COOKBOOK CHALLENGE: jamie oliver's crusted cod

I shouldn't really include this in the Cookbook Challenge tag because it doesn't really fit the criteria, but this Jamie Oliver recipe is too good not to share. I started the Cookbook Challenge in an effort to make more use of the cookbooks I already had, instead of constantly buying more and leaving them to languish on the bookshelf. The recipes were supposed to be ones I hadn't made before and also recipes I followed to the letter...neither of which I've done here but it's been such a long time since I cooked something from a book rather than from the internet (or my head) that I thought I'd share it anyway.

This crusted cod is a real treat. The recipe calls for cod fillet, but we used the meatier loin, which can be pricer than what you might normally buy, but the flavours are amazing and every time I make this I'm amazed at its restaurant-quality taste.

This recipe is from Jamie Oliver's 30 Minute Meals, and the full meal features crusted cod, mashy peas, homemade tartare sauce and warm garden salad, but below I've simply included the recipe for the cod and homemade mushy peas (different to Jamie's, which are a mash hybrid with potatoes, broccoli and peas).

Serves 2:
2 x cod loin pieces around 180g each
Liberal olive oil (it is a Jamie Oliver recipe after all!)
Crusty white roll
4 cloves of garlic
1/4 jar sundried tomatoes
3 or 4 cherry tomatoes (I usually add this so the sauce is less rich)
Small bunch of basil
20g parmesan cheese
Balsamic vinegar
500g frozen peas

Heat up the grill (broiler, if you're American). Put a few lugs of olive oil into a large roasting tray and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Rub and toss the fish in the oil and put under the grill in the middle of the oven for 5 minutes while you make the topping.

Roughly chop the bread roll and put in a food processor along with 2 peeled cloves of garlic and a drizzle of olive oil. Whiz until it becomes breadcrumbs and tip into a bowl.

Put the sundried tomatoes, basil, cheese, a splash of balsamic vinegar, 2 garlic cloves and the cherry tomatoes in the empty food processor and whiz into a paste.

Take the fish out of the oven. Spoon over the tomato mixture, top with breadcrumbs and put back under the grill for 5-10 minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden and crisp.

Meanwhile, cook the peas in boiling water with some salt. Drain and whiz in the food processor with some olive oil, salt and pepper.

And serve! This literally takes about 20 minutes to make and as you are using the same food processor throughout, the washing up is pretty minimal too. I recommend getting the best fish you can buy and making this for a special occasion. It's really easy to make but so impressive, and less time spent in the kitchen means more time for watching a movie or an early night!

COOKBOOK CHALLENGE: deliciously ella's lentil bolognese

I had this post saved for another day, but seeing as it's #meatfreeweek (missed the memo on that one when I posted those gyozas on Monday!), I thought I'd share this easy meat-free recipe.

I've been a big fan of the Deliciously Ella blog since its early days and I picked up the book recently on a bit of an Amazon spree. I've never been a fan of books which don't show a picture of every dish, but saying that, the lentil bolognese really stood out to me even though I had no idea what it would like.

At first I was sceptical because the recipe is SO simple and I was surprised at the short ingredient list and lack of herbs, but rest assured it is absolutely delicious; warming, hearty and somehow tastes like a real, meaty bolognese. My boyfriend went back for thirds and fourths, which is really saying something, as he loves his meat!

The ingredients measurements didn't quite match up for me, and I've heard from other people as well that her recipes make absolutely gigantic portions.

Ingredients for 4 (book)
3 large carrots
175g sun-dried tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
2 tubes of tomato puree (400g)
2 1/2 mugs green lentils (500g)
450ml boiling water
Salt and pepper

I intended to make half a batch, but I found that the water to lentil ratio didn't seem right as I was cooking, so the only thing I ended up halving was the lentils themselves. The idea of putting 2 whole tubes of tomato puree didn't seem right to me either, so below are the adjusted ingredients I used.

Ingredients for 4* (my adjustments)
2 large carrots
1/2 an onion
100g sun-dried tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato puree
250g dried green lentils (follow the packet instructions, but I didn't soak mine)
600ml boiling water
Salt and pepper

Start by peeling and grating the carrots using the coarse side of your grater. Chop the sun-dried tomatoes into small pieces and finely dice the onion.

