Friday, February 17, 2017

The Really Quite Good British Cookbook The Food We Love from 100 of Our Best Chefs, Cooks, Bakers and Local Heroes by William Sitwell

The Really Quite Good British Cookbook The Food We Love from 100 of Our Best Chefs, Cooks, Bakers and Local Heroes by William Sitwell, editor, is a wonderful and colored cookbook about British cuisine involving 100 cooks and bakers for serving to the readers all the best and innovative idea in terms of British food.

In the foreword it is specified something I didn't absolutely know: that in the past food, weather, politic, in general not treated during a normal conversations with friends because considered not too important topic.

Time pass by and changed the customs of Britons, all launched not just to remark that they love food, (and wine let me add this) but implementing all their knowledge about food, recipes, ingredients, resources, that they have with big influences of all the other ethnic group for creating a wonderful and stunning, yummy book.

This book is a melting pot of great ideas for every part of the day starting from breakfast, with recipes about straweberry jam but also  brioche french toast.
Talking of snack unforgettable will be Pea and mint croquettes,a bruschetta,a bagna cauda and always in the snack we find a minestrone with orzo, pasta & mint pesto.

Analyzed all the dishes that local herbs can present to people.

A courgette soup with chard bruschetta, and for lovers of legumes, Burrata with lentils and basil oil a perfect dish.
Are you a ricotta lover? The recipe for you is: the Baked Chard Ricotta with a hot tomato, garlic & pepper chutney.
If you want to mix  various flavors: meat and apples will be your answer with a great Sausage Meat & Apple Turnover.

Fish and Sea Food section: we all know that UK is an island and so we have recipes with oyster if you like them, a salted cod with winter cabbage bacon & beer sauce, a Happy Fish Pie, and many many more.

In the section Poultry, Meat and Game Courgetti & Beef Ragù, a tagliata di manzo, Poched Chicken with saffron sauce and cucumber, many recipes with lambs ad chicken as main protagonist and there is the appearance in a recipe of a rabbit, the Garlicly White Rabbit. The one of Alice in Wonderland maybe luckiest one ;-) and still alive.

If your son or daughter loves coca-cola  you can't avoid to prepare Ham in Coca-Cola for a sparkle of happiness and energy.
Lamb chops & dirty sweet potatoes will be a great match.
Traditional roast rib of beef another interesting dish of the section. 
A recipe truly versatile with with every meat is the pot-roast guinea fowl with wild mushrooms, prunes and thyme. I want to signal also the duck pie.

Pasta risotto & sides offers Risotto con piselli, limone e ricotta, Rotolo di spinaci al burro e formaggio, sausage, radiccio & lemon gnocchi, but there are also dishes, pretty tasty with polenta, and a rabbit lasagna and a classic risotto con funghi, and a recipe with farro as protagonist accompanied by roasted leeks & smoky-sweet romesco.

Baking&Desserts.

We find a recipe of burger buns, a chocolate bread pudding, cherry clafoutis, a chocolate guinnes cake, an eastern mess, pretty elegant, I would want to add. If you have some friends in love for grappa try this recipe: figs roasted with grappa & amaretto gelato.
Other recipes I want to signal: Bakewell pudding, summer pudding, and a yummy dark chocolate, chilli caramel, & macadamia nut tart, Granny's Honey and Apple Pie.
Saffron gives profundity to dishes, cakes and cookies and biscuits and here there is a recipe: Cornish saffron cake. Many recipes with plums.

I found the recipes original, multi-ethnic and surely yummy! Great cookbook!

The cover is stunningly original and in the perfect British-style. Plenty of fantasy, color and innovation.

I thank NetGalley for this book.



Anna Maria Polidori

No comments: