My 3 Favourite Cookbooks

Long time no speak! It's been a busy time chez moi - I've just started a new job (whoop) and it was my wedding anniversary this weekend just gone (photos and review of the restaurant we went to are coming soon), so it's been pretty hectic. 

I've had a lot of people message me asking about which cookbooks I love, so I thought it would be good to a post with some of my favourite books!

So my current favourite cookbook is Chloe's Italian Vegan Kitchen, by Chloe Coscarelli.

I bought this book when I was vegan, and even though I'm not vegan currently, this book is my absolute favourite. Whoever said vegan food has to be boring obviously never tried any of the recipes from this book. Skilfully avoiding any animal products, Chloe captures the very essence of good Italian cuisine - rich, creamy and full of flavour. There's even a whole section on how to make all your sauces from scratch which makes this an ideal book for someone who is very new to cooking or veganism. Personal highlights from this book are the mac and cheese with pesto (one of my husband's best dishes), the pizza burgers and the Tuscan tofu scramble.

Next would have to be The Hairy Bikers Great Curries book.

This is a book a former housemate of mine had and we would spend hours flicking through this to decide what to cook. The recipes are really easy to follow and nearly every recipe has a photo to match. Personal favourites from this are the chicken korma (literally to die for), the lamb rogan josh. The entire section on sauces and pickles is heavenly too - homemade mango chutney? Yes please.

We've got another vegan cookbook in my current top 3 books. This time, Oh She Glows by Angela Liddon.

Now, Oh She Glows actually started as blog where Angela discovered veganism and good whole foods as a way of getting over an eating disorder. Her recipes are nothing short of perfection. Everything in this book is delicious, with recipes that will suit even the pickiest of eaters. This was another book I bought whilst vegan, and it's one I use frequently even now. Best recipes from this include the Indian Lentil and Cauliflower Soup, Bean and Sweet Potato enchiladas and all of the smoothies (perfect for me, smoothies are all I ever have for breakfast during the week!)

I really recommend checking out the above books if you get the chance, they have really helped me expand my repertoire as well as my palette. 

I've just bought a new cookbook that I am yet to try, but I need to work out where to source some of the ingredients. 

The Middle Eastern Cookbook by Rukmini Iyer (reduced to a fiver in The Works, for my UK-based readers), is a visual delight, with so many different recipes from all over the Middle East. Recipes vary from the easier houmous, to the more complicated Whole Spice-crusted Red Snapper (drooling thinking about that one). I'm really looking forward to spending a weekend trying out a few recipes from this book including the Iraqi Kitchree, Chargrilled Steak with Harissa and the Spiced Baked Cod with Harissa & Pine Nut Crust & Roasted Cherry Tomatoes.

I'll definitely be trying some of the above recipes in later blog posts, so keep your eyes peeled!

Have a good week!

Duck Soup

We're at that weird time of year where the weather definitely cannot make its mind up. I'm currently sitting in glorious sunshine in my back yard typing this. Yesterday it rained all day. Guess that's April for you!

I managed to grab a bargain at my local supermarket the other day. All my friends will tell you I'm a sucker for the reduced section, and I hit the jackpot with a whole duck that had been reduced from £11 to £4. I grabbed it and basically ran to the tills to pay for it. Once I got home, I had a few good recipes in mind and got straight to it.

I'd been making loads of vegan soups lately (I love lentils and I love vegetables and I love them all combined in soup) but I haven't had a good duck soup in forever.

Duck Soup

Ingredients

Whole duck

Salt/Pepper

2 onions, thinly sliced

3 carrots, sliced

3 potatoes, chopped into chunks

Mushrooms, sliced (as many/few as you like)

Garlic (4-5 cloves)

Enough water to cover

1 large tablespoon crème fraiche

1 large tablespoon soured cream

Method

1. Begin by roasting the duck as per the cooking instructions (mine took 2 hours at 175 degrees). Cook until the juices run clear.

2. Remove duck from oven, and leave to cool. Once cooled, strip all the meat of the duck, saving the skin, the carcass and any fatty bits that might come off.

3. Pop the duck carcass into a pan with 1 of the sliced onions, all the carrots and all the potatoes, and cover with water. Bring this mixture to a boil over a medium-high heat, then turn the heat down to simmer, pop a lid on and leave for about 4/5 hours. (You will need to come back to it every 30 minutes or so for a quick stir, and to help break up the bones).

