Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cookery Course

A lifetime's worth of expertise from the world's fines­t chef. “I want to teach you how to cook good food at home by stripping away all the hard graft and complexity to show how anyone can produce mouth-watering recipes. Put simply, I'm going to show you how to cook yourself into a better cook.” GORDON RAMSAY Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cookery Course is about giving home cooks the desire, confidence and inspiration to hit the stoves and get cooking. The ultimate reference bible, it's a lifetime's worth of expertise from the world's finest chef distilled into a beautiful book. Gordon will share all sorts of useful tricks and tips from his years as a professional chef – from ways to save time and money, to how to present simple food so it looks like you've spent hours on it – making this the only cookery course you'll ever need. Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cookery Course includes over 100 modern recipes that are simple and accessible but have an edge – classics such as slow-cooked lamb shanks, and pork belly with garlic, bay and fennel; suppers for two, from Thai tuna fishcakes to open lasagne; noodle dishes to die for and super easy salads, packed with flavour and perfect when you're cooking for a crowd. Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cookery Course is the definitive cooking lesson from the ultimate chef. SAMPLE RECIPE Slow-cooked aubergine (pictured left) (Serves 4–6 as a starter) This vegetable stew is such a simple combination of ingredients, but they undergo this amazing transformation during cooking to become more than the sum of their parts. A dish that just gets better and better the longer you allow the flavours to mingle. Olive oil, for frying 2 aubergines, trimmed and cut into 3cm chunks 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped 1 red onion, peeled and diced 1×400g tin butter beans, drained and rinsed 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses (see page 205) 1×400g tin chopped tomatoes Pinch of caster sugar Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper To serve 1 loaf of crusty white bread, e.g. sourdough or pain de campagne Small bunch of mint, leaves roughly chopped 100g feta cheese, crumbled Heat a heavy-based casserole dish over a high heat. Add a glug of oil and fry the aubergine for 3–4 minutes until coloured on all sides. Add the garlic and onion and fry for another 5 minutes until the onion is tender. Stir in the butter beans and pomegranate molasses with a generous pinch of salt and grinding of pepper. Add the tomatoes and sugar. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 40–45 minutes until the aubergine is tender and collapsed and the stew reduced and flavoursome. (If you find the mixture is drying out too much, add a couple of tablespoons of water.) To serve, slice the bread and toast on each side until golden. Stir the mint through the aubergine, spoon onto the slices of toast and scatter over the crumbled feta. Serve warm. How to salt aubergines Although it’s not essential to salt aubergine before you fry it, doing so draws out the moisture and makes it absorb less oil. Simply chop or dice the aubergine as required, place in a colander and sprinkle with about one teaspoon of salt. Leave for 30 minutes, then rinse well, pat dry on kitchen paper and cook as you wish. About the Author Gordon set up his first restaurant in 1998 which quickly received the most prestigious accolade in the culinary world – three Michelin stars. One of only four chefs in the UK to maintain three stars, Gordon was awarded an OBE in 2006 for services to the industry. Gordon lives with his wife and four children in South London.