Harriott - Ainsley Harriotts Friends & Family Cookbook

CONTENTS

A complete reference book for the way we eat today containing over 200 tempting new recipes.

Features step-by-step advice, low-fat dishes and complete menus with timeplans.

Includes lots of variations on everyday favourites to keep the home cook inspired.

Every recipe illustrated to encourage you to have a go.

One of the nations all-time favourite television chefs, Ainsley Harriott has become a much-loved face on our screens as the presenter of Ready Steady Cook and several other series. His recipe books have sold a total of 2 million copies worldwide and include the Feel-Good Cookbook, Ainsleys Barbecue Bible, Meals in Minutes, Low-fat Meals in Minutes, All New Meals in Minutes, Big Cook Out, the Friends and Family Cookbook and Just Five Ingredients.

Its great to know that so many of you have enjoyed my range of cookery books, which includes Meals in Minutes, Barbecue Bible and Gourmet Express to name but a few. Your feedback has been really positive. You generally seem to want the same things when it comes to recipes: good, delicious, nutritious meals that are easy to prepare and guaranteed to have everyone coming back for seconds.

Ive certainly kept this in mind when coming up with the ideas for my new Friends and Family Cookbook after all, these people are the most important in our lives, so when it comes to mealtimes we want to give them the best we can. For me there is nothing better than cooking and eating really good home-cooked food with people I really care about.

Ive also tried to make this book much more than just another recipe collection by including tips on shopping for the week ahead, menu ideas and lots of basic recipes. It should be the type of cookbook that will become an essential handbook and make life in the kitchen an altogether easier and more enjoyable experience for you.

The book is divided up into sections that reflect the whole range of occasions you might want to cater for such as: Breakfasts and Brunches, with lots of yummy dishes to kick off the day; Lunch on the Go, full of new and exciting ways with packed lunches; Friends for Dinner, plenty of quick, tasty and satisfying dishes for that casual dinner party; Spice It Up, with spicy ideas for that Friday-night curry fix; Home Alone, for that effortless treat for one or two; and Al Fresco Eating, for those summer days when you want to get together with your mates for a bit of outdoor entertaining.

You can of course mix and match the dishes, but I hope that whatever the occasion, youll be able to pick up this book and find a chapter that fits the bill. Another of my favourite sections is After-work Suppers, as I often have to dash home after a hectic day and whip-up some family treats such as Smoked Bacon, Creamed Tomato and Pea Penne, Crispy Salmon Fingers with Sun-blushed Dipping Sauce, Chicken Pasta Salad with Pine Nuts or American Hot Pizza, all of which are great because theyre easy to prepare and can be multiplied up if the kids bring some of their friends home for tea. Just as well that the fabulous desserts are also quick to make, and you can easily conjure up treats such as Butterscotch Whip in a Whirl, Chocolate Mousse in Minutes and Baked Bananas with Greek Yoghurt yum!

Sometimes, though, its not just finding that key recipe thats the problem, its planning an entire menu. If you want to cook that special Valentines Day dinner, where do you start? What do you prepare for a Girls Night In ? Throughout the book Ive included some menu spreads to help you out, and all of the menus have been thought through so that youve got time to entertain and enjoy the meal yourself. There are also tips for preparing ahead and advice on what wines to swig as well.

The Back to Basics section is packed with great salads and dressing ideas, fresh exciting ways to serve vegetables and instructions on how to make pastry and sauces from scratch. Im not against taking short-cuts and using readymade ingredients to save time, but its also good to know how to make some of the basics. After all, you cant spend your whole life being terrified of making pastry go on have a go youll be amazed at how easy it is.

So now it just remains for me to say that I hope you thoroughly enjoy using my Friends and Family Cookbook. Please feel free to experiment with your own variations on the recipes because cooking should be lots of fun. I hope that in this book Ive given you a wide and varied range of recipes and lots of helpful advice that will make your kitchen a happy and stress-free place to be. Enjoy!

As you flick through the book youll see that each recipe includes some nutritional information to help ensure that you and your family are eating a balanced diet.

For most of the dishes the information given is per portion, so provided you stick to the exact recipe you can calculate precisely how much fat etc. you are eating. Any side dishes or sauces that you choose to add will obviously involve extra calories, fat, and so on. Occasionally, the information will apply to an entire recipe so, for example, the information for the pastry recipe in the Back to Basics section, is for the entire amount. Where this is the case Ive mentioned it in the recipe introduction so that youre not overly alarmed if the calories or fat content look unusually high.

Where recipes contain less than 12 g of fat youll see the star symbol (left) beside the recipe title. For those of you watching what you eat, these are the dishes to choose as theyre officially classed as low-fat. Of course that doesnt mean theyre not delicious. I pride myself on creating great tasting low-fat food, as the wife insists we do our best to be healthy. But dont take my word for it, look through the book and youll see exactly what I mean.

The recipes in this book are divided into chapters, which I think reflect the way we live today.

Breakfasts and Brunches includes quick, nutritious ways in which to start the day, plus a few slightly more elaborate ideas for lazy weekend brunches.

Lunch on the Go gives you ideas for a satisfying midday meal, whether you are at home, on the move or at work.

Home Alone includes lots of ideas for just one or two people. So whether you live alone, the rest of the household have skipped out for the evening, or you just want to have some quiet time catching up with a friend, these dishes will provide suppers that are quick and easy to shop for, prepare and cook.

After-work Suppers provides you with inspiration for tasty mid-week meals that you can put together in less than half an hour, whether youve had a hard day, are short on time or someone has to rush out for the evening.

Friends for Dinner is full of dishes that you can prepare in advance or that require very little attention once the cooking is under way, leaving you plenty of time to chat and catch up.

Spice It Up offers a selection of spicy dishes from around the world that will provide you with an alternative to takeaway curry on a Friday night. They are mostly quick to cook and informal in style, both of which are important after a busy week. Only a couple take a little longer to cook, and these can be made in advance and reheated quite quickly in the time that it takes to cook the accompanying rice.