/05/2013 16:05

kefybaby there are tons of Ottolenghi recipes on the guardian website, happy hunting! I have looked for an index from the book but have had no joy so far , but if you like the sound of a specific one mentioned upthread, generally you can find it if you google it. Or we can pm to you.

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Pantah630 · 02/05/2013 20:11

We've just finished eating the chicken with caramelised onions and cardamon rice, it was very nice, served it with salad and instead of plain yoghurt I turned it into tzatziki :)

I have a leg of lamb so will do the shwarma at the weekend. Thanks for the recommendations folks, like the look of the celery salad linked upthread as well.

sayanything · 02/05/2013 20:14

tigerlilugrr thanks, it worked!!! I'm miraculously feeling much better.

I'm leafing through KDI and realising that, although I love the book, I haven't cooked much from it.

The chickpea and sweet potato curry is a staple here and his brownie recipe is unsurpassed IMHO (and I've tried loads).

The chicken stew (March 4) was ok - a bit too oily in the end, even though I followed his instructions not to use stock).

Thyme and feta lamb (April) was delicious, though hardly a recipe.

Hot and sticky roast quail was loooovely.

And errrm, that's it (plus a lentil dish that wasn't a recipe at all on page 316). Now I have to decide what to cook.

kikidee · 02/05/2013 21:29

Hello, I'd love to join please. I caught the tail end of the April thread and thought it was a great idea. I have just collected my copy of Jerusalem from the library tonight and KD will arrive in the next few days. DH is vegetarian so I'm looking for ideas for dishes to try for him and I'm cooking for my book group next Saturday so any tips for recipes to feed 6-8 people that can be prepared in advance (and will complement cocktails!) would be gratefully received.

kefybaby · 02/05/2013 21:54

Thanks a lot, tiger!

pregnantpause · 02/05/2013 22:03

Sayanything- I think that is what Nigel is all about. Dinner ideas, not recipes, but ideas. It's greatSmile

Hunn1e · 02/05/2013 23:43

I posted on the wrong thread but have just managed to track you down - having so much fun with this!

I love the Ottolenghi books - I also love his online grocery shop. Date molasses.....mouth watering at the thought!

I made the preserved lemons about 2 months ago so have only just been able to start using them - what a revelation! They are wonderful in all sorts of dishes as well as the recipes that he recommends. I use them a lot with couscous and salads. They work really well with quinoa too.

My favourite recipe from Jerusalem is the Open Kibbeh (page 160) - it's like a cakey Jewish pizza.

Shakshuka (page 66) is a sort of Tunisian version of eggs in purgatory and is great hangover food!

Oh and I can't not mention the roasted potatoes with caramel and prunes (page 86) - sounds odd but it really really works!

Going to have to try one I've not done before for this evening as looking through the book has me salivating!

If you like this book and Ottolenghi's others, you'd probably like Claudia Roden's Arabesque too.

Hunn1e · 02/05/2013 23:48

In the suggestions for future months - Raymond Blanc's books are all great. I want to adopt him and keep him in my larder to wheel out and cheer me up when its cold and miserable outside!

And how about Tessa Kiros - Apples for Jam, that's a really lovely family food book.

Original poster
Curioustiger · 03/05/2013 07:31

hunn1e tessa kiros has come up a couple of times now; I'll put her on the suggested list. I'd be keen as her books are so beautiful; I am shallow with cookbooks! Also Claudia Roden and also, although I haven't tried her myself, Anna del conte would be good. I always think those two are the cookery writers' cookery writers as they get referenced so much!

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Hunn1e · 03/05/2013 07:55

I love Anna Del Conte - have a few of her books, so yes please! If you want something a little off beat, try something like Arthur Schwartz - Naples at Table. Can be hard to get hold of but I'm all for any book that includes recipes where you use the whole outer drum of a Parmesan wheel as a seRving dish with the bits of cheese still inside melting into the sauce......wonder how many Google searches for whole Parmesan that will generate!

Hunn1e · 03/05/2013 07:58

Looking through my collection the Taste of Italy by Giuilian Buiggillo is probably the most used with Good Housekeeping's Cookery Book as my go to bible.

I've had to break my own rules and buy a Jamie book for next month though. Don't know why I hate him so much! Probably the salt content!

ELR · 03/05/2013 09:58

Morning just looked through my cookery books and I seem to have quite a few I haven't used! The more popular house hold name ones are Rachel Allen, Ainsley Harriet and Anthony Worrel Thompson!
The Rachel ones are not too bad and Ainsley family friendly food is quite good for learning the basics and Worrel Thompson, well I just don't know what to say, I have 2 of his too!!
The Leon books are quite good.
Well off to the shops now to purchase some ingredients for my weekend of cooking.

Original poster
Curioustiger · 03/05/2013 10:24

you use the whole outer drum of a Parmesan wheel as a seRving dish with the bits of cheese still inside melting into the sauce

Oh. My. God. Grin

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Original poster
Curioustiger · 03/05/2013 10:30

Just been shopping for pregnantpause and me... Didn't even need to go as far as the edgware road, the corner shop near me stocked freekeh, mograbieh and a ton of other random things I'd never heard of! Freekeh was relatively expensive (£3.79) but that was for a kilo (pp I will pm you but if you want to split the bag between us we could easily do that, if you want). Everything else was ridiculously cheap.... 89p for a large bag of sumac, £2.29 for 500g of za'atar (pp again we can split if you want although that one might be messy). I also randomly bought a falafel press for £1.99 ... Thus is particularly random as I don't even like falafel much but perhaps Ottolenghi or someone can convert be as my dd does! I am a sucker for gadgets...

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Original poster
Curioustiger · 03/05/2013 10:31

Oh typos all over the place there, sorry, just keen to share my joy...

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pregnantpause · 03/05/2013 12:53

Thanks tiger. I'm happy to split the freekah, but if the zatar will be messy I'll take it all as I dont want to put you out anymore.

Have just made Nigels chickpea, harrisa and ham, with a lamb chop. it's nice, takes an hour though, so in my book does not count as salad as salad has to take less than an hour imo.

pregnantpause · 03/05/2013 13:02

I read that back, I haven't done it justice. it is a lovely dish, which I will make again. Really delicious and complimented the lamb beautifully.

ELR · 03/05/2013 13:39

Ok so the Coconut, semolina & Marmalade cakes are in the oven. The mixture is divine although not overly sweet but I guess the soaking syrup will take care of that! I would suggest halving the mixture as it makes two 500g loaf cakes. I started doing this but then added the full amount of marmalade so had to make the full recipe. Will report back when it's cooked. It's from Jerusalem by the way.