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).

I'm cooking for a crowd tonight and I'm making a version of this. Do you think the cauli/hazelnut salad would go?

Say I don't see why not, maybe you could also do another salad on the side too something with fennel as that goes well with pork.
tiger will check out ocado's box as get my shopping from them although I remember it being about £25 I get the small fruit and veg box from Abel and cole and its £12.50 and 99p delivery. I swop out things I don't want and you can get it delivered every week, or fortnight or monthly and you can log your holiday dates too.

Oh god that looks delicious, yyy!

Ocado have changed their boxes slightly elr so have another look, although I get a savings pass discount and also I still don't think they're particularly cheap. I might look into Abel and cole then for a change.

Thanks! I'll do a standard green salad with vinaigrette as well. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow. Off for a massive shop then!

ELR, did you use orange blossom water for the cake syrup? Where can I buy it? Would using orange jest do? I am very tempted to make this cake now although we have eaten too much cake lately and I have a million jobs to finish!

Hi kef I didn't have any so just substituted a tbsp of orange juice, turned out fine.

Also I used rapeseed oil instead of sunflower oil

Thanks a lot, ELR! I've just run out of sunflower oil myself and have sent DP to the shops. Hopefully there won't be any more missing ingredients.

kef me and DH have just had another piece with some creme fraiche really nice better the next day I think!

The coconut, semolina and orange cake is now done and it is simply amazing! Even on day (hour!) one. Yum!

ooh, even I am tempted toward this cake, and I'm not a cake lady.

I have had my first fail today. I tried Nigels chicken, watercress and orange salad. with pumpkin seeds and almonds. It was awful. Disgusting, really. I couldn't eat it. the picture lured me in, against my better judgement that orange, chicken and mustard dressing do not go. Well, they dont

Great, its lovely isnt it? I think it is def an aquired taste, i dont think everyone would like it. What do you think? I have had to take drastic action to save my waistline and have sliced one of the cakes and put it in the freezer!

Well im also reporting in on the turkey and courgette burgers with sour cream and sumac dip, wow wow wow!!!
Loved them I made some sesame flatbreads to go with them and also made the lemon and celery salad again, the whole thing was delicious?
I followed the recipe exactly accept I used yeo valley natural yogurt instead of sour cream and Greek yog. Also in the salad I used pitted kalamata olives instead of wrinkly black olives.

I have become obsessed with this thread and the Jerusalem book!! I am going to buy it as don't think I can live without it when I take it back to the library.

pregnant well at least your fail has hopefully stopped anyone else making it!! Make the cake it is so nice.........

Can I join? I have neither book so will check out Amazon. I usually choose one cookery book a week and make myself cook all dinners from that do this way will be a nice change.

DS and I just had the mejadra with some griddled chicken, tasty marmonde tomatoes and homemade tzatziki. It was lovely and spicy and loads left for tea tomorrow when DH back home.

pufflemum you're very welcome! I like the idea is seven dinners from one book (that would sort the wheat from the chaff)

Idea of

I really should learn how to type.

I just realised that I have Kitchen Diaries II not the first book - so that's why I can't work out what anybody is on about.......durrrr! It would be rude in the circumstances not to buy the right one now wouldn't it?

From Jerusalem, I tried the charred okra with tomato garlic and preserved lemon last night except instead of lemon I used preserved clementines....really really good. He recommends it as a starter or side dish. I doubled the ingredients and pigged out on it as my supper. I seem to have to have at least one meat free night per week - not so bad if I've eaten fish in the main but if I've had a couple of days on red meat it seems to make me feel clogged up and in need of fruit and veg.

Slightly off topic other than that nearly every recipe I look at calls for it, lemon zest - does anybody know where I can buy it frozen in the UK?

I would also like to know about the lemon zest as I hate anything that requires grating etc... I've got a microplane grater, it is better, but it is still time consuming and not fun! Is that something you can get abroad or is it your brilliant idea hunn1e?

Just about to make the spiced pumpkin and bacon soup from kitchen diaries. It's actually for lunch tomorrow as DH and I don't have the bank holiday off so it will be a working lunch. Hoping like most soups/casseroles it improves overnight!

It's also a fast day (i think DH had a bit of a shock in the fitting room at H&M today, he came out and announced he wants to try the 5:2 intermittent fasting thing) I estimate it's 316 calories per portion, not too bad for something with 50g butter, 100ml cream and 4 rashers of streaky bacon.

I'd be interested in frozen lemon zest/ orange zest, etc. I find it such hard work!

Hmm I used to hate zesting oranges but with my microplane it takes seconds and I don't mind at all now. Maybe one of those rasp type zest era would suit you better tiger? No solution beyond that I'm afraid - I can't imagine the essential oils in the zest would survive the freezing process so no idea if that would work.

Just made the pumpkin soup (Feb 20th) - gorgeous, even though I used half the butter and cream, onion squash instead of pumpkin, burned the onions a bit, and used ground spices rather than toasting and freshly grinding my own from whole. It's a resilient recipe!!

Right, I am back, still smarting from yesterdays failure.
However, today I have made kd orechette with roasted tomato and basil, and as a family we enjoyed it., the DC especially, it's a good way to get veg in mine, so I will make it again. Seconds were requested
. I would add a touch of sugar to the tomatoes as they were slightly bitter, but that could be just me as I am not a lover of tomato sauce. It was very simple, took 15_20 mins start to finish, which is perfect for me. Nigel is redeemed.

Hi everyone, just reporting in on my cooking today! I made the Mejadra on pg120 it was good but not as good as the other things I have cooked. I would make it again at some time in the future
I also made the Swiss card, tahini and yogurt sauce with buttered pine nuts but swopped the chard for spinach as tiger suggested I enjoyed this and would make it again on a regular basis. Both those recipes were from Jerusalem. We followed this with some of the lemon ice cream from KD which we all really liked and would def make again but due to cost and calorie content prob just for special occasions.