Harriott - Just Five Ingredients

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Epub ISBN: 97814481480

Version 1.0

Published in 2009 by BBC Books, an imprint of Ebury Publishing.

A Random House Group Company

Copyright Ainsley Harriott 2009

Ainsley Harriott has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this Work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

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ISBN 978 0 56 353924 7

Ainsley Harriott is the master of fabulous, flavoursome food and he has created a collection of mouth-watering dishes that use a maximum of five ingredients perfect for the time-short, budget conscious book.

Bursting with flavours from all around the world, Ainsleys recipes include fresh salads, succulent fish and meat dishes, hearty pastas, vegetarian delights, sizzling barbecue ideas and tempting desserts. And using his flair for creating simple, easy-to-prepare food, he has used just five easily accessible ingredients per recipe, plus salt, pepper and oil, to create these delicious dishes with minimum fuss and expense. Most of these recipes can be made in minutes, others can be prepared quickly but need a little time to marinate or slow-cook in the oven, while you get on with other jobs.

Therell be no more looking at an ingredients list and groaning at all the shopping and chopping youll have to do. Ainsley has created an essential cookbook thats sure to be the only extra ingredient you'll need in your kitchen.

Ainsley Harriott is one of the nations all-time favourite television chefs and one of the most charismatic. He was the much-loved presenter of Ready Steady Cook, a programme that ran for 20 series all over the world. Loved for his infectious enthusiasm for quick, simple but inventive recipes, Ainsleys books include the best-selling Meals in Minutes, Low Fat Meals in Minutes, Ainsleys Barbecue Bible, Big Cook Out and the Friends and Family Cookbook. Ainsley has also created a hugely successful range of food products. He lives in London with his wife and children.

Cooking at home for family and friends is all about unpretentious meals and good ingredients. Ive always enjoyed creating quick and simple recipes that are delicious to eat without compromising on flavour, but Ive become increasingly aware of another element the length of the ingredients list. I think we chefs focus so much on creating depth and flavour that we sometimes forget how much shopping and preparation were asking our readers to do how many times have you looked at a recipe but felt put off by the number of ingredients?

In this book you dont have to worry about what can be a daunting and overwhelming challenge, especially for the less experienced cook. Shorter shopping lists and reduced preparation times can be really useful for modern-day lifestyles, and even more so if youre on a budget.

I set myself a limit of just five ingredients plus salt, pepper and oil, to reflect this new style of modern cooking. And after creating 120 recipes for this book, I have to say I was genuinely excited and sometimes surprised at how delicious these dishes tasted. Cooking with only a few items can be very liberating as you can really taste each individual flavour. Nothing is hidden in this case less is definitely more! Who would have thought you could make a succulent Thai red beef curry with just five ingredients? Well you can if you focus on the key ingredient combination that will maximize the flavour.

There are lots of fabulous side dishes and scrummy hot and cold desserts, like chocolate parfait terrine with fresh raspberries, baked pears with pecan nuts and golden syrup, or if you fancy keeping it fresh and simple, try pineapple carpaccio with chilli, mint and passion fruit syrup. For those of you who like to bake, try my Rustic walnut and raisin bread, traditional Irish soda bread or melt-in-the-mouth Lemon shortbread triangles.

This kind of cooking is also perfect for vegetarians because what better way is there to bring out the taste of the freshest, best-quality vegetables than by marrying them with a few choice ingredients Baked field mushrooms going nuts with Cashel Blue, for example?

A short list of ingredients means that all of these recipes are very simple to prepare. Most will also take very little time to cook, but to maximise flavour, I have included a few recipes that do require some marinating time, or that take a little longer in the oven. But if you plan for this and check the recipe for timings beforehand, it will require no more effort from you.

Another tip is to have a good selection of store cupboard foods, so youll always be able to knock up a tasty meal with hardly any effort. Remember you need just five ingredients to make a meal. So stock up on cans or jars of tomatoes, tinned or dried pulses, peppers or artichokes in olive oil, coconut milk, risotto or easy cook rice, a variety of pasta shapes, stock cubes or liquid stock, good-quality salt and pepper, sunflower oil and virgin olive oil.

Ive also based each chapter around key ingredients depending on what youre likely to have in your fridge or store cupboard or whats available at your local supermarket. Each chapter has five recipes for one key ingredient. So if you fancy chicken tonight, have a look at the two chicken chapters. There are two chapters on pasta that are perfect for weeknight suppers, another that focuses on eggs and cheese, and one on mushrooms I think mushrooms are hugely underrated.

I have divided the recipes into courses and groups starters and light meals, pastas, pulses and grains, vegetarian dishes, meat and poultry, fish and seafood, side dishes, puddings and baking but my recipes are really flexible, so although there is a starters and light meals section, there isnt one for main courses. Some recipes are obviously main courses, starters or puddings, but please do feel free to double the starters or light meal recipes to make a main meal, or reduce the quantities of a main meal to cook a light lunch. If you are vegetarian do also check out the recipes in starters and light meals and pastas, pulses and grains.

I hope you enjoy making these recipes as much as I enjoyed creating them.