The joyful home cook by rosie birkett
The Joyful Home Cook is a visual success encapsulating summer with bright beach scenes, vibrant produce and picture perfect dishes. it’s a book bursting with passion and insight and has a hearty nod to seasonal produce. rosie birkett shares a collection of recipes for the committed home cook; one that wants to pickle, ferment and have a consistent waft of warm bread surrounding them. If you’re not convinced already then have a read, it’s a must for the collection.
Where’s home, where do you spend the most of your time?
I live in Hackney, north east London, right on the edge of the Walthamstow Marshes nature reserve. We have an open plan apartment and I spend most of my time in the kitchen/dining area of that, cooking or writing, or hosting friends. I'm also down on the Kent coast a lot because my mum lives down there and I try and spend as many weekends by the sea as possible. I wrote some of the book down there too which was hugely inspiring. I'm from Kent originally and the produce is just amazing, from really great asparagus and local strawberries and cherries, plus some great sea foraging - I love collecting wild fennel and sea beet when I'm there.
Was there a lightbulb moment, when you knew you wanted to work with food?
It happened more gradually, after writing about food for a few years. Realising that I wanted to specialise in writing about food was the first step, and that happened really early on, on my first magazine when I was 22 and got sent to write about a local restaurant which captured my interest unlike anything else I’d been reporting on. Since I began writing about food I’ve just become more and more fascinated by the stories and characters behind the food we eat, by the developments on the British food scene and by the art of cooking itself. I realised I wanted to properly learn to cook so that I knew the subject much better, and this led on to cookery school, then food styling (cooking for the camera), working with friends, throwing my own pop ups and supper clubs and writing recipes and cookbooks. Now I have a column in BBC Good Food magazine and two cookbooks.
What inspired you to write the book & who should buy it?
Anyone and everyone! I really believe that everyone can learn to cook delicious food in their kitchens at home and I wanted to share some of the things I’ve learned over the years that have made a real difference to me and improved my home cooking, but that have also been fun, therapeutic and satisfying to master. I wanted to demystify some of the more cheffy techniques like fermenting; baking with sourdough and preserving with pickles and jams as I really think these are things that can be game-changers for people cooking at home and they grew out of domestic kitchens. The book is all about trying to conjure the most flavour you possibly can from everyday ingredients, and about connecting people to the food they eat, with a focus on seasonality and craft - but all done in a fun, friendly way that doesn’t feel intimidating - I always try and write my recipes like I’m there talking to you in your kitchen. There are also plenty of quick and easy ideas and building block recipes that mean you’ll always have something tasty in your arsenal to bust out for hungry days. I do eat some very good quality meat but not very often, so seasonal veg forms the basis for most of my meals and there is plenty of vegetable led inspiration in the book for people who are cutting out meat or trying to eat less of it.
What ingredient could you not live without?
Sea salt. I love Maldon or Halen Mon - it brings out the flavour in everything without overpowering.
What’s your ultimate cooking hack?
I’d say have a go at fermenting. The fermented green chillies from the book get everywhere - whether in a nice cheese toasty, on pizza, chopped and tossed into a salad dressing, they add a sour, tangy, spicy lift to any dish - as do all the ferments in the book. Also properly seasoning and tasting as you go. Brining meat and poultry makes all the difference too.
Your favourite quick midweek/no fuss meal. Which recipe from the book should we head to?
It’s got to be pasta. It’s always my go-to when I’m short on time and haven’t meal planned or been shopping. Something like the sardine and fennel bucatini or the allotment greens orecchiette from the book.
Top 3 favourite restaurants to eat out at?
Rochelle Canteen in Shoreditch for deceptively simple, seasonal delicious food
Testi Turkish in Stoke Newington for charcoal grilled meats, delicious burned onion salads and grilled Turkish breads dipped in the meat juices
Contramar in Mexico City for sparkling fish ceviche, tuna and chipotle mayo tostadas and caldo de camaron - spiced shrimp soup
Your ultimate dinner party dish. Failsafe and impressive?
My confit chicken legs with kimchi and tenderstem broccoli udon noodles. The chicken is lightly cured in a salt rub to season it from the inside out and keep it super juicy and succulent then roasted in plenty of olive oil with shallots, chilli and garlic until it’s meltingly tender and crisp-skinned. It fills the house with the gorgeous scent of roast chicken and can be prepped ahead. You can find the recipe in The Joyful Home Cook.
