Day 5/10 of my cookbook challenge, the books and cooks who have influenced my kitchen over the past 40 years: Moro, The Cookbook by Sam and Sam Clark. 

I love Moro’s wonderful restaurant on Exmouth Street in London with its long polished bar and smoky wood oven. Published in 2001, this was the first cookbook I had that would enable me to reproduce at home some of what I’d eaten in the restaurant. Their blend of Arabic and Hispanic cookery was a revelation and I’ve explored that cuisine further over the years with works by the wonderful Claudia Roden (Arabesque) and Yottam Ottolenghi (Jerusalem, Plenty, Simple etc.).  Moorish skewers using their recipe will grace our BBQ again this summer, the chickpeas with spinach dish will be served on the side and, for dessert, their incomparable Malaga raisin ice cream.

In these days of Covid-19 and the lockdown, with so many of our wonderful restaurants in danger of not being able to survive or reopen as they were, I’m even more grateful that I now also have in my collection the cookbooks from some of my other restaurant favourites River Café, The Quality Chop House, Hawksmoor and Dishoom.