Notes about Recipes in this book

• Simple roast chicken with herbs

  • westminstr on February 20, 2013

    This recipe was a total disaster for me. The temperature and timing are just totally off for my oven. Breast meat was dry after cooking for such a long time, skin on the rubbery side and after almost 2 hours (3.5 pound chicken) the thighs still weren't cooked through. I also don't usually do a butter rub but I did this time. I thought it made the bird greasy but did not improve moistness or flavor. I wouldn't do this extra step again. Also the herb flavor didn't come through. This was basically the worst roast chicken I've ever made. Note to self: for best results stick with the tried and true: small bird, high heat. Preheat the cast iron skillet first and put the bird thighs down in the hot pan. Don't use a rack and don't put veggies under the bird. (Note to others who may be reading this: I cook on a vintage stove with a slow, slow oven ... my comments may not apply to you).

  • TrishaCP on June 27, 2015

    I made this minus the herbs as a component of another recipe. I didn't have the problems Westminstr had, and in fact had a nicely cooked bird, but I have a modern oven that runs hot. I had a similar size bird to Westminstr (3 lbs), but it was cooked in 1 hour, 20 minutes. (The original recipe calls for a 5 lb bird for 1 hour, 50 minutes, but a conversion formula is provided).

• Corfu roast chicken with sweet potatoes and cayenne

  • alexthepink on June 12, 2019

    Too much cayenne made this overpowering and very hot. I'll try a different one of her roast chicken recipes next time!

  • vickster on April 26, 2015

    This is really good, but beware the amount of cayenne. 1 1/2 tsp in and on the chicken and another 1 1/2 tossed into the potatoes is very spicy! I cut it down a bit and it was still very spicy. (Fortunately we like spicy food). Next time I think I will use 1/4 of the amount of spice with cayenne and the rest paprika.

  • Barb_N on February 18, 2020

    Taking heed of vickster’s notes, I significantly reduced the cayenne, mixing it with paprika. This is a perfectly fine roast chicken but nothing earth shattering.

• Roast chicken with autumn fruits

  • Rachaelsb on January 18, 2021

    I’ve had this cookbook on my shelf for several years but for whatever reason thought it too complex. What a gold mine I’ve been missing out on! This was a moist roasted chicken with such nice cooked fruit on the side. I couldn’t find plums so substituted figs and apricots. Soo yum! Paired with Silver Palette parslied rice.

• Smoked paprika roast chicken with aioli

  • e_ballad on August 11, 2018

    This was ok, but not sufficiently memorable to be likely to be repeated. Note that there is a similar recipe in “A Bird in the Hand” by the same author, albeit with almost double the amount of smoked paprika.

• Greek lemon roast chicken with potatoes and oregano

  • sharifah on December 08, 2014

    Nice variation to roast chicken. I don't usually use bay leaves with roast chicken, so it was nice to try something different. Quite a lemony dish, but not unpleasant. I used white onions instead of red.

• Buttermilk-dressed roast chicken with gooseberry sauce, potatoes and leaves

  • TrishaCP on June 27, 2015

    I probably wouldn't have noticed this recipe had my husband not come home with gooseberries, but this made for a nice, light, and tasty dinner. Nothing groundbreaking-just a good meal. I did serve the salad in a bowl, but next time I would just use one plate for everything, including the salad. The chicken was well-cooked, and the buttermilk and gooseberry sauce go well together and with all of the components.

• Cherry and goat's cheese-stuffed chicken

  • L.Nightshade on August 17, 2014

    I made the stuffing with fresh cherries. The recipe makes a lot of stuffing! Much more than fits into a chicken, so I cooked the leftover in a pan alongside. The prep is quick and easy, and that's pretty much all there is to the recipe, then the chicken roasts. Our chicken was cooked in the big egg, as I'm averse to turning on the oven in this warm weather. Same temp in the egg as called for in the oven, 375º. The chicken was juicy with crispy skin, and the flavors worked well with the cheese and cherries.

  • sharifah on February 17, 2015

    Wow! Its not often I rate a recipe a five-star, but the stuffing was really delicious! The sour cherries gives a nice tang to the creamy cheese, and the dill gives it a different taste! I used frozen wholemeal breadcrumbs, and it worked fine. I used a smaller chicken (1.3 kg as opposed to her 1.8 kg) so I had stuffing leftovers. I just squeezed them into little balls, and added to the roasting tin, 20 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Will definitely be making this again, and again!

• Saffron roast chicken with Azerbaijani stuffing

  • e_ballad on October 06, 2020

    It’s good, but the rice was too sweet for our personal preferences, even with reducing the amount of dried fruits by roughly a quarter. The saffron gave off an amazing aroma, but it didn’t convey much flavour.

• Restorative chicken and parsley risotto

  • Pamsy on November 24, 2019

    After ignoring this recipe for many years as it didn't seem very exciting I made it for Sunday night supper. It was so good, much more than the sum of its parts! I didn't add the egg yolk and don't think I would in the future, the texture was creamy without it.

  • westminstr on April 09, 2013

    Made this as a boiled rice dish instead of risotto. I doubled the lemon and parsley. I didn't think the chicken was necessary at all, though it certainly didn't hurt the dish. It was a good dish.

