in order of book acquisition. under this roof we simp for meera sodha okay

real fast food, nigel slater (this was the first cookbook i ever obtained aged 18 and i more or less taught myself to cook with it which is HILARIOUS because it is objectively not a student cookbook. nevertheless, i am still very fond of it, and it still conjures up images of a glamorous, slightly old-fashioned world of tiny fancy cheeses, ripe apricots from the greengrocer and stylish solo dinners. in fairness it does also have some very useful and cheap storecupboard meals.)

favourites

• parsee scrambled eggs, p33
• baked cod with butter sauce, p55
• mussels with cream and bacon, p76 (not to be dramatic but this would be my final meal)
• anchovy mayonnaise, p95 (i make this with fishcakes sometimes!)
• sardine butter, p96
  • nice spread on a baked potato or in a baguette sandwich with some bitter leaves)
• tuna with haricot beans, tomato and chilli, p102
  • i more often make a variation of this with olives or spinach instead of tuna, but the original is good too
• blue cheese pasta, p113 (super fast and also really nice with bitter leaves)
• avocado with warm bacon vinaigrette, p128
• mango, mint and bulghur wheat salad
• bulghur wheat pilaf with butter and almonds, p195
  • i like this with some lemony baked salmon and some salad leaves
• welsh rabbit, p271

bookmarked to cook

• fancy ham sandwiches: with grilled baby leek and parmesan, or with sliced artichokes, or with dandelion leaves, pine nuts and raisins, p6-7
• stracciatella, p48
• red mullet with fennel and pernod, p68
• pasta with grilled tomatoes and onions, p108
• pappardelle with olive paste and gruyere, p114
• dolcelatte gnocchi, p115
• spring greens and anchovies on garlic toast
• mushroom rolls, p157
  • it's basically a crispy bread roll filled with cream and mushroom, apparently from 1782, and this sounds so freaky i must try it. a lot of my bookmarks from this book are slightly freaky things to make for a solo WFH lunch, but this one especially so
• deep-fried pesto and tomato sandwich, p179
• hot brown lentils with mint vinaigrette, p205
• grilled chicken livers with mustard and thyme butter, p228
• five-spiced pork buns, p252
• purple figs with warm honey, p294

real food, nigel slater

favourites

• potato and smoked mackerel dauphinoise, p18
• warm potato, spinach and parmesan salad, p57
• browned onion and madeira gravy, p117 (works with vegan butter too)
• spiced indian chicken baguette, p178
• hot chocolate pudding, p291 (it's gluten free!)

bookmarked to cook

• mushroom and potato pie, p30
• toad, p114
• crisp fish with garlic, chilli and basil, p160
• prosciutto and fontina pastries, p182
• peter gordon's muffaletta, p190 (but probably without the pancetta)
• hot mozzarella focaccia, p191
• leek and taleggio risotto, p223
• roquefort and mushroom pancakes, p226
• pears with florentine cream, p296

how to eat, nigella lawson (another book which pretty inappropriately taught me how to cook, but this time when i lived blissfully alone for a year and could cook all the stupid bullshit i wanted without anyone calling me weird. a really good eating alone book - my partner is more or less vegan so it's a fun novelty to drown everything in butter and cream once in a while!!)

favourites

• south beach black bean soup, p92
• mushroom-steak sandwich, p136 (no steak involved; also one of the world's best sandwiches IMO)
• fried prawn cakes, p145
• pea risotto, p156
• spaghetti carbonara, p162
• mackerel in cider, p197
• seven-minute steamed chocolate pudding, p208
• sticky chocolate pudding, p221
  • yes i have just listed two chocolate pudding recipes next to each other, no these aren't even all the chocolate pudding recipes in this book, no i won't pick a favourite
• lemon ice-cream, p282 (no ice cream maker required! still feels so luxurious anyway!)
• apple butterscotch tart, p314 (you may have noticed that this is a god tier book for fancy puddings)
• caesar salad, p340
  • incredibly good as a light sunday evening dinner for some reason? especially comes into its own after you've been nursing a hangover all day and suddenly emerge from your stupor in the evening craving something fresh and green. uses garlic roast potatoes instead of croutons which are genius.
• chocolate raspberry pudding cake, p351
  • this literally gave my pathetic caffeine-intolerant body a blood clot (i'm fine! it was a non-serious one! i have learned my lesson about consuming half a cake's worth of dark chocolate AND caffeinated coffee in one day!) and i still enjoyed it so much i'd give it 5 stars. kinda doesn't need the chambord but it'll make you feel like a 30s movie star when you drink the rest of the bottle.
• anglicised involtini, p401
• mackerel teriyaki, p428
  • good with rice, pickled ginger and finely sliced spring onion and cucumber or miso-dressed cabbage salad

