Inspiring books
My very first cook book , given to me when I was sixteen, was The New York Times Vegetarian Cookbook. It was full of weird and wonderful ingredients like quark, cilantro and lentils which were all unheard of in Australia in the 70's. My curiosity aroused, I'm still buying ingredients with strange names and finding out how to use them decades later. Every book listed below contains recipes and lots more - the joy is that there is always something new to learn!
Cookbooks
I am a bit of a maniac about cookbooks and have a great many piled up around the house.
These are the well loved ones, not in any particular order:
Charmaine Solomon's Complete Vegetarian Cookbook, Angus & Robertson, 1996
Charmaine Solomon's Complete Asian Cookbook, Charmaine Solomon, Angus & Robertson, 2002
Any book you can get hold of Charmaine's will delight you with its easy to follow, practical and yummy recipes. The Asian cookbook is the best I have seen that covers the smaller Asian countries as well as the more popular ones.
Modern Greek Cooking, Andy Harris, Hodder, 2002
When I saw this book had a recipe for a weed pie, I had to buy it. Don't be fooled by the title, the recipes are traditional.
Wild Sourdough, Yoke Mardewi, New Holland, 2009,
An inspirational bread book.
The Tassajara Bread Book
Missing for ten years now, having lent it to a friend, there are indications that this inspirational book, my first ever bread book will be reprinted shortly...watch for it.
These are the well loved ones, not in any particular order:
Charmaine Solomon's Complete Vegetarian Cookbook, Angus & Robertson, 1996
Charmaine Solomon's Complete Asian Cookbook, Charmaine Solomon, Angus & Robertson, 2002
Any book you can get hold of Charmaine's will delight you with its easy to follow, practical and yummy recipes. The Asian cookbook is the best I have seen that covers the smaller Asian countries as well as the more popular ones.
Modern Greek Cooking, Andy Harris, Hodder, 2002
When I saw this book had a recipe for a weed pie, I had to buy it. Don't be fooled by the title, the recipes are traditional.
Wild Sourdough, Yoke Mardewi, New Holland, 2009,
An inspirational bread book.
The Tassajara Bread Book
Missing for ten years now, having lent it to a friend, there are indications that this inspirational book, my first ever bread book will be reprinted shortly...watch for it.
A Book of Mediterranean Food, Elizabeth David, Penguin 1963
Any cookbook by this passionate woman is well worth having. They have recently been republished and sadly, no longer cost 3/6 !
Sri Owen's Indonesian Food, Sri Owen, Pavilion, 2008
Authentic, delicious recipes and wonderful stories from a master chef.
The Food of India, Murdoch Books, 2002
Each book in this series covers the cuisine of one country, with beautiful photography and clear
instructions covering recipes for all occaisions.
Any cookbook by this passionate woman is well worth having. They have recently been republished and sadly, no longer cost 3/6 !
Sri Owen's Indonesian Food, Sri Owen, Pavilion, 2008
Authentic, delicious recipes and wonderful stories from a master chef.
The Food of India, Murdoch Books, 2002
Each book in this series covers the cuisine of one country, with beautiful photography and clear
instructions covering recipes for all occaisions.
 Food memoirsWhat we eat is a reflection of our lives and our family heritage. We are what we eat, and have eaten. Most food writers can track their lives through the recipes of childhood and special events and can give us insights that can enrich the experiences of the food we cook.
Fragrant Rice by Janet De Neefe A story of a love affair with culture and cuisine of an island paradise from an ex-pat Australian who runs two successful restaurants and a guest house with her Balinese husband. Aphrodite, Isabel Allende, Harper Perennial, 2005 'Aphrodite is a magical cauldron of recipes and stories, written to make readers lic lips and each other in the languid, dizzying process of devouring it.' Need I say more? Tuscan Secrets, Marlena de Blasi The second book of Marlena’s life in Italy, this is the one that shares the recipes she explores as part her new life in a traditional Tuscan village. Monsoon Diary, Shoba Narayan A homage to Indian culture and cuisine that is as at home in Madras as it is in New York. Down the Kitchen Sink, Beverley Nichols Well known for his gardening memoirs, Beverleys great good humour is tried when he enters his new kitchen, unable to boil an egg. A delightful return to gentler times and some traditional English cuisine. Food ScienceThe Fat Duck Cookbook, Heston Blumenthall, Bloomsbury, 2008
My hero, this maniac has it all in here, science, recipes, bio and beautiful pictures. It really needs a category of its own as it defies description. It is beautiful, rich and entertaining and I'll probably never cook a single recipe from it - read it, you'll see why. What Einstein Told His Cook, Robert L. Wolke, Norton, 2002 Why stuff happens like it does!  ReferenceThe Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson, Oxford University Press 2006.
