Need a new go-to!

[gettingolderbutcooler]

Most of us have some lovely professional go-to recipes which we know we can do.

Mine is the River Cottage Baked Chicken Curry. Do it a lot. Always comes out beautifully.

I'd like to broaden my choice though- any cook books or specific recipes you can recommend?

I can look up the actual recipe if you give me your recommendations!

If you like curry, Nigella’s mattar paneer is good. I add more spices to it though.

I would highly recommend Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian.

No but I might have to look at the River Cottage recipe that you mentioned

A great post, OP, and I hope you get more answers.

For something a bit different, can you find copies of The New Basics (which are not basic) and the Silver Palate Cookbook? These are American, by the late Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso. I think the recipes I will recommend are available online. People partake heartily of them all.

Mediterranean Lamb Stew (New Basics) A slightly unusual lamb and cannellini bean stew. I cook it lower and slower than the recipe calls for. Even better reheated. Sadly oil cured black olives, which have become difficult to find, are crucial. I leave the olives out if I can’t get the right ones and it isn’t the same

Seafood Gumbo (New Basics) We don’t get the proper sausage in my area; you can use chorizo or just leave it out. This is a Low Country (Carolinas, Georgia, Florida) gumbo, thickened with okra. You can leave out one of the seafood choices and make up its weight in the others.

Chicken Marbella (Silver Palate). This is the ancestor of Ottolenghi’s Chicken Marbella. As far as I can tell, the only real change he made was to swap out the prunes for dates. I believe Lukins and Rosso made up the name so he really should have credited them which, in the Guardian or Observer article I saw, he did not. Ah, no one is perfect.

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie @poetryandwine
Ooh thanks!
Chat you use normal black olives in that stew/ the kind you get in jars?
Like the idea of cookbooks- I've already said I want done for Christmas.

What made me think of this is that I did the baked Chicken curry again today.

Update- found The New Basics cookbook on eBay! Less than a fiver!

Chilli Colorado. If you like chilli, and can get hold of the right ones for this (I use Chillies on the Web), it is divine.

Have just looked at this. I love chilli! V specific re the peppers! Is it very hot? Need to feed the teens too!

By the way, my go to pud is this- sooo delicious!!

I really like this https://www.thedoctorskitchen.com/recipes/spicy-mushroom-and-lentil-lasagna

@Londonmummy66
Looks delicious but kids think mushrooms are the work of the devil.

Glad you found New Basics, OP.

Sadly, proper oil cured black olives make all the difference to the stew. Ask me how I know. I’ve been told we can find them online, or you may live near better sources than me. My local Waitrose has even stopped stocking them.

Thanks, everyone - all of these recipes and ideas look yummy

By my standards, it's not very hot - yours may differ, of course, but my 'sensitive' DH manages to eat it - I give him a dollop of sour cream as a garnish in case he needs it!

BTW, MumsNetters may already know this but the shrimps called for in American recipes, such as the New Basics gumbo, are not our tiny, delicate shrimps. Our prawns are a fine substitute.

If you can get hold of a copy of Fabulous Food by Lynn Bedford Hall - it's a South African recipe book that was published a while ago but you can get second hand copies on Amazon sometimes - there are a few recipes in there that I have made 10000 times, and come out perfectly every time. In particular a pepper and chickpea curry, the baked lemon chicken and a lamb and butternut casserole.

I have also perfected the art of roating rib of beef - it is often the centerpiece of any etnertaining I do and I can adapt the sides and accompaniments according to what I need. eg I might do it as a full roast dinner, or I'll turn it into a lovely lighter meal with mixed salads etc or I'll do a "roast light" with something like a potato dauphinoise and just some simple steamed greens. I have a small one in the freezer right now that I'll probably turn into beautiful steak sandwiches and then leftovers for a stir fry or fajita the next day.

@SpaceOP
Oh yes, lovely! I do love a dauphinois too! So easy and yummy!

And I'm rubbish with beef in any form.
Ruin it.
Every time.

We eat this Butterbean and chorizo stew at least once a week. It freezes well so I often double up although it takes no time to make anyway.

Thanks for the link! Looks delicious! There's one with pancetta too- yum!

Just to be clear (and veer away from coming across as too poncey) we also eat a lot of crappy food.
🤣

I think a lot of people have this. Which is partly why I whip.it out as my "guarantee to impress" option! 🤣🤣🤣🤣