From Season to Season: A Year In Recipes

We love Sophie Dahl. In fact we love all the Dahl's, especially Roald. Sophie is Roald's granddaughter, who took the famous family name when she began to model. She was what we loving call in America a plus-size model.

Ironically,since she has started writing cookbooks, she has slimmed down considerable. But with a second cookbook and a another television show, the British press loves to compare her to Nigella Lawson.

With all that cleavage one worries whether they can even get close to the stove without some sort of Mrs. Doubtfire moment...

...but I digress...

We really loved Dahl's first cookbook, Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights. This new book is called From Season to Season: A Year In Recipes. However, when it gets published next year in America is will be titled, Very Fond of Food: A Year In Recipes. Why the name change is beyond me unless they are worried that there are several "season to season" books floating around.

This book is very much like the last. It is filled with comforting food, great photos, and family anecdotes. The recipes are fairly easy to follow and would be at home on any family table. In Britain is would seem that the kebab is very much like the hamburger -- that food one grabs when in a big hurry. Dahl's kebabs offer both a vegetarian and a chicken option, safely providing something for everyone. I must say, the recipe for the dressing is a good one. Often the words "dressing" or "sauce" are usually tedious and the part of the recipe that makes the reader turn the page. So putting everything in the blender and blitzing is quite comforting.

Kebabs

1 large courgette/zucchini, cut into rough chunks
1 packet of halloumi cheese, cut into chunks (or 250g/9 oz of skinless and boneless chicken breast, cut into chunks)
1 large red onion, peeled and cut into chunks
250g/9 oz of cherry tomatoes

For the dressing

250g of plain yoghurt
25g/ 1/4 cup of flaked almonds
1 clove of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
A handful of fresh coriander/cilantro
A small handful of fresh mint
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon of olive oil

If using wooden skewers, soak them for one hour in cold water first. Light the barbecue or preheat the grill of the oven.

Assemble the vegetables and cheese on the skewers, alternating courgette/zucchini, chunks of halloumi, onion and whole tomatoes. Leave to one side.

To make the dressing, put all the remaining ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth. You can now pour this over the skewers before or after cooking them.

Put the skewers on the barbecue or under the grill and cook for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally.

Last time, the book was coming out before Christmas but Very Fond of Food: A Year In Recipes has a spring release date. If you can't wait, pick up a copy of From Season to Season: A Year In Recipes and find out why Miss Dahl is very fond of food.

Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights

I have written before about Roald Dahl, and now his granddaughter, Sophie, has followed in his footsteps and written a cookbook. And a lovely cookbook it is. Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights is a beautiful cookbook, big and bold much like Sophie Dahl, herself.

The recipes are simple and easy to make and totally wonderful. Dahl is a vegetarian, but she has several "meaty" recipes in the book. He brother, Luke, loves lamb. When she told him of the book, he wanted to know which lamb she was including. Of course, she added his favorite, rare, lamb.

The book is divided into the four seasons, with each season offering up recipes for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. There is final chapter for "Puddings" or deserts as real people refer to sweets after meals.

Sophie had a bit of kismet when at eighteen, she got in a fight with her mother over career plans. She ran out of the house and collapsed on some steps, crying. The owner of the flat approached and inquired as to why she was crying. In typical mother/daughter relations, Dahl wept that her mother didn't understand her. Dahl helped the woman carry in her bags. She asked Dahl if she wanted to model and Dahl said yes. "Now put on some lipstick and we'll tell your mother we've found you a career."


The woman whose steps Dahl collapsed upon was none other then Isabella Blow.

At a Japanese restaurant, Dahl and Blow broke the news to Dahl's mother. As Dahl consumed sushi with reckless abandon, Blow remarked, "Gosh, you do like to eat."

I am not sure what her mother thought of the infamous Opium ad, but it still causes controversy. And though Sophie has slimmed down a bit, much to the dismay of her many fans, she still likes to eat. Once again, her brother Luke aides in her cookbook writing. He loves honey and cheeses and he told her of a dream of eating ham from a pig raised on ricotta and honey. Both were quite crushed that there was no such ham. As an homage to the dream...

Grilled Figs with Ricotta and Honey

6 figs, quartered but still whole
Tiny dot of unsalted butter
1 tablespoon of thyme honey
2 slices of ricotta

Preheat the grill. Wash the figs and carefully cut them open --score them twice. Dot each one with a mini amount of butter and do the same with the honey -- just a quick drizzle on each one, not a monsoon cloud.

Put on a baking tray/cookie sheet under a searing grill for 2 minutes. Serve with a slice of ricotta, draped with another dignified slip of the honey.

Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights is not yet published in the U.S., but it should be out before Christmas, which makes it a great present. If you are headed off the England in the near future, or you have a friend headed over, do tell them to grab you a copy.

After cooking from this book, people will exclaim, "Gosh, you do like to eat."

Roald Dahl’s Revolting Recipes

Roald Dahl was the a great writer. The fact that most of his books are considered "children's" books is really irrelevant. The wickedly mischievous Dahl loved the gory side of life.

Toward the end of that life, Dahl was helping his wife, Felicity, assemble a book of recipes that became Memories and Food at Gipsy House. While they were assembling the recipes, Felicity suggested that Dahl compile a children’s cookbook based on the foods he invented for his characters. He demurred, believing it to be far to daunting to a man in failing health.

Some time later, Felicity found a list of every food mentioned in Dahl’s books, from Willy Wonka to James and Giant Peach. After his death, several revolting cookbooks grew from his list. Roald Dahls Revolting Recipes is one of them. The recipes are as deliciously wicked as Dahl's words. This recipe from James and The Giant Peach will help you and your children make wasp stings on toast.

Crispy Wasp Stings On A Piece Of Buttered Toast

You Will Need:

small round cookie cutter
baking sheet
bowl

Buttered Toast:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 slices white bread


Wasp Stings

2 1/2 ounces shredded coconut
1/4 cup sifted confectioners sugar
3 teaspoons honey
grated zest (yellow skin only) of a quarter of a lemon


1. Work the butter and cinnamon together until thoroughly mixed.
2. Toast the bread. Cut four disks out of each slice and set aside.
3. Spread 2 ounces of the shredded coconut onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar.
4. Place under a hot broiler until the sugar begins to caramelize (it will happen very quickly), then with a spatula turn the coconut over and caramelize the underside.
5. Transfer to a bowl, add the honey and lemon zest and mix well.
6. Add the remaining coconut.
7. Spread the cinnamon butter on the toast disks and top with the crisp wasp stings.

Quentin Blake ccontinued his tradition of illustrating Roald Dahl.



If you have a budding cook in the family, put this book in their hands and enjoy the mayhem.