February Cookbook Club - From Delia to a Modern Way To Eat, with a little Bento on the way

[HuevosRancheros]

Welcome to February's cookery book club :)

Each month we choose a couple of books and each try to cook at least two new things from either book. We then report back and share our verdict

This month we have three books to choose from :) :

• Delia Smith's Winter Collection - I'm sure lots of the recipes will be on her website here
• A Modern Way to Eat by Anna Jones - some recipes here
• Just Bento by Makiko Itoh - millions of recipes (more than in the book!) on her website here also on her sister site Just Hungry which seems to be updated more recently

Happy Cooking!

Thank you Huevos that's a big help!

We did Jamie 30 minute meals and comfort. Everyday asian. Nigel Slater (I did Eat).

Hairy dieters

Thank you glorious

We've just finished our second batch of cardamom and star anise winter squash soup from A Modern Way to Eat, lovely spicing, very warming, perfect if you're suffering from a cold. I used frozen leaf spinach rather than fresh which worked well, I also added lime juice. I've made the veg chilli too, a great success. Really looking forward to trying lots more from this book.

It's a sign! So many people (four) have independently raved to me about how amazing A Modern Way to Eat is... I'm going to have to buy it. And not just for the blood orange margaritas.

Checking in. Didn't do well last month!

Yay, welcome back Science :)

Ooooh place marking! Don't have time to read or check websites as just about to head out but I'm intrigued by this.

It was the mention of delia

Saw this and would love to join in but we're having our kitchen ripped out next week in anticipation of the new one going in at the end of the month, so may not be able to contribute much! Very exciting but also very traumatic to be kitchen less for a whole month.

The Anna Jones is one of my favourite books at the moment. Thoroughly recommend her burgers, sweet potato chips and the courgette polpette. I enjoyed the root veg panzanella but DH wasn't a fan. I think I'll make the banana and blueberry pancakes tomorrow so will report back then.

From Delia the chocolate bread and butter pudding is the best.

Reading back a few posts, maybe we should do a cocktail book one month?! Or any cocktail book and make our own "ultimate" list?

Waves to Huevos

Not a blood orange to be found in town. I really want to make the margaritas though so am planning to travel to cardiff next week. I seem like a desperate alcoholic

I appear to have ordered A Modern Way to Eat
Simply because my birthday list was getting really long, so I may as well buy it now.
That sounds even more ridiculous now I've written it down rather than thought it in my head

Pregnant - from the last thread - glad the onions worked for you :) And I did the freekeh to use up the end of the packet, now need to buy more to make it again!!

Oh, and Science, like the idea of cocktail month

Which reminds me, when I was looking back for old threads for Silver, I saw that when Tiger was organising us all, we had book choices lined up a while on advance, so people could buy/order from the library.

So, did we agree March would be curry month? Made in India, Prashad, maybe the ones we did before - hairy bikers and Madhur Jaffrey?

Any requests for future months?
Cocktails would be good.
And one I'd like to put forward is the "How to make the Perfect...." series by Felicity Cloake. Can't remember if it's in the Guardian or Independent, but it's all online. I've used her recipes a few times, would be good to find out if she's always right! :)

Cocktail month- yes please!!

huevos it's the guardian. I like reading the column but have never cooked from it. It would indeed be interesting to see if she's right.

Signing in too. Like the look of A Modern Way to Eat already!

Always read Felicity Cloake and really want to try her veggie haggis recipe.

Re: Felicity Cloake, I made her Christmas cake and it was very good. Also her falafel.
Would have made her naan this evening except I forgot so had chapattis instead
I like that she always compares cooks who I would look to e.g. Ottolenghi, Nigella, Delia, Madhur Jaffrey etc. I saw that for her naan recipe she compared the Made In India author.

Quite often cook from Felicity Cloake's column, dh made her veggie haggis for Burn's night this year and it was delicious. Way better than the other veggie haggis recipe available on the Guardian if anyone's tempted by that.

I made the burgers from Anna Jones last night, good but found a bit weird with the zest of a whole lemon in?! Something about a lemony burger doesn't quite sit right with me. Other than that it was good (and quite 'meaty') and after a few tweaks will be being made again.

Thanks for the burger tips Ginger - I agree lots of lemon doesn't sit well with a burger! I usually make a variation on the Girl Called Jack burgers - grated carrot, onion/leeks, mashed kidney beans. Am looking forward to Anna Jones arriving so I can try her recipe out :)

Yay! My cocktail suggestion seems popular!

I'd love to do the felicity cloake book, I think I've suggested it before. Maybe it could run alongside the similar Marcus waring title?

Curry month sits very well with me, particularly in winter when I cook a lot of indian food. Not sure I'll get the made in India book though, as that is pretty much how I was brought up to cook (my parents emigrated from East Africa but are indian, and we lived in the middle of nowhere, so my mum was adept at adapting her cooking using what she could get her hands on).

But I'm sensing I need to get Anna jones. I wasn't sure what I wanted for my birthday and should have asked for that . As it was, DH got me a blimmin' George Foreman grill

Looking forward to the curry month too - we're having an Anglo indian roast today from Made in India.
For the months to come I'd like to request a Diana Henry book - I've just bought A Change of Appetite - a healthier approach, but also have a hankering after her other books Food from Plenty - using the seasonal, plentiful and leftovers and Cook Simple - fast and easy. Did we ever do Falling cloudberries. And how about Tom Kerridge's Proper Pub Grub.

Talking of Tom Kerridge - did anyone try his sausage and cabbage casserole from the first ep of Food & Drink? I followed his recipe diligently and it was uneatably vinegary

I am in for a cocktail month. And felicity cloake looks good too.
I have Diana Henry roast figs and sugar snow and the tom kerridge book so happy to cover them ( though I haven't cooked a thing from tom kerridge- I didn't feel very inspired by it- then again that's what the cb club is for- trying those things we wouldn't otherwise)

I can't wait for March Indian month. I love made in India- such a beautiful book with absolutely loads I want to cook.

We did cover falling cloudberries - it was hit and miss I think but I like it. I'm not against recovering books - we've done plenty twice and both times the threads really took off and i tried new things each time. I'd like to revisit Jerusalem and the jewelled kitchen at some point.