new on the cookbook pile

my thoughts on a diverse selection of recent additions to my cookbook collection

I’m out of bookshelf space, so I’m accumulating strategic piles of cookbooks, artfully displayed in various locations around the house! Ideally, this would be the cue to perhaps stop acquiring more, but they provide much pleasure, enjoyment and inspiration, so I can’t see it changing any time soon.

A small flurry of new books has been added to the collection. I’ve been reading them by the warmth of the fire, with a cup of tea in hand and perhaps a small slice of cake. I make a mental list of what I’ll make, think about how combinations of flavours can be used elsewhere, find inspiration for spring planting in the veggie patch and wonder if I make my own sauerkraut, whether I’ll like it better than the bought stuff. This week, I’m sharing my thoughts on a selection of the new additions.

Scandinavia: Recipes and Ingredients by Gísli Egil Hrafnsson and Inga Elsa Bergpórsdóttir

My affinity for cookbooks from the Nordic countries, I think, stems from similarities in seasons and the ingredients that seem well-suited to Tasmania. Not that we have snow or extreme cold temperatures, but the short, mild summers and long winter nights resonate. At first glance, Scandinavia is a beautiful book. The cover illustration, silver-edged pages and evocative landscape photos succeed in creating a sense of the region. The recipes originate from several Scandinavian countries - Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway and are arranged by season. Some recipes have caught my eye - as a marzipan lover, the apple and marzipan pie immediately made my list, and the pickled dandelion buds intrigue me.

The layout of the recipes, however, is unconventional, and I found it annoying.

Nik Sharma

discovered in his most recent book, Veg-table, where his ingredient lists were intertwined with the recipe methodology, that readers are reluctant to deviate from the usual list of ingredients followed by the method. I quite liked this narrative style, although I could understand why there were plenty of detractors. Scandinavia has also deviated from the norm, with the method appearing first, with the ingredients shown in a run-together list at the very bottom of the page, almost like a footnote or an afterthought. It all seems quite back to front.

There are also no headnotes with any of the recipes, which left me feeling detached from most of the recipes. There are often complaints about lengthy headnotes, but for me, they are the soul of a cookbook and are the difference between recipes that appear on the internet and those that are curated to be part of a physical book. They explain why the author included the recipe, what makes their version different, or perhaps a story behind the dish. They are a way to get to know the author. The headnotes are often what make me want to cook a particular recipe. Unexpectedly, this book had me reflecting on the elements of writing and design and trying to identify what it is that elevates one cookbook over another. Despite its visual appeal, it really is lovely; it has no personality, and for me, that matters more.

Plant to Plate by Gaz Oakley

Because I must live under a rock and am not one of Gaz Oakley's 1.6m followers on Instagram, he is a new-to-me chef and author. Plate to Plant is his fourth book and is full of plant-forward recipes organised around ten easy-to-access ingredients, including strawberries, potatoes, chillies and zucchinis. Whilst I enjoy books that focus on one particular thing, I also like a book that has a bit of everything, and this is one of those books.

Main meals, desserts, baked goods and preserves, there is something for whatever mood takes you. And while you might be familiar with some of the recipes, they come with an additional element or a twist that generates new interest in an old favourite, such as the potato and leek soup served with a macadamia and chive dressing and topped with potato and mustard doughnuts. The smoked carrot kebabs with burnt onion puree, while they can be cooked inside, sound like a dish for the barbecue and summer weather. I have a batch of fire cider on the go, helpful in warding off winter chills, and I’m drying apple peels to use in a herbal tea blend. Oakley is a fan of fermenting and has some interesting suggestions beyond the regular sauerkraut and kimchi. Even I might be tempted by the apple, fennel and basil ferment as well as the apple and pak choi kimchi. The caramelised onion cornbread looks delicious, and the campfire apples would cook beautifully in the coals of the pizza oven. There’s plenty of inspiration in this book for innovative and achievable plant-based recipes.

