Food and gardening
The best food & gardening books in May
The Nutmeg Trail: A Culinary Journey along the Ancient Spice Routes by Eleanor Ford
The one and only Yotam Ottolenghi said publicly that Eleanor Ford is a gastronomic archaeologist and I realised with one quick shiver of delight that surely that is the job ofgreat dreams. Ford’s latest book, The Nutmeg Trail: A Culinary Journey along the Ancient Spice Routes is filled with recipes and stories that explore how centuries of spice trading and cultural diffusion changed the world’s cuisine.
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We test out recipes from Yiayia Next Door
Recently we tested out a selection of recipes from Yiayia Next Door, the cookbook put together by brothers Luke and Daniel Mancuso, their favourite Yiayia next door, and other yiayias from around Australia. This cookbook is about the powerful connections we forge when we share a meal with someone across the table - or even over the fence.
Lucky for us, Luke and Daniel Manusco stopped by to select the best re-creation of a recipe from their book. Below…
The best food & gardening books of the month
Cinnamon and Salt by Emiko Davies
I fell hard for Emiko Davies’ recipes when she released Tortellini at Midnight. The title of the book inspired me, but the recipes were what kept her book in constant rotation at my place, partly because they’re easy and partly because they’re equipped to cope with a busy lifestyle and hordes of hungry family members. Davies is an Australia-born author based in Florence (I know!) known for her focus on regional Italian food.
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Recipe extract from the Mabu Mabu cookbook
From Melbourne-based First Nations chef Nornie Bero, Mabu Mabu: An Australian Kitchen Cookbook is filled with simple yet delicious recipes that champion native ingredients and invite you to innovate the way you cook.
Read on to discover a refreshing recipe from this unique soon-to-be best seller.
Spicy Desert Lime and Watermelon Salad
This sweet-savoury salad is power-packed with flavour. The sweetness of the watermelon – one of my favourite fruits – combines with the sharpness of desert lime and the…
The best food & gardening books of the month
Christine Manfield’s Indian Cooking Class by Christine Manfield
Christine Manfield is one of Australia’s most highly regarded chefs, authors, food writers, food manufacturers, presenters, teachers, gastronomic travellers, the list goes on. Herlatest book is filled with easy-to-follow recipes that will allow you to make curry pastes and blend flavours with absolute confidence. Included are impressive Indian classics, be it a simple dal or an intricate biryani.
Christine Manfield’s Indian Cooking Class is a handbook that encourages creativity. By sharing her…
The best food & gardening books of the month
Take inspiration from the beautiful (and bountiful) array of cookbooks landing on our shelves. As our local parks become our new holiday destinations, whet your appetite with abundant spreads that defy the gloom of the last few months. Take a recipe from here, and another from there to mix flavours and inspirations. For dessert, I’m leaning towards salted tahini and chocolate cookies from Salma Hage’s Middle Eastern Sweets, matched with the most delicious orange, yogurt and polenta cake straight…
The best food & gardening books of the month
We are so fortunate that we are not in another country battling a pandemic, but rather here in Australia living in relative peace. There are some things we can do to acknowledge that privilege and it can start at our kitchen table. It does not seem much but honouring our produce and our creators does add to our well-being and culture, and the cookbooks below pay respect to the culinary cultures that lie at the heart of our communities. Food…
The best food & gardening books of the month
Australia: The Cookbook by Ross Dobson & Alan Benson
You may already have a Ross Dobson book on your shelves. He is after all a highly acclaimed chef who has written many cookbooks before. But this one, well, this is his masterpiece. With over 350 recipes from all over the world, this enormous tome recognises all our foodie influences. And because it’s Dobson writing, there are also special treats to make using our own flora and fauna. Purchase this one-stop…
The best food & gardening books of the month
One: Pot, Pan, Planet by Anna Jones
It seems to me that every Readings staff member has a favourite Anna Jones recipe, and for excellent reason – her instructions on cooking vegetarian meals are simple, elegant and delicious. A regular writer for the Guardian, Jones trained under Jamie Oliver and is committed to creating meals that are sustainable and stylish. Her new collection, One, features over 200 unpretentious recipes that include one-tray dinners such baked dahl with tamarind-glazed sweet potato…
The best food & gardening books of the month
Regular readers will understand that although one of the bestselling cookbooks over the festive season was all about air frying, this is not something that I’m automatically drawn to. I favour cookbooks that have a certain largesse about their content, a style that inspires, delights even, every sense within your being, and one that you know you will savour for years to come. I often think of cookbooks as having an anthropological element; this is what we are eating now…
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