• Vietnamese chicken with Nuoc Cham

  • westminstr on January 13, 2014

    This has to be one of the best ways out there to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Next time though I will make the sauce just a bit less sweet.

  • Foodycat on July 09, 2014

    Love this.

• West Country chicken and ham pie

  • e_ballad on January 03, 2018

    A fantastic recipe for using Christmas leftovers, though in our neck of the woods, it isn’t the best weather for eating hearty fare - I will envy any folk in the northern hemisphere who give this a go! It is very quick & very tasty.

  • Zosia on March 26, 2020

    This had great flavour and was easy to put together. The North American edition calls for 34oz puff pastry which I think is a mistake. I had a pre-rolled 15oz/425g sheet and needed only about 2/3 of it for the top of the baking dish. I used only 4 tbsp flour in the filling.

• Greek chicken, pumpkin and feta pie

  • L.Nightshade on February 26, 2019

    I do love how this book has recipes for leftovers. I'm a buy-one-chicken-breast-and-eat-half-of-it person. Mr. NS is an always-spatchcock-and-grill-an-entire-chicken person. I don't really like leftover chicken, as is. Oddly, neither is Mr. NS. But we're both fine with a dish that transforms the original chickie. I essentially made half of this recipe, using butternut squash instead of pumpkin, with some ingredients a bit scant for half. Nevertheless, this has been feeding us for two dinners (for two) and two lunches (for one). It's kind of like a cross between spanakopita, with the spinach and feta, and b'stilla, with the chicken, egg, and cinnamon. Plus squash. But very nice, and very different from the original grilled chicken.

• Chicken and toasted bread salad with raisins, pine nuts and capers

  • Foodycat on June 18, 2018

    I used less chicken but kept all the other quantities the same, for main meal-sized salads for 2 people. Really delicious. The raisins, pine nuts and capers are such a wonderful classic agrodolce combination - I was concerned that Mr "I don't like meat and fruit" would object but the dressing is zesty enough that he really loved it.

• Chicken, wild rice & blueberry salad

  • Traycee on April 21, 2020

    Really enjoyed this recipe. Only things I did different. I made rice in Instant Pot, and in addition to blueberries I also used fresh blackberries, and regular lettuce (rather than arugula since I did not have any).

• Roast lamb, Castilian style

  • Melanie on March 20, 2015

    This lamb was delicious and very easy to prepare. Cooking time is 1.5 hours and the addition of liquid helps to keep the meat moist.

• Lamb and roast pepper salad with garlic and anchovy cream

  • mirandaw on January 04, 2018

    Just made this lamb and roast pepper salad from Diana Henry's book Plenty for a summer lunch with my in-laws. It was yummy. I was initially worried that the anchovy cream was too salty, and I did add quite a bit of lemon juice to it. But once it was spread over the salad - it had just the perfect tang to it. Looked really nice and fed 4 for lunch comfortably with salad (below) and fresh bread. I marinated and barbequed a small boneless leg of lamb for the meat part - so it wasn't exactly leftovers. I accompanied it with "Courgettes with ricotta, mint and basil" salad from Diana Henry's Cook Simple (except I used feta in place of the ricotta). It was a pretty good lunch - if I say so myself!

• Lamb and roast peppers, labneh, chickpeas and sumac salad

  • westminstr on March 15, 2015

    I made a lot of changes - skipped the peppers, feta for Labneh & baby greens. This was really delicious - great thing to do w leftover lamb - loved it.

• Lamb pilaf with figs, pomegranate, feta and pistachios

  • westminstr on April 13, 2015

    I liked the idea of using leftover lamb in a pilaf-type preparation but this recipe just didn't do it for me. I had to leave out some of the jewels (pomegranate seeds and dried cherries) but at the end of the day it was just too starchy for me, and I didn't love the allspice either. I liked the lamb salad in this book much better.

  • Rachaelsb on January 20, 2021

    I loved this dish! I love dishes that are just jam full of different flavors and textures but surrounded by the comfort of rich rice. This one did that. Can't wait for lunch tomorrow!

• Middle Eastern shepherd's pie with spiced parsnip crust

  • hillsboroks on January 09, 2016

    Great melding of new flavors in an old time winter comfort food dish. The sweet spiciness of the parsnips married well with the Middle Eastern flavors of the lamb stew filling. I used two raw thick lamb steaks and cut them into half inch chunks for browning instead of cooked lamb as called for. I also used chicken broth instead of lamb broth and reduced the cayenne in the parsnip topping to 1/4 tsp but otherwise stuck to the recipe. The filling and topping fit perfectly in a 9.5 inch deep dish ceramic pie pan. I did end up adding an extra 10 minutes of bake time to get it to brown a bit. My husband loved this so we will be making this again. It easily makes enough to serve 8-10. We had two meals for two and froze the rest in smaller baking dishes for future busy work night dinners.

  • e_ballad on April 25, 2017

    Not as flavoursome as the ingredients would otherwise suggest. The recipe completely works, but didn't find the 'Middle Eastern' flavours came through.

• Roast pork loin, porchetta style

  • e_ballad on March 22, 2020

    Very easy to prepare, we found this to be ‘ok, but nothing too exciting’ as a hot main dish. But as a cold cut, this is exceptional!

