“Spicy Prawn & Spinach Kari Fry” from “Persiana Easy”

I wanted to get in one last recipe before the month draws to a close, and I was scrolling through my camera roll to decide which recipe I would feature. As soon as I saw this picture, I gasped (out loud and to no one, since I’m alone at my desk), “That was a good one!”

Indeed, this was a good one.

First, it was healthy. For people who are looking to eat cleaner and better (that is us at the moment), there is nothing in this recipe to give one pause. We did have it on a bed of basmati rice, but given that was the unhealthiest thing we ate that night, that seems okay to me. (If you really want to be a puritan, have it on brown rice, or indeed, on its own, but we are not puritans).

Second, all of the ingredients were either to hand or could be easily sourced at our local shop nearby.

Third, it was quick. As we have said many times before, a quick, good and easy recipe on a weeknight is what we aspire to on a regular basis.

In the introduction, Sabrina says if you don’t eat prawns, you can also prepare with cubed paneer. We’re definitely trying that version next time.

“Spicy Prawn & Spinach Kari Fry” from “Persiana Easy”

“(Breakfast) Boureka with Spinach” from “Ottolenghi Comfort”

As soon as I saw this recipe when the cookbook first arrived, I knew I was going to make it. I also knew it would be a project, but I was okay with that, because it was worth it.

Can we all take a moment to step back and admire this beauty? I’m trying hard to be demure and mindful here, but I need to say: I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS THING OF BEAUTY. And before you ask: yes, it tasted as good as it looks.

Did it take a few hours? Yes, it did. Was it worth it? Absolutely. I’m not going to complain about “OttoImpossible” when I knew going in that this would require an investment of time.

The reason that “Breakfast” is in brackets above is because I made it for dinner, despite the fact that this recipe appears in the breakfast portion of the book. I would say, however, that if you wanted it for breakfast I would recommend in the strongest possible terms to make it the night before, put it in the refrigerator and then bake it the morning you want to eat it. If you had to get up at the crack of dawn to make it, I suspect you wouldn’t be a fan of this dish.

(When we sat down to dinner, Tim said, “This is definitely not a weeknight recipe,” and I have to agree. But I was so impatient to try it, I made it on a Wednesday.)

This is, essentially, spanakopita in spiral form. The filling is nearly identical (spinach, feta, onions, ricotta) and filo dough is used in each. If you’ve never worked with filo, here’s a top tip: work quickly to prevent dryness, keep the dough you’re not using under a damp towel (again, to prevent dryness) and don’t forget to spread it liberally with melted butter and oil. Ottolenghi helpfully has a number of photographs to show you how to make the spiral, which took all the guesswork out of it, so thanks for that.

This was delicious. The fact that it looked so good was a bonus. Eventually I did eat it for breakfast when I had the leftovers the next morning, and it was still fantastic. What a winner– both visually and gastronomically.

“(Breakfast) Boureka with Spinach” from “Ottolenghi Comfort”

“Vitello Milanese” & “Sformato alla Fiorentina” from “Brutto”

Or, to translate into English, “Fried Breaded Veal Fillets” and “Spinach Cooked in the Oven.” See? Doesn’t it look better in Italian?

This was another recipe I did not hesitate to try, mainly because we both love veal. I had planned to make something different, but when I saw my local butcher Dring’s had veal, I very quickly pivoted. Also, as I’ve written before, although Jamie Oliver may have become rich (or more accurately richer) from his 30-Minute Meals and 15-Minute Meals– and yes, I still have PTSD from it– but you can’t beat a breaded veal cutlet for speed when it comes to dinner.

This was no different. It’s quick work to flour, egg and then bread the cutlets, and then you fry them. You have to be quick; the last thing you want is tough veal, which is what happens if you overcook them. This recipe didn’t reinvent the wheel, but it didn’t have to. Veal cutlets are sublime, and even typing this days after the fact is making my mouth water.

The creamed spinach was a bit different, in that rather than boiling the spinach down and then adding the cream and nutmeg to it, you instead quickly cook the spinach down, add an egg-cream-cheese mixture to it, and then bake it in the oven. The clue, I suppose, is in the name. An added bonus was I got to name drop Catherine de’ Medici, because she, like me, loved spinach.

