Cooking Mentor needed....

[Jimbo]

My relationship with Delia Smith is coming to the end of its usefulness, I am fed up with being bossed around by her and am looking for a new cooking mentor. Anybody got any ideas?

[capt_birdseye]

For quick easy Italian try River Cafe Easy, it doesn't break the mould but there are some great risottos and other simple but delicious recipes.

Otherwise try Moro for Spanish/North African food. Yum.

[SeanMacGabhann]

Hi Jimbo

What sort of grub are you into?

For classic French bistro fare (Beef Bourgignon, Steak Frites etc) I recommend Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles cookbook

click on the "recipes" button here:

http://www.anthonybourdain.com/copy.asp?g=2&id=1

Nigel Slater is pretty good for quick and tasty food

More surprisingly perhaps I recommend getting a hold of something like The Good Housekeeping book of everything type recipe books - nothing will blow your socks off but it gives good grounding for most things and when your confidence is up you can go off-piste

Oh and if you do get the Bourdain book, follow his advice and make your own demi-glace - you will never ever use a stock cube again

[Jimbo]

Morning Sean Mac.

I love pretty much all types of food..... Recently, I have enjoyed following/cooking GI low meals such as Beef and Tomato Gratin. (Not really summer food.)

I am tempted to turn my hand to a bit of pastry making.......

[louisiana]

I recommend Nigel Slater's Appetite. Everything I've tried from there has been straightforward to make and interesting, and has won plaudits. You can't say more.

Also The Organic Cookbook by Carol Charlton. Everything there works, and works well. Also it doesn't make assumptions (no unobtainable ingredients, or esoteric techniques).

[Michael Palaeologus]

Mr Slater is good. I am a real fan of Jamie O. He got VERY overexposed a few years ago, but his cookingis rough, ready and damn tasty. His books are a good read too.

[dulwichmum]

Dear Jimbo,

I just love a Indian food myself. There is a restaurant called Agni in Hammersmith, where the chef achieved a Michelin Star at his previous restaurant before moving there. They hold regular cookery classes and demonstrations on a Sunday afternoon, and they are just amazing (you can google them, if you have a problem PM me).

The other thing which is quite worthwhile to do, is to get Kulwant to come to your home and cook for your dinner party. She does a full demonstration for your guests, and gives out super goody bags with spices and recipes, and Kulwant has been doing this locally for years. She has recently done a pilot cookery show for channel 4 I believe. PM me if you want her email address. I was in a bit of a rut last year - cooking wise, and I went to a lesson at Agni for summer barbecue food, it was amazing - a true eye opener. You would be amazed at how you can really make summer barbecue food special and not run of the mill. If I was you, I would try something completely different, something that really stretches you - something authentic and not like restaurant food.

DM

[Michael Palaeologus]

So all round to DMs for a Summer BBQ.

Sirus Todiwalla runs Cafe Spice Namaste and has produced a book or two - good stuff.

[Jimbo]

Hi DM,

Thanks for the cookery advice, I am actually in the middle of sorting out a team building/away day, for my team at work and I am now tempted by the idea of a corporate cookery day. Have you had any experience of such days?

This afternoon I am popping to Waterstone to stock up on new cook books and finally say goodbye to Delia.....

[Nero]

I have an idea. I had it a few weeks ago, butn think this is a good place to post it. Perhaps the lovely Silvana, whose 'real' name I forget, could provide cooking lessons to ED members, for a price? Nero

[*Bob*]

The River Cafe cookbooks really cheese me off. "Once you've hand-rolled and filled your raviolis with the reduced coulis of fresh Sicilian artichokes, simply grate off 4 slices of wild truffle and bake in a clay oven for 20 minutes". Hence the appearance of the River Cafe Cookbook Easy after the first two.

Nigel Slater books are v good.

[Rug]

Not sure how much it costs, as I won it in a competiton - but Divertimenti (http://www.divertimenti.co.uk/epages/Divertimenti.storefront) does a great cookery school thing. Highly recomend that one.

In terms of cookery books, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's "Meat" cookbook is awesome (probably not so for vegetarians), goes into great detail, loads of diverse recipes, but also more how to cook meat and give you ideas for yourself.

[capt_birdseye]

I only have River Cafe Easy from that selection and it does just what it says on the tin. The 15 minute tomato sauce is a current favourite for those days when cooking a proper meal is just too much of an effort.

[dulwichmum]

I love the idea of asking Silvana Franco to give us cookery lessons - she is just so fab. Please lets ask Silvana??? Anyone else interested?

[Michael Palaeologus]

Jimbo - we did an team build at South West London College in their training kitchens. It was a bit like Ready Steady Cook and great fun.