  • Zosia on October 18, 2014

    Very easy and flavourful way to prepare a leaner cut of pork. My roast was smaller by approx 500g so was done 30 minutes sooner, and was very moist and juicy even though it had no fat cap to speak of.

• Pork, roast squash, apple and chestnut salad

  • Foodycat on December 08, 2014

    I followed the ingredients but not the method - starting the squash in the oven, then adding the apples, chestnuts and sausages (I didn't have any leftover pork, so I just used sausages) to bake all together in one pan. I also added some cloves of garlic. Piled on top of the dressed spinach, it was a very good supper.

• Nasi goreng

  • Elbea on September 29, 2020

    I made this without the prawns, but it was still delicious.

• Purple-sprouting broccoli with ricotta, lemon, olive oil and Parmesan

  • sosayi on April 26, 2018

    I'd initially added it to the weekly menu list as it checked off a few boxes: green vegetable, complimentary flavors, using up leftover ricotta. Not that I wasn't excited, it just wasn't the main show. Or so I thought. Quick, easy, and bright spring flavors means that we'll make this again for sure. Steamed broccoli (we used regular) is topped with dollops of ricotta, shaved parmesan, lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper. That's it! I could see this easily being converted into a appetizer toast or even sandwich, as I was putting bites on my bread at dinner and really enjoying it.

• Green beans with feta, chilli and tarator

  • KarinaFrancis on October 06, 2020

    Loved the flavours in this salad, especially the tarator which was creamy and pungent. I didn’t have any herbs but I can only imagine that they would amp up the flavour even more.

• Peas, broad beans and chorizo with mint

  • LizzieLozza on November 21, 2017

    Nice easy dinner with rice, half a packet of chorizo for two people, so 125 g. Don’t add too much rice.

• Spanish tomato and bread salad

  • Foodycat on July 27, 2014

    I used smoked anchovies, and didn't have enough tomatoes so I added a roasted and skinned red pepper and a sliced shallot. I also used some stale cornbread instead of ciabatta. Absolutely delicious. We had it with barbecued sirloin, but I think it would be delicious with fish or chicken as well.

  • westminstr on August 29, 2014

    Very good!

• Tomato and basil tart

  • herbietea on January 30, 2013

    Very tasty - added a sprinkle of caster sugar to tomatoes before cooking to sweeten

• Slow-cooked garlic courgettes

  • lisachile on July 30, 2014

    This was very good. I've found a solution for the zucchini glut!

  • Emily Hope on July 09, 2013

    This is one of my very favorite zucchini recipes. It's so simple--just garlic slowly sweated in a pan with some olive oil and butter, then zucchini gets tossed in over a higher heat for a bit to pick up some color, and the whole thing stews slowly until the zucchini collapses. Rich, buttery (only a tablespoon is used--though a fair bit of olive oil), and deeply savory. I'd say that it wasn't for fans of well-cooked vegetables, but even C (who isn't) likes this.

• Radish, olive, anchovy and parsley salad

  • westminstr on May 17, 2018

    I can't believe there is no note from me on this salad! It is my favorite thing to do with radishes, and probably my favorite DH recipe as well. So much gutsy flavor in this one but everything is nicely balanced. The whole family adores it.

  • TrishaCP on June 12, 2016

    Absolutely wonderful salad-hits the flavor notes of bitter, salty, crunchy but nothing overpowers. Great excuse to buy loads of gorgeous radishes at the market at the moment.

• Turkish carrots and lentils with herbs

  • Melanie on April 02, 2015

    The spices and herbs in this dish work really well together, a very lovely flavour and all cooked in one pot! Made this for work lunches throughout the week - it was delicious at the time of cooking but also reheats well, so it is a good one to make ahead.

• Kaye korma curry

  • Melanie on April 02, 2015

    As per previous reviewers comment, this was definitely a mild curry, although a good starting point for using different vegetables. My dish ended up looking far creamier than the one pictured, it is possible that this was due to the fact I substituted other vegetables in for the potatoes which I think would have absorbed more of the coconut cream. Used tinned tomatoes for the fresh tomatoes which worked well.

  • saladdays on August 15, 2013

    A useful recipe for a mild vegetable curry, plenty of suggested variations for using different vegetables. Don't skimp on the cooking time and use plenty of water. The veg absorb a lot of liquid and can be too firm if you don't top up the water often.

• Vietnamese sweet potato curry

  • Barb_N on January 27, 2015

    This IS a quick recipe- but not "on the table in 20 minutes" as the recipe claims. I added color with purple potatoes and spinach- then I deviated from the script and added tamarind paste instead of brown sugar. I thought it would add to the sweet/sour notes. It added an unfortunate color to the sauce (mustardy brown :( ). I would consider making this again- it is easy, but I would stick to the ingredients. I used fresh turmeric and that alone would have been lovely.

  • lou_weez on October 25, 2017

    A lovely vegetarian meal. I added peas, corn and beans to up the vegetable count. It took longer than the 20 minutes stated, but I will be making this again.

• Mediterranean potato, tomato and goat's cheese gratin

  • Zosia on January 18, 2015

    Reminiscent of a lasagne made with potatoes in place of pasta but much lighter and very flavourful. I used roasted cherry tomatoes in place of fresh, and mozzarella cheese. I'm looking forward to making this in the summer with garden fresh vegetables.

