Recently, The Artisan Food Trailhelped Alan Coxon produce his self-published food and travel cookbook, ‘Foods and influences of the Punjab and Amritsar, Goa and Bombay’. We are now delighted to announce that it has been shortlisted as one of the British entries in the food and travel category of the World Gourmand Awards.
Design and layout of the publication, was provided by Graham and Lisa Childs from the Artisan Food Trail and Dawn Mimnagh from Dotting and Crossing, a professional copywriting, editing, proofreading and PR practice, for Alan’s account of his travels.
The book is part two of a five-series travelogue entitled Birmingham to Bombay. Having beaten off stiff competition it has won the first round of a global competition.
The publication was the shortlisted British entry in the food and travel category of the World Gourmand Awards and is now a finalist for this prestigious award alongside other titles from around the world.
For this project, Alan Coxon travelled to various regions of India with food and travel photographer, Moe Kafer. Each book sets out to give an account of their travels to a specific Indian region, supported by stunning photographs of their visit and Alan’s interpretation of recipes from the area.
On learning of the book’s success, Alan Coxon said:
“I am delighted to have been successful in the first stage of the World Gourmand Awards. We decided to self publish as a series of mini books due to financial constraints and it is fantastic to see the hard work of Moe, Graham, Lisa and Dawn pay off in this way.”
He continued:
“India is such a vast place, with stark contrasts from north to south. I felt that covering the entirety of India in one large cookbook would not do the country, its food or its people the justice they deserved.”
Along with Alan’s recipes and musings on his travels, the book contains recipes from Indian guest chefs that won’t be found in traditional Indian cookbooks or on the menu at most restaurants.
***
Having worked on Alan Coxon’s new book From Birmingham To Bombay: Food and Influences of the Punjab and Amritsar, and reading through all the recipes, we just had to have a go at making some. They all sound absolutely delicious so it was difficult on deciding what to make first, but this one caught our eye.
Being slightly non-conformist we chose to used goat meat instead of lamb which delivered perfect results. If you’re not a lover of lamb, and we do know a few, goat is a good alternative – the texture is similar but it is not as fatty and does not have that, well, lamby taste.
If the word ‘caramelised’ conjures up images of toffee sauce, do not be put off. The caramelisation of the sugar is needed to create the rich colour and lends only a delicate delicious sweetness.
We recommend that you make up Alan’s Kashmiri-Style Garam Masala for this dish which can be found in the book but a good quality pre-made one would be fine.
We really loved this curry. It is rich in flavour with a wonderful combination of spice flavours which build into a gradual heat. Serve with rice and naan bread.
Starting from Thursday 1st August at 11.30am and 12 noon, the food and travel series looks at the history and origination of five of the UK's (and world's) most popular curries.
This is in addition to the official launch date that is on the 19th-23rd August at 12 noon.
The series is available via the following :
Freeview channel 48
Sky channel 262
Virgin Media channel 287
Freesat channel 403
The first of the set of five cookbooks (read our blog post) is now available from www.booksbyalancoxon.com and looks at the foods of Northern India, the Punjab, Amritsar and includes Tandoori recipes, stories from the Golden temple and communal kitchens.
It is a real pleasure to work with Alan Coxon and we’d like to thank him for giving us the opportunity to design and publish his book series and website. The Artisan Food Trail offers a variety of services to its members either directly or through carefully selected partners. Design and working for publishing companies is something that we have been doing for nearly 30 years, so it seemed only natural to offer our experience to benefit AFT members.
Back to the book. Part one in a series of five books covers the Punjab and Amritsar region of India and takes the form of a 74 page, full colour culinary travelogue.
Including behind the scenes stories and delicious recipes from the northern regions of India, Alan visits the Golden Temple and sees how 40,000 chapattis are produced every day by volunteers. He goes behind the tandoori and looks at herbs and spices, such as cardamom, mustard and ginger which are used extensively throughout the region.
Recipes from the book include Paneer Tikka Kalimirch, Kandhari Barwaan Khumb, Green Fish Curry, Tandoori Murgh and Chooza Makhni.
If you enjoy the foods of India, curries and especially tandoori, then this is a book that won't disappoint.
