Notes about Recipes in this book

• Porridge

  • eliza on April 20, 2016

    This recipe is basically half and half milk and water and also steel cut and rolled oats; I only add a pinch of salt. I love the texture of this. Can be made ahead and heated as needed in the microwave, and milk to water ratio can be adjusted.

  • FJT on February 20, 2014

    I like a bit of salt in my porridge but this was way too much (and yes, I used maldon). Loved the texture of the porridge, but will be cutting back on salt next time.

  • Melanie on March 08, 2014

    I agree that the salt is too much - next time I will cut back on it. However, the recipe is otherwise pretty perfect - I loved the taste and textures.

  • stockholm28 on April 16, 2016

    I've never loved oatmeal; it is just something that I tolerate from time to time. The only way I generally eat oatmeal is if I have lots of toppings to disguise the mush. This porridge was delicious. I thought it would be too salty. It wasn't because the sugar really balanced it out. It reminded me of an oatmeal cookie. I think April has converted me to a porridge fan.

  • e_ballad on August 25, 2019

    Yep, a recipe for porridge, but this is THE recipe for the best porridge you will ever have. Wind back on the salt if that’s not your thing. And this makes 2x serves, not the 4x serves stated in the book.

• Deviled eggs

  • metacritic on December 24, 2020

    This is great. I will reduce the cooking time to 9 minutes next time, too, but pretty perfect a recipe.

  • Kduncan on November 18, 2018

    My go to deviled eggs recipe. Cooked these many times and they have always turned out great. I also like the 9 minute cook time for the eggs over the 10 minutes recommended in the recipe.

  • consortiumlibrary on July 06, 2016

    Straightforward well-seasoned deviled eggs. Successfully subbed basil for chervil and sour cream for creme fraiche. Deviled eggs don't usually require a recipe but, if you want one, this one reliably works. It can also be endlessly modified. I prefer the eggs cooked 9 minutes rather than 10. Finally, double the batch. These eggs go fast.

• Roasted peanuts with rosemary and garlic

  • Nancy402 on March 03, 2013

    These are surprisingly good. A bit addictive actually!

• Green pea and ham soup

  • wcassity on January 10, 2015

    A big success. Really delicious and satisfying. I made the broth in the slow cooker with the bone and a few chunks of the meat left over from our Christmas ham. It then took just 30 min or so to come together when I got home.

  • e_ballad on September 24, 2017

    Before embarking: this takes 5-6 HOURS to prepare. Yep. Also, the saltiness of your stock from your ham hock is what you're stuck with - mine were very salty, so to avoid diluting the flavour, I had to resort to the old raw potato trick. It was very nice, but for all the effort spent, I'll be going to other pea & ham soup recipes.

  • metacritic on February 28, 2022

    This recipe is an all-time great, as far as I'm concerned. It is dead easy, though the smoked shank cooks for 4-5 hours, so patience is required. In any event, the finished dish is bright with peas and mint and floating pieces of carrot, savory from the ham broth, and spiked with porcine goodness. The creme fraiche is required as it might be the best part of the whole dish.

• Spring soup

  • hewlettn on September 14, 2024

    Listed as Market Soup page 60

• Caesar salad

  • CommonTable on November 02, 2017

    This recipe includes egg as an ingredient.

  • westminstr on September 23, 2016

    Made this recently and I definitely prefer the Zuni caesar dressing. 1. This dressing makes a huge quantity but it's hard to cut it in half because there is just one egg in the dressing, and who wants to save just 1/2 an egg? Zuni version is easier to make in smaller quantity. 2. This dressing calls for all neutral oil but I prefer the flavor of olive oil as in the Zuni recipe.

  • Breadcrumbs on August 23, 2015

    p. 75 – Zuni’s Caesar salad has been our go-to and reigning champ since I first made it 2013 but this version is a serious contender and may just edge out Zuni as our new favourite. The 1st thing I love about this dressing is the simplicity of its prep as you mix all ingredients in a food processor. Now we didn’t plan to eat our salad with our hands as AB suggests so I cut my romaine into bite sized pieces vs serving long leaves so I saved some time by simply tossing my lettuce with the dressing vs rubbing it on each leaf as AB suggests. In the head note AB mentions what she loves about this dressing, apart from its tang, is that it has clean flavours in that you can taste each individual component. I’d definitely agree with her and I think that’s what differentiates the dressing from others. I especially enjoyed the light and bright flavour of the Champagne vinegar. Delicious! Photo here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1016328?commentId=9696042#9696042

• Lentil and chickpea salad with feta and tahini

  • okcook on June 19, 2012

    This salad delivered what she promised in the description. Great textures and flavours. It is quite substantial so I was glad I just made 1/2 a recipe. We had it with our homemade Merguez sausage.

  • westminstr on May 04, 2016

    Great salad. I used cilantro, a very small garlic clove in the dressing, and I included the preserved lemon but think it would be fine without. I prepped the red onion first and let it rest with only salt and lemon juice while I put together the dressing. This was enough time to "quick pickle" the onion and take the bite out. I used French lentils from the bulk bin, cooked ahead of time over the weekend, and canned chickpeas. I omitted the sesame seeds. I only needed 1 tsp of the cumin-coriander mix. This was a meal for us with raw red pepper slices on the side. Everyone loved it. Next time I will streamline the prep a bit more.

  • minervasowl on December 14, 2012

    This salad makes a wonderful summer meal -- not too heavy, but still satisfying. Be sure to follow the directions for assembly as the layering of flavors and textures really pays off.

  • DKennedy on July 11, 2013

    This is the first recipe I've made out of this book. This is a wonderful vegetarian dish I could eat straight out of the bowl! Modifications: I used fresh, green chickpeas instead of canned ones, sautéed as described in Small Bites, Big Nights. I really liked this dish, though next time I would make it my own by: omitting the preserved lemons; sautéing the red onions along with the chickpeas; and adding more veggies to this dish. I resisted using all the tahini sauce but in the end, I realized it was needed. I also think the raw garlic in the tahini was too harsh.

  • Skamper on August 17, 2023

    I made this for myself for dinner when M had to work late. I was dismayed by the number of dishes, but I have to say it was worth it. I served it on a bed of arugula lightly dressed with lemon and olive oil. I had the exact same thing for lunch the next day and the leftovers held up well. Really delicious. I used regular green lentils.

  • Totallywired on November 09, 2018

    This was quite good. Messed up and didn’t have feta, added pecorino for salt but was missing the creaminess feta would bring plus the good bits discovery Bloomfield is so fond of. I’d bring more herbs and a bit more acid, but this is a very nice salad. Served here with lamb racks roasted with salsa verde.

  • innerharbors on September 10, 2024

    Really phenomenal. The dressing sets the recipe apart. I like mine a little bit runnier so will plan to add even more lemon juice.

• Radish salad

  • billcranecos on July 01, 2022

    All the other reviews aren't lying. This is a great salad. The sharpness of the radishes is balanced by the other flavors, but the radishes (plentiful in the salad) come through beautifully.

  • TrishaCP on May 16, 2017

    Agree with all of the other raves- this is a delicious use of radishes. I used arugula instead of radish sprouts.

  • eliza on June 12, 2014

    This salad is fantastic! Earlier this spring, I saw some reviews for it, and I grew radishes in my garden so I could make it. I love salads of all kinds, and this could possibly be my favourite one ever. I can't wait for more radishes to get a little larger so I can make it again. Served on arugula since that's what I had.

  • DKennedy on May 20, 2014

    Made this for dinner a few nights ago and this might just be my new favorite salad. Scrunching the radishes, basil, salt and parmesan together really makes the flavors marry. The creaminess of the parm coupled with the bitter greens and tangy lemon is sheer genius.

  • FJT on August 21, 2021

    Everyone loved this!

  • westminstr on May 15, 2015

    This was a great way to use my garden radishes! Everyone liked it, will make again.

  • consortiumlibrary on July 05, 2016

    This refreshing salad is a wonderful complement to a hearty dinner. Use vegetable peeler to cut parm into slices. Cut radishes in wedges with one thinner edge - doing so helps flavors meld while scrunching the ingredients together.

• Fried pig's ear salad

  • DKennedy on March 26, 2016

    Made this salad dressing recipe today to serve over a cobb salad. Halved the ingredients for the dressing, using a meyer lemon, omitting the sugar, and splitting the oil amongst avocado oil, olive oil, and walnut oil. Tart dressing that contrasted nicely with the rich avocado, ham, turkey, and chick peas featured in the salad. For greens I used bitter and buttery. Very nice and would make again.

• Carrots, avocado, and orange salad

  • Nancy402 on March 15, 2015

    This is a great dish. Wonderful combination of flavors, Very refreshing and comforting at the same time. Beautiful on a platter, especially a black one. The carrots alone are worth making. I have made it many times and it is dinner party worthy.

  • Trentinla on November 28, 2023

    loved this recipe as well... some dried fruit, or nuts would be welcome additions :)

• Escarole salad with Roquefort, pears, and walnuts

  • okcook on December 11, 2012

    When making the walnuts for the salad garnish she instructs you to drain the fried walnuts on paper towels. If you do that, don't let them sit there very long otherwise they stick to the paper towels and you'll have to start again!

• Stewed octopus with butter beans

  • Totallywired on April 05, 2019

    Used the octopus cook method a half dozen times - highly recommended. High heat pushes out retained liquid and resuits in lightly browned octo in flavourful stock, both of which can be repurposed in a dozen different directions. A favourite is charring the octo over charcoal, mixing with fingering potatoes and olives, making a vinaigrette with some of the octo liquid. Made the stew here for the first time and reaction was mixed. Not the best cook or texture on the tomatoes or fennel and perhaps a cinnamon overload. Good but could do better.

• Grilled sea bass

  • ldtrieb on March 07, 2016

    Made with branzino and the recommended sides. Stuffed the fish with fresh dill,parsley,and thyme. I used San Marzano canned tomatoes for the saffron tomatoes as I didn't have fresh.This was a meal I'd make for company.

• My chicken adobo

  • mgwalter on May 18, 2014

    This was really easy to make and incredibly good. I recommend preparing the ginger as thin batons rather than simply slicing it thin. For those wishing to view this recipe online, here are two sources: http://www.marthastewart.com/901380/my-chicken-adobo http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2012/05/chicken-adobo.html

  • Totallywired on April 05, 2019

    Pungent ginger and garlic-laced sweet and sour sauce. Solid but unspectacular, balance is key so taste your vinegar.

  • Kduncan on January 04, 2021

    Literally no one, in my opinion, can do any wrong when braising chicken in rice vinegar and soy sauce with garlic and ginger. Was it my favorite adobo ever? No, but it wasn't overly hard to prepare and it turned out fine.

  • fprincess on January 03, 2013

    Ready in a little bit over an hour. Very flavorful and rustic - she does not peel the garlic or the ginger. Photos here: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143209-cooking-from-a-girl-and-her-pig-april-bloomfield/page__p__1903767#entry1903767

• Tongue sandwiches

  • Jardimc on July 05, 2022

    I brined the tongue as instructed for 5 days and then cooked it in the Instant Pot for 50 minutes on high, with natural release. The skin was easy to remove, and the tongue tender and flavourful. To be honest, I’m not sure 5 days of brining made a significant difference - I think simply cooking the tongue in the Instant Pot with the brine would achieve the same result, so no need for forward planning. If making sandwiches, the suggested tarragon sauce is delightful. For serving the tongue on a salad, I would reduce the vinegar from 3.5 TBSP to 2.5 TBSP, so it’s not overpoweringly sharp.

• A lamb's head

  • KarinaFrancis on January 25, 2014

    We had trouble getting fresh lambs heads so we had to use frozen, the dish still worked beautifully. I added 1/4 cup of pomegranate molasses to the basting liquid and it turned out glossy and gorgeous Served it ith crumbed lambs brains and poached tounge salad.

• Lamb meatballs with yogurt, eggs, and mint

  • e_ballad on September 29, 2017

    Despite so much promise, these meatballs were really quite bland. I'm not sure that the breadcrumb quantity is particularly accurate either, as the meatballs tasted fairly 'stodgy'. Not a hit unfortunately.

• Lamb chops with chimichurri

  • fprincess on October 18, 2012

    Because it is paired with lamb, this chimichurri variation uses mint and parsley (but she suggests other versions as well). Also included are thinly sliced shallots, garlic and habanero. Everything is mixed with olive oil and we wait long enough for the herbs to "get to know each other". The lamb chops are pounded before they are grilled at high heat. They are served topped with the chimichurri to which a little bit of lemon juice is added at the last minute. You end up devouring the chops with your fingers and it's delicious. Photos here: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143209-cooking-from-a-girl-and-her-pig-april-bloomfield/page__p__1894740#entry1894740

• My curry

  • DKennedy on May 20, 2014

    This was an incredible pain in the a-- - to make but really yummy. I made it for dinner last night and my house still smells strongly of curry, in a good way. Between toasting and grinding the spices, chopping the ginger, peeling and slicing the 2 c. of shallots, zesting, depithing, and juicing the citrus, and cubing the 4 lbs of lamb (I used pork) there is a fair amount of prep work before any real cooking takes place. Next time doing the prep work the day before is really the only alternative. Once all the prep was out of the way, and the mound of dishes washed, the rest was easy.

  • FJT on June 26, 2015

    Lovely curry recipe - I won't say it's the best I've ever tasted, but I will definitely make it again. To make life easier I took a few shortcuts: I bought stew meat rather than a whole shoulder which I really didn't fancy deboning and chopping up myself and I used a jar of ginger puree rather than having to peel and chop 75g of ginger! Those 2 things saved a load of prep time and my sanity! Great taste - family loved it.

• Cabbage and bacon

  • consortiumlibrary on March 05, 2016

    Surprisingly delicious braised cabbage, infused with rich wonderful flavors. It's sweet, juicy,and warming. I've never been a braised cabbage fan, but this recipe changed my mind 100%. Without question, I'll make it again. It's essential to use the best slab bacon available. Didn't have time to make Sticky Chicken Stock, so used packaged chicken broth; I also substituted green cabbage for Savoy. One of us used horseradish, the other didn't. We both ended our meal happy and content.

• Asparagus with Parmesan pudding and prosciutto

  • fprincess on July 04, 2012

    Just wonderful. The parmesan pudding is very easy to make. I baked it in individual ramequins. I used duck eggs so it was even more special. Picture here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php/topic/143209-cooking-from-a-girl-and-her-pig-april-bloomfield/page__p__1885557#entry1885557

  • MmeFleiss on March 15, 2015

    I forgot to do the water bath and the pudding still had the perfect consistency--it was quite forgiving. This is definitely going to be repeated in my household.

• Marinated roasted peppers

  • MmeFleiss on January 23, 2016

    Another winner from this book. So simple yet so good. I really don't know why I don't cook from this book more often because I've never had anything from it that was less than outstanding.

  • Kduncan on November 18, 2018

    Great recipe, great flavors, and great to have in the fridge to snack on. Used to cook this way more often and probably will start doing so again.

  • okcook on August 14, 2013

    Wow, this one really sings. Made with fresh red peppers from the garden. The sauce gets nice and rich using her method...the peppers, vinegar, olive oil and salt are massaged together.

• Swiss chard with olive oil

  • fprincess on October 18, 2012

    I like the simplicity of the recipe and the big flavor. She boils the stems first (cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces), then adds the leaves, drains them, adds them into a serving bowl where she just dresses them with olive oil and grated fresh garlic that she tosses with her hands, with a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten things up. Photo here: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143209-cooking-from-a-girl-and-her-pig-april-bloomfield/page__p__1894753#entry1894753

  • tekobo on February 26, 2017

    Super simple, super tasty!

• Summer succotash

  • fprincess on August 13, 2013

    The summer succotash is very photogenic but I thought that it was a little too heavy with the heavy cream. I prefer a lighter version. Photo here: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143209-cooking-from-a-girl-and-her-pig-april-bloomfield/?p=1927682

• Mashed potatoes

  • Breadcrumbs on April 06, 2016

    p. 235 – Did the world really need another recipe for mashed potatoes? Well as it turns out, yes . . . at least I can say I did. What differentiates the author’s recipe from others I’ve prepared is her method. She has you rinse the peeled, sliced potatoes until the water runs clear to remove excess starch and, she has you let the drained, cooked potatoes sit to allow some of the steam to escape before you rice or mash them. Ms Bloomfield says this allows them to better absorb the butter and cream. The resulting potatoes are smooth and silky. I only needed about half the cream mixture though so next time I’d start out mixing less to avoid waste. With half a pound of butter this won’t be our go-to recipe but it will be our new company dish. Perfectly delicious. Photo here: http://www.chowhound.com/post/april-2016-cotm-april-bloomfield-month-potatoes-top-tail-veg-1034701?commentId=9834831

• Rhubarb fool with cardamom cream and pistachios

  • tekobo on April 10, 2016

    Also great with gooseberries page 260

• Chocolate-orange cake with bourbon

  • fprincess on March 12, 2013

    A rich and dense marquise-type cake. Not very refined but delicious nonetheless. Cooking notes and photos here: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143209-cooking-from-a-girl-and-her-pig-april-bloomfield/?p=1911981

• Soft oatmeal cookies

  • Jardimc on August 21, 2024

    Good flavour. I cut the cookie size from 60g each down to 30g each. That was a good decision. Also cut down the baking time to 15 minutes.

• Lemon-olive oil dressing

  • Breadcrumbs on April 06, 2016

    p. 285 – Salty, tart, tangy and simply wonderful with baby arugula as the perfect foil to rich, heavier dishes. I served this alongside a Mushroom, Leek and Gruyere tart and it worked beautifully. Next time I’d reserve some of the salt to toss directly into the salad for a little crunch. Simple but greater than the sum of its parts. Well worth repeating. Photo here: http://www.chowhound.com/post/april-2016-cotm-april-bloomfield-month-miscellaneous-1034699?commentId=9834172

  • TrishaCP on June 01, 2016

    I agree with Breadcrumbs-this is a great choice when served with a salad alongside something heavier.

• Roquefort dressing

  • okcook on December 15, 2012

    Wonderful tang from the champagne vinegar with salty notes from the cheese chunks.

  • kkmatti on April 24, 2022

    One of the best dressings I’ve ever made. I want to put this on everything.

• Chimichurri

  • fprincess on October 18, 2012

    Because it is paired with lamb, this chimichurri variation uses mint and parsley (but she suggests other versions as well). Also included are thinly sliced shallots, garlic and habanero. Everything is mixed with olive oil and we wait long enough for the herbs to "get to know each other". Lemon juice is added at the last minute.

• Food52 by Fergus Henderson

  The 2013 Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks winner of the final round vs. Deb Perelman's The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.

  Full review

• Food52 by Kurt Anderson

  The 2013 Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks winner vs. Naomi Duguid's Burma

  Full review

• Food52 by Adam Sachs

  The 2013 Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks winner vs. Chris Cosentino's Beginnings: My Way to Start a Meal

  Full review

• Huffington Post

  This first book is nevertheless personal and captivating as she presents cheffy food that is still well within reach of serious home cooks.

  Full review

• Boston Globe by T. Susan Chang

  "A Girl and Her Pig" is simple food, prepared with a high degree of attention and artfulness. Or you could say it’s comfort food, for those who find swooning comfortable.

  Full review

• Serious Eats

  Filled with all the recipes that made us fall in love with Bloomfield's cooking in the first place along with a deeply personal narrative that lends insight into the process of these wonderful dishes.

  Full review