Although I could most certainly be classed as a reluctant cook I was really interested to review Rick Stein’s latest book Simple Suppers. This hardback book is a brand-new collection of over 120 easy recipes and how I love the word easy. I can understand you perhaps thinking that this superb, top celebrity chef never creates easy dishes, but you’d be wrong, as these recipes are straightforward, simple and also delicious, but all with very little effort. So that is my kind of cooking!
The idea of a supper cookbook appealed to Rick because it suggests an ordinary meal, when you are not in a panic because 12+ people are coming to your house wanting to be fed in style. These recipes are for you to cook when you’ve come home for work and you want something quick, tasty and easy. So get changed into your jeans, pour yourself a glass of wine and select your recipe, the selecting bit might not be that easy as Rick has created a superb collection of stylish, relaxed recipes for midweek, weekends and every possibility in-between.
To give you a fuller ‘taste’ for this book, let me break-down some chapters:
Suppers for one: Easy croque monsieur, Steak with Chimichurri sauce.
Suppers for two: Harissa lamb steak with chickpea mash, Aubergine braised with soy & ginger.
Suppers with friends: Pilaf with buttermilk chicken & pomegranate, Puff pastry fish pie.
Fast suppers: Sweet potato, chorizo & sweetcorn tacos, Baked portobello mushrooms with Dolcelatte & walnuts.
One-pot suppers: Coconut prawn curry, Wild garlic & broad bean risotto.
Veggie suppers: Vegetable bourguignon with dumplings, Spaghetti with courgettes, rosemary and ricotta.
Now in case that wasn’t enough for you – I have more:
Suppers for one: Easy croque monsieur, Steak with Chimichurri sauce.
Suppers for two: Harissa lamb steak with chickpea mash, Aubergine braised with soy & ginger.
Suppers with friends: Pilaf with buttermilk chicken & pomegranate, Puff pastry fish pie.
Fast suppers: Sweet potato, chorizo & sweetcorn tacos, Baked portobello mushrooms with Dolcelatte & walnuts.
One-pot suppers: Coconut prawn curry, Wild garlic & broad bean risotto.
Veggie suppers: Vegetable bourguignon with dumplings, Spaghetti with courgettes, rosemary and ricotta.
This is a brilliant book, with such beautiful photography that I was spoilt for choice as to where to start, but I can assure you that the main reason I loved this book was that Rick has created ‘Simple’ Suppers, which means that every recipe step is clear and easy, or really I should say simple to follow – yes even for me, the reluctant cook!
Hardcover: 320 pages | ISBN-10: 1785948148, | ISBN-13: 978-1785948145
Publisher: BBC Books (26 Oct. 2023) | Price: £28.00 | www.waterstones.com
About the Author: Rick Stein’s passion for using good-quality local produce and his talent for creating delicious recipes in his books and restaurants have won him a host of awards, accolades and fans. As well as presenting a number of television series, he has published many best-selling cookery books, including French Odyssey, Coast to Coast, Far Eastern Odyssey, Rick Stein’s Long Weekends and Rick Stein’s India.
Rick has always believed in showcasing local seafood and farm produce in his four restaurants in Padstow, Cornwall, where he also has a cookery school, food shops and a pub in the nearby village of St Merryn. In 2018 Rick was awarded a CBE for services to the economy. He divides his time between Padstow, London and Australia, where he also has two seafood restaurants by the sea in Mollymook, and Port Stephens NSW.
