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

jap200

Well here is recipe number 2 of 120 - only 118 to go!

Jamie Oliver's (left) jap200 (middle) and in progress (right)



Recipe feedback
Well this was an interesting challenge to start with as none of us really liked the sound of it before I cooked it, but I chose it as I had just picked some home grown small butternut squashes from the garden, so it made sense to find a recipe for them. I was sceptical because the recipe contained raisins, cinammon, olives and corriander amongst other things, which I didn't think would really work together. Also, I hate raisins in savoury food so was tempted to leave them out. In the end I followed the recipe exactly.

It was quite an easy dish to cook, although it took quite a long time as the squash has to be roasted for 35 mins before going into the stew, which is then simmered for another 40 mins.

You put the strips of peel and seeds from the squash into the emtpy roasting tin after you get the squash out and then roast them with dried chilli flakes until they go crispy, which actually worked really well - you use this to crumble over the top at the end. I accidentally jerked far too much chilli flakes in, making it an eye-wateringly powerful topping, but at least that part was optional, so the whole dish wasn't ruined.

Taste test
A completely mixed response!
13 year-old son hated it and refused to eat more than a mouthfull before going off to make a cup-a-soup and piece of toast!
15 year-old son loved it and ate his up and then polished off his brother's plateful as well!
11-year-old thought it was okay - ate about 2/3 of his.
Husband and I though it was nicer than expected, but although we both love olives, felt that they just didn't really work in this dish.

Would I cook it again?
Only if 13-year old was out and I would leave out the olives.

Going to try a couple of the salads next as we are visiting family at the weekend and all taking food along for teatime.

medsdemon

jap200 wrote: »

Well here is recipe number 2 of 120 - only 118 to go!

Jamie Oliver's (left) jap200 (middle) and in progress (right)



Recipe feedback
Well this was an interesting challenge to start with as none of us really liked the sound of it before I cooked it, but I chose it as I had just picked some home grown small butternut squashes from the garden, so it made sense to find a recipe for them. I was sceptical because the recipe contained raisins, cinammon, olives and corriander amongst other things, which I didn't think would really work together. Also, I hate raisins in savoury food so was tempted to leave them out. In the end I followed the recipe exactly.

It was quite an easy dish to cook, although it took quite a long time as the squash has to be roasted for 35 mins before going into the stew, which is then simmered for another 40 mins.

You put the strips of peel and seeds from the squash into the emtpy roasting tin after you get the squash out and then roast them with dried chilli flakes until they go crispy, which actually worked really well - you use this to crumble over the top at the end. I accidentally jerked far too much chilli flakes in, making it an eye-wateringly powerful topping, but at least that part was optional, so the whole dish wasn't ruined.

Taste test
A completely mixed response!
13 year-old son hated it and refused to eat more than a mouthfull before going off to make a cup-a-soup and piece of toast!
15 year-old son loved it and ate his up and then polished off his brother's plateful as well!
11-year-old thought it was okay - ate about 2/3 of his.
Husband and I though it was nicer than expected, but although we both love olives, felt that they just didn't really work in this dish.

Would I cook it again?
Only if 13-year old was out and I would leave out the olives.

Going to try a couple of the salads next as we are visiting family at the weekend and all taking food along for teatime.

Looks good jap200. How organised are you.

Well having looked through Hughs Veg Everyday I'm going to stick with it. There are a couple of recipes I won't be doing as we eat gluten free and can't in any way replicate filo pastry but apart from that I will try and do all the recipes. Some I will cook and eat alongside meat as we're not strictly vegetarian just enjoy it.
Will look through and pick out next weeks meals from it and make sure I have the ingredients in and will have time to make them after work without eating at 10pm!!

sweaty_betty

I am definitely going to join in with this. I've had no kitchen for 4 months :eek: but it's looking like it'll be fitted within the next 2 weeks. I'm concerned that I've forgotten how to cook properly, so this is just what I need. I loved the film Julie and Julia - although don't really fancy the pigs trotters:p

gien

This looks like a great idea. Can I join you when I get back from my holiday in a week?

joedenise

Have decided to join in with this challenge. Am going to try to do one recipe a week from the latest Slimming World book - family feasts on a budget. I think it's the only cookery book where I think I could actually make all the recipes and have a good chance that both DH and me would eat the meals.

