Felicity O’Driscoll of Cook the Books with her favourites from the current crop of cookbooks. Visit the shop at its new home 78 Kelmarna Ave (cnr Trinity St), Ponsonby, Auckland or go to cookthebooks.co.nz
TEKEBASH & SABA
SABA ALEMAYOH, MURDOCH BOOKS, $65
Get ready to travel to Tigray, the northernmost state of Ethiopia. Tigray is 95% Orthodox Christian with faith and the availability of ingredients the foundation of the cuisine. It’s a truly fascinating cookbook, yet it’s also Tekebash’s story – one of fleeing her war-torn homeland for Australia via Sudan, and eventually opening an acclaimed restaurant that shares the unique cuisine of her homeland.
A SPLASH OF SOY
LARA LEE, BLOOMSBURY, $50
This is the second book from Australian chef Lara Lee, and is named for the simplicity and usefulness of soy, an ingredient so versatile it can transform a dish with just a splash. This is delicious, modern, Asian-influenced food with all the contrasts of flavour and texture we love, yet simple and straightforward enough to whip up after work. The recipes are spicy, sweet, sour and salty, with all the umami and none of the fuss.
ET VOILA!
MANON LAGRÈVE, WELBECK PUBLISHING, $45
A French baking love story and the debut cookbook from the Great British Bake Off star baker. This is French home baking, not the work of a professional pâtissiere – alongside the classics such as tarte Tatin, Paris-Brest and madeleines, you’ll find fruity galettes that are perfect after a midweek meal. Just don’t miss the chocolate cake studded with dried amarena cherries.
SPIRIT & SPICE
GHILLIE BASAN, KITCHEN PRESS, $50
With a career that includes writing 40+ cookbooks – mainly covering Turkey, the Middle East and Southeast Asia and the links between culinary cultures forged by trade, colonisation and migration – Ghillie Basan has finally written one about ‘home’. She returns to Scotland to overlay this world of spice into the local cuisine – think haggis turned into dolma. Running through the book is her story of love, loss and survival, not just in life but in her remote croft in the Highlands.
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