No Cook, No Cookbook by Orlando Murrin

If you like the idea of cooking but are short on time, Orlando Murrin has turned his hand to this dilemma and produced over 200 recipes, which can be put together with little more than lifting a finger. With the wide selection of quality ingredients available in shops, some inspirational assembling is all that it takes to make something taste and look good.

The No Cook Cookbook might not appeal to the serious cook as it is really geared towards the person who likes to dabble with their ingredients. To this end, Orlando Murrin's book will not be a disappointment. There are plenty of tips that even a well seasoned cook might not have thought of.

The following are some of the quick fixes that will appeal to the lazy cook who fancies a night off from the stove. Throw together a salad with cooked chicken breast, sliced, mixed with the flesh of pink grapefruit and some sweetcorn. Red chilli dresses the dish up and gives it a kick. Rustle up green anchorage by processing handfuls of basil, mint and parsley, pine nuts, garlic, and anchovies. Add olive oil and lemon juice to reach a suitable consistency. This sauce works particularly well with roast lamb.

For the sweet toothed, soften some superior vanilla ice cream and mix in one of the following, chocolate covered espresso beans, chopped Toblerone or chopped marshmallows. We like Murrin's take on tiramisu, strawberry-misu. You can also use raspberries mixed with some lemon juice for a sharper flavour.

Spices are a cook's best friend and Orlando Murrin suggests his five no-cook favourites.
Crushed chillies are as useful as black pepper.
Cinnamon ground in a coffee grinder for the freshest of flavours.
Poppy seeds give crunch and a hint of aniseed. Caraway seeds are good too.
Paprika and smoked paprika, the latter having hidden depths but Murrin adds, ‘Use infrequently in careful quantities, to give panache to chargrilled and spicy dishes.'
To this list we would add nutmeg. Freshly grated, it can be used in a number of ways, over roast chicken, vegetables and to flavour creamy puddings and sauces. Good quality vanilla extract, especially Tahitan, should never be too far from your right hand when in the kitchen.

Orlando Murrin is a highly respected author and journalist and the No Cook Cookbook is as good as his reputation. Following his advice, you will never have a dull meal again and if friends arrive unexpectedly, providing you follow his store cupboard and refrigerator guidelines, they too will be happily replete.

Publication details:
160 pp. Photography by Jason Lowe. £16.99
Published by Quadrille.
ISBN 1844000281
2003

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