The end-of-year rush of cookery books means that some deserving cases can tend to get overlooked, and one title which failed to garner the attention it richly deserves is Peter Gordon's The Sugar Club Cookbook, a collection of recipes from his London restaurant.
We only had time to pick it out as one of the most notable books of the year, and it really is smashing stuff, hungrily creative and achievable cooking which makes sense of the idea of fusion cuisine. Never mind whether or not you have any leftover book tokens: you need this one in the kitchen.
We will be featuring a couple of Peter Gordon's ideas in the following weeks, but just to give you a taste of his style, here is a cracking winter dish of Black-Eyed Beans with Sweet Potato and Coriander. "As good eaten cold as a salad as it is warmed up and served as an accompaniment to fish or meat," says the chef.
The Sugar Club Cookbook by Peter Gordon, (Hodder & Stoughton £20.00 in the UK)
Black-Eyed Beans with Sweet Potato and Coriander For six generous portions, as an accompaniment
2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled Sea salt 300 g (11 oz) dried black-eyed beans, soaked in cold water for at least six hours 50 ml (one and three quarters fl oz) olive oil 50 ml (one and three quarters fl oz) sesame oil 2 red onions, peeled and finely sliced half teaspoon cumin seeds 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped 50 ml (one and three quarters fl oz) lime juice 1 cup fresh coriander leaves
Dice the sweet potatoes into 1cm (third of an inch) cubes and cover with cold water, then cook until just cooked (be careful not to overcook as they will break up). Drain carefully, keeping the liquid.
Drain the beans and put them into the pot you have just used for the sweet potatoes. Add the potato cooking liquor, adding enough hot water to cover the beans by a few centimetres, and bring to the boil. Skim off any foam that comes to the surface and cook on a gentle boil for at least 45 minutes. Top up with more hot water if it reduces too much. Test the beans to see if they're cooked and continue until they're done, when they should be drained.
Heat up the oils and fry the onion and cumin until the onion softens, then add the garlic and fry for a further 2 minutes. Add the lime juice and bring to the boil, the remove from the heat. Gently mix the sweet potato, beans, onion mix, coriander and 1 teaspoon salt together and leave to sit for at least an hour before using.