The Family Kitchen: A cookbook for all occasions
By Rob Kirby
()
About this ebook
This warm and witty medley of reliable family recipes will always have you reaching for more when you cook for the people you love the most. Which fun dish will you try first? Eyes to the Sky Luxe Fish Pie, The Ultimate Velvet Macaroni Cheese, Perfect Pot Noodle, Saturday X-Factor Steak Sandwich, All in the Pan Pizza, Shake It Up Salad, Willy Wonka's Garden Box or Banging Banoffee and Pecan Shots? Following his award-winning book, Cook With Kids, this brilliant treasury honours Rob Kirby's passion for great food at the heart of the home – the family kitchen.
Rob Kirby
Rob Kirby is a Chef Director at Lexington Catering, which has been one of the UK's most well-respected and successful catering companies for many years. Lexington are passionate about involvement with community-based projects. He is also a leading member of The Academy of Culinary Arts. These two institutions have gifted Rob the opportunity to work with Great Ormond Street Hospital School, something he has now been engaged with for over eight years. He has witnessed first-hand just what a difference fun interaction with food can make to the lives of children. With huge restaurant and catering experience behind him, he is a well-respected figure within the business, with many appearances on TV from BBC Breakfast Time to Saturday Kitchen. Cook with Kids is his first book.
Read more from Rob Kirby
Cook with Kids Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Family Kitchen
Related ebooks
The Easy Pressure Cooker Cookbook Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Betty Crocker The Big Book Of Slow Cooker, Casseroles & More Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSimply Delicious Sunday Dinners: 52 Fresh Homestyle Recipes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPaula Deen's The Deen Family Cookbook Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Southern Bite Cookbook: More than 150 Irresistible Dishes from 4 Generations of My Family's Kitchen Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsModern Appalachian Cuisine Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Executive Cook: Weeknight Cook - Weekend Entertainer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSoup Swap: Comforting Recipes to Make and Share Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Country Living The Little Book of Pies & Tarts: 50 Easy Homemade Favorites to Bake & Share Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Picky Palate Cookbook Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Red Hat Society Cookbook Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Amish Cooks Across America: Recipes and Traditions from Maine to Montana Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Mix-and-Match Mama Kids in the Kitchen: Crazy-Fun Recipes to Make Memories Together Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGood Housekeeping One Dish!: 90 Irresistibly Easy Dinners That Are Ready When You Are Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGrandma's Here To Help Recipes from the past Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen Cookbook: Essential Recipes for Every Home Cook Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHalloween Food Recipes The Mystery Book of Spooky Halloween Treats Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Best Bake Sale Ever Cookbook Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTaste of Home All-American Cookbook: 370 Ways to Savor the Flavors of the USA Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Good Housekeeping Cookbook: Sunday Dinner: 1275 Recipes from America's Favorite Test Kitchen Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRecipes and Dreams from an Italian Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sweet Auburn Desserts: Atlanta's "Little Bakery That Could" Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5The Big Book of Casseroles: 250 Recipes for Serious Comfort Food Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFix-It and Forget-It Cooking with Kids: 50 Favorite Recipes to Make in a Slow Cooker, Revised & Updated Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Southern Routes: Secret Recipes from the Best Down-Home Joints in the South Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Welcome Home Cookbook: 450 Comfort Food Recipes for the Slow Cooker, Stovetop, and Oven Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Kitchy Kitchen: New Classics for Living Deliciously Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Adventures in Good Cooking Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Cooking, Food & Wine For You
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mediterranean Diet: 70 Easy, Healthy Recipes Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Back to Eden Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth About Food and Flavor Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Snoop Presents Goon with the Spoon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5From Crook to Cook: Platinum Recipes from Tha Boss Dogg's Kitchen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Joy of Cooking: 2019 Edition Fully Revised and Updated Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Foraging for Survival: Edible Wild Plants of North America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Tucci Table: Cooking With Family and Friends Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Eat Plants, B*tch: 91 Vegan Recipes That Will Blow Your Meat-Loving Mind Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I'm Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cook Once Dinner Fix: Quick and Exciting Ways to Transform Tonight's Dinner into Tomorrow's Feast Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Complete Medicinal Herbal: A Practical Guide to the Healing Properties of Herbs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Quick Start Guide to Carnivory + 21 Day Carnivore Diet Meal Plan Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Small Apartment Hacks: 101 Ingenious DIY Solutions for Living, Organizing and Entertaining Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Art of Eating Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ultimate Mediterranean Cookbook Over 100 Delicious Recipes and Mediterranean Meal Plan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHomegrown & Handmade: A Practical Guide to More Self-Reliant Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cooking at Home: More Than 1,000 Classic and Modern Recipes for Every Meal of the Day Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Taste of Home Instant Pot Cookbook: Savor 111 Must-have Recipes Made Easy in the Instant Pot Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for The Family Kitchen
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
The Family Kitchen - Rob Kirby
Contents
Foreword
Meet the Family!
