It’s about time for some more cookbook chat, so I thought I would share a few new (to me) books that I have recently added to my cookbook shelves.
These are the books that have been keeping me company lately, and as you can see by the length of this I was unable to be brief about my thoughts on them!
1.Extra Good Things by Ottolenghi Test Kitchen - I waited a little while to buy this one, as Ottolenghi’s book ‘Simple’ remains my absolute favourite of his works (and those under the Ottolenghi banner), and none of the releases since that book have interested me nearly as much. After having a look at the book in a shop, I decided to buy it as a few recipes stood out to me. The flavours used in this book as a whole appeal to me more (than say ‘Shelf Love’ or ‘Flavour’), and I am looking forward to trying The Double Lemon Chicken (p.24) and One Pot Chickpeas with Carrots and Dates (p.38) as soon as the weather here has really cooled down.
2. Salamati by Hamed Allahyari with Dani Valent - This book is full of delicious Persian and Persian inspired food by Hamed, where he shares about is life in Iran via food, and describes the dangerous situation that forced him to leave. I have so far tried one of the salmon recipes which I really enjoyed and I can’t wait to try more. Persian food uses many ingredients like an abundance of herbs, pomegranates and pomegranate molasses that I really enjoy. Saffron also features a lot, so get a little supply of saffron ready to cook from this book!
Reading this book and starting to cook from it makes me want to eat at Hamed’s restaurant in Melbourne ‘SalamaTea’. This book and Hamed’s story also makes me seriously question why someone like Hamed who came to Australia as an asylum seeker 10 years ago, contributes to society and employs other asylum seekers and refugees, still does not have a permanent visa to remain here and have that certainty.
3. Med by Claudia Roden - I only had one book of Claudia’s prior to buying ‘Med’, ‘The Jewish Cookbook’, which is an extremely throughly researched cookbook which has come to be synonymous with Claudia’s work and food writing. I decided to purchase Med after hearing Claudia interviewed by Alice Zaslavsky during the Sydney Jewish Writers Festival. Claudia was so generous with her time and her explanation about her life and how her books came about.
As Alice says in the interview ‘Med’ is Claudia’s first book with food photography, so it is a little different from her earlier work. The flavours used in this book are exactly what I want to eat (anchovies, green olives, capers, tomatoes, garlic etc) so I knew I needed to move this book from my wish list to my actual book shelf. So far we’ve tried the Chicken with Apricots and Pistachios (p.225), next on my list is the Green Olive, Walnut and Pomegranate Salad (p.51).
4. Pride and Pudding by Regula Ysewijn - I am having a real moment with Regula’s work of late. It started with her second book ‘Oats in the North Wheat in the South’, and after I enjoyed that book so much I went back to her first book ‘Pride and Pudding’. Regula is from Belgium however has has a very keen interested in all things British for a long time. This book covers the history of British puddings (sweet and savoury), and while some puddings I know I will never make (Haggis and Black Pudding being top of that list!), others would make a lovely addition to any table.
What I really love about this book is the in depth research and history about puddings and the specific recipes - if you love history and food Regula’s work is definitely for you. Regula is also an amazing stylist and food photographer so the images are absolutely stunning, and coupled with her husband Bruno’s illustrations this book is a real feast for the eyes.
Links to books on Booktopia removed 15/07/2024.
