By Jason Black
Cow Pig Chicken begins with a warning: "This is a book for carnivores, by carnivores and I make no excuses for that." However, Jason Black, the chef behind Shore and The Salted Pig, both in Central, goes on to write that he has no problem with vegetarians; after all, he cooks them and serves them every day - in the form of delicious steaks, chops, fillets and other dishes.
Shore specialises in steak, The Salted Pig in pork dishes, and Black's recipes are accessible to anyone with a stovetop and oven. While he loves sous-vide cooking, he also gives directions for traditional techniques such as braising.
The dishes are simply titled (although the incessant use of the definite article is annoying). There's "the flank steak" with hand-cut fries and tomato salad; "the pork meatball sandwich"; "the porky bubble and squeak with fried eggs and mornay sauce"; "the Salted Pig's Scotch egg"; and "the obligatory deep-fried buttermilk chicken dish". Despite the attempt to warn off vegetarians, there are a few recipes that will satisfy them, including "the poached egg dish with asparagus" and "the souffle omelette".