October 2023

I’ve recently done something that I hate to do. I’ve culled my cookery book collection. It had to be done. There is only so much space I can lend to my ridiculously large collection; not only can you find them in my kitchen but they’ve also spread to cupboards upstairs and into the cellar where they’re winning the battle for space against Nick’s wine collection… And I keep buying them! So I’ve spent some weeks deliberating on which ones to take to my local Oxfam bookshop. It was a job that’s taken a lot longer than I had anticipated, the problem was that I got rather carried away falling back in love with far too many of them. Along the way I’ve rediscovered recipes I used to love and had somehow forgotten. I also have a new list of ‘must try’ recipes which will keep me busy into 2024 and beyond! Anyway, I eventually managed to remove just eight books from my collection and then made the mistake of going to my favourite book shop on Piccadilly, Hatchards, and buying three new books… perhaps I’m losing the battle?!

Anyway, the good news is, is that one of the recipes that I rediscovered has made it on to October’s menus. Menu One is ‘Lamb Ragu’ which is from an old cookbook by Gordon Ramsay, ‘Healthy Appetite’ (a book that I’ve kept!). I had been making this ragù for years but with the influx of new recipes I had somehow forgotten it; it’s a delicious ragù perfect for the an October supper and now it’s on Menu Mistress I will not be forgetting it again! Menu two is ‘Chicken Alla Cacciatora with Herb & Lemon Roast Potatoes’, I recently discovered this version of the classic Italian dish from cookery writer Rachel Roddy; served with the lemony potatoes it’s incredibly good. Menu Three is ‘Mushroom Stroganoff’, a very tasty vegetarian dish, the addition of cornichons, pickled onions and capers lifts it to higher realms. I found this Jamie Oliver recipe whilst surfing the internet and it’s been a popular addition to my recipe file!

Enjoy these recipes… I will see you next week for my ‘Tuesday Treat’!..

…And…Don’t forget to check out my new restaurant reviews here!

Menu One

Conchiglie with Lamb Ragù (Serves 4)

This is a delicious ragù, the lamb makes a lighter flavoured sauce than those traditionally made with beef and is all the better for it. Naturally, you can make it with other pasta shapes, but the conchiglie with its shell shape picks up the sauce particularly well. The recipe is from Gordon Ramsay’s cookbook ‘Healthy Appetite’ which first came out in 2008; this is one of the recipes that definitely stands the test of time!..

3 tablespoons olive oil

500g lean minced lamb

1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 celery stick, finely chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped

1 tablespoon tomato puree

1 rosemary sprig, leaves only, chopped

A few sage leaves, chopped

125ml dry white wine

700g passata

250ml hot water

Pinch of sugar

300g dried conchiglie (shells) or other pasta shapes (gluten-free if required)

Sea salt and black pepper

A good olive oil to serve

1. Heat a large frying pan and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. When hot add the mince and some salt and pepper. Fry, stirring for 8-10 minutes until evenly browned. Tip into a colander or sieve over a large bowl/sink to drain off the excess oil.
2. Meanwhile, in a large wide pan (with a lid) heat the remaining olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, celery and carrot and cook, stirring, over a high heat for 4-6 minutes until lightly golden brown. Stir in the tomato puree and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the chopped herbs and wine, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Let the wine simmer until it has reduced to a syrupy glaze.
3. Add the browned lamb, passata and hot water. Stir well and bring to a low simmer. Partially cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 1-1½ hours, giving the mixture a stir now and again, until the lamb is tender. Taste for seasoning, adjust, adding a pinch of sugar if necessary.
4. When ready to serve, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, until al dente. Drain and immediately toss with a drizzle of olive oil. Divide between warm bowls and spoon over the ragù.

Menu Two

Chicken ‘Alla Cacciatora’ with Herb & Lemon Roast Potatoes (Serves 4-6)

This is a classic Italian dish – chicken cooked ‘hunter-style’; in bygone days that generally meant whatever meat hunted cooked with the available garden vegetables or perhaps some foraged mushrooms. Just recently I discovered this particular version from food writer Rachel Roddy and it has become a favourite of mine as not only is it easy to prepare but very tasty with simple, balanced flavours. You can of course serve it with any potatoes of your choice but Roddy’s recipe for Herb and Lemon Roast Potatoes is particularly good – the lemon, which becomes wonderfully chewy from cooking, adds a delicious dimension.

5 tablespoons olive oil

2kg chicken jointed into 12 pieces (or a mixture of skin-on legs and thighs)

2 sprigs of rosemary

2 garlic cloves

A pinch of dried chilli flakes

Sprig of sage

400ml dry white wine, plus extra if needed

1-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Handful of pitted black olives

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan (with a lid) over a medium-low heat. Working in batches, add the chicken, skin-side down and cook until a golden crust forms, then turn and brown the underside.
2. Chop the leaves from the one sprig of rosemary and finally chop the garlic cloves. Once all the meat has browned, return to the pan and sprinkle with the chopped rosemary and garlic, plus the chilli flakes. Add the remaining whole rosemary sprig and the sage, and season with salt and pepper. Pour over the wine, stir, cover the pan and reduce the heat to low.
3. Allow the chicken to simmer, turning the pieces from time to time until the meat is tender and everything is surrounded by a dense gravy – this takes around 45-60 minutes. If at any point the pan seems a little dry add a little more wine.
4. Remove the lid for the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the red wine vinegar to taste and the olives, stir, and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve with herb & lemon roasted potatoes (below).

Herb & Lemon Roasted Potatoes (Serves 4-6)

It’s always good to have a new potato recipe ‘up your sleeve’, and this one is one I’ve been cooking a lot lately!.. The crispy potatoes are wonderful with the herbs whilst the lemon becomes deliciously chewy with cooking.

1.2kg potatoes

8 tablespoons olive oil

A pinch of dried chilli flakes

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped finely

1 teaspoon fresh sage, chopped finely

4 slices lemon

1 tablespoon dried oregano

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Peel and chop the potatoes into 3cm cubes. Tip into a bowl and add the oil, chilli flakes, garlic, rosemary, sage, lemon slices, half the oregano and some salt then mix well.
2. Tip onto a baking tray and spread out evenly. Bake in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 30-40 minutes, turning the potatoes at least three times. Add the remaining oregano in the last 5 minutes.
3. Serve when crisp and golden, and piping hot.

Menu Three

Mushroom Stroganoff (Serve 4)

This is a very tasty vegetarian dish, the addition of cornichons, pickled onions and capers lifts it to higher realms. I found this Jamie Oliver recipe whilst surfing the internet and it’s been a popular addition to my recipe file!

400g mushrooms (mixed or chestnut), torn/cut into quarters or thickly sliced depending on their size

1 red onion, sliced

2 cloves of garlic, sliced

4 silverskin pickled onions, sliced

2 cornichons, sliced

4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves and stalks chopped but kept separate

1 tablespoon baby capers

Olive oil

50ml whisky

¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

80g half-fat crème fraiche

1. Place a large frying pan over a high heat, add the mushrooms and red onion and dry-fry for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add the garlic, pickled onions, cornichons, capers and the chopped parsley stalks. After 3 minutes add the whisky, and carefully light with a long match. Once the flames subside add the paprika, the crème fraiche and chopped parsley leaves. Toss together and loosen with a splash of boiling water for a saucy consistency.
2. Divide between plates, sprinkle over a little more paprika if desired and serve with fluffy rice.