• Cauliflower, bacon and Cashel blue gratin

  • RosieB on May 26, 2016

    This was really tasty and the blue cheese a nice change from the usual bechamel sauce. It is very rich so be warned. I served it with simple pan fried fish.

• Sicilian braised vegetables with saffron, pine nuts, raisins and capers

  • jenburkholder on September 15, 2020

    Lovely. Season well, as there's a lot of bland vegetables, but once you get everything balanced it's delicious. Sweet, tart, salty, great.

• Greek potatoes, curly endive, spinach and leeks with dill, mint and garlic yogurt

  • Rachaelsb on January 20, 2021

    Ahhhhh! Another winner from Diana Henry. Paired this with grilled fish What a delicious blend of flavors. The potatoes/leek combo so good. Lots of leftover and so today added chicken broth for an incredible winter soup, I'm happy!!

• Warm salad of bacon, egg and kale with fried potatoes and mustard dressing

  • westminstr on September 26, 2014

    This was delicious (as you would expect from the title) but just a bit over the top in the bacon dept. Next time use 1.5 pounds of kale and 8 oz bacon. Liked the dressing. A good use for leftover potatoes.

• Penne with kale, roast onions and Gorgonzola

  • JJ2018 on February 28, 2019

    This was quick and easy and nice - but in a perfectly pleasant way, not a new family favourite way!

  • Barb_N on February 19, 2020

    I have been revisiting older cookbooks and on a bitter-jag. This fit the bill for both. Many of Diana Henry’s recipes are similar, this one and one in Pure Simple Cooking having a lot of overlap. I had kale to use up, and broccolini, and wanted to make a vegetarian pasta. My husband raved about it, recommending it for company. I will definitely keep it in rotation - love the balsamic roasted red onions!

• Roussillon baked potatoes

  • averythingcooks on July 20, 2020

    So ......1st the hunt for this recipe. My ingredient search lead me to this “roussillon baked potato” recipe BUT in my “US red cover shakshuka” edition of this book, this is titled “stuffed baked potato”. It took me a while. However, we thought this blue cheese, onion & bacon twice baked potato was delicious! I did use only the cooked bacon mixed into the potato filling (and not the raw slices put on top prior to the oven), and chives in addition to the parsley. I’ve never used egg in the filling of this style of potato but I did as directed........it maybe added some extra richness to an already rich side. Oh yeah - definite repeat.

• Baked sweet potato with goat's cheese and olive-hazelnut salsa

  • Zosia on April 02, 2015

    This was a delicious way to add savouriness to this sweet vegetable. I chopped the ingredients instead of trying to convert them to a paste.

• Lentil, red pepper and goat's cheese salad

  • eeeve on October 20, 2015

    Love the combo of roasted peppers, lentils and salty feta, so simple but so delicious. I used leftover lentils, so cannot comment on the preparation method of the lentils described here (but will try it soon).

• Lentils with spring cabbage and peperoncino

  • westminstr on January 13, 2014

    This dish sounds like nothing but is absolutely wonderful. Use your best olive oil here - it really elevates the dish.

  • Avocet on July 24, 2019

    P. 102. Served with rice and onion pilaf.

• Lamb, beer and black bean chilli

  • RosieB on May 26, 2016

    This was easy and delicious. I only added one can of black beans which was sufficient. I served with guacamole, sour cream and corn tortillas. When made in advance it is a good quick week night dinner. Definitely make again.

• Sausage and black bean chilli

  • averythingcooks on January 05, 2018

    This chili is bubbling away on the stove right now and it smells and tastes delicious. I used Newcastle brown ale for the beer, a package of what my butcher calls "sweet with heat" pork sausage meat and a chunk of my homemade chili paste from the freezer. I also threw in a couple of handfuls of frozen corn. The weather app on my phone this am said "-27 C feels like -37 C" and that made the decision to try this pretty easy!

  • e_ballad on October 19, 2019

    A very easy & tasty recipe. The instructions weren’t especially clear on when to add the black beans for this sausage variation, so I added them at the same time as the sausages & it worked well.

• Turkish black-eyed peas with spicy sausage

  • eeeve on April 02, 2016

    An easy winter-warmer made from store cupboard or freezer essentials; simply delicious (even though we used pork sausages instead of lamb).

• Butterbeans with sausages, leeks and cider

  • e_ballad on August 09, 2017

    I was perhaps a little over-generous with my cider, but I couldn't detect it at all in the final product. A good dish, but wasn't quite 'wow'-inspiring.

• Chickpea, potato and anchovy salad with preserved lemon and garlic cream

  • sosayi on May 15, 2018

    This was a surprisingly good, and different, potato salad. A few changes due to using only what was on hand: red kidney beans instead of chickpeas; a bit less parsley than called for, so I added a few sliced green onion tops to up the green color; only about 15 anchovies or so, not 25, as I ran out. Canned beans, basic boiled potatoes, julienned preserved lemon and anchovies simply tossed with the garlic "cream" sauce (no milk, just garlic, oil, lemon juice, pine nuts, parsely, salt and pepper). A great savory flavor, and went perfectly with pan-seared halibut (that I marinated in a bit of the sauce, which I had doubled).

