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As days lengthen, the sun shows its face, and coats are cast off, thoughts turn to outdoor cooking, to lighting the grill and revelling in the taste of food cooked over fire and seasoned with fresh air. We’ve got three books newly live on ckbk to inspire your grill cookery throughout the outdoor season.
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In Robata: Japanese Home Grilling, chef Silla Bjerrum shares her love of the robata, ‘a Japanese style of grilling food, consisting of delicious skewered morsels of fish, shellfish, meat and vegetables’.
Renowned for her sushi, Silla decided to explore the particular use of the grill in the Japanese kitchen.
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As she puts it: ‘It is a fast but very pure form of grilling; the heat of the binchotan charcoals literally locks in the flavours. It is like creating quality sushi: marrying simple techniques with great attention to detail, and using ingredients with natural flavour-enhancing properties. For traditional robata and yakitori, the focus is on umami, the fifth taste, which is accelerated with the use of soy-based sauces, miso, shiitake, etc.’
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‘Throwing a carne asada is an act of love.’ Bricia Lopez
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In her book with food writer Javier Cabral, Mexican-American restaurateur and author Bricia Lopez sets out her passion and expertise in Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling. She talks us through a brief history of asada in Mexico, and what it means to Mexican families to gather around that grill. The front section contains a thorough guide to The Asada Pantry, so you can source and prepare your ingredients with confidence.
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Smoking Meat: The Essential Guide to Real Barbecue is exactly what it says on the cover. In his first book, Jeff Phillips, creator of the website smoking-meat.com, shares a lifetime’s experience at the grill.
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‘This book will equip you with the basic knowledge you need to produce succulent slow-smoked food over hot coals and wood, right in your own backyard. It is written for anyone who wants to learn more about smoking meat, regardless of whether you are a novice or a seasoned pitmaster. (…) I’m all about doing what works, even if it hasn’t always been done that way. These pages are meant to kindle a fire in both you and your smoker, and to help you become the best pitmaster you can be.’ Jeff Phillips
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There is an extensive front section, talking you through all aspects of cooking over fire—fuel, kit, utensils and method. The recipes are arranged by ingredient, and include plenty of preparatory information around ingredients and their preparation. Try Smoked Baby Backs with Traditional Baked Beans, or Smoked Brisket Fajitas with Smoked Corn on the Cob.
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Got a taste for fire? Read outdoor cooking specialist Marcus Bawdon’s Consuming Passion for Fire, and explore his selection of flame-licked recipes from across ckbk.
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Pictured above: Seared Scallops on Quinoa Brown Seeded Rice from Robata: Japanese Home Grilling by Silla Bjerrum
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We want your photos – our new competition
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We all love cookbooks with wonderful pictures of the food—they tempt us to try the recipes, and give us a steer as to the result we might hope for. We also know that there are many great cookbooks that don’t have pictures; fabulous recipes that might just become your new favorite thing to eat. Are you less likely to try a recipe without a picture? Or are you a brave and brilliant culinary pioneer who loves to cook, and is up for sharing?
If so, we want your pictures! We are on a mission to populate ckbk with mouthwatering photos, and what could be better than the precious contributions of you, our wonderful subscribers!
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So, we are launching a competition to get you cooking and snapping those dishes that currently don’t have any pictures. You’ll get to see your photos on our site, guiding your fellows cooks towards delicious dishes.
And you’ll be in with a chance of winning a year’s subscription to ckbk and a hardback edition of our first original cookbook Magrets and Mushrooms.
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Ingredient focus: pork belly
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Pork belly is a popular cut as its layers of meat and fat meld into one another when slow cooked. The skin crisps up under the grill or when deep-fried to create an addictive crunch. There are many tempting dishes using this cut of meat to be found in multiple cuisines.Â
It suits long slow cooking, resulting in tender, sweet meat, that pairs well with everything from fruits to aromatic and hot spices.
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Try roasting pieces layered on a bed of sliced potatoes and pears, with a crack of pepper, some good sea salt, and a star anise or two nestled in the roasting juices.
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The skin need not be wasted, and is delectable when crisped—try this Crispy Fried Pork Belly. Some cuts can also work cut into small pieces and cooked quickly in the fierce heat of a wok—try this Spicy Pork Belly Stir-Fry with Celery.
Explore these 12 Ways with Pork Belly. Find Chinese Red Cooked Pork Belly, Greek inspired Pork Belly Pita, and this Pork Belly B.L.T.
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6 of the best carrot recipes
Carrots, we take them for granted perhaps, but they are one of our most versatile, easy to use, and highly nutritious vegetable roots. April 4 is International Carrot Day, so for the love of carrots here are 6 recipes to make the most of these orange marvels.  For more ideas, check out Peter Hertzmann's impressive culinary technique guide 50 Ways to Cook A Carrot.
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from Grist: A Practical Guide to Cooking Grains, Beans, Seeds, and Legumes by Abra Berens
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from Savour: Salads for all Seasons by Peter Gordon
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from The Flavor Equation by Nik Sharma
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from The Hog Island Book of Fish & Seafood: Culinary Treasures from Our Waters by John Ash
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from Mowgli Street Food by Nisha Katona
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from A Whisper of Cardamom by Eleanor Ford
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