bookmarked to cook

• basic roast chicken, p8 (because i've never roasted a chicken and i feel like i should do it at least once in my life)
• basic white loaf, p33. well, bookmarked to try again, since on my first try my loaf came out so dense and under-kneaded you could smash a window with it. one day i WILL become a bread guy.
• beef stew with anchovies and thyme, p112
  • i don't eat very much meat and beef is my least favourite; nevertheless once a year when it gets cold i suddenly hear the whispering voices of my stodgy anglo-saxon peasant ancestors and start craving a Wholesome Meat Stew. i haven't ever acted on that impulse to date, but one of these days i'll get round to it, and this seems like the creme de la creme of beef stews
• stem-ginger gingerbread, p128
• lamb and bean braise, p155 (another contender to satisfy the I Must Make a Stew, Store the Turnips and Fear God impulse)
• squid with chilli and clams, p189 (real hot girl summer food)
• cinnamon-hot rack of lamb with cherried and chickpea'd couscous, p204
• baked figs, p206
• mushroom ragout, p223
• golden root-vegetable couscous, p227
• baked sauternes custard, p239 (i just want to be a fancy fancy girl okay)
• crepes parmentier with marinated smoked haddock, p242
• poires belle helene, p244
• crab and saffron tart, p250
• yorkshire pudding with syrup and cream, p287
• lemon pie, p301
• marsala muscovado custard with muskily spiced prunes, p367 (pure poetry, an autumnal-sounding dream)
• onion tart, p392
• thai clam pot, p431
• roast garlic and lemon dressing, p439

the cornershop cookbook, caroline craig & sophie missing (i feel like this cookbook doesn't get enough attention; it's bright and fresh and modern, and best of all you can always find the ingredients)

favourites

• courgette, cannellini and lemon fritters, p46
  • nice with minty yoghurt and a green salad; i'm going to see if they're good with vegan cheese too
• tinned crab and corn cakes, p47
  • REALLY nice with the mango and bulghur wheat salad from real fast food
• peanut butter noodles, p63
• kidney bean curry, p65
• virtuous vegetable rice bowl, p80
• aubergine lahmacun, p89
  • these took forever when i made them but were worth it, and i think they could be sped up by grilling the aubergine rather than cooking it on the hob, and by using bottled red peppers
• frank's tuna melt, p110
• spicy bean and lime salsa wraps, p120
• cornershop koshari, p167

bookmarked to cook

• sardine banh mi, p73
• yam dumplings with red lentil curry, p76
• kashke bademyam, p100
• anchovy, onion and potato gratin, p112
• lime-marinated cod wraps with red onion and tomato, p115
• return of the mac, p124
  • this contains marmite, laughing cow and an optional sprinkling of ready salted crisps on the top and it sounds SO freaky i have to try it
• spicy braised fennel and sausages, p150 (to try with veggie sausages!)
• fish finger tacos, p170
• marshmallow puffed rice and oat cakes with golden syrup, p217

made in india, meera sodha

favourites

• poppadom chaat, p43
• aubergine and cherry tomato curry, p57
• chapatti wraps with spicy vegetables, p64 (but i just use wholemeal tortilla wraps instead of chapattis)
• cauliflower, cashew, pea and coconut curry, p65
• disha's pav bhaji, p66
• my partner sometimes makes fresh spinach and paneer, p69, and it's GOOD
• pudlas, p207
  • i make them with fire-bellied garlic and chilli chutney, p220, which is really quick and tasty, but i want to try the garlic pickle too!
• fennel seed shortbread, p231

bookmarked to cook

• spiced potato tikki, p46
• slow-cooked red pepper and paneer curry, p76
• coriander chutney chicken, p99
• mum's chicken curry, p100
• quick peshwari roti, p204
• fig firni, p226

much more veg, hugh fearnley-whittingstall

favourites

• miso-dressed cabbage, p270
  • i serve this with lots of things: peanut butter noodles, teriyaki mackerel, braised gochujang tofu, baked aubergines, and the odd katsu curry

bookmarked to cook

• roast fennel, new potato and tomato stew, p16
• celery, potato, barley and bean stew, p43
• spicy squash and bean mole, p84
• sweet potato, pineapple and red pepper pot, p97
• kohlrabi, cucumber and sprouted beans, p159
• cauliflower, apple, almond and date salad, p160
• soupe au pistou, p195
• chilled cucumber and melon soup, p226
• fennel, melon and basil, p249
• overnight orange, almond and cardamom smoothie, p288
• overnight banana, almond and cacao thickie, p290
• cucumber with caramelised cashews, p342

river cottage veg every day, hugh fearnley-whittingstall

favourites

• north african squash and chickpea stew, p30
• baba ghanoush, p303
• patatas bravas, p322

