Dark Side of the Spoon: The Rock Cookbook

Product Information

Behind Slater’s carefully considered instructions are references to a very real life, one that is shaped by struggle and adjustment and that requires self-maintenance, the kind that meditative hours in the kitchen can provide. His cookbooks make subtle reference to the canned foods and unhappy aunts and grief of his childhood. His memoir “Toast,” from 2003, offers these stories in detail: the sexual abuse by an uncle, the sudden death of his mother, his father’s addiction to morphine, the persistent flatulence of an elderly relative and how it fouled up many a dinner. His cookbooks subvert a dominant cultural myth, namely that food and lifestyle writers must come to us beaming and fulfilled, having strolled out of the womb with a zester and a few time-saving tips. Slater is the writer for those of us who have ended up in the kitchen because transforming chopped vegetables and seasoned meats into complex dishes makes us feel that we have acted capably for the sake of our own well-being, and for the well-being of those we love. The hours I spend bent over an evolving meal are, as I believe they are for Slater, a step in the direction of the person I want to be and the home I’d like to have, even if I am frequently not that person, even if I do not come from that type of home. We conceive who we are as we conceive the meal in front of us. It might seem odd for the authors of a new cookbook to advise breaking away from the instructions in cookbooks. But for Joseph, who is “obsessed by cooking” but has a dietary condition which means he can’t consume wheat, tweaking a recipe to fit his needs – even if it’s just switching spices – is a common necessity that has taught him to be more adventurous.

But as more experienced and confident cooks will say, that’s often the most fun part of cooking and can also make it far more convenient.Put the potato in the empty saucepan and mash, then pass the mash through a sieve into a large mixing bowl to ensure a fine potato mash.

Behind Slater’s carefully considered instructions are references to a very real life, one that is shaped by struggle and adjustment and that requires self-maintenance. Photograph by Lynda Higgs. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 50 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F / Gas Mark 6.Includes dietary information and suggestions on how to tweak recipes to make them suit your dietary requirements Dust a clean work surface with the rest of the flour and lay out the puff pastry, then cut it into quarters. Place the pastry pieces on the baking sheets, leaving space between each piece. Often you buy gnocchi pre-made, but I thought it’d be a good chance to make it from scratch,” says Ralph. “I googled various different recipes, and I was thinking, is that going to work like that, and might it be nicer if it was done like this?” Transfer the mince from the pan to a sieve and leave to drain over the sink for 10 minutes. This is important as it prevents the pastry from going mushy later.

This isn’t an issue with the writing, but the book is fairly small and isn’t spiralbound. This makes actually working with the recipes difficult if you’re using a physical copy of the book.

News

Remove from the heat andadd the gnocchi, stirring to ensure the gnocchi is coated in the sauce, then tip them into a serving bowl. Drizzle over the remaining contents of the frying pan. The book starts off with an equipment matrix which is a chart showing you what equipment you will need for each dish (other than basics.) Leaving a 3cm / 1inch gap around the edge of each pastry sheet, top the pastry sheets with the beef and tomato mix. Heat the rest of the oil in a frying pan over a high heat,add the garlic and the chilliflakes and fry for 2–3 minutes.

Each recipe comes with a volume dial difficulty rating (which goes up to 11) - how loud can you go?Slice the remaining tomatoes into strips with a sharp knife, as thinly as possible, and lay these over the beef.