A bit late on, but November cookery book club anyone?

[SlottedSpoon]

I started another thread about wanting some cooking buddies for Fresh India but was told it had recently been done in September.

How about something else? I love Sesame and Spice by Anne Shooter (baking book) but am yet to make anything from it.. Any takers?

Also happy for other suggestions if not enough people have that book.

bump

I'd love another focus on HFW Vege book, as I just haven't been able to like it yet.

Or Madhur J World Vegetarian.

Or Plenty.

I know they've all been done before but would still like to think about them!

Or maybe a Jamie one as so many of his recipes are easily found online.

Okay shall we do HFW Veg Everyday or Plenty then? I haven't cooked from either of them much at all yet although I feel like I know Plenty off my heart I've flicked I've pored over it that many times I always intend to cook stuff from it then I don't for some reason. We could just do both? I will try to do three things from each book by the end of November.

Starting tonight.

I like your style!

I'll try to do one at least thing from each. Who'd like to tell me what they should be?

Ok I have failed for tonight, just didn't find time to get to the shops so we are eating something from the freezer. Will try tomorrow.

I'm in. Love a veggie club.

I always recommend the cabbage and Parmesan soup from plenty - sounds awful, but it's divine.

North African stew from hfw is a family favourite here too (along with many many others - aubergine parmigiana, merguez chips, swede pasties, squash flatbreads, kale and mushroom lasagne, speltotto swede, the ribollata (in the slow cooker) and the carrot and broadbean risotto)

To avoid in veg- penne courgette spouflett, chickpea ketchup curry monstrosity, in fact any of his curries leave me uninspired, and the truly awful chilli.

Btw I remember the fresh India month and I loved the Indian flatbreads - the ones where you make a snail shape and roll it out - it's been a while and I keep meaning to make them again. (Haven't got access to the books so can't get the proper name)

I'm happy with that.

Interesting that someone mentions HFW veg curries being disgusting - yes! I agree! I also find he's a bit over keen on tomatoes and I am not.

I must admit I lingered over the chickpea and ketchup curry....just for something a bit different.

But then I decided it was going to be weird and vile and what was I thinking?

Weird and vile pretty much covers it.

I forgot to also recommend plenty Gorgonzola and broccoli pie- it's HUGE and very very rich, but absolutely amazing and my go to option for vegetarian Christmas show stopper. For normal days I halve the recipe and use a 20cm cake tin instead.

On hfw dhal - I can't remember making it but I've written "bland- look elsewhere!" So it can't have been good

Do you make notes in your books too then Cooking? mine are full of scribblings.

The broc and gorgonzola pie is on my shortlist.

I've been cooking with an awful lot of blue cheese lately though, think DH is getting blue cheese fatigue.

But tough. I'm making it. I have a lump of gorgonzola already.

I also have to be careful because we aren't vegetarian and he'll only take so much before he revolts.

In fact going through hfw veg- I've made a lot of the recipes in the book- there so many I've liked that I could be here listing for ages(the squash and mushroom salad is a great starter btw)

However Next to the chickpea pie I've written- "nice but Jamie's is better"

And next to the potato tartar I've written-" this looks nice but see plenty page 20 for a better version"

Yes slotted, you've got to make notes!

On a rather morbid tone my husband once commented that should I die he'll still have my "voice" in my cookbooks, and my dds will have to share out the more heavily anototated ones . Which, while morbid, makes me smile.

I'm sorry to take over the thread with my recommendations but if your husband likes meat- the kale and mushroom lasagne is much improved with a chopped chicken breast and bacon lardons

Thanks for that, yes we tend to find that while lots of vegetarian recipes are lovely they are so much nicer for the addition of copious amounts of bacon 😂

Oh I'm glad we're doing HFW Veg book as I just dug it out yesterday. I made his North African stew and it really is good. The ginger, cinnamon and turmeric sound weird but work really well. Left out the saffron because I didn't have any. You need a BIG pot for this and it makes quite a lot. I also subbed in penne instead of risoni and it was just as good. Kind of soupy rather than stewy though.

Next on my list from that book is the polenta and mushroom ragu and that barley broth that everyone sung the praises of on a previous thread.

Are there any Fresh India recipes that are really good and available online? I won't get my book til Christmas but I really want to cook some sort of curry.

Looked at HFW again yesterday and quite fancy the mushroom risotto that's made with tiny pasta instead of rice. Anybody made it?

In 'Plenty'I highly recommend the Black Pepper Tofu.

I've made it- I liked it, but my family thought it too "mushroomy"

I will say that it could do with something extra, as its texture is all soft, maybe some grilled breadcrumbs and parsley? But that's just because I'm a texture fiend and having been so spoilt with texture variety in ottolenghi and Anna jones, I now expect that extra pop from everything.

Remus- I am afraid of tofu. I bought a packet of silken tofu months ago which languishes in my cupboard mocking me- would it be useable in that recipe?

Made the North African stew this evening. It was lovely but DH commented that it's very similar to another thing I do which has chicken in it as well and he prefers the version with the chicken. No surprise there really.

There's loads left so Ill freeze it and it will do for lunches at work next week.

CookingonGas - silken tofu is revolting stuff. I think the only way it's even half way use-able is blended but I certainly wouldn't go there. Firm tofu needs draining well and pressing for a few hours, then frying with loads of strong flavours (as in the Black Pepper recipe). Then it's really nice.

You're not selling the mushroom thing to me much - maybe okay with a crunchy salad alongside?

Cooking use you silken tofu to make the sour and hot silken tofu from EGOR :)
It is an aquired texture (no taste to be had!!), but I like it in that recipe. Plus she adds Bombay mix on top, for crunch, which should please you. To get the proper flavour you do need something from an Asian shop (zha cai, if memory serves), but it would still be very good without. Basically, the very strongly flavoured sauce contrasts with the smooth bland tofu... I know I'm not selling it well, but I have been making it regularly since we did EGOR. A very quick, healthy, delicious lunch imo :)

Thanks for the reminder about the Plenty cabbage soup - I have never made it but remember you liking it before... I've just bought a Savoy cabbage for a Fresh India recipe, so was wondering what to make with the other half - problem solved, thanks!!

Not in Plenty, but next week I'm planning on doing an Ottolenghi recipe from the Guardian site - something with broken fettuccine, lentils, tamarind and pomegranate molasses - I'll report back!!

Sorry Slotted, I was very rude and hijacked your thread

Thanks for setting it up... I am always finding new things I want to make in Plenty (and Plenty More!!). I don't have hfw's veg book - I got it out of the library when we did it years ago, but nothing appealed. Maybe it's because we're already veggie, it just didn't add anything new... Whereas Plenty, Made in India (and I'm sure Fresh India too) did. Even Anna Jones offered new flavour ideas :)

And EGOR, which I mentioned in my last post - Every Grain of Rice by Fuchsia Dunlop :)