The days when a woman slaved all day to put dinner on the table for her hard-working (and ungrateful) husband are, thankfully, long gone.
The modern man (of our dreams) feels free to put on his pinny and cook up a feast. Thinking of himself as the modern hunter-gatherer, his open fire is now an agar and he buys his organic meat from Waitrose instead of spearing it in the forest.
But if you don't quite know your quinoa from your kumquat (that is not a euphemism), fear not: we've got some recipes from Cook Like A Man, the official Movember cookbook, to lend a hand.
All you have to do is follow the instructions and make sure you don't get any sauce in your moustache.
Warm Pigeon Breast Salad with Caramelised Apple, Crispy Chorizo and Balsamic Syrup
Courtesy of Andy Waugh and Ruaridh Emslie - Wild Game Co, London
Serves 6
Ingredients
6 pigeon breasts
3 Cox's eating apples
100ml balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
A knob of butter
200g thinly sliced chorizo
300g salad leaves
Salt and pepper
Method
- Remove the pigeon breasts from the fridge and warm to room temperature. Core the apples, keeping their skin on, and cut into 8 thin wedges.
- Heat the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Then leave to bubble gently for about 15 minutes until reduced by a half. Add more sugar or vinegar to taste.
- In a pan, melt a knob of butter on a low heat and add the apple slices. Cook the apples slowly on each side until golden in colour. The natural sugars in the apple will caramelise and sweeten the apple. Remove and keep warm.
- Season the pigeon breasts and add to the pan that you cooked the apples in. Cook on a medium-to-high heat for 2 minutes on each side until medium rare. Remove from the pan, allow to rest and slice each breast into 5 pieces. Keep the pan on the heat and add the sliced chorizo, cooking for 30 seconds each side until crisp.
To Serve
Place a pile of salad leaves on each plate and put the pigeon on top. Drizzle the warm balsamic syrup over the breast and salad. Then add the apple wedges and chorizo on top.
Smoked Haddock Risotto, Soft Boiled Quail Eggs, Parsnip Crisps
Courtesy of Nick Butler Head Chef, Chiswell Street Dining Rooms, London
Serves 6
Ingredients
Quail Eggs
12 quail eggs
Parsnip Crisps
1 large parsnip
Oil for deep-frying
Risotto
2 litres chicken stock
2 sprigs of thyme
20 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
50ml olive oil
2 shallots, peeled and finely diced
600g Arborio rice
3 pinches of salt
500ml white wine
250g smoked haddock fillet, skinned and diced
500ml milk
100g frozen peas
50g butter
50g grated parmesan
¼ bunch of parsley, finely chopped
Pea Shoots to garnish (optional)
For the Quail Eggs
Prepare a container of iced water. Bring a pan of water to the boil and carefully put the eggs in the pan. Boil for 1 minute and 25 seconds exactly then remove with a slotted spoon and transfer straight into the iced water.
When cooled completely, gently peel the shells and set the eggs aside until serving. If you are having trouble peeling the eggs, place them in white wine vinegar for 1 hour; this will make them easier to peel as the vinegar will break down the shell.
For the Parsnip Crisps
Peel the outer skin of the parsnip and discard. Then draw a vegetable peeler down the length of the parsnip to make thin ribbons.
Heat a pan of oil to 140°C or until a cube of bread goes golden in 1 minute 30 seconds; do not make it too hot or the crisps will burn.
Place the strips of parsnip in the hot oil for around 45 seconds. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.
The parsnips should be a light golden brown colour - any darker and they will taste bitter. These can be made the day before and stored in an airtight container.
For the Risotto
Put the chicken stock in a saucepan with the thyme, peppercorns and bay leaf and bring to the boil. Then remove from the heat and leave for 30 minutes.
Remove the peppercorns, bay and thyme and return to the pan. Bring back to the boil and keep on a low heat.
Put the olive oil in a separate large saucepan, add the shallots and cook, without colouring, until translucent. Add the rice with the salt and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the wine and reduce until the rice has absorbed the wine and the mixture is almost dry.
Add enough of the chicken stock to cover the rice and simmer for a few minutes, stirring continuously until the stock has been absorbed. Continue doing this, adding more stock until the rice is almost cooked, for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, lightly poach the diced smoked haddock in the milk for 3-4 minutes. This will soften the texture and give great flavour to the milk.
When the rice is cooked but still slightly firm to the tooth, add 100ml of the haddock milk and continue stirring for 2 minutes. Add the diced smoked haddock and the frozen peas. Continue stirring until the smoked haddock and peas are cooked.
When both are cooked, add the butter and grated parmesan and stir thoroughly. Add the parsley at the last minute - the risotto should be creamy and a little soup-like.
To Serve
Spoon a portion of risotto into each bowl. Cut the quail eggs in half and place 4 halves around each plate. Garnish with the parsnip crisps, pea shoots and serve immediately.
Steamed Maple, Lemon And Blackberry Pudding
Courtesy of Fred Smith, London
Serves 6
Ingredients
300g butter
300g sugar
6 large free-range eggs
300g self-raising flour
75g stem ginger
Zest of 2 large lemons
Maple syrup
1 punnet of blackberries
Double cream to serve
Method
- Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Then add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the flour, ginger and lemon zest, until you have a thick batter. Put to one side.
- Preheat the oven to 180˚C/gas mark 4. Place a generous dash of maple syrup and 3 or 4 blackberries in the bottom of 6 greased dariole moulds (or similar). Spoon the batter over the blackberries until the moulds are two-thirds full. Loosely cover the moulds with tin foil and place in a roasting tray. Pour hot water into the tray so that it comes halfway up the moulds. Bake for 45 minutes.
To Serve
Remove the puddings from their moulds by inverting on a plate, and pour over the double cream.
Cook Like A Man, priced at £10, can be bought online at PanMacmillan.