Blog Archive - August 2012

How To: COOK our new Salmon and Asparagus Bake

Posted on 29 August 2012

So, what's new?

Announcing the reinvention of our Salmon & Asparagus Gratin as a very sophisticated, creamy, indulgent, posh fish pie (it is officially no longer a 'gratin' as the topping no longer has cheese and breadcrumbs in it - learn something new everyday eh?). Our new sauce creates a much cleaner taste with some fennel seeds to give a lovely background flavour to suit the fish and a touch of white wine in the sauce. We’re now using crushed baby potatoes on top, with plenty of butter and a sprinkling of chives. The mix of salmon and asparagus has also been adjusted to produce a much better balance of flavours (the asparagus flavour is more subtle than it was previously). 

COOK: £18.50 (or you cook: £17.29 + 5 hours)

How To Make it Yourself:

• 4 large salmon fillets (diced)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• One small chopped onion
• One fresh bay leaf
• A sprinkling of fennel seeds....

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How To: COOK our new Huntsman's Chicken

Posted on 28 August 2012

This is a classic and classy entertaining dish. It's incredibly fiddly and time-consuming to make at home... and with the ingredients totting up to a fairly substantial £27.68 we challenge you to make it for any less than £17.95 (for our 4 portion)!

So, what's new?

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How To: COOK our new Beef Bourguignon

Posted on 27 August 2012

Tags: Recipe

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. It’s as sensible a bit of homespun wisdom as you’re likely to find...which we’ve decided to ignore completely by coming up with new recipes for some of our most popular meals.  There was nothing 'wrong' with the old recipes but we felt that we could do even better. All of the improved dishes are great for entertaining friends or family this autumn. And we’ve worked out they cost about the same as buying the ingredients and making them yourself, without any need to sweat over a hot stove for hours.

So while we all like to cook up a storm every so often, if ever you find you don’t have the time to cook from scratch, rest assured that you’re not spending over the odds for a COOK meal. And we promise it will taste just like you made it yourself. 

COOK: £17.95 (or you cook: £16.62 + 5 hours)

New Beef Bourguignon Recipe

So, what's new?

The new Beef Bourguignon recipe uses top rump steak, that eats really well when slow-cooked, smoked back bacon and we add caramelised shallots (rather than onions), that have a lovely, sweet flavour. We now use quartered chestnut mushrooms (rather than cups) which creates a more premium look and taste. A whole fresh bay leaf is used to garnish just like you would at home (one per portion). Lastly (and most importantly) we’re using a better quality wine than previously - a lovely French Merlot (...and more of it!)

How To Make It Yourself:

600 grams top rump
3 tablespoons of oil
One small chopped onion....

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Pork Belly Stir Fry

Posted on 24 August 2012

Our development chef Lydnsay made a delicious stir fry the other day with our Vietnamese Pork Belly. Since our barbeque meats aren't going to be around for much longer (sigh) we jumped at an excuse to eat more of it...especially in a way that doesn't require sunshine.

Once your pork belly has cooked in the oven, make a quick stir fry sauce with:

• 3 tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Thai Fish Sauce
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp ketchup manis

Then trim some tender stem broccoli (cutting vegetables at an angle always gives a better finish) and bring a pan of salted water to the boil.....

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Lauren's Cranberry and Orange Cupcakes

Posted on 17 August 2012

It's tea time at the COOK Kitchen and Lauren from our food department (who is a bit of a Domestic Goddess of the Nigella variety) likes to fatten us up on Fridays. Today was no exception. If ever there was a reason to come into the office on a Friday - this is it.

These cupcakes are perfect if you're a fan of our Cranberry and Orange Sponge Pudding and have been missing it in its absence during the summer. The good news is that it will return in the winter and in the meantime you can alleviate any withdrawl symptoms with these little babies. Lauren's been persuaded to share the recipe if you're in need of an interim 'fix'...

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Happy Birthday One Pots

Posted on 9 August 2012

Usually it's our the birthdays of our wives that have a habit of creeping up on us unexpectedly (strange, as they're generally at the same time each year), but this time it's the first birthday of our little One Pots...

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Golds Galore for Team COOK

Posted on 9 August 2012

In our own little foodie Olympiad (otherwise known as the annual Great Taste Gold Awards run by the Guild Of Fine Food), we notched up 13 medal winners. Not quite a match for Team GB, but not bad...

Here’s our roll of honour:

Coq au Vin
Moroccan Harissa Chicken
Moroccan Spiced Lamb Tagine
Roasted Confit of Duck with a Juniper Berry Sauce
Garlic Chicken Curry
Chicken Korma
Lamb Dupiaza
Indonesian Vegetable Curry
Bramley Apple & Blackberry Crumble
Apple Strudel
Chocolate Truffle Torte
Chocolate Roulade
Summer Fruit Tart

See our full list of award-winning recipes from 2011 and 2012.

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