This is a favourite recipe from ” Real Food” by Nigel Slater. Although I have a couple of similar recipes by other food writers on my site I think his version was the first that I came across many years ago. SErve with rocket or baby spinach leaves to mop up the juices, or alternatively some green beans.
A very good vegetarian chilli using tinned beans from ” The Art of the Larder” by Claire Thomson. The basic recipe can also be used to make a couple of variations- chilli baked under a blanket or cornbread or roasted in peppers with cheese and sour cream. Claire is bringing out a new recipe book on one pot bean dishes which will be published in Febuary 2025. I cant wait and have already preordered the book.
This simple to make chicken dish is great for special occasions, and is another old favourite. Serve with buttered new potatoes and a crisp green salad. The dish was created by Tim Withers of The George and Dragon Pub in Rowde, Wiltshire two or three generations ago. It was first shared by Simon Hopkinson, but I found it in ” Well Tempered Food” by Tamasin Day- Lewis.
A hearty vegetarian soup from Tajikstan which I found in ” Samarkand” by Caroline Eden and Eleanor Ford. As an alternative to the herb paste you can add a dollop of herbed Suzma or you can just stir in some chopped greens for the final 5 minutes of cooking.
Another recipe from ” Ammu” by Asma Khan. The gravy is quite thick so its very good served with rotis, but you can also serve it with rice. It can also be made with lamb or beef, but you need to extend the marinating and cooking times.
A recipe from ” The Hidden Hut” by Simon Stallard. Its good to make this in winter in the UK when crabs are usually both cheaper to buy and richer in the brown meat which makes this dish rich and flavoursome. Two whole crabs will give you about the right amount of crabmeat for this dish.
A delicious side for autumn and winter. It’s from ” The Abel & Cole Veg Box Companion” by Keith Abel. It can be made a day or two in advance and be reheated. It also freezes well.
A very good chicken pie from ” The Weekend Cook” by Angela Hartnett. If you have some good bacon or pancetta then throw this in too. Serve with boiled frozen peas.
This is Yotam Ottolenghi’s version of this classic chicken dish from ” Simple”. Its very easy to prepare but the chicken needs to be marinaded at least one day in advance and preferably two.
A favourite Spanish soup from ” Cook “, the first recipe book by Thomasina Miers which I bought in 2007 and which i think is now out of print. If your guests are squeamish about runny eggs poach the eggs in the soup or separately before serving , but the Spanish would never do this!
A recipe i found in ” River Cottage Good Comfort” by Hugh Fearnley- Whittingstall. In this book he tweaks many favourite recipes to make them healthier for us.