Introduction
Working Nine to Five
Brekkie on the Hoof!
Late-for-the-bus Granola Bars
Smash-it-up Boiled Eggs on Marmite Toast
Berry Blast Smoothie
Jam Jar Swirly
Homemade Granola Jars
Salty and Sweet Peanut Butter, Banana and Honey Crumpets
Lunchtime and Lunchbox Treats
Five-a-day Pick &Mix Porridge
Spanish Tomato Bread
Funky Frittata
Pistachio and Cranberry Biscotti
Marbled Banana and Nutella Loaf
Raw Spring Veggie Bites with Hummus
Twenty-Minute Lunch Break
Do-it-Yourself Energy Bars
Shake-it-up Super Salad
Best Ever Cheesy Beans on Toast
Smashed Avocado, Tuna Mayo and Capers on Toast
Frugal Dinners
Cheesy Ham Toast with Rocket Salad
Crunchy Quesadilla Sandwich
All-in-the Pan Pizza
Crushed Potato Bubble and Squeak
Sticky Chicken Legs, Corn Strips and Celeriac Slaw
Crispy Crouton Mince Pie
Homemade Garam Masala and Curry Powder
Amber’s Egg, Potato and Pea Curry
On-the-Quick Eevening Specials
Homemade Naan Bread
Tastiest Sausage Plait and Beans
All-in-one Shepherd’s Pie in Cheesy Jackets
Amber’s Street Food Chicken and Rice
Easy Peasy Feta, Pea and PineNut Risotto
All-in-one Chicken Thigh, Chorizo, Butterbean and PineNut Pot Roast
Pitta Margherita Pizza
Flash-fried Beef with Long-stem Broccoli
Rob’s Perfect Pot Noodle
Big Weekend Chill
Schmoozy Mornings
Runny Egg with Pancetta Soldiers
Sweetcorn Fritters with Balsamic-Roasted Tomatoes
Asparagus and Smoked Trout Omelette
Deep-fried Duck Eggs with Mushrooms and Parma Ham
Pile-em-High Waffles, Crispy Smoked Bacon and Maple Syrup
Cinnamon Toast and Orange Blossom Honey
Lazy Morning Smoked Salmon French Toast
Marmalade and Honey-Glazed Ham with Fried Eggs
Saturday Night Fever
Kirby Club Sarnie
Jasper,’s Rack-it-up Slow-Cooked Maple ’n’Jack Daniels Ribs
Nifty Nachos
Creamy Garlic Mussels with Skinny Rosemary Fries
Tempura Crispy Vegetables & Soy Dipping Sauce
Crispy Potato and Smoked Paprika Wedges with Fresh Chilli and Lime Mayonnaise
Saturday’s X-Factor Open Steak Sandwich
Best of the Best Takeaways
Fat Garam Masala Chips with Spicy Mango Mayo
Kirby Fried Buttermilk Chicken
N.Y.C. Short Rib Sliders
Funky Fish ’n’ Chips
Jammin’ Sweet Potato with Rice and Peas
Chicken Katsu, Jasmine Rice and Pickled Cucumber Salad
Real Sesame Prawn Toast
Funk-it-up Fajitas
Sunday Brunch Luxe
Whole-Roasted Brie, Roasted Jersey Royals and Crispy Pancetta
Crispy Roasties and Aioli
Crackling Pig Sticks with Bramley Apple and Sage Sauce
Sticky Toffee Date and Chicken Tatin
Field Mushroom Penne Pasta with Garlic Dough Balls
The Ultimate Velvet Cauliflower and Macaroni Cheese
Salmon with Glazed Mozzarella and Tomato and Balsamic Chargrilled Chicory
Seared Scallops with Salad Cream and Rocket Mash
Salt-crusted Roast Forerib with Caramelised Shallots and Golden Beets and Hot Horseradish
Deep-filled Stilton and Leek Tart with Pear Waldorf Salad
Virgin Mary
Away & At Play
Perfect Picnics
All-in-the-Blender Tomato, Tarragon and Basil Chicken
In-the-Pan Leek, Jersey Royal and Pea Frittata
