Rachel Allen - Home Cooking

RACHEL ALLEN

Home Cooking

Cover

Title Page RACHEL ALLEN Home Cooking

Introduction Introduction Home cooking is not about recreating fancy restaurant meals — although that is obviously great fun too — it’s more a way of life. It’s about food that anyone can achieve for friends and family, and taking great pleasure in the preparation as much as in the sharing, and of course the eating! The value of cooking at home goes beyond merely having control over your ingredients (though this is profoundly important for health, wellbeing, and your wallet …), it’s also about gathering your loved ones together to share and enjoy the most fundamental part of life; it’s about teaching your children how to appreciate a home-cooked meal and showing them how much fun cooking can be; it’s about slowing down the busy pace of your life when you can, but also knowing that when there isn’t much time you can still put a loving meal on the table, made by you. Home cooking is also about the joy of learning old skills and kitchen crafts such as making home-made sweets. It’s about feeling proud as a parent when making by hand your child’s very first foods. It’s about the wonderful kitchen smells and sounds and flavours that you just can’t get any other way. In this book, you’ll not only find recipes for many occasions from breakfasts to dinners, you’ll also find trusted kitchen tips, such as home freezing, which not only saves time, but money too. You’ll also find hints on menu planning and how to encourage healthy eating habits. I hope you and your loved ones enjoy every meal together, that you eat well, that you take a moment to appreciate one another’s company around the table, and above all, have fun cooking at home!

Breakfast Breakfast Homemade yoghurt MAKES ABOUT 425ML (15FL OZ) · VEGETARIAN Making your own yoghurt is very satisfying as well as being a good way to encourage children to eat it, as they can add their own flavours. It is crucial to use sugar-free yoghurt for the recipe to work. It is also important that the milk and yoghurt mixture stays in a warm, draught-free place like an airing cupboard or beside an Aga or radiator. Pouring into a flask will also help if you have one. Remember to keep 1 teaspoon of the yoghurt back to make the next batch! 1 litre (1¾ pints) whole milk 25g (1oz) skimmed milk powder 1 tsp natural probiotic yoghurt 1 Pour the milk into a large, heavy-based or cast-iron saucepan on a gentle heat. As the milk is beginning to warm up, add the milk powder, stirring to dissolve. Heat the milk until it reads 90°C (194°F) on a cooking thermometer (if judging by eye, the milk will be sweet smelling and just coming to the boil — steaming heavily and frothing around the edges). 2 Remove from the heat and leave to stand for about 15 minutes to cool until it reads 40°C (104°F) on the thermometer (or the milk has stopped steaming and feels just tepid when you dip your finger in and leave it there for a few seconds). 3 Stir in the yoghurt and cover with a double layer of foil. Wrap with a tea towel and leave in a warm place (or in a flask) until the mixture thickens, which will take 4–5 hours. Remove the towel, transfer to a bowl, cover and place in the fridge to cool overnight.

Lunch Lunch Roast tomato soup SERVES 4 – 6 · VEGETARIAN (IF MADE WITH VEGETABLE STOCK) I adore this soup because it tastes of summer to me. It’s delicious served as it is, or drizzled with pesto. To make it more of a meal, try serving with the cheese and basil quesadillas on page 259. 900g (2lb) ripe tomatoes (about 8), halved 1 red onion, peeled and thickly sliced 6 large cloves of garlic, peeled Leaves from 4 sprigs of thyme 1 tsp caster sugar 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 600ml (1 pint) chicken or vegetable stock (see page 326) 50ml (2fl oz) double or regular cream Basil leaves, to serve 1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas mark 6. 2 Arrange the tomato halves, cut side up, in a single layer on a baking tray and scatter over the onion, garlic, thyme and sugar. Drizzle over the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season well with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 35–40 minutes or until softened. 3 Once cooked, tip the entire contents of the baking tray, including any juices, into a blender. Add the stock and blend until smooth, then pour into a large saucepan. Alternatively, place the cooked tomatoes in the saucepan, pour in the stock and purée using a hand-held blender. Bring the soup to the boil, add the cream, reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes to heat through. 4 Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with basil leaves.

Sunday lunch Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес. Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

Suppers Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес. Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

Dessert Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес. Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

Snacks, treats and sweet Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес. Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

Boby purées Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес. Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.