Newsletter: Mark Hix bakes + Robert Carrier on Morocco

Great news for Mark Hix fans

Mark Hix is one of Britain’s best known and best loved chefs; a champion of the kind of food that we truly want to eat, and with the help of his recipes we can make at home. We are thrilled at ckbk to be able to bring you all of Mark Hix’s key cookbooks over the coming weeks. They add up to a masterclass in technique, a depository of delicious ideas, and a wonderful insight into the mind of a chef whose understanding of great flavor is unsurpassed.

The first of Hix’s books to go live, Mark Hix on Baking, is filled with his passion for the subject.

As he rightly states in his introduction to the book, cooking within the dry heat of an oven was one of the first methods of cooking food, and remains one of the most effective for creating great textures and concentrating flavors. He is also emphatic that anyone can bake. The method suits anything from the simplest baked potato, to the cookies and cakes we think of first when we think of baking, to various meats, vegetables or fish. Your problem will not be learning how to bake, but what to bake first!

Hix’s Blue Cheese and Chive Scones are simple to make but packed with flavor. Celeriac and Lancashire Cheese Pithivier takes the earthy vegetable and tangy cheese to a new level.

And if you’ve got the oven on and want to push the boat out, try this Pheasant Biryani.

Explore 92 magnificent Mark Hix bakes

Pictured above: Stuffed Baked Onions from Mark Hix on Baking by Mark Hix

Ottolenghi’**s Plenty for 99p - Catch it while you can**

It's time to grab yourself a bargain. Yotam Ottolenghi’s bestselling title Plenty can be accessed on ckbk for a one-off payment of the e-book price of just 99p!

Ottolenghi has transformed how we eat with his distinctive approach to Middle Eastern cooking. Not a vegetarian himself, his approach to vegetable dishes is wholly original and innovative, based on strong flavours and stunning, fresh combinations.

You would be hard pressed to find a recipe you don’t want to cook in this wonderful collection of recipes from Ottolenghi's Guardian Weekend column. Plenty features both brand-new recipes and dishes first devised for that column.

This special offer is available exclusively in the UK (£0.99), Australia (A $1.99) and New Zealand (NZ $1.99). See our full à la carte collection.

Treat yourself to Plenty for 99p

Robert Carrier brings us A Taste of Morocco

In our new Author Profile: Robert Carrier, writer Luke Honey celebrates the arrival on ckbk of Carrier’s 1987 book Taste of Morocco with a tribute to the culinary great. Robert Carrier was enthusiastic and influential in his work across the 60s, 70s, and 80s, bringing fine food to Britain and the US. His eloquent, elegant writing was published in countless newspapers and magazines, and his books sold in millions.

Taste of Morocco reflects a true feel for the food of a country in which he lived for many years. Preserved Lemons are of course a core flavor of Moroccon cuisine, and Carrier’s recipe and use of them in other dishes of the region such as Chicken Mqualli with Olives and Preserved Lemons, are a delicious entry point to the book. The recipes are all tempting and introduced with Carrier’s signature charm.

Try a Moroccan Appetizer Salad Transatlantique, followed by Tagine of Lamb with Compote of Sweetened Tomatoes and Almonds, and some Mint Tea.

Remembering Eileen Yin-Fei Lo

Eileen Yin-Fei Lo was of seminal importance in spreading an understanding and appreciation of Chinese food and cookery techniques in the US and internationally. Her recent death at the age of 85 leaves the world without a culinary powerhouse, but deeply grateful for the legacy of her teachings and the 11 great books she wrote. She was tireless in her passion for excellence and authenticity in the techniques, ingredients, and tastes of Chinese food. And she greatly influenced chefs and home-cooks alike.

“The field of Chinese food writers is more crowded now, but many of them still see Ms. Lo as the foremost expert.”

Priya Krishna in the New York Times, January 23, 2023.

To explore some of her exceptional legacy look at our Yin-Fei Lo bookshelf.

We’d love to see your bakes

Baking will be the theme for February’s #ckbkclub. We have some keen bakers in the group – so join up, join in, hone your baking and decorating skills, and see what others are creating in their kitchens throughout the month.

Explore thousands of baking recipes on ckbk, choose your favorites, then cook and share your photos and tips with our group. Learn more and join in the fun on our Facebook group.

What to cook now: rhubarb

Rhubarb originated in China, and only came into favor in Europe and the US in the 19th century, when the sugar needed to temper its natural sharpness was more widely available. This vibrantly pink vegetable has a short season, from mid-January to March. Forced rhubarb starts its life outside, then is grown in darkened sheds throughout the winter, resulting in a pale colour and a subtle flavor.

The stalks can be used in desserts as you would a fruit, and creative cooks show rhubarb makes a fabulous addition to curries and chutneys, or as a tangy partner to mackerel, pork, or lamb. It is important never to eat rhubarb leaves, as they are poisonous.

Try Rhubarb Danishes, a refreshing Fermented Rhubarb Fizz, or any of the recipes in our 16 Forced Rhubarb Recipes collection.

More good news for rhubarb fanatics: Elaine Lemm’s Great Book of Rhubarb, celebrating the pink stalks and their sweet and savoury uses, is coming to ckbk next month.