Cookery book club - June - Mexican Food Made Easy (Thomasina Miers) and Thirty Minute Meals (Jamie Oliver)

[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!

For May, our books were:

• Jerusalem by Ottolenghi
• Kitchen Diaries

And we posted here

For June our books are:

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

For July our books will be:

• Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall Veg Every Day
• Madhur Jaffrey Ultimate Curry Bible

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. We pick books three months ahead so will be choosing August's books this month.

green ive done the pie loads of times its yummy and also love the dessert with that recipe.

Feeling a bit rebellious as am having a week off: cheese toasties for DCs and ready meal for me tonight (DH currently being wined and dined in the Far East; trying v. hard not to be ).
snow can I ask, what's your favourite veggie recipe book? And/or anyone else, for that matter? We're not veggie but are striving to eat less meat, and I'm compiling a list of favourite veg mains as I discover them - and using Leith's Vegetarian Bible whenever I get stuck - but would love an exciting and reliable veggie cookbook to turn to, where veg takes the starring rather than supporting role.

Parsnipcake I don't have the book, but porridge (kasha) and crackling is a traditional old-school Russian (and I assume probably Eastern European) thing. Never tried it, but assume it's the combination of mush/crisp, bland/salty... what's the third 'good thing' he suggests with them?

Leonardo, turkey mince would be fine for the green chilli in JO America. Beef mince would be too greasy, I reckon, but turkey would be nice.

I didn't like JO Great Britain either. I got it free with a book people order, but nothing leapt out at me when I flicked through so I traded it in on amazon

Made the TM red snapper with pineapple and tomatoes tonight, albeit with sea bass instead of snapper. I was unsure, but it was actually really tasty. I served it with new potatoes as suggested.

So much for my week off, you've inspired me Science! I have pineapple, tomatoes + new potatoes and will be going past the fishmongers tomorrow anyway. Red snapper not being even remotely local, I will see what they recommend!

Maniacbug

Maniac I love Denis Cotter, i have all his books - his appreciation of flavours is mind blowing - he's light on dogma too - my favourite is his Paradiso Seasons it rarely disappoints. Be warned though it requires a bit of effort but it's worth it and certainly will impress any guests you have for dinner. His Wild Garlic, gooseberries and me is a book that I need to revisit now I've fallen head over heels for Brassicas.

For speedier dinners I like Cranks Fast Food - some good short cuts, world food, fresh zingy flavours. Catherine Mason's Vegetable heaven contains some gems too.

maniac from Leiths there's a great puy lentil lattice puff pastry pie - it's brilliant....I haven't made it in years....oh memories.

Grr. None of next month's books are available from my local library and I can only reserve the HFW one from elsewhere and at a cost. Reluctant, given my dislike of other hfw and river cottage books
The other two aren't even listed for the borough

TM is following me on twitter!

maniac, I really like Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty, all veggie, but different.
That is actually the only veggie book I own, I tend to just adapt meaty dishes. I had high hopes of Tender, by Nigel Slater, but a lot of his stuff needs a garnish of bacon, or is actually a meat/fish dish with added veg. Good for those who need to get more veg in their diet, I guess

Go science!

Science and Leonardo, I have just posted off the chillies to you, second class. Huge apologies for the state of the wrapping; I had no jiffy bags, so had to resort to carrier bags and gaffer tape
As someone upthread (maniac??) said, who had bought the same chillies, from the same place, they are hot!. So I really would recommend washing as many seeds out as you can when she says you should!

Enjoy! :)

Ooh, Science

Oooh Science. I'm jealous!

What's happened to TigerLilly?

Thanks HuevosRancheros - for posting and for the advice!

Tigerlily has been gone for a while, hasn't she? I think she said her kitchen was being done, maybe that's it. Or maybe she's on her jollidays...

Thanks huevos you are a star

Made the one pot bacon, beans and pumpkin from to this evening- I didn't serve rice or an accompaniment as I thought it was enough with the beans and pumpkin (although I used squash)
It was very nice, spicy, as expected, and tasty. Dh would eat this kind of fare everyday if he could, he is a happy man
I'm really enjoying Mexican this month, I think I've done twice as much from TO than any of the previous books. It is very accessible. This could also have been affected by budget though, I'm still waiting to invest in a leg of lamb for the sharwama

Thanks for veg book recommendations snow, will look those up. I remember going to Cranks in Soho (I think?) waaaaay back in the late 80s. Thanks also Huevos, I must revisit Plenty. I have Tender 1 as well, but have hardly used it. I do find him a bit heavy-handed with the starchy carbs and double cream, but should probably give it another go.

Yep, those chipotles are seriously hot. I didn't deliberately rinse out any more seeds than naturally floated to the bottom of the pan, and my sauce is definitely hotter than Discovery. On the plus side, I don't think I'll ever need to spend money on chipotles again as I have enough to last me a lifetime and beyond.

Oh, I was just going to do the chicken pie without the sides and puddings but you've got me convinced I'll need to try the peas and pudding now too!

I was wondering about tiger Lily too. I think she said she had some keeping in touch days so was busy but seems to have been gone for a while now, hope all is ok.

Green- the carrots IMO were a waste of time. Weird texture and add nothing to the meal, I just steam batons or broccoli.

pregnant I quite like the carrots! Often do them like that for other meals for a change.

Green will be the decider then

Yay, my guiltily purchased Mexican made simple has arrived. Planning to cook everything at the weekend armed with maniacbug's chipotles