I love creamed spinach in all its guises and this was no different. Baking it in the oven took longer, but I suppose this might be a handy recipe to keep to hand if you’re having a dinner party and want all the work done in advance, rather than faffing around at the stove at the last minute. We had some leftover, which we used on a white pizza two nights later, and I can confirm it was delicious.

It was another winning dinner from Brutto.

“Vitello Milanese” & “Sformato alla Fiorentina” from “Brutto”

“Spanakorizo with Chicken” from “I Dream of Dinner”

One of the great things about this cookbook is that for nearly every recipe, Ali Slagle offers alternatives. It’s really handy if you like the looks of the basic recipe but can’t find one of the ingredients or maybe want to tweak it a bit but don’t know where to start.

This is the dinner I came up with after looking at the recipe for “Green Rice with Singed Feta.” I was all in for the green rice, but the problem was finding radishes that still had their leaves attached. Our greengrocer didn’t have them that day and I knew that our local supermarkets only carry radishes without their leaves.

The variation below said we could make the green rice using only spinach– check– and then we could finish it off not with singed feta but regular feta– check again. This was called Spanakorizo– close enough to the spanakopita we know and love that we wanted to give it a try. We love a bit of spinach and feta. But we also had a hankering for some chicken that night as well, so I then followed the recipe for chicken and rice just below the spanakorizo variation.

It was a total triumph. The green rice, studded with spinach and green onions, delivered a fork full of goodness. The chicken thighs on top were just what we were looking for. I can definitely see myself making this again and again.

“Spanakorizo with Chicken” from “I Dream of Dinner”

“Spinach and Stichelton Pie” from “A Cook’s Book”

Nigel Slater is such a good writer.

This is obvious to anyone who’s ever read his work. But my experience of making this pie took it to a whole new level. I say this because as I was browsing this book, looking for something easy to make after a long day of work, I chose to make this pie.

Sure, you say, that’s what cookbooks are all about.

But what I need to mention is that I found his description of the beauty of pie, and this pie in particular, so seductive that I was persuaded that this would be the perfect dinner after a non-stop, pretty intense, 10-hour working day.

Let me repeat that: I made this pie after a 10-hour working day.

Was it delicious? Absolutely. Was a hearty combination of cheese and spinach just what we needed after a long day? Again, absolutely.

I should add this caveat, however. This is not a quick dinner. We found ourselves finally eating dinner at 8.30 p.m., watching the week’s episode of “Succession”. It was a perfectly happy time, to be sure, but also a bit late to be eating dinner.

The pie was even better three days later when we reheated the second half to have for dinner. I think it gave the blue cheese enough time to really come to its own, so it had a much bigger kick.

Would I make this again? Absolutely. Perhaps not after a 10-hour day, but I definitely will make it again. I’m also keen to try it with other cheeses. Feta instead of blue cheese would turn it into an almost spanakopita, which I’m certain will be delicious.

Damn you, Nigel Slater. I wish I could be resistant to your writerly charms.

“Spinach and Stichelton Pie” from “A Cook’s Book”

“Mushroom, Spinach and Ricotta Yorkshire Pudding” from “Comfort”

March is such a funny month. Not quite winter anymore, but not quite spring. You get fooled into thinking that spring will be arriving when you’re greeted with a sunny morning, only to abandon that notion by dinner time when the temperature has dropped to single digits (celsius).

The recipe is firmly in my favourite food wheelhouse: copious cheese, spinach, mushrooms, and a cheese delivery mechanism, which in this case is a Yorkshire pudding. Yum. Just the sort of thing to warm your belly on a cold March night.

As soon as I surmised that Nicholas, Hater of Spinach, would not be joining us for dinner, I decided to make this. However, what I forgot to account for is that his brother, Andrew, is not a huge fan of mushrooms (it’s the texture, he says). So just after I asked, “Doesn’t this look delicious?” he replied, “Are there mushrooms in this?”

Curses.

Needless to say, Andrew was not a fan. But that’s his loss because the adults at the table loved this. In fact, anyone who didn’t have an aversion to spinach or mushrooms would probably enthusiastically eat this, like we did.

John Whaite’s genius idea is to make a Yorkshire pudding, take it out when it’s done, slather it with loads of cheese, spinach and mushrooms (with the latter two ingredients fried when the yorkshire pudding is baking) and then bake it again. Honestly, it was sublime.

