The British are Coming!

We love our two new cookbooks be Ottolenghi and Tamimi. This recipe is from Ottolenghi The Cookbook. We are very sorry we didn’t eat at his restaurants last time we were in London. The recipe for Buttered Prawns with Tomato, Olives and Arak is a winner! It isn’t hard, it is huge in flavor and we loved it! I hope you try it soon!

We had a second course by another English Cookbook author: Skye Gyngell (what a great name!) the book is called: A Year In My Kitchen. We made Chanterelles with Fried Egg and Sourdough Bread Crumbs. We have a split opinion of the recipe. I liked it more than Cathy did. I am a sucker for breadcrumbs so, of course I liked it. Cathy less so. If the ingredients appeal to you give it a try. I had lots of left over very tasty breadcrumbs that a served on subsequent tomato salads.

Buttered prawns with tomato, olives and Arak

Otttolenghi The Cookbook

Yotam Ottolenghi and Sam Tamimi

This is another one of Etti's masterpieces. There is no other way to describe it. Two of our recipe testers for this book, Claudine Boulstridge and Philippa Shepherd, both said that it is now their favourite, because it is dead easy and utterly delicious. The flavour of the Arak, a Middle Eastern liquor made from aniseed and distilled grapes, complements but also mellows the intensity of the tomato and olives, coating the prawns in a heavenly buttery sauce.

This dish needs to be served as soon as it is made, accompanied by pieces of wholesome bread to soak up the sauce.

serves 4 as a starter

4 plum tomatoes

12 tiger or king prawns'

2 oz softened unsalted butter

1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes

50g Kalamata olives, stoned

20ml Arak (or Pernod)

3 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced

2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

coarse sea salt

Buttered prawns with tomato, olives and Arak

1.     Start by preparing the tomatoes. Make a tiny shallow cross with a sharp knife at the bottom of each one and put them in boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove, refresh under plenty of cold water, then drain. Now peel the skin away and cut each tomato into 4-6 wedges. Set aside.

2.    To prepare the prawns, peel the shells away from the bodies, keeping the tail segment of the shell on. Cut a shallow slit along the back of each prawn and remove the dark vein using the tip of a small knife.

3.    Place a frying pan over a high heat. When very hot, add 2og of the butter and saute the prawns quickly for 2 minutes, shaking the pan as you go. Add the tomatoes, chilli and olives and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the prawns are nearly cooked through. Add the Arak carefully (it tends to catch fire!). Let the alcohol evaporate for a minute before quickly adding the remaining butter plus the garlic, parsley and some salt. Toss for a second for everything to come together in a runny sauce, then serve immediately, with bread.

Chanterelles with fried egg and sourdough bread crumbs

A year in my kitchen

Skye Gyngell

I use mushrooms as often as I possibly can from late September through to mid-December. I adore their pungent earthy flavor and meaty texture. Quick, hot cooking, with as little adornment as possible, works best for me. Here, I serve them simply with fried eggs and the contrasting crunch of toasted bread crumbs. Fall salad greens—dressed with a vinaigrette of red wine vinegar and walnut oil—are the perfect complement.

Serves 2

1          pound 2 ounces fresh chanterelles

4 tbsp unsalted butter sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 organic eggs

2          tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3          tbsp Sourdough Bread Crumbs

few fresh thyme or roughly chopped rosemary leaves

1          clove garlic, peeled and minced

lemon juice

1          bsp minced curly parsley

1          sp red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

grated zest of 1 lemon, or to taste

Pick over the chanterelles with your fingers, removing any bits of grass, then wipe gently with a clean, damp cloth. Place a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and heat until melted and foaming, then add the mushrooms and season generously with salt and pepper. Increase the heat a little and leave the mushrooms to cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until tender, tossing them just once or twice during cooking.

Meanwhile, cook the eggs. Place a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and heat until it just starts to smoke. Crack the eggs into the pan and cook to your preference (I like a firm white with a soft yolk center). Scatter over the bread crumbs and thyme and allow them to just warm through.

When the mushrooms are ready, add the garlic, a squeeze of lemon juice, and half of the minced parsley. Pile onto two warm plates and slide the eggs and bread crumbs on top. Add the vinegar to the warm mushroom pan, stirring to deglaze, then pour over the eggs. Sprinkle with the lemon zest and the remaining parsley and serve at once, while piping hot!