Hot Smoked Salmon with Crispy New Potatoes
Watermelon, Peach and Feta Salad with Roasted Sunflower Seeds
Tomato and Goat’s Cheese Tart
Baby Gem, Crispy Parma Ham and Pine nut Salad with Roquefort Sauce
Big Boy Scotch Eggs
Pomegranate Couscous
Hand-Tied Lemon Drizzle Bars with Fresh Raspberries
Perfect Picnic Possets
Mini Blueberry Loaf Cakes
Train Journey Tapas
Mini Sandwich Stacks
Grab n’ go Skewer Selection
Tiny Tapas Tasting Pots
Mini Pudding Shots
The Perfect Pasty - half sweet, half savoury
Mozzarella and Med Veg Wedge
Vietnamese Prawn Rolls
The Kirby Gift Shop
Onion and Thyme Chutney
Funky Herb Oil
Punchy Piccalilli
Honey and Pecan Biscuit Tubes
Chocolate-Dipped Honeycomb
Glittered Salted Caramel
Shortbread Stars
Do-it-Yourself Brownie Kit
Malted Prune Tea Loaf
Rhubarb, Ginger and Vanilla Pod Jam
Jersey Cream Butter with Cornish Sea Salt
Seville Orange Marmalade
Entertaining
Big BBQs!
Beer Butt and Smoked Paprika Chicken
Vietnamese Pork Belly and Watermelon Skewers
Sea Salt and Parsley Sardine Skewers
Garlic, Halloumi and Fresh Rosemary Branches
Wood-Panel Rib-Eye Steak
Salmon Parcels with Mussels, Star Anise and Fennel
Lemon and Garlic Flattened Chicken
Rob’s Perfect Rub
Pulling All The Stops Out
Artichoke, Leek and Taleggio Pie
Classic Coq au Vin
Spiced Pulled Pork and Flatbreads
Salmon Lasagne with Caramelised Fennel and Rocket Salad
Jacob’s Ladder and Guinness Cottage Pie
Eyes to the Sky Posh Fish Pie
Roast Cod, Minestrone Spring Vegetables and Crispy Parma Ham
Caraway and Fennel Crispy Pork Belly with Patatas Bravas
Glam’ Party Bites
Pomegranate Fizz
Breaded Padron Peppers Stuffed with Goat’s Cheese
Spiced Lamb and Leek Cutlets
Scallop and Pancetta Lollipops
Mini Lobster Brioche Rolls
Mini Smoked Chicken Caesar Salad
Entwined Anchovies
Butterflied Coconut Prawns
The Family Bakery
Cakes and Bakes
Salted Caramel Shortbread Hearts
Mini Vicky Kisses
Tabitha’s Glitter-Bombed Rice Krispie Cakes
Mars Bar Salted Tray Crunch
White Chocolate Blondies
Coconut and Rhubarb Jam Bars
Puds and Something Sweet
Cointreau and Orange Marmalade Roly Poly
Gin Bramble Jelly
Banging Banoffee and Pecan Shots
Pimm’s Preserving-Jar Trifle
Damson and Blackberry Plate Pie
Salted Caramel and Toffee Date Puddings
Sweet Treats and All Things Chewy
Coconut Straws and Dark Chocolate Dunk
Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Box
Imani’s Jaw-Sticking Peanut Butter Fudge
Sparkling Barbie Turkish Delight
Coconut Ice
Nut Brittle
Pistachio Drop Meringues
Thank you
Foreword by Gregg Wallace
I have been involved in the food industry for a very long time, and have been a friend and a fan of Rob Kirby for many more years than I care to mention.
Together we have experienced some joyous (and often noisy) evenings. However, these evenings have always been centred around good food. Not always fine dining, but always good food.
I know Rob to be an excellent and most professional chef and, like me, to be a strong family man.