• Chickpea, cauliflower and roast pepper salad with feta and smoked paprika

  • Livia on July 08, 2020

    Used spanish roasted peppers from a jar and was very quick to put together. I would make again

  • e_ballad on July 02, 2018

    Delicious, though I did deviate from the recipe by roasting the cauliflower at the same time as the red peppers (too lazy to panfry!). Very easy & made great leftovers.

• Persian herb chilau

  • Frogcake on May 01, 2016

    This pilaf is very easy and very delicious. I made it with a mixture of herbs. Will make again.

• Cauliflower, leek and blue cheese risotto

  • lilham on December 13, 2014

    I used dolcelatte, one of the blue cheese available recommended by Henry. It was very bland. Would not repeat again.

• Quinoa with lime, chilli, coriander and rajas

  • Frogcake on May 29, 2016

    I've made this fabulous dish as written. The second time I omitted the cumin and added sautéed Fiddleheads and ramps. The combination of flavours is unique due to the grated lime rind and chillies. I will be making this again!

• Spring couscous

  • Zosia on January 18, 2015

    Very basic and quick preparation but required an extra 60ml liquid for whole grain. I used only 1 tbsp olive oil instead of 6 (6??? must be a typo!)

• Couscous, chickpea and feta salad

  • Foodycat on April 14, 2019

    Simple but very good. I used barley couscous, and added a handful of toasted pine nuts. We had it with barbecued lamb chops.

• Farro with pumpkin and feta

  • Frogcake on May 08, 2016

    I substituted butternut squash for the pumpkin and used a combination of dill and parsley. As well, I've tried this with ricotta salta in place of feta, which is also yummy. A very good, versatile recipe!

• Barley, parsley and pomegranate salad

  • Frogcake on May 08, 2016

    I love this combination of flavours. I would not omit the pomegranate as it really makes this dish in terms of the sweet taste versus nutty flavour of barley and visual appeal. This is a fantastic side for roasted lamb.

• Barley, spinach and mushroom salad

  • westminstr on March 20, 2014

    This was a nice and easy side for a lemony braised chicken dish. It was good for soaking up sauce. Perhaps a bit bland on its own though.

• Fish pie with leek mash

  • Prim on October 01, 2012

    Very good. Double the potatoes.

• Moroccan fish cakes, minted cucumber salad and hot sauce

  • lou_weez on January 02, 2018

    A lovely combination of flavors. I didn't have any preserved lemon so grated in the rind of 1 lemon.

• Mackerel with spiced rhubarb relish

  • eeeve on May 06, 2019

    Made the relish to go with whole baked trout - it was lovely, despite a couple of changes (used white onion instead of red, and dried chilli instead of fresh). It came out sweet and mildly hot, and despite using ordinary rhubarb and white onion, there was a nice pink colour to the relish (albeit not as vivid as in the picture). There's a lot of relish left over, half the quantity would have been enough.

• Salmon on lentils with herb relish

  • Zosia on October 17, 2014

    The herb relish adds a very flavourful twist to this classic dish but the recipe instructions for cooking the lentils do not work. However, if you cover the pot while they simmer, they'll be perfectly cooked.

  • saladdays on January 19, 2012

    A very easy and fresh way to cook salmon. The lentils probably need a longer cooking time, mine did ! Use any fresh green herbs you have available for the relish.

  • westminstr on August 29, 2014

    A good rendition of a bistro classic. My lentils came out perfect! (I did cover the pot after the water cooked away and let them steam for about 10 min to finish the cooking). I had all the recommended herbs on hand but agree that any herb would work well, it would be fine with just parsley for example.

  • Pamsy on December 12, 2020

    Enjoyable and easy salmon dish. My lentils took 35 mins and needed more stock. The relish was a lovely finishing touch.

• Fillet of salmon with sweet-sour beetroot and dill crème fraîche

  • e_ballad on September 14, 2017

    Really liked the dill crème fraîche with the salmon, but wasn't too excited by the beetroot component.

• Squid, chorizo and bean stew with chilli and coriander

  • RosieB on June 02, 2016

    This was delicious. I used tinned beans and it was still great.

• Cassoulet

  • Sweepie6 on November 18, 2018

    I cheated a lot with this (tinned beans, bouquet garni in the casserole instead, no lamb) and it was still really nice. Would make again - without cheats too.

• Roast lamb shoulder with butter beans, spinach and apple allioli

  • saladdays on January 07, 2014

    I didn't stuff the lamb shoulder as the one I had was too small, but the butter beans with spinach and the apple allioli were excellent and an interesting variation on a traditional roast dinner. I used canned butter beans.

• Lamb, black pudding and mustard hot pot

  • e_ballad on June 19, 2018

    This was delicious, but wholly dependent on the flavour of your black pudding. I’m not sure that the seeded mustard added greatly to the dish, so I’ll forego it in future outings.

• My Irish stew

  • e_ballad on June 15, 2017

    I have loved a great many Irish stews... but sadly this wasn't one of them. This appears to be a very authentic dish, but it lacked any flavour, despite ample seasoning. I really wanted to like this more than we did.

