Recent Cookbooks on My Shelf - October 2023

Extra Food Chat with Kath

Welcome to another edition of Extra Food Chat with Kath!

Late September and October was a bumper time for cookbook releases. I have so many to share with you, I am sending this usually paid subscribers only newsletter to everyone in full (early Christmas present?!)! There are too many good cookbooks here not to share with you all.

I hope this post gives you a good idea of some of these new releases, and whether you want to add them you your collection or gift them to a fellow cookbook lover. And also what it’s like to be a paid subscriber around here.

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Don’t Buy Fruit and Veg Without Me! by The Fruit Nerd (Thanh Truong) (Plum Books) - Everything Thanh does feels really fun, and this book is no exception. I’ve really enjoyed the Instagram videos and content for ABC Everyday that Thanh has been doing in the last couple of years, and to have a book filled with Thanh’s fruit and veg knowledge feels like a really natural progression to that. The book progresses from a detailed introduction, about Thanh himself and his background in the fruit and veg industry and his hopes that this book will encourage his vision of moving the industry away from aesthetics focused, to being led by consumers being informed about how to pick great fruit and veg. Thanh then goes through how to choose produce more generally and detailed tips on storing fruit and veg.

The book is then divided into various types of fruit and veg, alphabetically organised, with extra information on the produce and specific varieties within that. There is also a selection of recipes throughout the book, some from notable names in food and many coming from Thanh’s family. All these elements, along with the variety of fruit and veg chosen make this book incredibly interesting, engaging and unlike any other book I’ve seen.

Since Thanh has made a careful selection of the fruit and veg covered in this book, and naturally it doesn’t cover everything, I am hoping this gives Thanh an opportunity to bring us another Fruit Nerd book in the future (no pressure Thanh, but also… please?!). Even if you don’t cook any of the recipes from this book, the information will help you choose your fresh produce better, store it better and hopefully allow you to be more informed about your choices and reduce food waste in your home.

A Seat at My Table: Philoxenia by Kon and Sia Karapanagiotidis (Hardie Grant)* - From the outset, this book feels generous, welcoming and inclusive. Which is the impression of Kon (who runs The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre in VIC) I get from this book too. This is a Greek vegetarian book, but the lack of meat isn’t immediately obvious. The recipes are things that are inviting and look like they will be very tasty. A lot of the inclusiveness of this book comes from the adaptations added to each recipe to cater for vegan and gluten free eaters. Many of the recipes already happen to cater for various dietary requirements, whilst others only need small adjustments to make them so. There is also a guide at the back of the book on how to substitute various ingredients in the book, including how to adjust the recipes for a low fodmap diet. Kon and Sia have given the reader no excuses as to being able to make these recipes! There really feels like there is something for everyone here.

The section at the back containing Kon’s mother Sia’s kitchen wisdom, tips for reducing food waste, utilising leftovers and her guide to measurements, feel like they come straight from the heart but also given in a no nonsense way you can almost hear Sia talking you through them without ever having met her. When asked in Sia’s guide to measurements (p.284) how much garlic she likes to use, her answer is simply, ‘How much I like to.’” There you go!

Kon is donating 100% of his profits from the book to The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and the publisher Hardie Grant is donating $1 from each copy sold, so this would make a great present for any food lover in your life, beyond it just being a great book.

More is More by Molly Baz (Murdoch Books)* - If you are aware of Molly’s style or have her first book ‘Cook This Book’, you will probably expect this cookbook to be ‘a lot’. A lot in the sense, that Molly almost assaults your senses via her cookbooks. ‘More is More’ is not just the title of the book. Everything from the ethos of the book, to the design, tips, font and photography subscribe to the ‘More is More’ ideology.