Add the grated carrot, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, diced onion and crushed garlic to a large saucepan with the tins of chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, lentils and the boiling water.



Stir everything together and then allow the mixture to simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring it every now and again as it cooks. If it looks too dry, add some more boiling water; if it looks too wet, turn the heat up for a bit to let some of the water boil away.

Ella serves the bolognese with gluten-free pasta, but I really like it with quinoa and a handful of spinach.

*Despite halving the lentils, I still ended up with loads. About 7 small portions, actually, when the quantities I used should have yielded about two or three. Because I was eating this for a light lunch, though, it's probably equivalent to about 4 servings. Luckily, the whole thing was absolutely delicious, as simple to make as it sounds and tasted wonderful, so I really didn't mind having it for lunch three days running or popping an extra batch in the freezer for a later date (it freezes beautifully!). I'm looking forward to trying some more of the recipes in the book, but I think I'll be reducing the measurements quite significantly next time!

COOKBOOK CHALLENGE: hugh fearnley-whittingstall's plums, crumble, ice cream

I picked up Hugh's Three Good Things on offer in WH Smith's because of the lovely pictures and emphasis on simple recipes, lovingly put together to showcase three key ingredients. Alluring recipes such as 'ham, squash, marmalade' and 'polenta, beans, kale' are easy to prepare with a highlight on seasonal ingredients and will make you think differently about the components of your meal. I hadn't made anything from the book, despite everything looking delicious, so it was the perfect candidate for the Cookbook Challenge. For a cosy day working from home, I made 'plums, crumble, ice cream' as an indulgent afternoon treat. Plums aren't in season, but I picked up a punnet from Tesco to 'ripen at home' and we forgot to eat them and they were starting to get mushy. This recipe honestly took less than 10 minutes to knock up, so it's going straight on my list of last-minute puds as it serves as a perfect base for any stone fruit or, really, any fruit that takes well to cooking (bananas and Nutella, perhaps? YUM).

Serves 4

For the crumble
225g plain flour
A pinch of fine sea salt
200g cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
150g granulated or demerara sugar
100g medium oatmeal, ground almonds or porridge oats

For the fruit
30g butter, softened
8 large plums
2 tbsp soft brown sugar or honey
4-8 star anise (optional)

To serve
4 generous scoops of vanilla ice cream

[Recipe abridged, but with all the relevant details] For the crumble, which you can make ahead, preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and rub together with your fingertips until you have a crumbly dough. Squeeze the mixture to form clumps, then crumble on to a large baking tray and spread evenly. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring halfway, until golden and crisp. Cool and keep in an airtight container until ready to use.

For the fruit, heat to 190C/Gas 5 and butter a roasting dish. Halve the plums and remove the stone. Put them, cut side up, in the dish, dot with the remaining butter and sprinkle with the sugar or honey. Scatter star anise, if using. Bake for 20-30 minutes until bubbling and juicy.

Any leftover plums (ha!) would be delicious the next morning with natural yoghurt and some of the crumble sprinkled on top. However, I'd like to add that while a pudding that is mainly composed of fruit may appear virtuous, it is only masquerading as such. Especially if you find it impossible to keep going back to the cupboard for a nibble on the leftover crumble which may seem healthy, but essentially equals eating a whole packet of biscuits, so heads up on that one (spoonfuls of crumble do taste delicious along with a cup of tea, though, I must add...)

COOKBOOK CHALLENGE: bea's guinness & gingerbread cake

In lieu of a Friday post, here's a perfect recipe for a slow Sunday afternoon. My friend Sophie baked this recipe as muffins a couple of years ago when she lived with us. The house was filled with the wafting warmth of ginger and all 24 of them were gone within the weekend. The result is an airy sponge spiked with ginger and a hint of Guinness, but I’d never ventured to make them myself as the recipe requires many more ingredients and more time than my mixed, in the oven and ready to eat in 45 minutes lemon drizzle cake. Tea with Bea is a charming book from the founders of Bea’s of Bloomsbury, a teahouse in the heart of London, and features every mouth-watering cake you can think of, from peanut butter cheesecake and key lime pie to the thoroughly British afternoon tea scones and tropical fruit trifle. I think it's best served fresh from the oven with a dollop of vanilla ice cream, but I’ve included Bea’s instructions for golden cream cheese icing as well. 

