“Asparagus with Chicken and Basil” from “Feast App”

Ah. Nigel Slater. What’s not to love?

This is, needless to say, a Nigel Slater recipe. He’s a mainstay of the Observer/Guardian food pages, and I felt reasonably certain that we would enjoy this and I was right.

This is a great recipe for when asparagus is in season (which is right now) and you want to make the most of it, but have had a busy day at work (which is nearly every day, it seems like). The key is that you use an already roasted chicken–either the whole bird or parts–which really streamlines the preparation. The dressing is pesto and salsa verde adjacent, since it uses basil, parsley and mint, but also and the pine kernels. I know it looks a gloopy mess above but it actually is quite tasty.

This was a great star vehicle for in-season asparagus and an easy healthy weeknight dinner, so it was a win-win all around.

“Pomegranate and sumac salmon with kisir (fine bulgar salad)” from “Feast App”

Kirstin: There’s been a lot in the press recently about eating at least 30 different plants a week. Variety, it turns out, is the key to it all, or at least to a healthy gut. Previously we were encouraged to eat 5 servings of fruit or vegetables a day to optimise our vitamins and fibre intake, but with this new advice every individual plant you eat counts as one “plant point”. And you don’t even have to eat all of that plant, or even a serving of that plant, for it to count. Apparently just a small amount will do. So a banana counts as one point, as do a few carrot sticks. Interestingly, herbs and spices also count, albeit scoring just a quarter of a point each. But they still count! Why am I talking about this here? Well, having cooked from the Feast App for this past 10 days, I really do think I am doing well on the 30 points a week. The recipes are so varied and interesting in their spice and herb content. Especially the Ottolenghi ones, of course.

Take this recipe, for instance. I am always on the lookout for a good salmon recipe. And this one was a real winner with a lovely topping of sumac, aleppo chilli and pomegranate molasses, served alongside some very tasty bulgar salad. All told, I reckon this meal comes in at around 5 or possibly 6 plant points. Which is a well deserved added bonus to all those yummy flavours, and all the more reason you should give it a go!

“Grilled Courgettes with Garlic Ricotta and Raisin Agrodolce” from “Feast App”

Kirstin: We celebrated our first outdoor lunch of the year with this DELICIOUS Ottolenghi salad from the Feast app. The recipe is made of three parts (agrodolce raisins, lemon zest ricotta and grilled courgettes) which you then assemble together, before topping with fried capers and herbs. So while this wasn’t necessarily a throw it all together kind of easy dish, I knew what I was signing myself up for when I chose an Ottolenghi recipe. Faffing but also complex flavours. The result was joyous; a celebration of all that is Summer.

But there’s more. Because the app design is also worth mentioning here. Feast has a really user-friendly easy to navigate interface. When you are ready to make your recipe, you click on “Start cooking” which highlights and zooms through each step of the process. You can easily click back on ingredients when you need to from this tab. I also LOVE that there is a “Notes” section for personal comments (although interestingly there isn’t a public comment section as in the NYT app where I don’t know about you but I have been known to lose an hour or two in stories and tips).

This lunch was a real treat after the long winter. And I can neither confirm nor deny that a glass or two of rosé was served alongside just to compliment that Summer feeling.

“Marmalade-Glazed Lamb Shoulder with Mixed Spice and Cumin” from “Feast App”

Kirstin: So I’m cheating ever so slightly here as we made this from the paper Feast supplement this Easter, rather than from the app. When the Feast supplement first launched, back in the day (as part of the Guardian Saturday newspaper), I used to keep every single issue. They are so beautifully crafted, so filled with interesting recipes and inspiration. I even filed some away in a folder but I eventually cleared them out as part of a general tidying of my cookbooks. This app is going to revolutionise all that because it means the whole archive of recipes is easily accessible at all times and easy to search.
But I digress. This Easter I wanted to cook something Ottolenghi and lamb. I dithered between two recipes and eventually chose this one because of the marmalade and soy sauce combo. The glaze smelled especially incredible, it didn’t take long to prepare, and the whole meal was a triumph (I paired it with the Nigella Lawson Easter cake which is a bit of a tradition in these parts).

Cookbook of the Month, May 2024: Feast App from the Guardian

Maureen: We’re doing something a bit different this month– an app rather than an actual cookbook.

This is from our friends at the Guardian, which has been our favourite British food section since forever (I clarify with the British since we both have a very big soft spot for the New York Times food section too). But here, on British shores, the Guardian, and its sister Sunday publication the Observer, is our go-to spot.

The Guardian just dropped this app, and at the moment it only works on iOS (Apple) devices, so it’s very much early days. But given how much we rely on the Internet to find recipes these days, it seems a logical choice to give this a whirl. The last time we reviewed an app, it was The New York Times cooking app (natch) in June 2017. We loved its comprehension– you’d think of a dish and inevitably there’d be a recipe for it– its ease of use and and all-star lineup of food writers we adored (step forward Sam Sifton, Melissa Clark and Allison Roman). Even though there’s now an annual subscription fee, I happily pay it because I use it so much it more than pays for itself. I also strongly believe that we should pay for content, but that’s a story for another day. I still use it at least once a week, and I’ve saved more than 374 recipes over the years, so it’s money well spent.

I’m looking forward to comparing the Guardian’s app. I doubt it’ll be as good– only because the New York Times has been doing it for longer– but it will be a delicious experiment to try.