A food dictionary of epic proportions, my copy is well used! A Cook's Guide to Grains, Jenni Muir, Conran Octopus, 2002 History, preparation and cooking every grain you have ever heard of, and some you probably haven't! |
 Food FictionThere is no need to make the hard decision between two favourite indulgences when you can combine them. There are some great books available that will entertain you and give suggestions about what to have for dinner. They all include great recipes.
Chocolat and Lollipop Shoes, Joanne Harris, Doubleday Some of the most sensuous food experiences in fiction. The Mistress of Spices, Chitra Bannerjee Divakaruni, Black Swan, 1997 The magical powers of spices and the woman who sells them. Pomegranate Soup, Meera Mehan: This is the story of three sisters who flee modern day Iran to set up a bakery in an Irish village. Like Water for Chocolate, Laura Esquival Magic, madness, love and lust in South America combined with luscious traditional recipes. The Last Chinese Chef, Nicola Mones An American born Chinese returns to Beijing to explore the secrets of his family’s culinary history and to compete in a competition for China’s best chef. He meets a fellow American who is in China to unravel the mystery of her husbands past.  Food PhilosophyFood passions that have changed lives and influenced others.
Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Barbara Kingsolver Barbara is best-known for her novel The Poisonwood Bible. This book is the story of her family's extraordinary commitment to source and consume only locally grown food for a year. Her eldest daughter writes the recipes, her husband the environmental information and her youngest raises the chickens. It contains great seasonal recipes with each chapter and an inspirational story. Foodwise, Wendy Cook, Clairview, 2003 'A treasure of wisdom and experience for anybody with a concern for the content of the food they eat or a desire to discover more about the physical, soul and spiritual aspects of nutrition.' Wild Fermentation, Sandor Ellix Katz, Chelsea Green, 2003 A fascinating journey through the health benefits of fermented food with lots of hubble bubble to try! |
Children
Wholefood for Children, JudeBlereau, Murdoch Books, 2000
Jude Blereau has been my whole food hero for many years. A wholefood chef, food coach, real food activist and author are some of the hats she wears. This, her third book is written from under her most important hat– that of a mother. It includes careful explanations of the nutritional and emotional needs of children, a practical grounding in wholefood preparation and loads of yummy recipes. Covering the needs of children from 6 months to 7 years, she caters for allergies and food intolerance of all kinds and includes recipes for meat and fish. These are not the bland meals we feed children from jars, they are certainly not boring and adults will find them irresistible too. Certainly not: ‘a load of old lentils’! There is sensible advice about fussy eaters and attainable goals for parents wanting to provide the best nutrition they can without losing sight of the demands of a busy life.
It is a book written from her vast experience of life and of food.
It is a book written from the heart...go buy one.
Jude Blereau has been my whole food hero for many years. A wholefood chef, food coach, real food activist and author are some of the hats she wears. This, her third book is written from under her most important hat– that of a mother. It includes careful explanations of the nutritional and emotional needs of children, a practical grounding in wholefood preparation and loads of yummy recipes. Covering the needs of children from 6 months to 7 years, she caters for allergies and food intolerance of all kinds and includes recipes for meat and fish. These are not the bland meals we feed children from jars, they are certainly not boring and adults will find them irresistible too. Certainly not: ‘a load of old lentils’! There is sensible advice about fussy eaters and attainable goals for parents wanting to provide the best nutrition they can without losing sight of the demands of a busy life.
It is a book written from her vast experience of life and of food.
It is a book written from the heart...go buy one.