Small beginnings

One of the things on my list is a bit of an epic one. I have a problem with recipe books. We have a lot. Shelves full. And this is not good when the majority of what I cook is from my head, sometimes from the internet, and quite rarely from an actual recipe in an actual book.

This is not to say I don't read them. I particularly like Rick Stein's books from his many travel adventures for his narrative and the stunning photography. I like Nigella's books for the layout and variation. I like the look and feel of the Jamie Oliver books, the simplicity of matter-of-fact-ness of Delia's books, and the sheer madness and detail of The Fat Duck recipe book. I tend to read recipe books for interest and inspiration. There are regulars that I keep referring back to: Delia's bread sauce recipe, Nigella's Chardonnay jelly, Jamie's monkfish, and the golden crunches from my ladybird "We Can Cook" book. 

I would guess that I have made a recipe from maybe a third of the cook books on the shelf, or maybe even a half, and this needs to be rectified. So therefore on my list is to cook something from all our recipe books before I'm 40. That does include something from The Fat Duck and Michel Roux Jnr's The French Kitchen.

Yesterday, as is the time of year for homemade gifts, I made the Slow Roast Tomatoes in Oil from The River Cottage Preserves book. Whether this actually counts towards this goal or not is a different matter, as we've already used several recipes in this book. But the tomatoes are lovely and the recipe is quite easy. 

At the moment I'm not sure if I should set out to cook something from all the books we own, or just the ones we've not used yet. Maybe as time goes on, it will become clearer as to which option is best pursued. I have to say at this point I have just counted 118 books. And one which was loaned to my brother maybe 8 years ago. I think the latter option is perhaps wise. 

Also, a point to note is that this is from today, and does not include any books we may receive for Christmas etc! And another note, I have recently tried to curb this habit. I have resisted the urge to buy new books, and have discovered that the local library is a great resource if I ever feel the need for new inspiration.

This also links into another thing on my list. Get back to writing the food blog. So the tomato recipe may end up on there shortly. We shall see. Small beginnings.