Cookery book club - July - Hugh F-W Veg and curries by Madhur Jaffrey and the Hairy Bikers (vroom vroom)

[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 June our books were:

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

And we posted here

For July our books are:

• Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall Veg Every Day
  
• Madhur Jaffrey Ultimate Curry Bible AND / OR madhur Jaffrey's Curry Easy AND / OR Hairy Bikers' Great Curries
  

For August, our books will be:

• Fuchsia Dunlop Every Grain of Rice (chopsticks at the ready ladies)
  
• Dan Lepard Short and Sweet
  

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 September's books this month.

[HuevosRancheros]

Thanks everyone for the off-topic travel advice

Will bear in mind the Hunstanton parking, and the tide time for Holkham.

I think the DCs (5 and nearly 3) will still find Bewilderwood good, they are happy with slides and walks in forests :). And it seems to have boat rides too, which they will love.
Dinosaur place on our list too :)

[snowlie]

I think when you cook all the veg separately, they maintain their individual shape and flavour better and the texture of the ratatouille is less like a sloppy soup....but I'd go for the all in one method too - I don't find ratatouille to be a thrilling dish anyway....even when done properly it's a bit ordinary.

[mimolette]

I only managed one HB curry in the end as the hot weather made me a very lazy cook. (Come back summer, please, I wasn't really complaining!
Did a bit better with HFW, including the mushroom ragout last night. Served it with pasta instead of polenta and may have snuck in some chorizo and it was a lovely, low effort mid-week dinner. Generally I thought that was what the book was best for - picking up twists for meals I do already rather than learning anything exciting (Cambodian wedding dip disaster not withstanding). Also, I found his cooking instructions quite faffy. I am very much a one pan girl, and I once read him saying that to make a propper ratatouille you need to fry all the veg individually and only combine at the end. Who has the time?! But also, does it really make that much difference? Genuinely curious - may be I am missing something with all my shortcuts.

[snowlie]

North Norfolk is great, lots of really good pubs serving fantastic food. We've been to Bewilderwood a couple of times now - dcs were a bit bored the second time when they realised it's mostly slides, unless they've added some new activities in - they get much more out of the Dinosaur Park and it's cheaper.

[ZuleikaJambiere]

Hi Huervos, we stayed in Burnham Market and I can vouch for all the food shops - never have I self catered so deliciously. The fish shop is actually the best place in the whole wide world.

Bewilderwood is amazing, I'm pleased that's on your list already. We had fish and chip night on the beach at Hunstanton and it is gorgeous there in the evening. We didn't go to Brancaster beach, so I can't comment on that. Holkham beach is the biggest beach I think I've ever seen, my tip (if you like to be in the sea) is to go at high tide as otherwise it is such a trek to actually get a paddle - my poor DD was exhausted before she even got swimming!

Wiveton Hall fruit farm, near Blakeney, is lovely. Strawberry picking is great, and the cafe is stunning, you'll probably need to book though.

Have a great trip


Right, back onto this months books - yesterday we had cauliflower salad with toasted seeds (from HFW) which was very nice and one I'll do again (and was the first time I've used the sumac I bought when cooking from Jerusalam). Tonight we had a mish-mash of the peanutty noodle salad crossed with a similar recipe in July's Good Food (I can't find it online, to link to) - the GF recipe had a dressing made with peanut butter, which which my DCs adore, so I knew that would keep them happy. I did stir fried veg and the herby cucumber as a side salad, as I wasn't sure what the DCs would think of that, all in all it was tasty and a hit with us all, but I'm not sure whether the credit should go to Hugh or Good Food! And to make it a hat trick of recipes to end the month, to tomorrow night it's just me eating so I'm going to have the celery and blue cheese in toast, as I have some lovely Stilton in the fridge, looking forward to it

[ScienceRocks]

Sorry pregnant, I forgot to proof read (and to think I write for a living ). Minutes not injures, obviously.

[pregnantpause]

I hope those injuries will be worth the saving on parking costs!

[ScienceRocks]

Huevos, try and park outside the council office in Hunstanton. Much cheaper than everywhere else and only a couple of injures walk from the seafront, high st etc.

Have a lovely time

[HuevosRancheros]

Brilliant, thank you both
Castle Rising and Hunstanton added to the list! :)

[AlohaMama]

Sorry just have to put my tuppence worth in. Burnham Market does have great foodie places, great bakery, fish shop etc. I still remember the Portuguese custard tarts in the bakery from about 6 years ago. Also Hustanton has a lovely gallery, kind of crammed in but normally a potter working you can watch.

