The best new cookbooks in April
Just Add Love: Holocaust Survivors Share Their Stories and Recipes by Irris Makler (Available 8 April)
For the past four years Irris Makler has been recording the stories of Holocaust survivors living in Australia and photographing them cooking with their grandchildren. She learnt quickly that when a child cooks with their grandmother they learn much more than when they cook just from a recipe: they absorb culture and family history and start to discover their place in the world. Makler started this project because no one had written down the recipe for her grandmother’s dark honey cake. Fortunately, the recipe is included in this exceptionally powerful cookbook. Just Add Love offers a unique combination of personal stories and international recipes that will encourage and inspire you to cook for the people you love.
Bangkok Local by Sareen Rojanametin & Jean Thamthanakorn
Bangkok Local follows one culinary day and unites detailed food knowledge with spectacular photography. My favourite Thai dish is chicken green curry and my daughter’s is pad Thai. I thought I had these two dishes down to a fine art, however this amazing cookbook, this ode to the glorious food of Thailand, has given me numerous helpful hints. The authors, Sareen Rojanametin and Jean Thamthanakorn were both born in Bangkok and know a thing or two about the tricks to creating the very best Thai street food.
Bazaar by Sabrina Ghayour (Available 9 April)
Close your eyes and imagine walking through a crowded marketplace, straw bag in hand, senses alert to the delicious aromas and sights. This cookbook brings that wonderful experience to your very own home. Included amongst breathtaking photos are vegetarian recipes from the bestselling Middle Eastern chef and teacher Sabrina Ghayour, author of Sirocco. The true magic of this cookbook lies with the simplicity of each dish – these recipes are achievable for even the most basic of home cooks. The dishes utilise abundant, varied flavour profiles, from spices, herbs and perfumed aromatics to hearty staples such as grains and pulses, combined with plenty of fruit and vegetables. This cookbook is simply a treat for all of your senses.
Little Green Kitchen: Simple Vegetarian Family Recipes by David Frenkiel & Luise Vindahl
David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl are the faces behind the hugely successful blog and cookbook series Green Kitchen. Everything was going smoothly in their vegetarian kitchen until they became parents and they struggled to get a nutritious and delicious meal on the table that everyone enjoyed eating. This cookbook is their answer to making sure family meal time is not filled with tantrums and stand-offs. Take your own inspiration from their quest to bring joy back to the dinner table by whipping up a batch of Friday Night Hulk Burgers and Sweded Fries (made with spinach, quinoa, oats and peas), or Stuffed Rainbow Peppers with black rice, feta, raisins, pistachios, cinnamon and beans. And the best news of all? Each meal takes only thirty minutes to prepare so that you have enough time to help with homework, driving kids to swimming practice and also allow space for that delicious and necessary glass of wine at the end of a busy day.
A Basket by the Door: Recipes for Comforting Gifts and Joyful Gatherings by Sophie Hansen
If you need to show anyone from your circle of friends and family that you care about them, then this gorgeous cookbook will inspire you to give the gift of a prepared meal or treat. A Basket by the Door is friendship, connection and heartfelt hospitality made edible. All the recipes here are designed to be portable and pack a punch of flavour and taste. There are recipes for tarts, cakes, jams and soups, seasonally organised with images that are sweet as spun sugar. The book itself is a gift of goodness.
Dining at Dusk: Tapas, Antipasti, Mezze, Ceviche and Apéritifs from Around the World by Stevan Paul
This wonderful collection of recipes is perfect for those that like to bask in the setting sun with a glass of wine and a plate of nibbles. Recipes for perfect finger food are taken from Australia, Japan, India, Europe, Morocco, Brazil, the USA and Mexico, to name just a few of the location inspirations in this book. Dining at Dusk showcases glorious location photos as well tables groaning with food options. This tremendous collection of contemporary cuisine from around the world has at its core, relaxed inspiration for food that is ideal for sharing as evening falls.