• Crispy pork belly with potatoes, eggs and gribiche dressing

  • L.Nightshade on August 17, 2014

    I modified the treatment here to make it a brunch dish. I boiled the potatoes and tossed them with the gribiche dressing as specified, lightly steamed spinach, crisped up pork belly slices in a pan, then fried eggs and toast in some of the pork belly fat. Piled it all on plates. So, not as intended, but the same ingredients and inspiration resulted in a wonderful breakfast. Will definitely do this again.

• Thyme-roasted belly of pork with baked apples

  • NikkiPixie on August 11, 2014

    Incredibly delicious but oh so bad for you. I went to a butcher to get the pork belly - the supermarket stuff generally has over an inch of fat, yuck. The apples needed a lot longer than stated, next time (and there definitely will be a next time), I'll core or halve them.

• Porc au four

  • Zosia on February 25, 2016

    The timing worked perfectly resulting in moist and tender meat. I don't think the meat absorbed much flavour from the rub in the few hours it marinated (overnight probably would have been better) but the garlic, mustard and herb-infused drippings added plenty.

• Lechon asado

  • e_ballad on February 19, 2017

    Filled the house with a delicious aroma, but unfortunately, the flavours didn't live up to the expectation.

• Pigs' cheeks with mustard lentils

  • jammydodger on August 02, 2014

    Delicious. The lentils go perfectly with the pork cheeks, and this recipe is very easy. While it takes some time, it's very hands off, requiring very little input from the cook. First time I've ever had pig cheeks too, and liked them very much.

  • saladdays on January 25, 2014

    This was the first time I had cooked pigs' cheeks although I have eaten them often in restaurants in Northern France. This recipe is just right, after two hours slow cooking the cheeks are soft and almost melting in the mouth. The mustard lentils are a good sharp contrast to the sweetness of the meat. Although it takes time, an easy foolproof recipe.

• Mexican tinga poblana

  • NikkiPixie on August 06, 2014

    Fantastic, will DEFINITELY make again. Cooked for a lot longer than stated, and added an extra few teaspoons of homemade chipotle en adobo sauce.

• Asian pork balls with chilli dipping sauce

  • Zosia on October 11, 2014

    Really very tasty, moist meatballs. I hesitated to include all of the bacon (lacking more specific information, I used regular, sliced North American style) but much of the fat was rendered off during cooking - with the meatballs shrinking rather dramatically - and it added a delicious smoky flavour. I didn't fry them, but roasted them in the oven at a high temperature on a rack with a pan under to catch the drippings. (Much neater than frying but results in the same crusty exterior and moist interior.) I served them with noodles and stir-fried broccoli so skipped the chilli sauce....next time.

• Marinated skirt steak with chimichurri

  • westminstr on November 03, 2014

    I made just the chimichurri to go with a london broil. This is my favorite version of chimichurri I've made. A bit more work but the flavor was superior. I have a lot leftover though, could have done a half recipe. ETA: leftovers were great with roasted potatoes and used to marinate whitefish (porgy) which i roasted in the oven.

• Clothilde's beef with wine, bay and thyme

  • westminstr on February 06, 2014

    This was so delicious! We absolutely loved it. I subbed vermouth for white wine and canned tomatoes (1/2 a 14 oz can) for fresh. My roast was a bit over 3 pounds and I upped the other ingredients by a little bit to compensate.

  • saladdays on January 22, 2012

    A very good tasting version of a classic French recipe using plenty of vegetables . It even tells you what to do with the leftovers !

• Indian beef with peas

  • eeeve on February 06, 2016

    A strange one, but not bad at all. It's a very meaty curry, and quite dry - I think we may have preferred the addition of a can of tomatoes (even if that's not authentic). While it was cooking away in the pot, the dish really seemed a bit odd and we thought it would be a non-repeat; but the curry worked fantastically when combined with rice and cucumber raita (a naan would have been perfect). We like the fact that it's quite economical - we used organic mince, but had everything else on hand already. After all the initial doubts, I think we might actually make this again.

  • e_ballad on February 26, 2017

    Found on p207, this recipe does not appear in the book's index under its title or any of its ingredients. This is essentially savoury mince with a touch of heat & warm spices. It was perfectly serviceable but nothing especially wowing. Having said that, hubby & kiddo enjoyed it, so given its quick prep time, it's likely to make a midweek reappearance!

• Picadillo

  • Pamsy on November 04, 2020

    Made to use leftover silverside from Sunday's roast. I diced the beef finely and added after sauteing the vegetables. Forgot the brown sugar (not sure it's necessary) and used black olives. This was really tasty served with plain Basmati rice. Good store cupboard recipe.

• Piccalilli

  • Foodycat on August 10, 2014

    Stir like a demon while pouring the cornflour/spice paste into the vinegar. Even having tempered it with some of the hot vinegar, I turned my back for a moment to put the bowl down, and the mixture went to lumps. I had to whisk it for the 4 minutes cooking time to bring it back, but once the vegetables went in it was fine. Edited to add - it's matured for a month now, so we have just opened it. Excellent, mellow piquant flavour, lovely crunchy vegetables.