Sanjeev Kapoor
The foreword is written by Sanjeev Kapoor which is a great endorsement and as he’s one of India's most respected celebrity chefs, it says a lot for Alan's knowledge and recipe authenticity.
One of the advantages of seeing the copy while working on the design is that we got to try out some of the recipes! The Tandoori Spice Blend on page 28 made for a particularly tasty chicken.
If you would like to buy the book, From Birmingham to Bombay Part One: Foods and Influences of the Punjab and Amritsar, it is available through www.booksbyalancoxon.com The downloadable e-book and the Kindle book are both priced at £3.99 and the physical print-on-demand version is priced at £14.99.
Following on from last month's book competition to win Arthur Potts Dawson's 'Eat Your Veg', the lovely people at Octopus Publishing have given us some more great books to give away. This month we have four full sets of the 'Made at Home' series to go to our lucky readers and followers of The Artisan Food Trail. (Link at the end of this article).
In this four-part series, Dick and James Strawbridge known for their popular BBC television programme It’s Not Easy Being Green show you how to grow, harvest, preserve, cook and make the most of seasonal produce. Each book is packed with expert advice and tips on choosing the best ingredients; methods of creating delicious hand-crafted foods; and recipes for truly mouth-watering and memorable meals, because ultimately it’s all about the eating! This is a very timely series as many people are returning back to the traditional ways of living and self-sufficiency. Whether you are a city-dweller or country lover, it’s easy to have a go at the Good Life.
Made at Home: Curing & Smoking
These are two of the best ways to preserve and enjoy meat, fish and dairy produce. This helpful how-to guide on the subject presents simple methods that can be tried at home. With very little effort you can create your own cures, hot and cold smoke with wood chippings and even smoke delicate meats and seafood on your stovetop with scented teas and rice. Featuring step-by-step practical instruction on brining, dry curing, air drying and hot and cold smoking, and recipes for creating your own luxury grub, such as salt beef, dry-cured hams, salamis, smoked cheeses, gravadlax and smoked oysters - you can enjoy the delicious results for months on end.
Made at Home: Eggs & Poultry
Whether you have a large country garden or a small city enclosure, keeping a couple of hens is essential if you want to be self-sufficient. You’ll have fresh eggs daily and all the expert knowledge necessary; from housing to feeding, breeding and safe-slaughter. With sections on chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys, and featuring recipes that range from simple egg dishes to home-made favourites, like Southern fried chicken and turkey curry, there’s plenty to whet the appetite.
Made at Home: Preserves
Shows you how to take best advantage of plentiful, fresh, seasonal produce and enjoy it all year round. It is a how-to-guide to preserving and pickling, featuring step-by-step practical instructions for storing fresh produce and recipes to make your mouth water. From strawberry leather to sweetcorn and pepper relish, to honeyed figs with lamb and goats cheese crostini, sauerkraut to piccalilli, and the perfect Bloody Mary, you’ll learn how to preserve good quality cordials, syrups and jams to herb oils and accompaniments and to create fantastic dishes every time.
Made at Home: Vegetables
Whether you have a tiny urban patch, a dedicated allotment or plenty of space in your own garden, growing your own vegetables is one of the easiest ways to transform the way you eat. You’ll have fresh ingredients at your disposal and, with this book, the knowledge to cook with them to create perfect dishes every time. Lots of people are unsure what to do with some of the really easy to grow veg such as kohlrabi and Jerusalem artichokes, so with the step-by-step guides to growing and cooking you’ll be sure to increase your flavour palate and transform your meals, enjoying such dishes as pea and mint risotto, kohlrabi coleslaw and baked sweet potato and goat’s cheese pie.
Made at Home series by Dick & James Strawbridge, published by Mitchell Beazley on 7th May, £12.99 (each) www.octopusbooks.co.uk
About the authors – Dick & James Strawbridge
Dick & James Strawbridge are experts on the Good Life – and it’s the life they lead at Newhouse Farm, their smallholding in Cornwall, in the southwest of England. On just 3 acres of land in the midst of a village they produce an abundance of good things to eat and drink: fruits and vegetables that they eat fresh, juice, ferment and preserve, pigs for ham, sausages, salamis and bacon, a mixed flock of birds for eggs and eating, and bees for honey – to name a few. It’s a lifestyle driven by their desire to eat well every day.