Both Rob and I agree on the importance and the enormous pleasure of sharing a meal made with love with our families. Smiles, conversation and happy bellies around the kitchen table are some of the finer things in life – things that have absolutely nothing to do with money and everything to do with time well spent.
I love this book. It goes straight to the heart of family togetherness. It is written by a man who, of course, understands food, but also understands the pressures of both time and money that come with looking after a family.
This book is packed not just with great recipes but with brilliant ideas, sound concepts and clever ways of making your money go a little further. We can’t all be amazing cooks like Rob, but this book lets us have a go.
A great book, with recipes that really work, written by someone with a passion for food and family. I am very proud to call Rob a friend.
Meet the Family!
Introduction
What a lovely book to write and to follow on from my first book, Cook with Kids, where I wanted to encourage families to get in the kitchen and spend quality time together.
I feel so strongly about the importance of food and how it helps to build a strong foundation for families in today’s modern, fast-paced world. It is about getting the kids off their computers, i-Pads, phones and PlayStations and spending time as a family unit, whether it is cooking together or eating together. In 2012 Cook with Kids won a coveted World Gourmand award for ‘Best Fund Raising, Charity and Community Cookbook in Europe’ and it sits in the Independent newspaper’s list of top ten children’s cookbooks. All of this inspired me to write The Family Kitchen – I looked into our second-time-around ‘jigsaw’ family and observed how our modern family works together.
Having worked as a chef for over 30 years, the kitchen has taught me the benefits of structure and discipline, as well as providing some truly colourful, interesting and often challenging times. I can honestly say I wake up in the mornings and still want to get amongst it! With that as a foundation, when things at home were shaken (as happens in most families from time to time), I instilled the same ethos to inspire a strong family bond. When we needed it most, there was only one room in the house that could deliver. Yes, you guessed it – the kitchen! The true engine room of any family.
Our own ‘jigsaw’ family consists of my gorgeous wife Amber, our children Tabitha, Jasper and Imani, plus Tabitha and Jasper’s brother Kerim who often stays at Kirby Towers. Add in Marley the labradoodle and Tina the fish, and you have quite a modern rum mix of ages and characters. Weekends are truly challenging with a lovely-mad-frustrating-rewarding rollercoaster ride of emotions but we wouldn’t have it any other way. Truly enriching!
This book started as a long sheet of brown paper that I called my mind map. This was stuck along the length of the wall and over the course of a year, I jotted down all my recipes and ideas, observing our modern family and how it worked, grazed and, most importantly, entertained and partied.
I hope I have encompassed the whole seven-day experience, from everyday quick breakfasts, lunches and budget teas to chilled weekend brunches, barbecues, big Saturday-night entertaining or homemade ‘takeaways’.
There’s also the Kirby Gift Shop – as a family who likes to visit with something that’s close to our hearts, these recipes are some of our favourite handmade and homemade edible presents.
I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did when writing, trialling and testing it. I have given you 30 years of my cooking experience in the pages of this book with some real cheffy twists and turns on comfort food. The Family Kitchen is a cookbook for a real twenty-first-century family, where both parents are working hard to keep the family pieced together in a mad, modern, fast-paced world with far too many distractions. So get the whole family around the kitchen table when they are young and years later, even when they have spread their wings, they will keep returning. I can’t wait…
Rob x
Mini Vicky Kisses; Tastiest Sausage Plait and Beans
Chocolate-Dipped Honeycomb
clockwise from top-left: Jasper’s Rack-it-up Slow-Cooked Maple ’n’ Jack Daniels Ribs; Pomegranate Fizz; Tabitha’s Glitter-Bombed Rice Krispie Cakes; Best Ever Cheesy Beans on Toast;
Working Nine to Five
Brekkie on the Hoof!
