Moro The Cookbook [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Moro joins the starry ranks of beautifully presented London restaurant cookbooks such as The River Café Cookbook and Momo that have excelled in delivering the tastes of the Mediterranean to our colder climes. Both the cookbook and the restaurant are the realisation of the dreams of Samuel and Samantha Clark, chef-owners and now writers. Their passion for the intense flavours of the cuisine of Spain, North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean follow the saffron-cinnamon connection; the robust style of Spanish cooking balancing the lighter, more exotic dishes of the Muslim Mediterranean.

Tapas favourites such as tortilla, pimientos del piquillo (sweet peppers), boquerones (anchovies), sardines and chorizo share the table with familiar mezzes like grilled chicken wings with tahini, baba ghanoush and tabbouleh. But the joy of Moro is that it balances such favourites with rarer fare and new inventive recipes with traditional ingredients, such as the colourful and deliciously rich carcuteria cecina with beetroot and almond sauce and grilled quail with rose petals. If you thought you knew what to expect from paella, try monkfish paella with saffron or pork, chorizo and spinach, or Chicken, artichokes and oloroso sherry. All of which might not leave much room for the bitter chocolate, coffee and cardamon coffee cake or the Malaga raisin ice-cream.

If some of the ingredients leave you a trifle bewildered, Moro ends with an appendix of suppliers from specialty ethnic shops to local supermarket fare and a terrifically handy almanac of vegetables and fruits in season. Like its other restaurant cook books, Moro also serves up a feast for your eyes and belongs on your coffee table as well as in the kitchen, splendidly extending and deepening our appreciation for these too often over-looked cuisines. --Fiona Buckland

"Moro is to Spanish food what the River Cafe is to Italian" -- Nigella Lawson

Stunning new paperback package of this seminal bestselling classic --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

The menu of the Moro restaurant explores the exotic flavours of the Mediterranean. This cookbook encompasses dishes that originated in Spain and the Muslim Mediterranean. As well as recipes it has details about the romance and tradition inherent in every dish.

Praise for MORO THE COOKBOOK
"Moro is a rare and special place. It is our good luck that the Clarks have chosen to share it with us in their cookbook."

Nigel Slater, The Observer

"THE restaurant cook book I’ve most eagerly awaited this year… I could happily cook my way through this book from start to finish."

Lindsey Bareham, Evening Standard

"the hypiest cookbook of the year. Every dish seems to be saying, `Cook me, please'."

The Guardian Weekend

"The recipes are mouth-wateringly delicious, the photography suitably gorgeous; it’s a winner of a book."

Time Out

"From rich lamb and fish dishes to mouthwatering desserts, the recipes here are exquisite yet fairly simple to prepare."

OK!

"profoundly pleasurable, satisfying and untaxing to cook from."

The Guardian

Samuel and Samantha Clark not only work together but are also husband and wife, and have both cooked at leading restaurants such as The River Cafe and the Eagle gastro-pub . Sharing a passion for the Moorish regions, they joined forces to open Moro in Clerkenwell, London in 1997. Since then the restaurant has enjoyed unequalled reviews and accolades, being voted Best Restaurant in 2009's Observer Food Monthly awards. The Clarks opened their second venture, Morito, an intimate tapas bar, in August 2010. (20021018) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Lomo con leche Pork cooked in milk with bay and cinnamon

Pork cooked in milk was one of our favourite dishes to cook at the River Cafe, so we were thrilled when we saw a similar recipe for it in a Spanish book using cinnamon and bay instead of lemon zest and sage.

Serves 4-6 1-1.5 kg boned organic or free-range pork loin, with skin removed 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves, or a pinch of dried thyme 4 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 cinnamon stick 3 bay leaves, preferably fresh

1.5 litres milk sea salt and black pepper

Trim the pork of excess fat and rub all over with salt, pepper and thyme. Place a large, heavy saucepan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the pork and seal until golden brown on all sides, but not too dark. Pour off any excess oil, add the cinnamon, bay and milk and bring to a gentle simmer, turning down the heat if necessary. Cook slowly with the lid half off for about 1-11/2 hours, turning the meat occasionally, or until the meat is cooked through, but still juicy and tender, making sure it does not catch on the bottom. The milk should have reduced into caramelised, nutty nuggets, and made a wonderful sauce subtly flavoured with cinnamon and bay. If it needs more time to reduce, remove the meat until the sauce is ready. Taste for seasoning. Let the meat relax for 5 minutes before slicing.

We serve this with Mashed Potato with Garlic (see page 231), some rocket or braised spinach (see page 234), and piquillo peppers fried in olive oil and garlic for colour.