Dick and James appear regularly on TV in the UK and Australia. The whole family featured on the BBC’s It’s Not Easy Being Green – which documented their move to Newhouse Farm. Dick is a regular host of C4’s Scrapheap Challenge, contributes frequently to Coast on the BBC and last year came 2nd place on the BBC’s Celebrity Masterchef, showcasing his cooking talent. Dick & James are appearing together on ITV1’s The Hungry Sailors in early 2012, and there’s more to come!
When they’re not on location, tending the garden, feeding the animals or cooking and eating, they’re spreading the word and sharing what they’ve learned.
Sorry this competition is now closed
If you missed the competition or did not win, why not buy the books?
We are very pleased to have teamed up with Octopus Publishing who have kindly given us five copies of Arthur Potts Dawson's new book, Eat Your Veg, to give away. Not only will you get the chance to own the book soon after its release but it will be signed by the author himself. This is the start of some very exciting competitions and we hope to bring you more great book prizes over the coming year.
With many people consciously deciding to reduce their intake of meat, whether it is to save money, reduce environmental impact on the planet or just to lead a healthier lifestyle, vegetables are returning to take centre stage on the table.
However this isn't a book about being a vegetarian. Arthur Potts Dawson says,
“We all know we should eat more veg.
We all know we should eat less meat. This book isn’t a preach or a rant about why cooking and eating fresh, seasonal, local, organic food matters, though of course, it does. Eat Your Veg is simply a storehouse of my favourite recipes encouraging you to do just that – eat more vegetables.”
Arthur Potts Dawson is passionate about good food, eating well and making the most of what’s fresh, local and seasonal. Most people will know him from his appearances on Market Kitchen and also as the founder of The People's Supermarket.
In this new book, vegetables are very much put at the forefront of cooking that celebrates all that is tasty and good about fresh produce. Eat Your Veg presents a mix of classics, basics, simple food and show-off dishes that make the most of what’s in season. Whether you receive organic food box deliveries, go to farmers' markets or raid what's on special offer at the supermarket – you can enjoy more veg, every day.
There are recipes for beetroot soup with cumin and coriander; butternut ravioli with brown butter; radish salad with pomegranate & cannellini beans; leeks on toast with cheese and Worcestershire sauce; and raw porcini salad with parmesan & parsley – all arranged in an easy-to-use format by vegetable type. As well as individual recipes, there are also four gorgeous Feasts that can be pulled together for entertaining family and friends. Arange of sharing dishes (some which contain a bit of meat or fish) which together will create a fantastic spread centred on vegetables.
Alongside an essential seasonal guide to what’s best when, Arthur also provides key skills that will help you get the most out of vegetables – whether it’s mashing, roasting, pickling, etc. In Eat Your Veg Arthur provides a refreshing range of delicious recipes and adaptable ideas that will provide inspiration for everyone – even a die-hard meat freak.
To whet your appetite here is a recipe from the forthcoming book.
Braised chickpeas with chard, fennel & tomato
This dish is the type of cooking I do every day at home. All the ingredients complement each other brilliantly, are super-nutritious and can be eaten as a complete meal.
Serves 4–6 Ingredients
400g dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water overnight and drained
400g red chard, cut into 2cm pieces
2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and tough outer leaves discarded
75ml olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp dried red chilli flakes
2 red onions, finely diced
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 tbsp herb vinegar
Method
Put the chickpeas into a large saucepan and cover well with fresh cold water. Bring to the boil, skimming off any white foam that rises to the surface, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour, or until just tender but still with some bite. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, cook the chard in a saucepan of salted boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain and set aside. Cut each fennel bulb into eighths and cook in a separate saucepan of salted boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the garlic, fennel seeds and chilli flakes and cook over a medium heat for 2 minutes, until the garlic starts to turn golden brown, stirring occasionally. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, again stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes and chickpeas and cook for another 5 minutes before adding the cooked chard and fennel and the vinegar. Stir through, season with salt and pepper and serve.
For your chance to win a signed copy of Eat Your Veg by Arthur Potts Dawson visit our competition page here(Sorry – this competition has now closed)