Late-for-the-bus Granola Bars
Smash-it-up Boiled Eggs on Marmite Toast
Berry Blast Smoothie
Jam Jar Swirly
Homemade Granola Jars
Salty and Sweet Peanut Butter, Banana and Honey Crumpets
Lunchtime and Lunchbox Treats
Five-a-day Pick &Mix Porridge
Spanish Tomato Bread
Funky Frittata
Pistachio and Cranberry Biscotti
Marbled Banana and Nutella Loaf
Raw Spring Veggie Bites with Hummus
Twenty-Minute Lunch Break
Do-it-Yourself Energy Bars
Shake-it-up Super Salad
Best Ever Cheesy Beans on Toast
Smashed Avocado, Tuna Mayo and Capers on Toast
Frugal Dinners
Cheesy Ham Toast with Rocket Salad
Crunchy Quesadilla Sandwich
All-in-the Pan Pizza
Crushed Potato Bubble and Squeak
Sticky Chicken Legs, Corn Strips and Celeriac Slaw
Crispy Crouton Mince Pie
Homemade Garam Masala and Curry Powder
Amber’s Egg, Potato and Pea Curry
On-the-Quick Eevening Specials
Homemade Naan Bread
Tastiest Sausage Plait and Beans
All-in-one Shepherd’s Pie in Cheesy Jackets
Amber’s Street Food Chicken and Rice
Easy Peasy Feta, Pea and PineNut Risotto
All-in-one Chicken Thigh, Chorizo, Butterbean and PineNut Pot Roast
Pitta Margherita Pizza
Flash-fried Beef with Long-stem Broccoli
Rob’s Perfect Pot Noodle
The modern world, where both parents are working, is a challenge, to say the least!
Monday morning – deep breath, let the chaos begin! This is where it all starts so I’ve put together a great collection of recipes that encompasses the whole week, from the early starts to quick, zippy lunches when time is of the essence. Have a go at my Homemade Granola jars – they’re transportable, easy to unscrew and great for munching on the hoof, whether it’s on the school bus, the train to work or in back of the car. Or try the quick-to-make, salty-sweet combo of the Peanut Butter, Banana and Honey Crumpets – yum!
In Kirby Towers, it’s a bun fight to get to the bathroom first, while the kitchen radio keeps getting moved from Heart to Kiss, and we’re all stressing about the day ahead and what it brings. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions before we’ve even left the house. The brekky options in this chapter are special and feature our faves and the ones we eat most. The girls love the Jam Jar Swirlies, while for me it’s my daily fix of Smash-it-up Boiled Eggs on Marmite Toast. Whatever you choose, these should help you get going and ready for the mad day ahead.
When lunchtime comes, you need something quick, filling and nutritious, like my Shake-it-up Super Salad that’s filled with orzo pasta, cherry tomatoes, goat’s cheese and sunflower seeds or a quick, comforting Best Ever Cheesy Beans on Toast when it’s a bit wintry outside.
Try sneaking the Do-it-yourself Energy Bars into their lunchboxes or schoolbag – they are fantastic, full of goodness and you control exactly what’s in them.
Finally, it’s the end of the working day – breathe a sigh of relief! Fancy something quick and tasty? Try the Pitta Margherita Pizzas for when they come home from school and want something to eat 5 minutes ago! Or throw the All-in-One Chicken Thigh, Chorizo, Butterbean and PineNut Pot Roast in the oven while you kick off your shoes and have a well-deserved end-of-day glass of vino!
Now it comes to the end of the month, you’re eagerly anticipating pay day and money is definitely ‘too tight to mention’. Even when you’re bit skint, it doesn’t mean you have to eat badly. Try Jasper’s Tastiest Sausage Plait and Beans – banging! Or if you’ve got a bit of time, make Amber’s Egg, Potato and Pea Curry with Homemade Naan Breads – with such authentic flavours – it’s great for anyone in the family at home or trying to live on a budget at uni.
All this brings me nicely to the end of the week for the modern family kitchen – phew! Now, let the good times of the weekend chill begin!
Late-for-the-bus Granola Bars
It doesn’t matter how many times we tell the kids to get up, they have to have that extra minute in bed! This inevitably causes angst in an already-rushed household. Make these healthy, chewy breakfast bars in advance and keep the peace.
makes 8 bars
125g light muscovado sugar
90g unsalted butter
90g golden syrup (or good-quality clear honey)
175g oats
25g sunflower seeds
25g sesame seeds
25g flaked almonds
25g ground almonds
40g dried pineapple
40g sultanas
25g dried apricots, chopped
Preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas mark 3. Line a 20 x 15cm baking tray with baking parchment.
Slowly melt the sugar, butter and golden syrup in a saucepan over a low