Highly recommended for people who don’t have food aversions.

“Mushroom, Spinach and Ricotta Yorkshire Pudding” from “Comfort”

“Chicken & Garlic Bread Kebabs, Blood Orange, Spinach & Feta” from “Everyday Super Food”

IMG_2246Maureen: As you can see, the plates of the adults do not match the plates of the children.

Tim: Why is that? (laughing, because he already knows the answer)

Maureen: I knew that the younger half of this family would not abide a plate of spinach salad, even if there was feta tossed over it, so I made them couscous and purple-sprouting spinach instead.

Andrew (15): Couscous! I love couscous!

Nicholas (12): Thank you for not making me eat the spinach salad.

Maureen: Your feelings about spinach are clear. Also, I wasn’t sure I was up for the drama involved, so I just bypassed it altogether. What do you think?

Tim: I like it.

Maureen: Me too. I like all of it. Though I know the salad– using the term loosely since it’s really just spinach leaves, oranges and some dressing– would not be a hit with the boys.

Tim: I’m not sure that the oranges add anything.

Maureen: I don’t get why they’re there either. Maybe it’d be better if I had been able to find the blood oranges he wanted me to use, but I doubt it.

Nicholas: I like the chicken.

Tim: Where is the kick coming from in the chicken?

Maureen: You add cayenne to the marinade. I like it.

Andrew: I’m not crazy about it.

Maureen: Why not?

Andrew: I don’t know. I just don’t fancy it. I like the couscous, though.

Maureen: That’s not part of this recipe.

Tim: I think you should make this again, or at least the chicken part of it. It was a winner.

Maureen: I agree.

“Chicken & Garlic Bread Kebabs, Blood Orange, Spinach & Feta” from “Everyday Super Food”

“Chicken, Spinach and Cheese Polpette” from “A Bird in the Hand”

 

Anna: My first recipe from this book and I have already swayed from its central tenet: I have used turkey mince, not chicken.

Peter: Drings do chicken mince, don’t they?

Anna: Only if you order it in advance. And I’m not that organised anymore. I mean, I’ve cooked us something new and different! That’s an achievement these days.

Peter: They are very nice. I’m getting citrus…

Anna: That’s the lemon zest.

Peter: How do they differ to Gwyneth’s meatballs?

Anna: Would you be surprised if I told you they are a lot less healthy? Lots more cheese, breadcrumbs, and that sort of thing. But I like these a lot.

Louis: Yum! I LOVE them! I am going to eat them ALL up!

 

 

“Chicken, Spinach and Cheese Polpette” from “A Bird in the Hand”

“Turkish Poached Eggs with Spinach and Yogurt” from “A Change of Appetite”

Oh wow! If I close my eyes I could be in Turkey. Seriously. I think it’s the garlicky yoghurt. And the foaming butter drizzled over the eggs. This tastes so indulgent and not at all healthy. But the recipe is from this book so it MUST be healthy! In which case I will be making it again. Weekend brunches. Yum, yum, yum.

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“Turkish Poached Eggs with Spinach and Yogurt” from “A Change of Appetite”

“Spinach, Bacon and Gruyere Frittata” from “Rachel’s Everyday Kitchen”

CBAMFritataMaureen: Meat Free Monday!

Andrew (14): Well, not really. Isn’t there bacon in this?

Maureen: Yes, there is. If I was really faithful to Meat Free Monday I would have substituted red pepper for the bacon, but I didn’t. I just can’t turn down bacon.

Nicholas (10): I’m glad you put in the bacon, but why did you have to put in the spinach? You know how I feel about spinach?

Maureen: Yes, I do know that, which is why I showed you the recipe for approval before I made it. Spinach is in the title! It’s hard to miss!

Nicholas: But I missed it, and now I have to eat around it.

Maureen: Why eat around it? Why not just eat it? I love spinach.

Andrew: Come on, Nicholas, this is really good. Give it a try.

Maureen: Yes, I like it too. It was quick, we had most of the ingredients on hand, and, it’s delicious. As a bonus, you can have bacon sandwiches for breakfast tomorrow because I bought too much bacon.

Andrew: Bacon Sandwiches For The Win!

“Spinach, Bacon and Gruyere Frittata” from “Rachel’s Everyday Kitchen”