Books for Cooks - Book Reviews
'Toscano’s
Family Table' by Joanne
Toscano. Published by Slattery, RRP$50.00
Melbourne-based Italian greengrocers Toscano’s is a family
business that’s been chugging along for more than sixty years. In this book,
granddaughter Joanne showcases what her extended family do with all that
home-grown goodness in the form of a cookbook that covers over seventy classic
Italian dishes. But it’s not all fruit and veg: we’re also talking truffle
fettuccine, roast lamb shoulder and mango tiramisu. There are also lots of tips
and tricks on how to get the most out of your fresh produce, too.
'Ancient
Grains' by Catherine Saxelby. Published by Arbon, RRP$34.99
It’s International Year of the Quinoa, did you know? With
that in mind, Ancient Grains covers a silo-full of whole grains (including the
aforementioned) and what their health benefits are. Thankfully, the book
includes over one hundred recipes too, because quite often the question with
grains is not whether or not they are good for us (we know they are), but how
exactly do we prepare and cook them? If you’re into grains, or are thinking
about extending your repertoire, this will surely be your go-to book.
'Not
Quite Nigella' by Lorraine Elliott. Published by Penguin, RRP$29.00.
With a quarter of a million unique readers a month, Lorraine
Elliott is arguably Australia’s food blogging queen. Formerly a media
strategist, Elliott takes the reader on a journey through her life as a
fully-fledged, full-time food blogger, from doing a stint in jail (in the name
of research), to gatecrashing exclusive parties, media famils and interviewing
celebrity chefs from all over the world, including, finally, her blogging
namesake, Nigella Lawson. Throw in a few recipes, and you have a fun and
interesting insight into the life of a food blogger.
'Kumar’s
Family Cookbook' by Kumar
Pereira. Published by Allen & Unwin, RRP$29.99
There are lots of cookbooks geared towards the family on the
shelves at the moment, but this one caught our eye for its Sri Lankan bent.
Kumar, a former MasterChef contestant, began writing out these recipes
(complete with gorgeous drawings) for his sons, and they have gradually
snowballed into a book. It includes Sri Lankan dishes (lamprais curry; roti) as
well as everyday family faves (crispy-skinned pork belly; sticky toffee
pudding), showing off Kumar’s talents as a cook, artist and all-round family
man.