• Ribollita

  • Astrid5555 on October 27, 2020

    This was the perfect recipe to use up some stale sourdough bread and some cabbage lingering in the fridge. Did not wait until the next day as instructed per the recipe but ate it straight away. The following day almost all of the liquid was gone so I added some additional chicken stock to the leftovers. Hearty meal, perfect for cold fall evenings.

• Soup Savoyarde

  • e_ballad on July 22, 2017

    Loved this. It was a perfect winter warmer.

• Moroccan lentil soup with yogurt and chilli-fried onions

  • NikkiPixie on January 21, 2014

    REALLY good. Definitely do the chilli-fried onions and yoghurt, these take an already fabulous soup to even greater heights.

  • L.Nightshade on February 26, 2019

    I’m on a bit of a lentil soup binge, and this one sounded good to me. It is good, eminently edible and comforting, but I’m still on a search for something that excites me a bit more. My ras el hanout is homemade, and perhaps it wasn’t quite the right combination, or didn’t have enough heat. Those blends can be so different. I liked the chile-fried onions, but I wish they had been crispy onions, I would have liked a little bit of crunch. This all sounds very negative; I’m being too critical. It was good, I’d eat it again, but I’d continue my search before I’d make it again.

• Ham and lentil soup with caraway

  • Avocet on July 24, 2019

    P. 218. Didn't have ham stock, so used chicken, and substituted toasted cumin seeds for caraway. Very good.

  • e_ballad on April 07, 2020

    This recipe is all about the caraway. I tasted my son’s portion which was sans caraway seeds (insert eye roll!) & it was decidedly lackluster. They really do make this soup.

• Black bean soup with pico de gallo

  • e_ballad on October 16, 2019

    I’m glad I was distracted & forgot to add a note for this recipe right away. When I first made it yesterday, I thought it was good, but nothing too interesting. I had leftovers today & it was absolutely delicious. Everything just seemed to balance out more. Would highly recommend making this a day in advance.

  • lou_weez on October 11, 2018

    What it lacks in looks it makes up for in flavor. I served it with avocado and cheese.

  • pantherred on November 17, 2020

    some substitutions: duck fat for bacon, added a drop of smoke extract, aleppo chili flakes for fresh red chili. A touch of cackalacky (a local NC spice sauce) to bring up the spice a bit. Freshly ground toasted cumin makes all the difference in flavour complexity.

• Parsnip and smoked haddock soup

  • Foodycat on March 25, 2020

    Hearty, simple and very nice. I used coriander instead of parsley, which went well with the cumin. 3tsp sounds like a lot but it was fine.

• Sweet potato and coconut soup

  • averythingcooks on June 14, 2020

    I made a "pretty close" but "way scaled down" version of this. I had 1 sweet potato to use up so I roasted it with some carrot chunks & a wrinkly yellow pepper. Garlic cloves & some fresh thyme sprigs also went on the roasting tray. I scaled everything else back - a bit of a guess to get to around a 1/4 recipe, & then was very careful with the powerful finishing flavours (fish sauce, lime zest etc ). Rather than mess around adding any more of those than I already had, the last thing I added was a good sprinkle of my lime-chili salt. I'm very happy with the 3 lunch sized soups going into my freezer.

• Spinach soup with Thai butter

  • monicahorridge on October 24, 2012

    doesn't sound like anything special, but it tasted amazing and the Thai butter was wonderful. looked really pretty. I made extra Thai butter and then had it with cottage cheese on toast for the rest of the week...it transformed it. could have many uses and very simple to do.

• Spring greens and roast garlic soup

  • Foodycat on March 04, 2019

    The roast garlic really makes it.

• Cold weather soupe au pistou

  • Zosia on September 30, 2018

    The walnut pesto was wonderful with this hearty vegetable soup (as was a little lemon juice), lifting all of the flavours. I will make it again but adjust the order in which the vegetables are added: the fennel and celery weren't quite done so they should go in with the onions at the start and the butternut squash, which was a little too soft for me, should be added with the stock.

• Wild garlic and goat's cheese omelette

  • e_ballad on December 06, 2017

    Mysteriously absent from the book’s index (p233 if you’re looking), this is a simple but great tasting omelette. Given the absence of wild garlic, I used garlic chives, though I’m sure that spring onions could be used in a similar manner.

• Pheasant with cider and apples

  • Foodycat on October 31, 2016

    My pheasants hadn't been very well plucked, so I skinned them, which I think dried the flesh out a little bit. Excellent flavours, although my apples disintegrated so it wasn't a pretty dish.

• Blackberry and brown sugar loaf

  • Elbea on September 29, 2020

    Easy and tasty. I will make again, possibly adding other berries and/or apple or pear.

  • Melanie on March 20, 2015

    Made with raspberries instead of blackberries, which the author indicates was the fruit used in the recipe that inspired this one. The cake had a simple and nice flavour however we thought it was too dense / not moist enough. It is possible that I over baked it slightly however the batter was quite thick.

• Blackberry and ricotta hot cakes with honey

  • westminstr on September 02, 2014

    I thought these were really delicious! But the kids asked for their pancakes "without blackberries."

• Cherry wine (Guignolet)

  • Foodycat on July 16, 2014

    The wine still tastes wine-y, we had it as a spritzer with ice and soda water. Very refreshing but sweet! Better as a kir with some white wine to add acidity. We ate the fruit with cream & yoghurt whipped together and muscovado sugar allowed to dissolve into it.

