Welcome to the Cookery Calendar Challenge for June. If you would like to join the challenge this month, please take a quick look at the Cookery Calendar Challenge page, which will tell you everything you need to know.
My chosen recipe book for May was Rachel Allen's 'Home Cooking' This is a bright, cheerful book aimed firmly at family cooking, full of quick, everyday meals which can be prepared with minimum fuss. It is divided into chapters such as 'Breakfast', 'Lunch', 'Sunday Lunch', 'Supper', and there is also a chapter on 'Baby Purees' which presumably reflects the stage of life Rachel was at when she wrote this book.
My first chosen recipe was 'Smoked Salmon, Leek and Potato Pie'. This is extremely easy to prepare, and although smoked salmon is not a cheap option for a weeknight, the other ingredients are very economical, so a balance is achieved.
Peeled, thinly sliced potatoes are layered up with sliced leeks, and pieces of smoked salmon. I also added prawns for extra flavour and variety.
Each layer is seasoned with salt and pepper, and sprinkled with finely chopped garlic. Double cream is poured over, and a grating of parmesan cheese. The dish is topped neatly with a final layer of potato slices, and the whole lot baked until the potatoes are fully cooked, and the top is brown and bubbling. The double cream forms a sauce as the dish cooks, and keeps everything moist.
I was convinced this was a winner; it smelled good, it looked good, and when I tasted it I really loved it. The combination of flavours was delicious, very savoury, but creamy too, the potatoes were soft, the topping was crispy, the smoked salmon tasted mellow because it was cooked, and the prawns added a little extra flavour and variety.
Unfortunately for me, nobody, other than me, liked it. No double double green tick (double green tick = 'Yum; new favourite), not even a single green tick (single green tick= 'Ok; would eat again). To my disappointment, the vocabulary of an epic fail rang round the dinner table....
'Mum I really don't like this'
'I hate leeks'
'Far too creamy'
'Glaggy'
'Sorry I can't eat this'
'Not my cup of tea'
'Please don't make this again'
One of the carnivores actually had two slices of toast and butter rather than finish this meal.
I was very disappointed; I had looked forward to basking in the glow of a double green tick ('Yum; new favourite') and instead ended up with lots of left overs and a petted lip. I had the rejected dish over the next few lunchtimes (and dinners; there was a lot left...) and each time wondered why nobody liked it; it really was good!
Girding my culinary loins, I made my second selected dish a few nights later, this time making 'Thai Peanut, Vegetable and Coconut Noodles'. Again, this was very quick and easy to prepare; coconut milk is combined with peanut butter and Nam Pla (or Soy sauce), and Thai Red Curry paste (bought, not home made, though there would be nothing to stop you making your own if you were so inclined).
Once this has amalgamated into a cohesive sauce, spring onions, baby corn, mange tout, and broccoli florets are added and lightly cooked. Peanuts, previously toasted in a dry pan, are added for crunch. Finally, rice noodles are mixed into the sauce and vegetables and the dish is served with a few more peanuts scattered over the top.
To please the carnivores, I stir fried thin strips of chicken breast to add at the end, though I had mine without.
Fortunately, this dish met with a better reception, though was judged to be 'Lacking a bit of something', and was given a modified single green tick ('Ok, would eat again, if it tasted a bit better'). In fairness, I used Soy sauce rather than Nam Pla, and probably not quite enough to give it that lovely salty depth that makes flavours sing. There was lots of variety and texture in the dish though, and I will make this one again.
My chosen book for June is 'The National Trust Cook Book'. I bought this book a couple of weeks ago in the National Trust shop in York, and as I have enjoyed many lunches, cakes and treats in National Trust properties over the years I am looking forward to using this book to hopefully please my carnivores!
If you joined me last month, thank you. If you would like to join the challenge this month, this is what to do:
The challenge is simple: the first week of every month, select a cookery book from your shelf, and cook two new recipes from it. The recipes can be for any meal. Cakes and bakes are excluded, but puddings are included. Don't worry about photographs; if you haven't taken a photograph of the dish, post a photograph of the recipe book you used. Similarly, you are welcome to share a recipe if you wish, but there is no pressure to do so. This project is more about the process of reconnecting with your cookery book collection, than about recipe sharing or food photography. At the beginning of the following month, blog about the recipes you have used, and announce your chosen cookery book for the month ahead. This is an ongoing project, it's never too late to get involved, and everyone is very welcome.
I would appreciate a link back to this Cookery Calendar Challenge post in your post. Grab the Cookery Calendar Challenge badge to display on your blog too, if you like (just copy and paste the code on to your dashboard to display). You can also join via Instagram using hashtag #cookerycalendarchallenge (you will find me on Instagram @penny.homemadeheart )
