At Home with Chris Gordon, the best lifestyle books of the month
The October edition of Readings Monthly is available online and in our shops, but if you haven't picked up a copy yet, below you can read Chris Gordon's column from the latest issue. And check the blog for more updates and recommended new releases throughout the month!
Good Cooking Every Day: Simple Recipes, Beautiful Menus, All Year Round by Julia Busuttil Nishimura
Julia Busuttil Nishimura is Melbourne’s sweetheart. I have not met a person who has not fallen in love with her joyful cooking and books. This is her fourth offering and the collection is clearly influenced by her Maltese heritage, her partner’s Japanese heritage and by her time spent living in Tuscany, where she learned the joys of the Italian kitchen. The sensibility of seasonal cooking is paramount here and each recipe is foolproof and a delight. This book deserves to be used; to be splattered with cake batter, olive oil and pages folded over for easy access. This book deserves to be in every kitchen across our glorious city.
Persian Feasts: Recipes & Stories from a Family Table by Leila Heller with Lila Charif, Laya Khadjavi & Bahar Tavakolian
What happens when a group of foodie friends get together and talk about food? The answer: a feast every day. When art gallery owner Leila Heller’s mother, Nahid Taghinia-Milani moved to the United States, she took her recipes with her. These recipes have made their way into the hearts and homes of her daughter’s friendship group and Persian Feasts was born. This highly personal book includes family stories, the history of certain dishes and incredibly beautiful images. The recipes are crafted for home cooks and always for sharing.
RecipeTin Eats: Tonight – Dinners for Every Night of the Week by Nagi Maehashi
Fun facts: Nagi Maehashi’ website now garners over 340 million page views per year. In 2021, Nagi founded her not-for-profit arm, RecipeTin Meals, which has since provided more than 30,000 made-from-scratch meals to the vulnerable. Nagi’s first cookbook, Dinner, is the fastest-selling cookbook in Australian publishing history. Her latest book answers the dreaded question of what is for dinner tonight. She has 150 brand-new recipes here with 800 variations on those recipes and 3,000 combinations. Nagi has authored this book to make your life easier, and it is a joy to behold.
EAT NYC: The Iconic Recipes that Feed the City by Yasmin Newman & Alan Benson (photog.)
Want to avoid all the upcoming election nightmares but still wish to visit the Big Apple? I’ve got the solution, and you don’t have to leave your lounge room. Armchair travel is all the rage now. EAT NYC is a brilliant way to discover all five boroughs of this wonderful city by providing you with an excellent eating plan. Recipes for all the iconic dishes are included: baked cheesecake, bagels, pretzels and even hot dogs. Each dish is easy to achieve, and you can snuggle in knowing you are celebrating this diverse place with every single bite and gaining tremendous points on the environmental scale by staying put.
Salad for Days: Breezy Ways with Veg, All Year Round by Alice Zaslavsky
Alice Zaslavsky is the Queen of Veg. Her wonderful, infectious enthusiasm for all things home grown has blown the cobwebs away from how we all eat. Her latest book, perfectly timed for warmer weather, is an absolute celebration of salads. And when I say salad, I don’t mean just the salad you bring to the family BBQ, but rather the salad you serve for dinner or lunch; innovative, delicious dishes. Included are handful hints for what to cook next, how to make dressings of all types and food to cook when you need a festive meal, comfort food and/or dinner in a rush. Our Queen shows she reigns here.
Purchase a copy of Salad Days in October for your chance to win a Kip&Co prize pack valued at over $450! find more details here.
Tony Tan’s Asian Cooking Class by Tony Tan
Ottolenghi urges you to purchase this book because he says, ‘Let Tony be your teacher.’ Pat Nourse says Tony Tan is the authority on Asian food in Australia. But do not listen to these global food leaders, listen to me: what I love about this book is that I – simple old me, and people like me – can use it. Included are more than 150 of his most cooked, beloved, and personal recipes. A book for beginners and chefs alike, Tan teaches his contemporary, sometimes adventurous approach to the most important, inspirational and traditional dishes from Malaysia, China, Vietnam, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and beyond. This book is about a carnival of flavour and community. This is Tony Tan’s way – include everyone – and it is this warmth that makes this cookbook a pure delight.
Available from 22 October.
Also out this month are:
Simply Jamie: Celebrate the Joy of Food by Jamie Oliver; Cooking with Fire: Aussie BBQ with a South African Twist by Duncan Welgemoed; Time for Dinner: Smarter Recipes for Faster Cooking by Adam Liaw; Love Crumbs by Nadine Ingram; The Elements of Baking: Making Any Recipe Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free or Vegan by Katarina Cermelj; How the World Eats: A Global Food Philosophy by Julian Baggini and Soups, Salads, Sandwiches by Matty Matheson.