250ml Guinness

250g molasses

1.5 tsps bicarbonate of soda

280g plain flower

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon 

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/4 tsp ground cloves

3 eggs

100g caster sugar

100g dark brown soft sugar

1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger

200ml sunflower oil

Preheat the oven to 170C/ gas mark 5

Put the Guinness and treacle in a tall saucepan (the next step will cause the mixture to bubble up violently and potentially overflow, so choose the largest pan you have) and bring to a boil over a high heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the bicarbonate of soda (this part is like a science experiment!). Let stand until completely cool.

Put the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom and cloves in a bowl and stir until well blended.

In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, both sugars and the grated fresh ginger. Gradually add the oil. Add the Guinness syrup and stir throughly.

Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Spoon the mixture into the peppered cupcake cases (makes 24) or a 25cm round cake tin. Bake the cupcakes at 170C for 25-35 minutes or the cake at 160C for 45-55 minutes. When they feel springy to the touch, they’re ready to take out. I recommend it fresh out of the oven, when it's still warm, with a glass of cold milk. 

for the icing

225g cream cheese

60g unsalted butter, softened

175g icing sugar, sifted

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp golden syrup

Put the cream cheese and butter in a bowl and beat until combined and glossy. Add the icing sugar and beat until fluffy. Fold in the vanilla extract and golden syrup. The book suggests to pipe the icing, but I think I’d prefer smothering it on with a palette knife to look like the frothy head of a Guinness pint. 

COOKBOOK CHALLENGE: nigel slater's aubergine and chickpeas

My brother gave me Nigel Slater's little box, Eat, for Christmas. I've flicked through a couple of times and love the simplicity of it, with humble recipes such as gratin of kale and almonds, cucumber fennel and ricotta salad and basil prawns. No '15 minute meals' claims here, just good, honest meals that take little time to prepare and, using a limited number of ingredients, also fit just fine into my 'frugal recipes' category. I made aubergine and chickpeas on a cold Monday, when my boyfriend and I both had the day off, and it was satisfying and lovely and warming. I broke my Cookbook Challenge rules a little and improvised part of the recipe, plus we didn't have any garlic and it was tipping it down outside so we made do without.

Slice a large aubergine into thick rounds and place them in a single layer in a grill pan or on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil, scatter with a tablespoon of chopped rosemary needles, salt, black pepper and 2 cloves of finely crushed garlic. Cook under an overhead grill, adding a little more oil as necessary, for 10 minutes or so, until the aubergine is golden brown and tender. Turn each piece and allow to brown lightly on the other side. 

Drain a 400g can of chickpeas and warm half the contents in a small pan with a little olive oil, salt and some black pepper. Blitz in a blender or food processor with half the grilled aubergine to give a soft, quite smooth puree. Fry the reserved chickpeas for a few minutes in a little oil in a pan tip hot, then stir, whole, into the puree. Correct the seasoning then serve with the warm, grilled aubergine and some torn sesame bread.

My puree came out a bit dry, so I expect I didn't use enough olive oil, but when it comes to aubergines and oil, one can ask 'how long is a piece of string?' Obviously they taste best doused in the stuff, but in the interest of waistlines, I was a little reserved. I also fried the remaining chickpeas in a little cumin and actually cooked them until they were quite brown and starting to stick to the pan, which gave a really nice, smokey taste. I served it with kale, because I bloody love the stuff.

COOKBOOK CHALLENGE

As my cookbook collection continues to grow, I find that I acknowledge them less and less. I appreciate their colourful covers and have a flick through over a cup of tea every now and then, but when it comes to cooking, I usually make my own recipes up as I go along or find a recipe on the internet when I'm finishing up at work. This year, my goal is to cook a new recipe (following it to the letter) at least once a month, cooking one from each book before I continue adding to my collection. I can't wait to discover some new dishes that will hopefully make their way into my regular rotation.