Sweet by Alexina Anatole

Anatole was a finalist on The Great British Bakeoff in 2021 and has previously written a book called Bitter, which I’m now considering buying as well. Sweet was a book I bought on a whim after seeing a review, and I’m pleased I did. The book begins with an overview of sugar, including its various types and flavours, as well as its role in recipes. There is a handy chart on building desserts to balance flavours and textures, and some helpful baking tips which start with “don’t be afraid of salt.” I knew then that I’d enjoy this book!

The recipes are arranged around a main ingredient, sometimes a fruit, such as pears, peaches, or bananas, and other times more of a flavour, like vanilla, coconut, or brown sugar. There is even a chapter using sweet elements in savoury bakes such as focaccia with strawberries or Iranian fried eggs with dates. You can also refer to a secondary recipe list that organises them into different categories, such as ‘for comfort’ or ‘for speed’.

With each recipe, there are recipe-specific tips, but also general ones explaining why, for example, biscuits benefit from overnight chilling, or topping your cake with a circle of greaseproof paper to help them rise more evenly. There is information about the balancing elements - yoghurt (sour/tangy), olive oil (bitter), etc, that gives an insight into how the recipe is constructed to create a harmonious dish. It is a book where the recipes, regardless of how simple some might appear, have been carefully considered and have resulted in some intriguing flavour combinations, and I have a long list of recipes I‘m planning on trying.

Flavour Heroes by Gurdeep Loyal

I was a huge fan of Loyal’s first book, Mother Tongue, so I didn’t think twice about buying Flavour Heroes. I still haven’t cooked anything from Mother Tongue, but I have read almost every word. Flavour Heroes is, I think, far more accessible, and I have already made several dishes.

The recipes are based around 15 modern pantry ingredients - among others, sesame oil, harissa, mango chutney, and gochujang - and uses these ingredients in ways you wouldn’t typically think of, to create dishes full of flavour. I believe this cross-cultural blending of ingredients and flavours is where Loyal’s skill lies. A reimagined fish pie flavoured with Thai green curry paste, chicken schnitzels marinated in mango chutney and accompanying mushy peas with lime leaf and mint, a charred hasselback halloumi with tamarind. They are unlikely combinations that just seem to work. The miso ganache fudge cake looks and sounds fabulous - I’m a huge fan of miso in sweet things, so this one is definitely on my list. And if you’re at the peak of summer peaches in your part of the world, the peach, taleggio and pecorino crinkle pie looks like a light meal made for hot summer days. Everything I’ve made so far has been packed with flavour, and I'm looking forward to working my way through the book.

Roti by Anuradha Ravindranath

My standard Indian bread that I make to go with curry is a simple naan bread. I scoop out what looks to be about the right amount of flour for the number of people I’m feeding, add salt, yoghurt, yeast, a drizzle of oil and enough water to bring it all together before letting it sit for an hour or so. I then roughly portion it, roll each piece into a rough circle and cook in a dry frying pan. It’s wonderfully foolproof. But after travelling to India earlier this year and sampling so many different breads, I wondered if I should move outside my comfort zone and try something different. Not to mention the antique chapati holder I bought back that is begging to be used. With 90 recipes for various Indian breads and accompaniments, I figured Roti would provide plenty of inspiration.

Organised by cooking method, the recipes range from simple flaky parathas to filled breads that are a meal in themselves. There are regional specialties and others, such as Roth from Kashmir or Babru from the state of Himachal Pradesh, that are sweet breads, often eaten for breakfast. You’ll also find base recipes for white butter, ghee, paneer, and yoghurt, ingredients which are found in many of the breads. Bread is central to many food cultures, and Ravindranath recounts the importance of bread in her family and how she hopes that this collection of regional recipes will contribute to its preservation. I’m not sure if I will ever attempt making puri, a deep-fried bread that results in crispy disks with a hollow centre that can be filled with various ingredients, but there are plenty of other options for expanding my Indian bread repertoire.

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