Rachel Allen - Rachel’s Food for Living

I dedicate this book to my Grandmother, Sheila O’Neill, and my Grandfather, Hans Reichenfeld, with love.

Cover Page

Title Page

Dedication

Introduction

Food for the Soul

Spanish Chorizo and Chickpea Soup

Leek, Potato and Blue Cheese Soup

Italian Baked Pancakes with Cheese and Tomato

Rigatoni with Courgettes, Lemon and Basil

Creamy Coconut Prawns with Spiced Banana Raita

Pasta with Roasted Peppers and Mozzarella

Slow-cooked Lamb Shanks with Piperonata

Perfect Mash

Pork and Mushroom Pie with Gentle Spices

Greek Lamb, Onion and Butter Bean Stew

Bacon and Sausage Stew with Beans

Childhood Favourites

Dad’s Brown Bread

Baked Cheesy Pasta

Old-fashioned Lemonade

Sesame Goujons of Fish with Mushy Peas and Oven Roast Chips

Irish Stew

Pork Chops with Apple Sauce and Mustard Mash

Flapjacks

Banana and Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding

Ballymaloe Balloons

Rhubarb and Custard Tart

Making Memories

Cheesy Sodabread

Wholemeal Honey Bread

Fruity Pancakes

Homemade Pizzas with Quick Yeast Dough

Joshua’s Croque Monsieur

Burgers with Guacamole and Crispy Bacon and Cucumber Relish

Lucca’s Chicken Wings with Corn on the Cob and Shelled Peas

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

Polka-dot Cookies

Something to Celebrate

Canapés

Spagettini with Caviar and Crème Fraîche

Hot Buttered Lobster

Langoustines with Brétonne Sauce

Champagne Dover Sole with Clams and Julienne of Vegetables

Carpaccio of Fish with Peppers and Fresh Herbs

Fillet Steak with Mushroom and Brandy Sauce and Tomato Fondue

The Lazy Sunday

Freshly Squeezed Juices

Baked Eggs with Chorizo, Cream and Cheese

Blueberry and Almond Muffins

The Big Sunday Roast

Slow Roast Chicken with Lemon and Chilli

Honey Roast Parsnips with Sesame Seeds

Broccoli with Garlic, Lemon and Parmesan

Slow Roast Spiced Lamb with Roasted Root Vegetables

An Elegant Afternoon

Sweet Scones with Blueberry Jam

Iced Vanilla Cup Cakes

Afternoon Tea Cake

White Chocolate Buns

Oaty Shortbread

Tea

Greek Almond Crescents

Chocolate and Hazelnut Caramel Bars

Teatime Sandwiches

Champagne Cocktails

Pleasure Without the Guilt

Zac’s Aztec Soup

Salad with Beetroot, Goat’s Cheese and Toasted Hazlenuts

Squid, Cucumber and Tomato Salad with a Black Olive and Basil Vinaigrette

Baked Fish with Tomato, Cucumber and Ginger Salsa

Chicken and Puy Lentil Salad with Coriander

Asian Chicken Salad

Chicken with Lemon and Honey

Korean Beef with Avocado Rice

Yoghurt, Cardamom and Orange Panna Cotta

Fresh Fruit Sorbets

Food for Romance

Heart-shaped Toast with Eggs, Asparagus and Truffle Hollandaise Sauce

Oysters

Crab and Prawn Coconut Soup

Pan-fried Scallops with Truffle Beurre Blanc

Fish Cakes with Lemon and Pine Nuts

Arabian Spiced Rack of Lamb with Couscous

Love Potions

Light and Fluffy White Chocolate Mousse

Little Mocha Kisses

For the Love of Chocolate

Chocolate Amaretti Cake

Torta di Cappuccino

Stacked Chocolate Fudge Squares with White Chocolate and Raspberries

Chocolate Biscuit Cake

Chocolate Sticky Toffee Pudding

Chocolate

Chocolate and Rosemary Mousse with Rosemary Shortbread

White Chocolate Truffles with Cardamom

Chocolate Cocktail

Classic Dishes

French Onion Soup

Baked Plaice with Herb Butter

Dutch Cheese Croquettes

Smoked Fish Pie with Hard-boiled Eggs

Mussels with Garlic and Breadcrumbs

Roast Loin of Pork Stuffed with Prunes and Apples with a Calvados Sauce

Classic Lasagne with Roast Garlic Bread

Chicken Kiev with Saute Garlic Rosemary Potatoes

Pan-grilled Steak with Béarnaise Sauce and Twice-cooked Chips

Pavlova with Mango and Crystallised Ginger

Lemon Tart

Index

Author’s acknowledgements

Copyright

About the Publisher

Food has the amazing potential to be comforting, uplifting, restorative, nurturing, energising and many other things besides. It plays a hugely significant role in our personal lives, both physically and emotionally and can lift us up when we are low and keep us up when we are on top of the world. Eating can be steeped in ritual or be utterly spontaneous but one thing is for certain – the feelings that food stirs go far beyond mere biology.

I love the way that certain aromas and flavours can instantly conjure up vivid memories. They send us back to our childhood kitchens, tugging at our grandmothers’ apron strings, or to other times and places in our lives that hold special significance. For me it is the smell of roast stuffed chicken and potatoes that fills me with joyful recollections of my mother’s incredible Sunday dinners.

Food makes the best gift, whether it’s hot buttered toast for someone with the blues or an elaborate three-course romantic feast for the one you love. The time we take to lovingly prepare a meal can pay dividends in the way it makes others feel cared for.

Even the simplest foods are enough to inspire a happy social occasion. One of my greatest pleasures is catching up with girlfriends over tea and sympathy (and a big pile of biscuits!). We all know that, ‘Come round for a cuppa’ really means, ‘Come round and let’s chat for hours and laugh until it hurts.’

This book is filled with foods that have special meaning for me or for my family and friends. I hope that these recipes will make for fun and memorable cooking and eating for you, too!

p.s. The oven temperatures in this book are for a conventional oven, but if I am using a fan oven, then I usually reduce the temperature by 10 per cent.

There are times when we all need a bit of comfort in a bowl. These are the times when you want food that makes you feel as though you’re wrapped up in a blanket, food that gives you a warm and cosy feeling, food that restores both mentally and physically. Each of us has our own comfort foods. For some, this might be as simple as tea and toast, for others it might be more substantial, such as a big meaty stew eaten while curled up on the sofa. Whatever they are, they’re sure to make you feel safe and nurtured. This chapter includes some of my favourite foods to beat the blues!

This is such a soothing soup on a rainy day, and the flavours always remind me of sunnier summer days. It’s a substantial soup, but not too heavy – perfect for a meal in itself. This soup reheats well, in fact the flavours even improve. And of course you don’t need to use imported chorizo – there are many wonderful locally produced versions which are equally delicious.

SERVES 4–6

1 tbsp olive oil

125g (5oz) chorizo, diced

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed or grated

1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, undrained