Orlando Murrin - Twos Company

TWOS COMPANY

S IMPLE

Orlando Murrin

TWOS COMPANY

S IMPLE

FAST & FRESH RECIPES FOR COUPLES, FRIENDS & ROOMMATES

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CLARE WINFIELD

Dedication

For Robert.

Senior Designer Megan Smith

Creative Director Leslie Harrington

Editorial Director Julia Charles

Production Manager Gordana Simakovic

Head of Production Patricia Harrington

Food Stylist Rosie Reynolds

Assistant Food Stylist Troy Willis

Prop Stylist Polly Webb-Wilson

Proofreader Anne Sheasby

Indexer Hilary Bird

Published in 2022

by Ryland Peters & Small

2021 Jockeys Fields

London WC1R 4BW

and

341 E 116th St

New York NY 10029

www.rylandpeters.com

Text copyright Orlando Murrin 2022

Design and photographs copyright Ryland Peters & Small 2022

ISBN: 978-1-78879-467-1

eISBN: 978-1-78879-489-3

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

The authors moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Printed and bound in China.

CIP data from the Library of Congress has been applied for. A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

This book is intended as a manual for everyone who cooks regularly for two. Wherever possible, Ive avoided saddling the cook with leftovers or half-finished packs. If something is only available in a family size pack Ive suggested how you might use the remainder. Ive tried to explain the recipes clearly but have assumed a basic familiarity with preparation and processes. For those who like to cook that way, I have weighed, measured and timed everything accurately. Many prefer a more Bohemian approach, in which case I hope you will use these recipes as a springboard.

When I specify FLOUR I mean plain/all-purpose flour. BUTTER is salted. OIL is vegetable oil (preferably rapeseed), unless otherwise specified. SUGAR is white or golden. When it comes to EGGS , I recommend buying mixed-weight eggs (as fully explained on ). All the recipes in this book will work with any size egg.

Whether your OVEN is gas, electric or convection, you dont need to PREHEAT it an explanation as to why, can be found on .

Dotted throughout the book are nearly 50 tips and suggestions, which I hope you will find useful, interesting and thought-provoking. If one catches your eye but then vanishes, they have their own index on .

Finally, warm greetings to American cooks, for whom we have interwoven U.S. MEASUREMENTS (oz. fl oz. and cups) for your convenience.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

There are times when its fun to embark on a complicated cookery project involving myriad ingredients combined in intricate ways, but what Im usually looking for is inspiration for tonights dinner. I need dishes that are ready in under an hour, or come together quickly and can be left to do their own thing in the oven or on the hob. In an age when recipes seem to be getting more complicated, even reading some of the titles makes me feel exhausted I want good, honest ingredients to be allowed to speak for themselves, and look great on the plate naturally, without embellishment or disguise.

To reflect todays preference for eating less meat, nearly half the recipes in this book are either vegetarian or based on fish; many more can be easily adapted to be meat-free. Nestling among them are nearly 50 wide-ranging tips and tricks, many gleaned from chefs and fellow food writers, others new discoveries. These have their own index on , and some may surprise you.

So what exactly do I mean by simple? Well, its not about cheating: almost all the recipes in this book are scratch cooking, where you start off with raw ingredients and end up with a home-cooked meal. Wherever I can, Ive pruned out non-essentials and streamlined methods. Im all for timesaving shortcuts and freezer standbys, but with a few exceptions Ive avoided pre-prepared sauces and convenience foods.

A handful of recipes specially those inspired by faraway cuisines look as if they contain lots of ingredients, but theyre still straightforward to cook. A few contain specialist items which require seeking out, but are again easy to cook. Throughout, Ive tried not to leave you with leftovers or half-finished pack (which are the curse of the smaller household); in the odd case where I cant help marooning you with half a tub of something, I suggest how you might use it up.

One of the pleasures of creating this book has been the opportunity to experiment, and along the way Ive had a major rethink of my kitchen strategies. Here are my new ten golden rules:

NO NEED TO PREHEAT YOUR OVEN

In this energy-conscious age, all the dishes in this book have been devised to be started in a cold oven, so as not to waste heat. This method works for roasts, bread, pastry, souffls, cakes the lot. A video I made of a cold-start Yorkshire pudding went viral on Facebook.

Many cooks are resistant to this principle, which I can understand as it goes against everything we were taught. If you prefer to stick with preheating, you will waste energy while the oven is heating up, but it will shave a few minutes off baking times; about 4 minutes if you have a fan oven, about 58 if you have a conventional electric or gas oven.

The canny cook can also turn the oven off a few minutes before cooking time has elapsed, to allow residual heat to finish the job.

When frying on the hob/stovetop, the received wisdom is to heat the oil first or the food will absorb it and end up greasy rather than crisp. Ive not found this to be true. I add the oil, turn on the heat, swirl it round in the pan and start cooking.

Some people insist food should be served on very hot plates I was taught this from an early age. In a restaurant, perhaps, but if youre only dishing up for two and eating immediately, I find it unnecessary. If you do insist on hot plates, dont put the oven on specially just warm them under hot water.

WAIT TILL ITS READY

Sounds obvious, but food tastes better when its pleasantly warm, rather than screaming hot. In many recipes, I recommend building in cooling time at the end at least 10 minutes. Youll be surprised how much more enjoyable food can be without fear of burning your tongue.

GET EVERYTHING OUT BEFORE YOU BEGIN COOKING

I know the old-fashioned wisdom is to get all equipment and ingredients out before you begin to cook, but in the past Ive never bothered. I decided to try it out when testing the recipes for this book, and its true it really does make cooking quicker and easier. You have to get used to working on a more crowded worktop Ive previously preferred Zen-like minimalism but as well as saving time, youll find your kitchen remains cleaner and tidier, without constant traipsing back and forth between drawers and cupboards.