Life Kitchen, Ryan Riley

~ Tandy

Life Kitchen is an award-winning not-for-profit organisation that provides free cookery classes and recipes for people living with cancer, to help them rediscover their love of food. In his recipe book with the same name, Ryan Riley shares recipes to revive the joy of taste and flavour.

Life Kitchen

Chapters are divided into:
  • Snack & Little Bites
  • Quick & Easy
  • Friends & Family
  • Sweets & Treats
Recipes that caught my eye:
  • Roasted broccoli with chilli yoghurt & orange (p43)
  • Gyoza parcel (p44)
  • Pea fritters with preserved lemon mayonnaise (p50)
  • Camembert potatoes (p63)
  • Rhubarb and cardamom ice lollies (p70)
  • Harissa aubergine & flatbreads (p94)
  • Roasted onion soup (p96)
  • Curried mackerel noodles (p108)
  • Red pepper & prawn pasta (p115)
  • Jacket potatoes with black garlic, spring onion & feta (p116)
  • Green chutney (p134)
  • Roasted cauliflower cheese (p142)
  • Carbonara with mint & peas (p156)
  • Green olive pasta (p163)
  • Paprika & shiitake fish pie (p168)
  • One-pot chicken & rice (p170)
  • Cauliflower korma (p174)
  • Slow-cooked tamarind beef (p176)
  • Sweet cinnamon dukkah (p194)
  • Lemon posset tart (p202)
  • Lemon & pomegranate sherbet cake (p206)
Carbonara With Mint And Peas
Carbonara With Mint And Peas
My impressions:

Cookbooks that come from the heart have so much more to offer than ones that are created for profit. When my friend Camilla was undergoing treatment for cancer she complained that her food tasted bland. She lost all interest in cooking, and eating. Which for a food lover is awful. I cannot imagine not being able to taste what I am eating, or enjoy a meal. With this in mind, and the personal story behind Life Kitchen I was really impressed with the overall feel of this book. The recipes sounded inviting, even the ones I would never make. The personal notes were a wonderful touch and the photographs made the food look enticing.

What I made:

I chose to make the carbonara with mint & peas as this is a recipe they have taught at Life Kitchen since the very first class. Mint to me is not a traditional Italian herb but it added another dimension to the dish. And both of us thought it was excellent. The recipe was easy to follow, worked out well and tasted good. All plus factors in my opinion.

Carbonara With Mint And Peas

Publishing information:

ISBN: 9781526612298

Jonathan Ball Publishers sent me this recipe book to review.

Inspiration published on Lavender and Lime 24:

Lavender and Lime Signature
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Published by Tandy

I am passionate about using regional, seasonable and sustainable produce when I cook. I live in Gordons Bay with my husband and dogs. We visit new places locally and overseas as often as we can to experience the food of the area. Follow along on our adventures!

7 thoughts on “Life Kitchen, Ryan Riley”

  1. Evidently, mint is one of the most-used herbs in Italian cuisine! Needless to say, it grows everywhere in the Mediterranean, and the Italians, especially in the South it seems, use it in all sorts of dishes, including meat dishes. The number of varieties of mint is astounding, and I suspect that the ones used in Italian cuisine include quite a few different ones, depending on the taste that’s wanted.

    Here’s a great article about it: https://www.seriouseats.com/2009/06/seriously-italian-mint-in-italian-cooking.html

    The dish you described sounds good!

    be well… mae at maefood.blogspot.com

    Reply

    1. Thanks so much for sharing! I have so seldom seen mint in Italy, where we travel to quite often. I shall have to find more Italian dishes that use mint, to make for the blog.

      Reply
  4. Pingback: Mint And Pea Carbonara From Life Kitchen - Lavender and Lime

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