• Chicken and cherry salad with creamy tarragon dressing

  • Foodycat on June 29, 2015

    I used sauteed chicken thigh fillets instead of the poached breasts and just propped them on top. A lovely combination of sweet/savoury/juicy/pungent/crunchy/soft. I'm planning to use the dressing as a quick alternative to Bearnaise with steak.

  • Astrid5555 on May 18, 2015

    While preparing this dish with some leftover grilled chicken breast, husband repeatedly questioned the addition of cherries to the salad, but was pleasantly suprised by the end result. Used my last batch of frozen cherries, would have been even better with fresh cherries. The dressing was extremely tasty and added something extra to this salad. A very delicious salad which will be repeated once fresh cherries are in season again!

• Early autumn salad of blackberries, raspberries, melon and lemon thyme

  • L.Nightshade on August 17, 2014

    I jumped on this recipe as our bushes are heavy with berries right now. A syrup of white wine, water, sugar, lemon thyme, lemon juice, and lemon zest is made in advance and cooled. I was concerned that it didn't get very syrupy (I don't cook much using sugar), but it really thickened during the cooling process. Berries are tossed with melon (cantaloupe in this instance), and drizzled with the syrup. Very nice flavors. The lemon and lemon thyme balanced the sweetness well, making a very refreshing dessert.

• Salsa mish mish

  • Emily Hope on July 05, 2014

    A nice variation on apricot chutney, I think this will be an excellent complement to pork or chicken. The spicing is nice, though a little cardamom goes a long way for me so I halved it and that seemed about right. I barely eked out three half pint jars. I omitted the optional cilantro since I was processing in a water bath, but I may stir some in when serving it.

  • hillsboroks on July 24, 2016

    Last winter I put a note on my July calendar to make this when the apricots were ripe in our area. I am so glad that I did! Like Emily Hope said in her note I also left out the cilantro and processed the 8 4 oz. jars in a water bath canner. I put them in for 10 minutes and they all sealed beautifully. I put a note on each label to "Add fresh cilantro" to remind me and anyone else lucky enough to get a jar of this to put a bit of cilantro in when serving.

• Pear, almond and red wine cake

  • Prim on October 01, 2012

    Cake needs to cook 60 - 75 minutes.

• Lime and ginger roasted nectarines

  • Zosia on September 13, 2020

    Absolutely delicious alone or with any number of accompaniments. I served them with whole grain pancakes. My nectarines must have been smaller than those used by the author as they were baked in 30 minutes. They hadn't yet caramelized so I popped them under the broiler for a few minutes.

• Sugar-crusted lemon loaf cake

  • Zosia on November 23, 2014

    I made the lime variation of the cake and lacking self-raising flour used cake & pastry flour with 2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Sugar did crystallize on the cake surface initially but dissolved once the cake was wrapped. The flavour was quite nice and zingy from the lime syrup but the loaf didn't keep that well drying out a little by the second day, a little surprising for a syrupped pound cake.

• Southern Italian cauliflower with fried breadcrumbs, capers and anchovies

  • Pamsy on December 13, 2020

    See book page 290. Usually we have this with pasta but have also served with her roast lamb from Cook Simple p54. Tasty, easy and cheap!

• Spring panzanella

  • Foodycat on June 20, 2018

    Diana has several similar recipes (some with basil, some with mint). I had mint and I left it on the counter and I am really cranky with myself. HOWEVER the salad itself, topped with some gorgeous burrata, made a lovely summer dinner. I used frozen peas and edamame because the fresh peas and broad beans are a bit rubbish at the moment. Don't forget to add the herbs - it would have been even better.

• Le bettelman

  • westminstr on January 18, 2013

    Made with VERY stale ciabatta and apples that needed to be cooked as they were too mushy to eat. Subbed half and half for the milk + cream. Given the state of the raw ingredients this was pretty good. It was a bit dry so best served warm with ice cream.

• Beetroot, goat's cheese and caper pizza

  • Zosia on February 07, 2015

    Unusual but delicious pizza topping with the goat's cheese and capers acting as a foil for the sweet beets and onions. I seem to prefer my pizzas less heavily loaded since a half recipe was still enough for 2 pizzas (I was making only one). I used a different pizza dough.

• Oven-roasted ratatouille with baked eggs

  • Gio on November 25, 2015

    Pg. 310. Love this recipe! I have used the ratatouille as a bed for roasted Pollock with great success. I omitted the eggs in this case and used turmeric, cumin, garlic powder to season the passata. In rotation here.

• Apple, honey and rosemary clafoutis

  • Zosia on September 02, 2015

    The flavour of this was fantastic but the custard was a little too firm (too much flour perhaps?) and made as written, it would have been too sweet. I omitted the 1/3 cup sugar and used only the honey and the sugar for the apples.

• Bibliocook

  ...a book for here and now. Seasonal? Yes. Local? Of course. But rather than wagging admonishing fingers, Diana concentrates on buying good food and using it properly.

  Full review

• Oregonian

  ...the focus on frugality is right in step with challenging economic times, particularly with a full chapter devoted to money-stretching soups.

  Full review