Kirstin: Using the kindle app for cooking has in turn meant I’ve been increasingly turning to recipe apps on my iPad for more food inspiration. While I love the NYT app, I’ve also recently been playing a lot with the Epicurious app which has content from Bon Appétit, Epicurious, and Gourmet. So when Maureen suggested we review this new app Feast from our friends at the Guardian, I was totally in. And why would I not be as it has content from many of my favourite cookbook writers including Yotam Ottolenghi, Rachel Roddy, Nigel Slater, Benjamina Ebuehi and Rukmini Iyer. It also has seasonal content which is going to make this month’s cooking especially fun.

Our Verdict: Easy Wins

Maureen: We thought Anna Jones would deliver another winner, and deliver she did.

Her 12 star ingredients– see photo on the cover above if you’re curious what they are– undoubtedly will be things you already have in your kitchen, or if not, they’re easy to source. The recipes were easy to do and the instructions were very clear. Most importantly, all but one of the dishes I made were utterly fabulous. This cookbook definitely will be hitting the High Rotation Bookshelf.

My only (admittedly small) criticism applies to both this cookbook and vegetarian recipes generally: Do not underestimate how long it will take to clean, chop, prepare and cook the ingredients. On more than one occasion, we didn’t read the recipe carefully enough and we found ourselves eating dinner much, much later than we thought we would. This is not a slam on Anna– she’s a great recipe writer– it’s only that if you’re looking for a dinner that you can get on the table in under 30 minutes, there’s only a few recipes in this collection that are going to fill that brief. And again, that’s fine, because she never promises that. Her idea is that you’ve got 12 star ingredients and here’s some delicious things you can make with those ingredients– and she delivered and then some on that idea.

Kirstin: This may be my favourite of Anna Jones’s books. The premise of focusing on 12 star ingredients works really well and the resulting vegetarian recipes are FABULOUS. But the thing I love most especially about Anna Jones is the way she writes her recipes; the way she confidently organises her preparation, her simple but thorough and clear instructions along the way and well chosen sub headings. As a result Jones’s recipes are a joy to cook. Her style of writing is as near as it gets to having a cook in your kitchen, holding your hand as you cook. This is no mean feat. So many cookbook writers do not do nearly as well at what you would think is the obvious when it comes to writing recipes. The photography is also spot on, with an exquisite photo for each recipe to inspire and guide. This cookbook is on high rotation in our kitchen and will remain so for many months and probably years. It’s an absolute classic and everyone– EVERYONE– should own a copy.

“Sticky Shallot Pappardelle” from “Easy Wins”

I’m devastated to report that we’ve now had our first “It was fine, it fed us” dish out of “Easy Wins.”

Listen, I love Anna Jones. I love vegetarian food. But I understand that this love comes with some costs, mainly that most of her vegetarian dishes take a fair amount of time to prepare. I know this going in.

But. But. But. If it’s going to take me a good amount of time to peel and slice 600 grams (or two bags) of banana shallots, the resulting dish better be worth it.

Alas, this time it was not.

Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t awful. Like I said, “It was fine. It fed us.” But in the end, I thought the effort I put into the dish wasn’t reflected in the result, which was disappointing.

That’s okay, though, I still like this cookbook. It’s a rare and beautiful thing when all the recipes we try in a cookbook are hits.

“Lemon traybake with green olives and herbs” from “Easy Wins”

Kirstin: I am ALL about the traybake at the moment. Earlier this month I ordered some fancy pants trays and since then I’ve been seeking out those recipes in all my cookbooks. And with Spring ACTUALLY in progress at the moment in London Town, I swapped out some of the vegetables Anna suggested for some in season asparagus and baked it with the lemon slices to give a real zest to the whole dish. But what brought this dish to a different level was the green olive dressing which combined with the Greek yoghurt base, worked a treat. Easy, delicious win.

“Wedge Salad with Tahini Ranch Dressing” from “Easy Wins”

One of the perks about being Nearly Empty Nesters (one moved out, one in final term of university) is that we can put dishes into our regular rotation of meals, knowing that no one will be complaining about it. Enter the wedge salad. Or frankly, any salad for dinner. When the kids were home, this would not have been welcomed with happiness and joy– in fact, it would be quite the opposite.

But since it’s only the two of us, and we’re the only ones we have to keep happy, we’ve found ourselves having wedge salads regularly. No one complains. So when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to give it a try.

The results, I’m afraid to say, were mixed. I loved it. Tim on the other hand, hankered for some other protein (read: chicken or even bacon) to enhance this dish. I thought it was light, zesty and fun. I understand what Tim is saying– you really can’t beat a blue cheese wedge with some bacon scattered across the top– but I thought this was a good alternative.

It’s safe to say that wedge salads will continue to appear in the regular rotation, but this version, alas, will not. Unless I’m cooking for one.

“Traybake Lemon Dal with Pickled Green Chillies” from “Easy Wins”

I should have known better. I should have known better, and yet I didn’t. I should have known to read through the entire recipe and figure out how long it was going to take to make it. But I didn’t, and we ended up eating dinner hours later than we wanted to.

This is not Anna’s fault. It’s mine.

Like I said, I should have read through the recipe. Had I done that fairly elementary step, I would have know that while this is a fairly straightforward thing to prepare, it still needed more than 90 minutes in the oven.

It was good, but I think our feelings toward this dish were unfairly influenced by the amount of time we were waiting around to eat dinner. As far as paneer goes, I’m always game. I would make this again, but next time I would start hours earlier.