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random recipes #39 – time for a Spring clean

1 May 2014 by Dominic Franks

… with Spring in full swing and Summer almost upon us it’s time to cast our eyes over the clutter and mess of our lives and think long and hard about what to clear out… if you’re anything like me then there’s an awful lot of stuff and for many of us it really more of a thought than an actual action so it rarely gets done so I thought that I would take advantage of my random recipes challenge and work out which cook books I really never use any more and see if I can’t clear some space on the shelves for more!

… so the idea is to take a long hard look at all your books and find the ones (or maybe it’s just one) that you REALLY never use… never even look at… or simply don’t care for any more and give that blessed book one last chance for survival…

… I have a few books that are potential candidates for this including the very odd Lady Maclean’s Cook Book – a completely bonkers set of recipes by a very bonkers lady and one which i’ve simply not got to grips with even though i’ve had the book for close to a decade… then there’s Italian Cooking (no author) – a very thin book of strange recipes that, as far as I can see have very little to do with Italy at all… but I think the winner has to be the Essential Low Fat Cook Book – could there be anything more offensive… oh yes, it’s written by Anthony Warrall Thompson and to make matters worse, there on page 50 is a Fruit and Fibre Yoghurt Layer… no redemption for this book then, I suppose I only have myself to blame!


so here are the rules:

1. go have a good Spring clean and gather together the potential books for disposal …obviously we’ll donate these books to charity rather than throw them in the trash…  then randomly select a book from these books… you can do this any number of ways, I like to count them all, assign each one a number and then randomly draw a book out of the hat but you could throw them all up in the air and select the one that hits you… I leave the selection process to you
2. take that book and open it at a random page
3. cook the recipe on this page… and don’t cheat… do it with a friend in the room who will make you stick to it… it’s a challenge after all and you’re only cheating yourself… this is specifically designed to take you out of your comfort zone…!
4. you may change the recipe for dietary or monetary or seasonal availability reasons only
5. post it up on your blog, with a link to this page then email me with a link at dominic(@)belleaukitchen.co.uk so I know you’ve joined in, you can also attach my natty new badge to show people you’re taking part.
6. tweet your entry including the hashtag #randomrecipes and I will retweet all I see
7. challenge deadline is May 29th and I will post the round-up on May 30th
eat and of course, enjoy!

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Comments

  1. Jane Willis says

    1 May 2014 at 7:09 am

    Oh gawd, what a challenge! There are all those diabetic recipe books I panic bought when I was first diagnosed, before I realised that I could just adapt my normal ones. All those you buy on holiday thinking you will use them all the time and then never even open. And the celebrity chef ones that you buy on impulse then remember you've said you'll never buy a celebrity chef one again. And for me, a lot of the ones I win – I can't resist a recipe book competition yet the prize books, when they arrive, are seldom what I'd choose.

  2. Sally Sellwood says

    1 May 2014 at 8:42 am

    What? You want me to THROW AWAY A COOK BOOK (well, give it to charity). Sigh.

  3. Magnolia Verandah says

    2 May 2014 at 3:09 am

    Oh I own a variety of very ugly, rarely used, old fashioned cookbooks. I do find it very difficult to part with anything ugly or not (just in case, you see) let alone a cook book, but if I must ……….it might be liberating!

  4. sunita akter says

    2 May 2014 at 5:54 am

    Thanks for sharing this recipes. I do agree with Sally.
    kitchen doors

  5. Elizabeth says

    2 May 2014 at 6:58 am

    What a fantastic idea for a challenge! I'm scouring the cookery bookshelves now! 🙂

  6. Lucy Corry says

    2 May 2014 at 8:02 am

    SUCH a good idea – I have actually just done a bit of a cull and given some of the nicest ones away. It might be different in the UK but I have heard some very disturbing stats about what happens to books given to charity shops here. More often than not they are just sent to the dump – because the charities can't afford to a) send them to 'the deserving poor' and b) don't have the room to keep them. Anyway, I can't wait to get into this, genius idea!

  7. Karen S Booth says

    2 May 2014 at 8:21 pm

    I'M IN! And, I have just posted and linked up to last month! K xx

  8. Choclette says

    4 May 2014 at 8:01 am

    Fab idea Dom. I'm such a hoarder and always find it difficult to throw things out, but I really have run out of space and I'm pretty sure there are a number of potential candidates for consideration here.

  9. janet @ the taste space says

    5 May 2014 at 1:11 am

    LOVE IT! I know just the book I will use! Let the fun begin!

  10. Amanda Eisenberg says

    14 May 2014 at 9:45 pm

    I did a huge purge just before our move so this might be a bit of a challenge…wonder if my MiL has any cookbooks on the chopping block 🙂

  11. Alison says

    19 May 2014 at 10:07 am

    I am intrigued by Lady Maclean's Cook Book 🙂 wonder if its a relative! This is a hard challenge as I hoard, but will have a good search

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About Dom In The Kitchen

My name is Dominic, I am a cook, food writer and creative event producer. I write the food blog Dom In The Kitchen and also write a monthly recipe column for Lincolnshire Life Magazine and Good Taste Magazine. I also run creative event production company The Persuaders, producing global events for brands since 1997. I am based both in the small village of Belleau in Lincolnshire and the smaller village of London! Read More…

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#PRSample #competition #prize #giveaway #entertowin #bbq #wine #foodpairing #gift #food #foodie #foodiesofinstagram
#ad Jubilee Cakewiches with @guylian.uk Still sl #ad Jubilee Cakewiches with @guylian.uk 

Still slightly obsessed with these cakewiches which are basically cakes made into sandwiches and all topped off with the ultimate finishing touch - a beautiful Guylian SeaShell. 