[ScienceRocks]

Huevos, I grew up there! Hunstanton is a proper old school seaside town so worth a trip, burnham market and the deepdales are quite chi chi, sandringham is lovely (don't have to go in the house, the grounds are great), holkham and Holme beaches are also gorgeous and a lot less crowded than wells or brancaster. Castle rising is a lovely ruined castle and good for picnics ANC a scramble.

[HuevosRancheros]

Zuleika on a complete thread hijack..... I was just searching MN for ideas for our trip to North Norfolk next week, and found a thread where you were asking for ideas too! Just wondered what you would recommend?
(I already have seal trip from Blakeney, beach and chips at Brancaster, Holt-Sheringham steam train and BeWilderwood on my list )

[Wearytiger]

Just to let you know I've set up the new thread for August! Sneaky name change here but probably still recognisable...

[glorious]

MJ lamb bhuna tonight which was tasty. Quite curry house but in a good way. Nice thick sauce.

[snoworneahva]

I usually don't add the salt till the end and then it's to taste rather than to recipe - but I love salt and I'm not shy about using it.

[Curioustiger]

I never add salt to any recipe. If it says seasoning I just add black pepper. I never miss it. I think my mum thinks my food is a bit bland but no one else seems to notice (they can always add some at the table).

Actually there is one exception I normally add half a tsp to tomato sauce for pasta. Which I consider a treat. That's it!

[showtunesgirl]

Ah yes, with ALL MJ recipes I put in a fraction of the salt she recommends. If she says 1 1/2 teaspoons, I put in a 1/4 teaspoon instead and I find it tastes fine.

[maniacbug]

We had the Anglo-Indian sausage curry from MJ Easy the other day. Made it into about 15 little meatballs rather than 8 patties and the DCs devoured them. I left the green chillies out of the sauce so found it a bit bland, but the meatballs were highly flavoured (think I would use only half the salt next time) so it worked OK. I probably wouldn't serve if I had friends over, but it was a quick, easy and (without the green chillies) DC-friendly midweek meal.

Flicking through MJ I noticed with interest that where a recipe calls for fresh curry leaves she suggests basil as an alternative (think it was 20 curry leaves = 8 basil leaves). I know others have had trouble sourcing fresh curry leaves too so just thought I'd mention it!

[Feathered]

Madhur Jaffrey baked Chicken curry wasn't a rip roaring success. I'd give it a luke warm okay.
I didn't have the energy for the green beans and coriander dish - so maybe it is a subtle dish that needs some lovely accompaniments. Looks like people are having more success with H.B.

[AlohaMama]

Just made the courgette and green pepper sabzi (minus the green pepper) and the mung dal and chicken for dinner tonight, but have had a quick taste. The courgettes are delicious, so will definitely do those again for an easy side dish. The chicken tastes nice too, though I think I tend to prefer creamy curries. Will get verdict from dh and 2yo ds later.

[Curioustiger]

Well done viva! My dd is too young to express a preference ( long may it last)

[Curioustiger]

Science yes it is (had to google!) It's not like any other Indian restaurant I've tried. There's one in Islington as well apparently. I must try wahaca breakfast...

[VivaLeBeaver]

I went past Wahaca today and tried to convince dd to go there for dinner but she insisted on pizza express

On the bright side as I neared the end of my vegi pizza I found a rogue pepperoni slice on it so I got it for free after complaining!

[ScienceRocks]

Tiger, I adore wahaca too. Having breakfast there is my new favourite thing to do. This was the third time I have been for breakfast - the first time I had a breakfast burrito, last time I had sweetcorn fritters, and this time I had the torta. Yesterday there were five of us, we were there for two hours and it cost us £10 a head. Such a bargain.

I haven't been to Rasa (I am one track minded on Charlotte street). Is it South Indian?

Anyway, I digress. Tonight I made HB spiced fish curry. It was much more subtle than it sounds: sea bass coated with seasoned flour, with a rich tomato sauce. I served it with chapattis and raita. The spicing was delicate and complex, and it was a perfect dish for the warm weather. Easy too.

[Curioustiger]

Science I am a bit jealous re wahaca. I love it so much there it is slightly embarrassing. I think it's / they're one of the best restos in London at any price.

Have you been to Rasa on Charlotte St by any chance? I think it's similar in the way that it takes a little known 'ethnic' food and does it really really well. It's also pretty reasonably priced.