bookmarked to cook

• aubergine parmigiana, p18
• squash and fennel lasagne, p33
• courgette and filo rice pie, p51
• spelt salad with squash and fennel, p72
• tahini-dressed courgette and green salad, p74
• new potato, tomato and boiled egg salad, p76
• couscous salad with herbs and walnuts, p89
• shaved summer veg, p100
• avocado and ruby grapefruit with chilli, p122
• pizza with new potatoes, rosemary and blue cheese, p182
• leek and cheese toastie, p202
• upside-down onion tart, p218
• pasta with rocket, fennel and lemon, p262
• tomato and mozzarella risotto, p272
• caponata, p307
• vegetable tempura with chilli dipping sauce, p308
• cauliflower pakoras with tamarind raita, p318
• charred baby leeks with romesco, p336
• leeks with coconut milk, p378
• celery gratin, p380

fresh india, meera sodha

favourites

• shredded roti with red cabbage and carrot, p52 (well, it's my favourite when my partner cooks it)
• lime pickle rice with roasted squash, p200

bookmarked to cook

• blackened sweetcorn chaat, p26 - would be incredible as part of a salad buffet
• sweet potato vindaloo, p57 (though a friend did once cook me an adapted version of this which was amazing)
• goan butternut squash cafreal, p67
• cauliflower korma with blackened raisins, p68
• courgette kofta in a ginger and tomato sauce, p78
• mangalorean plantain curry, p79
• baby aubergines stuffed with peanut and coconut, p112
• coal-smoked aubergine curry, p116
• hill station salad, p143
• bengali-in-the-cupboard egg curry, p153
• park street kati rolls, p154
• sticky mango paneer skewers, p158
• pumpkin, black-eyed bean and coconut curry, p169
• butternut squash, aubergine and red lentil sambhar, p173
• lentil fritters with yoghurt and chutneys, p182
• dosa, ideally the weekend version, with coconut potatoes, p222
• gulab jamuns in saffron syrup, p260

rebel recipes, niki webster

favourites

• miso and maple-glazed aubergine, p95
  • i don't bother with the green beans or coconut rice, but i do like it with thin strips of cucumber and spring onion dressed with sesame oil and lemon

bookmarked to cook

• peanut, sweet potato and veg curry, p74
• spicy ethiopian lentils, p88
• roast aubergine sabih, p96
• kimchi tofu gyozas, p102
• hoisin mushroom momos, p107
• baked mushrooms with cashew cheese, p108
• roast cauliflower carbonara, p133
• ginger and chestnut cake with peanut butter frosting, p209
• salted date and salted caramel pecan buns, p210

east, meera sodha

favourites

• celery and peanut wontons with chilli soy sauce, p27
  • i've started using the chilli soy sauce for other things and it's much faster to make in the microwave by heating all the ingredients together for ~30 secs!
• peanut butter and purple sprouting broccoli pad thai, p79
• udon noodles with red cabbage and cauliflower, p89
• mushroom mapo tofu, p171
  • this actually might be my favourite of all the favourites. good for a weeknight but special enough to make for friends!
• honey, soy and ginger braised tofu, p175
• chilli tofu, p177
• mashed potato paratha with a quick lemon pickle, p187
• sweetheart cabbage okonomiyaki, p201
• salted miso brownies, p276

bookmarked to cook

• full disclosure that at the start of this year, in full lockdown and losing my mind, i was like I'M GOING TO COOK EVERY SINGLE RECIPE FROM EAST THIS YEAR JUST TO FEEL SOMETHING, so like in theory all of them, but more realistically:
• mushroom bao, p20
• bombay rolls, p203

carbs, laura goodman

bookmarked to cook

• bacon, cheddar and jalapeno cornbread, p23
• banana-nut matzo brei, p34
• potato farls, p50 (i tried these in northern ireland as a wee babby and honestly we english are missing so many fry-up tricks. hash browns WHOM)
• chocolate chip banana bread, p54
• brown rice with black beans and fried plantain, p67
• leek, mushroom and gorgonzola pearl barley, p74
• fig, almond butter and dark chocolate toastie, p171

nistisima, georgina hayden

bookmarked to cook

• bobalki with sauerkraut and onion or poppy seeds and honey, p38
  • realistically i'm sooo not good enough at making bread to make these well but i can dream
• fattet houmous, p57
• sauerkraut and herb potato salad, p82
• roasted garlic muhammara, p87
• alissa's borscht, p154
• mushroom, potato and cumin bourekia, p161
• kolokithopita: pumpkin and raisin pie with harissa, p162
• kibbet el raheb: monks' soup, p174
• apricot, beer and walnut rolls, p229

ripe figs, yasmin khan

bookmarked to cook

• eggs with yoghurt and chilli butter, p56
• halloumi saganaki, p122
• spicy bulgur in lettuce cups, p165
• hot yoghurt and spinach soup, p184
• pumpkin and cardamom soup, p190
• vegetable moussaka, p210
• tagliatelle with herbed lentils, p212
• prawn saganaki, p220
• date and walnut brownies, p278

original flava, craig and shaun mcanuff

favourites

• curry chicken

bookmarked to cook

• brit-caribbean breakfast bowl, p30
• rice and peas, p59
• doubles, p101
• butter bean, sweet potato and okra stew, p146
• plantain beanburger, p162
• guiness punch, p220
• carrot juice, p224