#cakes #cake #cakesofinstagram #picnic #jubilee #celebration #party #partyfood #food #foodies #platinumjubilee
Tomato, Feta and Strawberry Salad with my Slightly Tomato, Feta and Strawberry Salad with my Slightly Pickled Pink Onions

I wanted to share the pics of this salad the moment I made it cos it’s just so vibrant and summery. 

The real star of the show are the amazing slightly pickled pink onions… but… (and I hate to be a tease) you’ll have to wait till next week for the recipe!

#salad #salads #tomatoes #feta #healthy #healthyfood #healthyeating #food #foodblogger #foodie #foodiesofinstagram #britainsbesthomecooks_
I love my garden for many reasons… #worldnakedg I love my garden for many reasons…

#worldnakedgardeningday2022 #garden #gardeninspiration #gardening #nakedgardeningday2022 #summer #muscles #gym
Apricot & Strawberry Frangipani Pudding (recipe be Apricot & Strawberry Frangipani Pudding (recipe below)

This pudding is like a bowlful of summer. It’s light and fruity and sweet and so easy to put together.  I think it’s also quite unexpected to serve a pudding when fresh fruit is in abundance and a simple fruit salad would suffice but that’s what I adore about this.  Plus, this pudding makes very good use of those punnet’s of strawberries that look great in the supermarket but in fact taste all spongy and gloopy when you get them home.

Here’s the #recipe:

🍓 200g butter
🍓 200g golden caster sugar
🍓 3 large free-range eggs
🍓 200g ground almonds
🍓 100g strawberries – quartered
🍓 4 apricots – sliced into wedges
🍓 the finely grated zest and juice of half a lemon
🍓 2 tablespoons @fage_uk Greek Yoghurt
🍓 1 teaspoon @little_pod Vanilla Bean Paste

I greased a 20cm fluted ceramic pie dish and pre-heated the oven to 160C

beat the sugar and butter together in a large bowl until light and creamy… a stand mixer will do this in 4 minutes, a hand held electric whisk will do it in 6 minutes and a wooden spoon will do it in 8 minutes.

add the eggs and 1 tablespoon of ground almonds and beat in, then add the rest of the ground almonds and gently beat in, followed by the Greek Yoghurt, lemon zest and juice, vanilla and half the strawberries and beat in – the strawberries will become mush – which is exactly what you want.

lay half the remaining fruit into the bottom of your dish and cover with the frangipane batter, then scatter the remaining fruit on top

bake for 45 mins or until darkly golden brown, then remove from the oven and let it cool to set

#pudding #summerfood #summer #strawberry #strawberries #apricot #frangipani #cake #cakesofinstagram #cakes #food #foodie #britainsbesthomecooks_
Potato Kugel Traybake with Poached Eggs and Mushro Potato Kugel Traybake with Poached Eggs and Mushrooms

Is there anything more ‘Sunday Brunch’ than a crispy rosti with a delicately fragile poached egg on top? This Traybake rosti is a twist on a Jewish potato cake made with potatoes, carrots and onion. It’s amazing and really does make the perfect brunch. 

What are you having for brunch today?

for the kugel:
🍳 5 medium potatoes
🍳 2 large onions
🍳 2 large carrots – roughly grated
🍳 2 eggs – beaten
🍳 2 tablespoons flour
🍳 salt and pepper
🍳 a large handful of fresh rosemary
🍳 2 tablespoons of olive oil

for the poached eggs:
🥚 2 eggs per person
🥚 water
🥚 salt
🥚 a ramekin or similar

pre-heat the oven to 180C and butter your baking tin… i’m using an oblong swiss roll tin but any metal pan will do, a quiche or tarte tin is good.  Earthenware will work too but there’s something about the metal tin that makes it more ‘roasty’

Cut the potatoes and carrots into large chunks and par-boil till just beginning to yeald, drain and place in the fridge for one hour.  I usually do mine the night before.

Once the potatoes and carrots are cold, grate them and add them with the rest if the ingredients to a large bowl and mix together well.

Tip into your cake tin or roasting tray and roast in the oven on 190C till golden and grisp around the edges, roughly 40 mins

To make the poached eggs I prefer to use my large shallow cast-iron casserole dish.  There’s something about the cast-iron that holds the heat and cooks them evenly.  Fill the pan with water and heat it till it’s rapidly boiling, then turn down the heat until it is just steaming. 

Once it’s steadily hot with no bubbles lower the eggs into the hot water and leave them alone at this exact heat.  They should take about 5 minutes to become perfect with soft yolks but feel free to go until you like them.

#rosti #breakfast #brunch #sunday #eggs #poachedeggs #food #foodie #foodiesofinstagram #breakfastideas #britainsbesthomecooks_
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