Join us on the 'Cook through a whole cookbook' challenge!

jap200

I have actually made 3 more Save with Jamie recipes since my last post but have been too busy to update, but here is the first:

6 down: 114 to go

Happy frumpy ministrone - p68

Jamie's (left) mine (right)


Recipe feedback
This is the kind of thing I cook a lot anyway, so it wasn't very exciting. I stuck more-or-less to the recipe, but used cannelini beans instead of borlotti and frozen leaf spinach instead of chopped spinach. As you can see from the picture my version is a lot more wet than Jamie's. It is supposed to serve 6, but it made a massive pot full which did us for lunch two days running at the weekend!

Taste test
Quite nice, but nothing to write home about. Just a bog-standard ministrone. If anything I found it a bit bland as I usually stir in some green pesto and so I found myself missing that flavour.
Overall rating = 6/10

Would I cook it again?
Well, as for the previous recipe, I will no doubt do ministrone again, but won't bother following this recipe as it is nothing special.

jap200

7 down: 113 to go

Jool's sweet pea & prawn pasta shells, p240

Now - this recipe just made me cross, so I didn't bother doing photos.

The reason it made me cross is that it isn't really a recipe. It is basically pasta shells mixed with frozen peas, frozen prawns and a tablespoon of tomato puree and some garlic and chilli! That is not a recipe in my opinion (well, outside of a student cookbook anyway) - it's just a few things mixed together.

I was going to get my 15-year old son to cook it, but I was in a mood that day and wanted to get it over and done with.

Recipe feedback
It's not a recipe - Jamie, you are cheating by putting this sort of thing in your book!

Taste test
Fine - what more can you say about pasta, peas and prawns?

Would I cook it again?
Maybe - but I certainly don't need a recipe for it - this is getting to be a bit of a theme really. Maybe I have discovered a weakness in this book.

Sorry - I'm obviously still in a mood about this - not sure why - just feeling a bit conned by this book I suppose. I've got one more to post so will finish my glass of wine and try and be more positive.

jap200

8 down 112 to go

Snake in the hole, p146

Jamie's (left) Mine (right)


Recipe feedback
I'll just point out here that my 13-year old son chose this recipe, which fits with what Jamie says in the book - that it's the kind of recipe that makes kids laugh. I thought that it looked really unappetising in the book. It is basically a fat sausage shaped out of minced beef with some grated sweet potato, breadcrumbs and rosemary, made into a variation of toad in the hole. You can see from the photo that I also made a quorn sausage version because some of us don't eat beef.

I must say that I don't think the snake version looked any more appetising in real life than it did in the book -in fact it looked a bit like a large dog doo doo in the middle of the yorkshire pudding!

Taste test
DS aged 13 absolutely loved it - he was the one who had chosen it. DS aged 11 thought that it tasted bland compared to a pork sausage type toad in the hole. DS aged 15, husband and I all had the quorn sausage version which was very nice.
The gravy - made from red onion fried and then boiled in stock, was a much paler colour than in the book and also tasted a bit bland.

Would I cook it again?
No - wouldn't bother with the dog doo doo in the hole - not worth the extra effort compared to sausages!

Next challenge - well, all 3 boys are off school tomorrow due to strikes, so DS aged 13 has asked if he can cook JFC (Jamie's Fried Chicken) from page 96. It's actually baked instead of fried (so not too dangerous for him to do), but starts with a whole chicken which you have to joint! I've bought a 1.8Kg free-range chicken at vast expense (son was with me and made me feel guilty about considering anything else) and I've never jointed a whole chicken before but will have a go and then let my son take over and see what happens.
The recipe includes coleslaw, grilled corn on the cob and sweet potato wedges too - so it should keep him busy all day (tee hee). Just as well as I will be working (at home so can keep a look-out).

agreenmess

Oh I've recently received Hugh's lastest book and would to do this challenge with you!!!

jap200

agreenmess wrote: »

Oh I've recently received Hugh's lastest book and would to do this challenge with you!!!

Welcome aboard! Do join in and post photos if you can - instructions are in the first post.

joedenise

Have made another recipe from my book "Family Feasts on a Budget. Made the salmon fishcakes which I served with HM chips & a sweet chilli sauce.

The fishcakes were similar to others I've made in the past but had peas and chopped spring onions mixed in as well. The mixture made far more fishcakes that I expected so now have enough in the freezer for another 2 meals for the two of us.

I scored them 9/10 and would make them again but wouldn't add quite so many peas next time - there seemed to be loads!

Am planning on making another recipe this evening, Kedgeree, but I don't think it is any different to when I've made it before so only really need the recipe for amounts! I'm halving the recipe as I'm going to be cooking it in our motorhome as we're going away for the weekend and I don't want any leftovers for the freezer!

Denise

VJsmum

Am loving everyone's feedback - the dog doo doo in the hole is making me :rotfl:

I was so busy last week, I forgot I was doing this until i'd planned for and bought the week's food. So back on board today. We are still with dinnerlady and am doing sweet and sour turkey ('cept with chicken)

RedLass

We were planning to have plain roast drumsticks last night but instead I looked through Nigella's recipes to see if there was anything in there that could pep them up. And then I found it...

African Drumsticks



Recipe feedback

Admittedly, my chicken doesn't look much like Nigella's, in fact I'm not sure why her's looks so red/orange with all that Worcestershire sauce in it. And mine looks kind of blackened. But it wasn't burned, honest! I blame it on lighting...

This is basically a marinade and was super easy to throw together. What I loved most about it was that I hadn't even planned to make it. Every ingredient was something I had in the cupboard, none of it 'fresh' or particularly unusual, so for me this is a fantastic way of making chicken a little bit special on a whim.

Score: 10/10 :j

I loved it. Really moreish, juicy and sticky... the chicken stayed beautifully moist. OH enjoyed it too. This is minimum effort for maximum flavour. Would I make it again? Absolutely, I'm certain that this is going to become a regular.

jap200

RedLass wrote: »

Admittedly, my chicken doesn't look much like Nigella's, in fact I'm not sure why her's looks so red/orange with all that Worcestershire sauce in it. And mine looks kind of blackened. But it wasn't burned, honest! I blame it on lighting....

Well I think it looks lovely - that's one recipe I'm going to have to try once I get through JO.

VJsmum

VJsmum wrote: »

Am loving everyone's feedback - the dog doo doo in the hole is making me :rotfl:

I was so busy last week, I forgot I was doing this until i'd planned for and bought the week's food. So back on board today. We are still with dinnerlady and am doing sweet and sour turkey ('cept with chicken)

Ŵell, that was a non starter - literally.

The kids moaned before I even started (serves me right for telling them) so I abandoned and did hairy bikers chicken korma instead. It was lush - but the kids didnt eat that either :cool: