Notes about Recipes in this book

• Seared saffron monkfish with black-eyed beans

  • katiesue28 on May 26, 2023

    I don't know if I'm just not a fan of monkfish, but I found this whole dish to be quite bland. I would recommend upping the salt content, and would use a different, more flavorful fish. The black-eyed beans were a bit bland but could be improved with more seasoning and some tomato paste.

• Slow-cooked squid with caramelised fennel, onions and a lemony parsley dressing

  • MT747700 on November 15, 2025

    Having no idea what "small squid" might mean. I used 1 pound of squid and the flavors combined nicely. I recommend placing the squid in a small steamer basket or cheesecloth bag within your pot, because picking the squid and vegetables apart is tedious and time-consuming. Alternatively, stew the veg, caramelize them, and then use the broth to cook fish filets separately (monkfish, cod, haddock, or even salt cod could be good). I had some Trader Joe's twisty lemon pasta on hand that worked nicely with this, but I believe that Pizarro's version will be better,

• Lentils with chorizo and potatoes

  • Lepa on October 26, 2022

    This is a great stew. I added a bit too much salt but everyone in my family enjoyed this.

• Moorish meatballs with spinach, pine nuts and spiced saffron yoghurt

  • mzgourmand on October 08, 2025

    These meatballs were delicious and the pork/beef combo created a very flavorful juice in which to braise the spinach. The sultanas were key to creating a sweet-savory balance that was lovely. The only element that didn't have particular oomph was - surprisingly - the saffron yogurt, but that may have been because my saffron is old. I made pilaf to go with it rather than the crusty bread he recommends and really enjoyed that combination.