Newsletter: 👩‍🎓👨‍🎓 ckbk in education - training the next generation + Scotland’s finest on publication day!🎉

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Happy publication day to chef Roberta Hall-McCarron

After a decade at the forefront of the Edinburgh dining scene working under Tom Kitchin, Roberta Hall-McCarron and husband Shaun opened their first venue together.

Now, with flagship The Little Chartroom, sister restaurant Eleanore, and wine bar Ardfern, they run a culinary mini-empire in the Scottish capital’s quiet outpost of Leith.
You may also know Roberta and her exceptional food from her two appearances on Great British Menu. We are extremely pleased to bring you The Changing Tides, Roberta’s first cookbook, on publication day.

With well over a hundred recipes, the book reflects the chef, with fuss-free, modern, Scottish influenced dishes that you will want to eat.
As Roberta says, they ‘don’t do pretentious’. Try Smoked Mackerel Paté with Pickles and Treacle Soda Bread, or this Cured Sea Trout with Apple.

And who could resist a slice of Apple and Ginger Loaf.

Happy publication day Roberta!
Pictured above: Watercress gnudi from Changing Tides by Roberta Hall McCarron
Find all the recipes for The Changing Tides

An invitation to The Brazilian Kitchen

“what strikes me about Brazilian cuisine is that there is always a casual feel and an elegant simplicity to our cooking that derives from our culture”
Leticia Moreinos Schwartz
Born and raised in Ipanema, food writer, broadcaster and cookbook author Leticia Moreinos Schwartz was an NBC correspondent at the Rio Summer Olympics, and is recognised for her pioneering work on healthy living. New on the ckbk site are two of her books focused on the food of her country of origin.
In The Brazilian Kitchen, Leticia writes of the similarities and differences of Brazilian cuisine to those of other Latin American cultures – influenced, as it is by the food of the country’s Native Americans, Africans brought over as agricultural labor, and the colonising Portuguese. The resulting blend is rich in diverse tastes, relaxed in attitude and uniquely Brazilian.
The recipes are ordered by course, to help you navigate dishes that might be new to you and construct a meal. Try Mango, Smoked Salmon and Rocket Salad, followed by the famous Chicken and Plantain Moqueca.
In her next book My Rio de Janiero: A Cookbook, Leticia hones in on the capitol city at the heart of Brazilian food culture, and the Portuguese influence that dominates the city’s food. The recipes are organised under the names of the city’s neighbourhoods and nearby areas of influence – a melting pot of ideas and traditions that allows readers of the book to ‘understand the culinary dynamics of Rio.’
Try Hearts of Palm Soup, with Rolled Sausage Bread with Rosemary, and then some White Chocolate Mousse with Passion Fruit Gelée.

A Lifetime of Learning with ckbk

In our new feature Ramona Andrews talks to some of the institutions, from high schools, to universities, and culinary schools, integrating ckbk into their teaching programmes and student offering. She writes how this valuable resource is being used, and what a game-changer it can be to have accessible, searchable, global recipes and reference material at their students' fingertips.
Read about ckbk’s growing role in education

Ingredient focus: pomegranates

The pomegranate is the fruit of a small tree. Cultivated since antiquity, the tree is native to Iran, although it is now grown around the world. The edible parts of the fruit are the pulp and seeds inside the hard outer shell. The amount of pulp varies with the variety, with some containing only relatively dry seeds.

Pomegranate juice has a fresh, zingy taste, and can be reduced down to a dark syrup – pomegranate molasses – that is used to add sweet and fruity depth to dishes, particularly in the Middle East. The challenging texture of fresh pomegranate, in which the seeds dominate, accounts for its relative lack of popularity, and perhaps its place in myth and legend. The six pomegranate seeds eaten by Persephone while in Hades are the reason cited for her enforced return to the underworld for six months of each year.
For the rest of us, enjoying the sharp fruit is less hazardous. Their acidity works well in sweet and savory dishes, and the seeds’ crunch makes them a good garnish for salads and grain dishes. Try Pomegranate, Thyme & Goat-Cheese Pizza, this Lentil, Eggplant and Pomegranate Bowl, or any of the dishes in our 12 Ways with Pomegranate collection.

6 of the best pork belly recipes

November 10 is National Pork Belly Day, which is all the encouragement we need to head to the butcher and start cooking. This cut of meat benefits from hot and slow cooking, roasting or braising, all making the most of its rich seams of indulgent fat.

Slow Roasted Pork Belly

from The Real Greek by Tonia Buxton

Black Vinegar Braised Pork Belly with Pickled Chillies

from My Street Food Kitchen by Jennifer Joyce

Pork Belly Donburi

from Meat Manifesto by Andy Fenner

Pork Bellychon Crispy Oven-Roasted Pork Belly

from Filipinx by Angela Dimayuga and Ligaya Mishan

Basque Pork Belly Pintxos with Sherry Vinegar & Quince Glaze

from My Street Food Kitchen by Jennifer Joyce

Pork Belly Pita

from Brunch with Brother Marcus by
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