Who is exciting you in the world of food right now?
I love James Lowe’s food at Lyle’s in Shoreditch and he’s about to open a new bakery in Borough market called Flor which will be massively exciting.
Who has influenced you and your approach to food the most?
I’d say there are too many people to list, all the fantastic chefs and cooks I’ve met and interviewed over the years, all the brilliant restaurants, cafes, markets and bakeries I’ve been to and places I’ve travelled - it all feeds in. But first and foremost my mum who is a wonderful home cook and instilled a healthy appreciation for good food in me from a young age.
What are you most proud of?
Both of my cookbooks. Books are such a labour of love but they are the most creatively satisfying projects and I love the dialogue I have with my readers. Seeing people cooking from the books and enjoying my recipes makes me so happy.
What’s next for you?
There's some exciting stuff in the pipeline and my recipe development and testing for BBC Good Food along with my writing for Borough Market magazine keeps me pretty busy. I'm about to head to Venice to write a story about the bacaro there which is going to be a very food-filled trip...
Burrata and roast root rave salad with harissa andwalnut salsa
Serves 4 as a starter, 6 as a side
Ingredients-
150g puy lentils
200g fregola or giant couscous 2 large beetroots, scrubbed
olive oil, for drizzling
300g organic carrots, scrubbed and halved lengthways
100g parsnips, scrubbed and halved lengthways
4 banana shallots, peeled and halved lengthways
4 slices of Preserved Orange (page 151) or zest of 1 orange
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds pinch of dried chilli flakes
1 tbsp honey or maple syrup leaves of 3 heads of chicory 2 large burrata
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the pickled beetroot
100ml cider vinegar 5g sea salt
30g caster sugar
½ tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp coriander seeds 1⁄2 cinnamon stick
2 candy-striped beetroots, peeled and thinly sliced
½ red chilli, thinly sliced (optional)
For the walnut salsa
50g walnuts
40g tinned anchovy fillets
1 tbsp rose harissa (I love Belazu) 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 tbsp coriander leaves 1 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp lemon juice 100ml olive oil
For the walnut salsa
50g walnuts
40g tinned anchovy fillets
1 tbsp rose harissa (I love Belazu) 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 tbsp coriander leaves 1 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp lemon juice 100ml olive oil
1. Cook the lentils in salted water, according to packet instructions, and the fregola separately (also in salted water) until al dente, drain both and transfer toa bowl. Pour in 1 teaspoon of olive oil and fork it through so that they don’t stick together.
2. Now pickle the beetroot. Combine the vinegar, 100ml water, salt, sugar and spices (except the chilli) in a non-reactive pan and bring to the boil. Place the beetroot slices and chilli (if using) in a clean heatproof jar or jug and pour over the pickling liquor. Leave to steep.
3. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Take a piece of foil big enough to wrap the beetroots and place the whole beetroots on it. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season. Wrap the beetroot in the foil, leaving a little air between them, and place on a baking tray. In a roasting tray, combine the carrots, parsnips, shallots and preserved orange or zest, pour over a little olive oil to coat, then scatter over the spices and drizzle over the honey or maple syrup. Season well with salt, give everything a good toss, then put that tray and the foiled beetroot tray in the oven, with the beetroot tray on the top rack.
4. Check the parsnips and carrots after 35 minutes. They should be browned and tender with crispy edges, but not dry, while the shallots should be nicely caramelised and sticky. When done, remove the tray from the oven. Roast the beetroots for 1 hour in total, until they are tender all the way through (use a skewer to check). Remove from the oven and leave until cool enough to handle, then use some kitchen paper or the back of a spoon to peel away the skin, and slice them into wedges.
5. To make the salsa, blitz the walnuts in a food processor briefly until coarsely chopped, then add the anchovies, harissa and herbs and blitz again to combine. Add the the orange juice, lemon juice and the olive oil. Blitz again, then taste and season with salt to taste.
6. To assemble the salad, add the chicory and herbs to the bowl of lentils and fregola, season with salt and pepper and add a splash of the beetroot pickling liquor and a little olive oil. Toss to coat, then arrange on a sharing platter. Top with the roast beetroots, carrots, shallots, parsnips and burrata, then dress with the salsa. Drain the beetroot from the pickling juice (reserving the juice for another use, see Rhubarb Poaching Liquor Roast Parsnips on page 197). Scatter over the pickled beetroot and serve with extra salsa on the side.