Only got the book yesterday but have had a quick look through it this morning and looks like some nice recipes. I've already done this month's menu but will substitute recipes from the book where possible. For example, tonight I've got HM fish & chips on the plan so I'm going to do the salt & pepper fish fingers and chips with tartare sauce.

Have just gone through my meal plan for October and have substituted 8 meals with recipes from the book - so that averages 2 a week not the one I was going to try to do!

Denise

lindatrole

What an Idea Jap,
Subscribing this thread for more and more.

katkins78

Love it! Can I join in too please? I am thinking of doing 'Jamie's Ministry of Food' but I was going to allow my husband 5 vetoes as there is a whole chapter on fish and he's just not a 'fishy' person and I'm a vegetarian so can't help out there!
Will do a minimum of two recipes a week I think, but will aim for more.
I think it's a brilliant challenge that will push us out of our dietary comfort zone and maybe make us more adventurous with food in the future.

Kiwisaver_2

Great idea, I have toyed with this a bit in the past in trying to simplify menu planning and trying to limit myself to only buying / storing ingredients for a basic repertoire of dishes rather than buying random ingredients that I know not what to do with. Money is a bit tight at present so back to basics would be good for me. I have just tidied and made a list of freezer contents and feeling a new wave of enthusiasm to get myself organised and interested in cooking proper meals every day.

I am going to flit between Jamies 15 minutes for quicker midweek stuff and Ministry of Food as that has a good range of fairly basic family meals that uses reasonably standard everyday ingredients. I like that MoF has some good variations on the same recipe. e.g. same stew different meat and toppings.

Presently I have the basic beef stew (page 180 with added mushrooms and without beer) bubbling away and will add dumplings (page 185) later. I have made this before and before but will freeze half and make it into a pie at a later date.

Whilst I had the book open I spotted the Fruit Scones, so I will make those in a sec.

ETA Later the next day after finally figuring out how to get photos on here, I have to say this Fruit Scone recipe had me a liitle perplexed - no sugar? No way, that can't be right, eh? I read it 5 or 6 times to make sure I wasn't reading it wrongly and googled it too before deciding to add 50g of caster sugar anyway. I wasn't about to risk wasting all the other ingredients on inedible scones.

Jamie's picture from the book:



I left mine to get a litttle darker than I normally would have, due to the fact that Jamie's seemed to be quite well done.



Would I make it again?
I would make them again but will add a note to my book to add the sugar again. I used raisins as that's all I had and would like to try and find some sour cherries for another time.

cheerfulness4

Made my first dish from Amazing Meals (Readers Digest). We started with Baked Macaroni Cheese with Chicken. (p 133)

A completely different way to making this traditional dish than I've been used to but was simple to make and well received by the family - and that's never a bad thing!

In total it cost £3.05 for the dish which fed 3 of us. Smaller portion for me as I'm in need of a thin down but the lads had rather larger portions. Should serve 4 but we're greedy.

Dreadful picture but I've still got my L-plates on with piccies.



Ah yes, and must explain that theres no macaroni in evidence because its gone missing so I had to use a combo of the last of the penne and tagliatelle. Needs must.

Really easy to make.

Boil pasta until 3 minute before done.
Fry off one chicken breast then season. Chop up and reserve on a plate.
Heat in the pan used for chicken 200ml single cream and 250ml semi milk with nutmeg & seasoning.
Finally, combine milky mixture & chicken to cooked, drained pasta and then grate 200g of cheese (I upped this) into the mixture and stir.
Pour it all into a casserole dish and bake for 30 mins on gas 6 (200c).
Serves 4.

cheerfulness4

Just had a wander through the recipe book again and DH and I have decided upon the Beef Stew with Rosemary Dumplings tomorrow.
I've a bad feeling about the rosemary in the garden so if its a gonna well be having thyme dumplings instead.

In fact, we might be really naughty and turn the dumplings into a cobbler on the top if it takes our fancy but the idea will be the same.