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.

I suppose we could do both of those curry books along with the Hugh fearnley veg everyday.

HB curry book is on The Book People.

Thanks Remus.

I need to find the HFW book too. If Pantah hasn't nabbed it already.

OK, I'm back on board... did the steak burritos tonight, and made the refried beans as suggested in the recipe which I found very very moreish. Enjoying the chipotle salsa too. Enjoyed the whole thing.

Last week I made the chocolate/pecan banana bread from Wahaca (wrong book, same writer though)which was lovely too.

I have also tried the guacamole in both TM books and prefer the Mexican Food Made Simple version as it's tomato-free (I don't like tomatoes).

Jamie's book - I need to pick it up again.

You're ok kneedeep, I already have HFW in my bookcase :)

Ooh have had the HFW book for over a year and made nothing from it. I'm in for next month

I'm interested to see what people actually like from the HFW one tbh. It's done naff all for me, so far.
One curry which dp swallowed manfully and then admitted he hated - edible but a faff and nowhere near as nice as any of the other curries I make;
entirely tasteless dhal

Everything else is pretty much cheese on toast or other snacks.

I'm not keen on HFW veg either, have tried a few things and found them all a bit dull. I think it's too safe - written fora certain type of meat eater rather than veggies.

Thanks goodness for that. Everybody seems to rave about it and I think it's really boring and is mostly snacks and sides, rather than meals.

Hmm, am making the beetroot and walnut hummus from HFW book right now. Haven't added the walnuts yet as they are still toasting. It's not looking the most exciting dish so far although the colour is beautiful ........ It's to go with a Greek themed dinner tomorrow so if its bland, there will plenty of other garlicky, herby things to liven it up

Ooh, it's quite interesting actually. You can really taste the walnuts and the beetroot is lovely and sweet. Might serve it with an artistic drizzle of Greek yoghurt! Not sure what the kids will make of it though!

It's a bit "last month" but I made banana buttermilk pancakes this weekend from nigella feast and they were fab! I used half milk, half natural yogurt in place of the buttermilk. Highly recommended.

No cooking from this month's books this weekend but I did take the DDs to Wahaca for brunch. I think this counts

Waaa my TM book still hasn't arrived at the library. I might have to buy it

I like the beetroot and walnut hummus from HFW and have made it a few times. I also like the carrot hummus. I haven't got the book in front of me but I really didnt like the curry I tried- it tasted blah and the sauce was watery. The honey roasted tomatoes are good in a salad with Puy lentils and rocket.

Cant- the cauliflower curry was watery, and very bland. I have written - ' waste of time and spices, look elsewhere if you fancy a curry' in the margin.

The pasties though are lovely.

I'm back from my holiday and looking forward to getting back to cooking. Will be doing red rice tomorrow.

I have the maddhur jaffrey book on order from the library but have been looking for an excuse to get the hairy bikers curry book so will join in with doing that too I think.
Interesting to hear the good reviews for the sea bass with pancetta. Sea bass is dh's absolute favourite food so will have to try that recipe for him next week I think.

I've been having a bit of a thing with cabbage recently - I've never had a thing with cabbage, always thought it was a bit dull but not now, now I'm so I'm full of shiny curiosity for the green stuff.

Tonight I made General Tso's chicken and served it with Jamie's Kimchee slaw - what a great combination. The chicken was sticky, slightly spicy and salty....the kimchee was fresh tasting, citrus, coriander, chilli - dh thought very like a Thai salad. Anyhow we loved it - originally the Kimchee was supposed to go with Jamie's green curry - but I can't get with slaw and green curry the textures are all wrong for me.

Yum . . . yum . . . YUM!!!! I just made the TM Tortilla Soup. Very easy and delicious. As recommended here I used the discovery chipotle stuff and tortilla crisps and that made it super easy (thank you - lovely person who told me to do this . . . v sorry but I've forgotten who it was) . I'll definitely make it again. Dh added leftover lamb + coriander to his and I had the avocado, feta and coriander. Hooray! Happiness all round.

I'm planning a leisurely cook book reading session tomorrow to decide what's next . . . something from JO I think.

I seem to remember Hugh's Biriyani was pretty awful too - one of the worst things I have ever cooked.

I made the chipotles en adobo, and it is fantastic!
I should be to admit this, but yesterday I had it with the simple tomato salsa and left-over Pizza Hut margerita pizza...
And today I had it with beans on toast

I know, I know no shame

I did the red rice the other day, and really enjoyed that.

I got the MJ curry bible out of the library the other day, but nothing has grabbed me from it. So I accidentally ordered the Hairy Bikers' curry book from Amazon (having never watched anything of theirs, so you lot had better be recommending it sincerely!)

I also bought a kilo of the dried chipotles, which is way too many for my needs, and my larder now stinks of smoke, so if anyone would like some to have a bash at the en adobo, I would be very happy to send them out and share the love

Huevos, if you have no other takers I would love some chipotles to adobe PM me if you are sure you want to give some away. I can PayPal you the cost plus postage and packing.

Oh, and feathered, I'll immodestly say that it was me that suggested the chipotle paste and tortilla chips for the tortilla soup, though I'm sure others did too

Im going to have to try the tortilla soup aren't I? :)

The chipotles en adobe are delicious, I agree. Love the green rice too.

I had forgotten the pasties! We liked those. I also like the garlic magic breads. Will avoid the biriani!

Hello, can I join in? I'm a cookbook obsessive with around 100 books.

I've got Jamie's 30 min meals and made sausage cassoulet tonight, it was a mix between the 30 min kinda sausage cassoulet and his other sausage cassoulet recipe and is the 4th or 5th time I've made it but its always a winner with everyone!!

Which Madhur Jaffrey book are you using? I have curry easy so far.