Cookbook Challenge

Interesting little challenge over at Zeralda's Diary which asks you to choose which cookbook you would choose if you were limited to only one for the rest of your life.

Thinking about the books sitting on my shelf it would have to be The Kitchen Garden Companion by Stephanie Alexander. I will put my hand up to not being overly interested in her Cook's Companion but I just adore the Kitchen Garden Companion. Not only does it give you recipes for wonderful seasonal produce it also tells you how and when to grow these things. It is tied in with her Kitchen Garden Foundation which is a program going in schools to help kids learn about growing their own food and then cooking that wonderful fresh produce. Stephanie is an inspiration to me and I hope that she will continue to be an inspiration to a whole new generation of children that are learning about food because of her.

April 2002 - Potatoes with Swiss Brown Mushrooms

On to another month of wonderful delicious magazines. I have to say that I am really enjoying doing this. There is just so much in each of them to read besides all the recipes that can be made. There have only been a couple that I have struggled to find something that I really wanted to make but even those ones I enjoyed reading the articles. It has also meant that I haven't needed to buy any other magazines for a while now, oh except for my other obsession Doctor Who magazine. :)

This issue contains one of the recipes that I have made the most over the years. It is Ainsley Harriott's One-pot Chunky Beef Bourguignonne. I have made the recipe for friends, for family and just for myself and it has been universally declared one of the best. Everyone that I have served it to has requested the recipe and gone on to make it themselves. It has a full bottle of red wine in it. I like to use a Cabernet Sauvignon and it must be a good one or the end product isn't as good. It is rich and glorious and very much a winter meal. It is not feeling much like winter at the moment so I am actually going to make something else from this issue. I am continuing on the idea of making something new and different. I have made the bourguignonne so many times that it wouldn't have been a challenge really.

One of the recipes that I considered making was Maggie Beer's Pickled Quinces. I love quinces. I remember one place that we lived when I was a kid had a couple of quince trees and Mum used to make quince jam and stewed quinces. They are a rather old fruit although they are starting to make a bit of a come back and they can be purchased in store for a very small window each year. When they are in store they are pretty expensive though. These pickles sound so good but unfortunately quinces are not in store presently so I can't make them yet.

There is a Stephanie Alexander feature in this issue. It was around the time of the release of her book Cooking & Travelling in South-West France. I have to admit that I haven't even looked at this book. I do like Stephanie Alexander's work but I do not have a lot of her books. I did recently buy her new book Kitchen Garden Companion and it is great some wonderful information on how to grow plants and then recipes to use the produce. The recipe that I decided to make from the feature was Potatoes with Swiss Brown Mushrooms. It is such an easy recipe but a very tasty one. It would make a nice side dish with a roast dinner. I served it as Stephanie suggested, with a nice salad.

Potatoes with Swiss Brown Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 2 - 3 large, flat Swiss Brown mushrooms
• 3 potatoes, peeled
• 1 large clove garlic
• 3 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 2 tbsp duck fat
  
• Sea salt
  
• Ground black pepper

Method:

• Remove stems from mushrooms but keep. Slice caps in to 1 cm thick slices.
  
• Slice potatoes into 5 mm thick slices.
  
• Chop up the mushroom stems, garlic and parsley together.
  
• In a large frypan heat the duck fat over a medium heat.
• Add potato slices to the pan and cook for 3 minutes turning regularly. Remove.
  
• Add mushroom slices to the pan and cook 2 minutes turning regularly.
  
• Return potatoes to the pan with the stems, garlic and parsley mix and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with a lid, leaving it ajar and turn the heat down as low as possible.
  
• Cook until potatoes a soft and nicely browned, approx 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.