It’s been too long since the last post… But here we go again! And as usual, the links will open by clicking the proper noun in the text.
I love cooking, but also – oh boy – do I really love cookbooks. I used to collect so much of them that I did not know where to put them anymore. Recently I have noticed that there are only about 10 to 20 cookbooks that I use frequently. I have listed here 15 of my current favorite cookbooks + a few jokers.
I do not analyze the books in detail as all of them have good recipes – well, isn’t that the main idea in a good cookbook. I do also enjoy a good layout and photos in a book, as I get cooking and presentation ideas from them. I guess it is no secret that even if the internet is full of good recipes, I still dream of making a real cookbook of my own.
The order of the books does not represent any rank order between these 15 favorites.
Polpo – A Venetian cookbook (of sorts)
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Author(s): Russell Norman
Best additional feature:
Foreword, and the fact that you can taste the recipes in Polpo restaurants in London.
This is the kind of book you feel like tuning up with some tomato puree and red wine stains…
My favorite recipe(s):
Warm octopus salad
Spicy pork and fennel polpette
Indochine – Baguettes and bánh mì: finding France in Vietnam
Publisher: Murdoch Books
Author(s): Luke Nguyen
Best additional feature:
The combination of France and Vietnam and the stories told, in addition to the photos.
My favorite recipe(s):
Pho noodle soup with salmon
Warm beef and watercress salad
A love for food
Publisher: Fourth Estate
Author(s): Daylesford with Sheila Keating
Best additional feature:
One of the best things in this book is the foreword and the story of the beginning of the Daylesford farm.
And while in London, do not miss the Daylesford café/shop in Notting Hill.
My favorite recipe(s):
Tomatoes and feta with mint and lemon dressing
Chilled pea and mint soup
The Lebanese kitchen
Publisher: Phaidon
Author(s): Salma Hage
Best additional feature:
The layout and photos are simply fantastic.
All amounts used in the recipes are marked both in metric and imperial / US customary measurements.
My favorite recipe(s):
Fennel, potato and lemon salad
Fish with preserved lemon and garlic
Chicken shawarma
Fresh & easy – What to cook and how to cook it
Publisher: Phaidon
Author(s): Jane Hornby
Best additional feature:
Clear, fresh step-by-step photos and the “starting set” photo of the ingredients.
My favorite recipe(s):
Roast Chicken with Tarragon Sauce
Vietnamese Herb & Noodle Salad
And my version of my favorite recipe…
Ripailles – Traditional French Cuisine
Publisher: Murdoch Books
Author(s): Stéphane Reynaud
Best additional feature:
The index looks like a French bistro menu.
All the information regarding i.e. beef cattle and game is presented in kind of funny drawings.
The presentation of the food is very French Bistro and makes me miss Lyon and its Bistros.
My favorite recipe(s):
Canard à l’orange – Duck à l’orange
Lapin au lard fumé – Rabbit with smoky bacon
10 years of great food – Marie Claire
Publisher: Murdoch Books
Author(s): Michele Cranston
Best additional feature:
Post-its inside the front cover and the rubber bands in the back cover for holding the page open.
Many recipes are the same than in Fresh + Easy by the same author.
My favorite recipe(s):
Lamb shanks with fresh tomato and parsley salsa
Beetroot salad with labne
Lemon and lime roast chicken
Lunch in Provence
Publisher: Flammarion
Author(s): Rachael McKenna & Jean-André Charial
Best additional feature:
The photos and the art related to Provence.
You can feel the Provence in this book.
My favorite recipe(s):
Purple artichokes with chorizo and crushed olives
Leg of lamb rubbed with rosemary and anchovies
Ad hoc at home – Family-style recipes
Publisher: Artisan
Author(s): Thomas Keller
Best additional feature:
The chalkboard-like double pages with photos.
My favorite recipe(s):
Shellfish salad
Fresh + easy – Marie Claire
Publisher: Murdoch Books
Author(s): Michele Cranston
Best additional feature:
The layout and the photos; the book has a kind of relaxed feeling.
My favorite recipe(s):
Squid salad
Watermelon salad
Chimichurri steaks
And my version of the favorite recipe
Légumes du jardin – Recettes de saison (in French)
Vegetables from an Italian garden (in English)
Publisher: Phaidon
Author(s): The Silver Spoon kitchen (Il cucchiaio d’argento)
Best additional feature:
The division of the recipes into four different seasons: spring, summer, fall, winter.
In addition to recipes, the book teaches you all you need to know on crowing vegetables and herbs.
My favorite recipe(s):
Roasted tomatoes in balsamique
Artichokes with Parmesan
Mastering the Art of Poultry, Meat & Game
Publisher: Murdoch Books
Author(s): Anneka Manning
Best additional feature:
All you need to know regarding meat. Tips in small boxes are useful even for the more experienced home chefs. Flavours for meat and game chart.
My favorite recipe(s):
Teriyaki beef
Pan-fried duck confit with baby beetroot salad
Lamb, lentil, dukkah and roasted pumpkin salad with labne
Fish – The complete fish & seafood companion
Publisher: Pavilion Books
Author(s): Mitch Tonks
Best additional feature:
This is a “no-frill” cookbook with all you need to know regarding fish.
Even if the book was published already in 2009, it contains information i.e. on sustainable tuna!
My favorite recipe(s):
Sea bass baked in salt and flamed with Pernod
Home-cured anchovies with oregano and chilli
And my favorite local fish… Raw, smoked and cheviche.
Jamie Oliver – Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals – Jamie’s Italy
Publisher: Penquin Books
Author(s): Jamie Oliver
Best additional feature:
These are quite simple cookbooks with plenty recipes.
My favorite recipe(s):
Pollo alla Cacciatora
Fritto di salvia e alici (fried salvia and achovies)
Fast, fresh, simple.
Publisher: Hardie Grant Books
Author(s): Donna Hay
Best additional feature:
This book has a clear and fresh layout, which makes also the food seem simple
– and most of them are fast and simple.
My favorite recipe(s):
Simple Thai fish cakes
Roasted summer ratatouille
Here are still a few jokers, which however did not quite make my top 15:
Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child
The art of cooking with vegetables by Alain Passard
World Kitchen Italy by Murdoch Books
Where to buy all the above books:
i.e. Bloomsbury, Waterstones, Roullier White, Phaidon, Amazon, Barneys,
Daylesford, Alibris, Moko Market and Akateeminen Kirjakauppa (in Finland)
missingmiles 
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