It feels like everything that could possibly be here is, including a detailed introductory section that really goes into the ‘More is More’ philosophy and way of cooking. If the style of ‘More is More’ feels like a bit of sensory overload when you first have a look through (and I can totally relate if that’s you), I encourage you to read the introductory section. Molly really clearly explains what ‘More is More’ as a cooking style means to her and how she wants that to help you become a better home cook - by ditching restraint in recipes and embracing boldness in the kitchen by recognising for yourself when a dish needs something more. The ideology of more in the kitchen by using big and bold flavours then makes the bold design and feel of ‘More is More’ make perfect sense.  

I think the main reason I will find using this book a little difficult is that the ingredient lists are broken up into sections (e.g. produce, dairy, protein etc) which I find harder to use (it is done the same way in ‘Cook This Book’). The measurements in the recipes have also not been converted to metric from imperial, even though this is an Australian edition of the book and Molly mentions (p.46) that measurements are provided in grams for amounts over 1/4 cup. So keep that in mind when you are planning to cook from this book - though Molly does say this book will get you cooking with fewer exact measurements, so I guess the lack of conversion will help with that! 

Pasta Love by Jaclyn Crupi (Affirm Press) - Just when I thought I didn’t need another book solely dedicated to pasta, I was proved wrong! When I saw this book was being published, I remember thinking it look interesting, but I wasn’t sure I needed another pasta book. I really love those written by Antonio Callucio and Elizabeth Hewson, plus the Pasta Grannies series of course. Was another pasta book really necessary for my cookbook collection? The answer ended up, a little to my surprise, being yes! I waited until I could have a quick look at the book in a bookshop before purchasing, to make sure it looked like something that would add value to my cookbook collection. I was drawn in by the cute illustrations, even the smaller size of the book makes it feel easeful and approachable.

The book is an unconventional cookbook, being more about food writing at times than recipes. Of course the reader is guided through making pasta doughs and various pasta shapes, but the story behind pasta, the act of making it and how it connects Jaclyn to her family and heritage feel like the main focus of the book. Jaclyn has interviewed various Nonna’s on how they make pasta, and other notable Italian/Australian food writers have contributed recipes and their own thoughts to the book as well. For such a small book it really packs a punch in terms of variety of content, but also the connection it manages to make with the reader. I feel like Jaclyn must have had a really clear vision for this book, and that really comes through along with how it differentiates itself from other pasta focussed books out there.

Recipes for a Lifetime of Beautiful Cooking by Danielle Alvarez with Libby Travers (Murdoch Books)* - Despite this book being about the food Danielle cooks at home as being distinct to restaurant food, it has a real chef at home vibe to me. There is something about the way those who are professional chefs cook at home that feels different to those who are not. By this I mean the techniques, the way a dish is brought together, sometimes even the recipes feel slightly more restaurant like than those of our favourite non-chef cookbook authors. I think this means this book can bring something to your collection and kitchen that a book that may seem similar to this, will not. Danielle isn’t trying to overcomplicate things or make cooking difficult, far from it. But the focus is the food, the ingredients, the flavours.

It feels refreshing to read through a book - that even though in my everyday kitchen some of the recipes may feel a little more like dishes I’d order in a restaurant than make myself at home - isn’t trying to rush me, fit into my ‘busy’ life or create solutions to problems I didn’t know I had. Maybe the only problem it solves is that I should be making some of these recipes at home and not be waiting until I go to a restaurant!

The quotes from notable food writers added by Libby Travers and the food writing generally, make this book feel like a real cookbook lovers book. I also really enjoy the variety of recipes in this book, Danielle herself describes as eclectic - “…I gravitate towards food that makes me feel something. If I’m going to cook, I want it to be great. I want it to feel good” - a sentiment I’m sure many of us can agree with, I know I do. 

*These books were gifted to me by their respective publishers. Murdoch Books was gifted with the understanding a review would be written, Hardie Grant was not. All opinions expressed are my own, and to be honest I would have purchased these books myself if they had not been gifted to me. Links to all books are just for your reference.

I hope you enjoyed this extra (and very long!) edition of cookbook chat! Do you have any of these books? I’d love to hear your thoughts about them in the comments.

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I’ll see you again on Friday for more food chat!