4. Once this is done, you'll need to strain out the bones. I used a combination of a slotted spoon and a sieve to achieve this - it can be a little messy. Once this is done, put it in a tupperware tub and leave to cool, before putting it in the fridge overnight to cool.

5. The next day, take the stock mixture out of the fridge. The fat will have risen to the top and formed a jelly-like layer at the top - scoop this out and get rid. 

6. In a large pan, melt some butter and throw in your other onion and the mushrooms until they soften. Add the garlic and stir for about 1-2 minutes. Then add the stock. Keep stirring until you have a lovely fragrant smell coming from the pan. Remove the pan from the heat, then it's time to add the crème fraiche and soured cream. Stir until well combined. Put back on the heat on the lowest setting, adding salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the nicest bread you can find and enjoy!

It's a long process, but it's fully worth it! I saved the meat and legs and put them in a cassoulet I did - recipe for that coming soon :)

Sunday Roast

Easily my favourite meal of the week, the Sunday roast. This weekend, having spent the night before consuming lots of booze, a roast was exactly what we needed to get back on track for the week ahead.

I'm a particular fan of garlic and herb chicken, and so this hit the spot. Served with my husband's famous roast potatoes, cauliflower cheese, stuffing balls, mixed veg, Yorkshire puddings and of course, gravy. Now, I'm a proper Northern lass, and gravy is my lifeblood. Almost every meal can be improved with gravy. Now I'm just relaxing on the sofa, watching Community and meal planning for the coming week. Hope you all have a lovely evening!

Victoria Sponge Cupcakes

Let's start with something fun, shall we?

I decided to make a cake for the husband, as he's working the late shift the moment. I fully hate that he doesn't get home until half 11 at night, so I always need something to do to distract myself (as it turns out, there is only so much cleaning a person can do when at home). So when Daryl requested 'cake-y goodness' I knew that I could occupy part of the evening before he came home.

Victoria sponge is always a go-to in my home because I usually have all the ingredients to hand, but I thought it would be more fun (and practical) to make cupcakes - this way, Daryl can take them into work with his packed lunch.

These are super easy to make (especially if you're looking for something to bake with the kids), delicious and you can even pretend they're healthy because they have fruit in!

This recipe makes 12 small cupcakes, but you could double the measures for more grown up portions :)

Victoria Sponge Cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

100g butter

100g caster sugar

100g self-raising flour

2 eggs

1 pinch of baking powder

Buttercream

75g butter, softened

150g icing sugar, sieved

1 dash of milk

Topping

50g strawberries, sliced

50g raspberries

Raspberry jam

Equipment

Mixing bowl

Spoon

Cupcake tray

Cupcake papers

Piping bag

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees C/Gas Mark 3. Line a cupcake tray with cupcake papers and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the butter and sugar until they're light and creamy.

3. Sift in the flour and baking powder, then add the eggs. Mix the ingredients together until they form a smooth batter. Careful to not over-mix it.

4. Sprinkle some raspberries into the bottom of the cupcake cases, and spoon the batter evenly on top.

5. Bake at 170 degrees C for about 15-20 minutes. (This can fully depend on your oven, mine took closer to 20 minutes). They should be lightly browned and should spring back if you push them lightly with a finger.

6. Remove the cakes from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

7. Meanwhile, prepare the buttercream. Mix the butter, icing sugar and milk together until smooth.

8. Using a teaspoon, spoon little blobs of raspberry jam onto the top of each cake.

9. Spoon the buttercream into a piping bag. Pipe the icing on top the cakes, making sure to cover the jam. Then add the sliced strawberries, and ta-da, you're done!

Don't they look lush? Daryl was a very happy bunny when he got home from work. Let me know how yours turn out!

So let's try this again

Okay. So I said I was going to start a blog last year and it failed miserably. But so many people have been asking for recipes that I am now officially pulling my finger out and doing this properly.

So, hi!

I'm mainly going to be posting recipes and photos of delicious food, as well as updates on my life as well and the occasional thing about photography as I'm slowly getting to grips with my Canon 600d.

Watch this space...