Welcome to the Cookery Calendar Challenge for April 2018.
The Cookery Calendar Challenge is my monthly challenge to choose and make two new recipes from one recipe book, and share them on my blog.
Everyone is very welcome to join me; you will find a summary of the Challenge at the end of this post, and any other details you need can be found on the Cookery Calendar Challenge page.
My chosen book for March was 'Feast' by Sabrina Ghayour; this book an impulse buy in Waitrose on a dark and rainy day at the end of February. The cover, with its vibrant Paisley pattern, and of course the title 'Feasts' (note the plural, how sumptuous) made me think of easy relaxed meals on warm days, and I momentarily, uncharacteristically, yearned for summer.
There is a bright and welcoming Introduction from Sabrina, and thereafter the book is divided into 8 chapters, from 'Breakfast and Brunch' through to 'Vegetarian Feasts', 'Special Occasions' and 'Comfort Food'.
Scattered throughout the book are many enticing photographs of tables laden with colourful dishes, and each chapter page also has a charming line drawing of foods relevant to the recipes within.
My first selected recipe was Eastern Prawn Linguine. This is in the 'Quick Fix Feasts' chapter and true to its promise it was a very quick dish to make and serve.
Garlic is thinly sliced and cooked for a few minutes in hot oil, then set aside to infuse the oil with garlic flavour. Once the oil is suitably infused (it was a cursory 20 seconds in my kitchen, but perhaps longer in yours), the prawns are added and cooked until pink.
Meantime, cook the linguine as usual, and once cooked, drain, reserving a couple of ladlesful of the cooking water (I can honestly say this is the first time I have ever actually followed that instruction in a recipe, pasta waster having, to my mind, a close affinity with dish water: both are necessary, but should surely be tipped down the sink straight after use?)
Return the drained pasta to the pan, throw in the prawns and garlic oil, and the reserved pasta water, then grate in the zest of two lemons, pul biber chilli flakes (mine were just common or garden supermarket chilli flakes), some crumbled chunks of Feta, torn basil leaves and salt and pepper.
This dish was pretty much the sum of its parts, but was extremely tasty, and quick to make. I had been in a slight flap because Jacob was coming home for dinner that night with his lovely girlfriend, and, as entirely befits his stage in life as a 1st Year Uni student, was not sure what time they would arrive, so this dish was pretty much ideal for that situation, as it was a fifteen minute job to make, but was flavoursome, light, and suitable for serving with salad and warm breads (a child of the '70's can't hide when it comes to food presentation).
Well mannered remarks greeted this dish (I sense the influence of a guest at our kitchen table...)
'Mmm, thanks Mum, nice' (Jacob)
'Not really my type of thing but I'll eat it' (Isaac)
'Yes its fine' (Derek)
'Delicious, thank you, I am enjoying it' (Jacob's delightful girlfriend)
My second selected dish was Yogurt and Harissa Marinated Chicken, from the 'Lighter Feasts' chapter.
I like making a marinade; it does most of the work for you and can be done in advance. It is one of those activities that makes me feel competent and in control of my domestic life, and God knows there are few enough of those.
Greek yogurt, fresh coriander, garlic, rose harissa (thank you Waitrose), lime zest and juice, olive oil, and salt, are whizzed in a food processor, and poured thickly over the chicken.
This rests in the fridge for 30 minutes, or overnight. Or for a week in my case, as it wasn't eaten the night I had planned it for, and as the days passed by I was uncomfortably aware of the longest running marinade of all time happening in my fridge. I eventually cooked off the chicken and gave Derek a hefty portion for dinner with cous cous and roasted veg; made his dinner with one of the breasts chopped into a tomato and veg pasta sauce the next night, and used the several remaining breasts sliced for his lunchtime sandwiches for the next couple of days.
Derek had by now forgotten a time in his life when he had eaten anything other than Yogurt and Harissa Marinated Chicken, and so the final chicken breast was thrown, with some regret, in to the food recycling bin.
He said it was 'ok', but whether that was because it really was only ok, or that he was just having a reaction to having eaten it for the best part of a week, it is hard to tell. Either way, I will wait for some time before cooking it again...
Overall, I really liked this book. The recipes fit the chapters they are included in; the flavours are rich, the colours are bright. There are several gorgeous looking cakes and bakes, as well as many other recipes I would like to try, so this one's a Keeper.
My selected book for April is Fortnum and Mason, The Cook Book, given to me by Derek at Christmas. I an a devoted fan of F&M and was simply thrilled to unwrap this beautiful tome on Christmas morning. I have looked through it extensively, and just can't wait to make two new recipes from it in the coming month.
If you joined me last month, thank you. If you are wondering whether to take part in the challenge this month, I do hope you do. Through the Cookery Calendar Challenge I have discovered some dishes that are now firm favourites in our house (as well as some I will never make again!), and I now make better use of my recipe books than before. It is an ongoing project, so it is never too late to join, and everyone is very welcome. Here's what to do:
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 anything: main meal, a cake or bake, a preserve, anything at all which is a recipe that is new to you.
If you haven't taken a photograph of the dish, don't worry, you can still describe it, and let everyone know how it worked out. 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 book and recipes you have used, and announce your chosen cookery book for the month ahead. Add your post to the linky on my blog, to allow others to see what you have made.
I would appreciate a link back to this Cookery Calendar Challenge post in your post.
There is also a Cookery Calendar Challenge badge to display on your blog too, if you like (just copy and paste the code on to your dashboard). You can also join via Instagram using hashtag #cookerycalendarchallenge (you will find me on Instagram @penny.homemadeheart )
All this information is also on the Cookery Calendar Challenge page, should you wish to check anything in more detail, or of course you are welcome to message me also.
