Cape Town - This year’s crop of local cookbooks is notable for two reasons: first, there are far fewer glamorous and expensive titles than was the case last year, which reflects the difficult economic times that the country is experiencing, and second, there seems to be more emphasis on titles promoting good health.
The benefit to consumers is that most titles offer good value, with contents geared to home cooks’ need for thrifty fare that is made in minutes.
In my Kitchen, by Herman Lensing, published by Human & Rousseau, 2015
Quirky is the first adjective that comes to mind when paging through this compilation enlivened by whimsical photographs of the author. Lensing is the food editor of Sarie magazine, and was the youngest person ever to be appointed to this position. He divides his cookbook into 10 chapters, each spotlighting ingredients that have most influenced his life and his cooking.
They make a happy combination, being apples and pears, citrus, potatoes and sweet potatoes, the onion family, mushrooms, seafood, chicken, mutton, flour, milk, eggs and chocolate. With such a range, one can expect – and indeed finds – a good variety of recipes, and the fact that he includes stories behind his favourite dishes adds interest to each.
Readers will find updated South African classics alongside unusual recipes. In the apple section, that favourite fruit only features in a pungent side salsa to a Gallic recipe for roasted marrow bones under a parmesan crust. There’s plenty to inspire both new and seasoned cooks, well illustrated with colour photographs.
Jamie Oliver’s Foodtube: The Pasta Book, by Gennaro Contaldo, published by Penguin Books, 2015.
The great Jamie Oliver publicity machine never sleeps, and new ways of using his name to introduce other chefs and friends in his life are always popping up. A 2014 online YouTube series about food includes a section devoted to Jamie and his Italian mentor, Contaldo, himself a global success with over 100 000 subscribers.
For those who prefer cooking from a printed page, this small, well-illustrated softback presents a comprehensive collection of easy seasonal pasta dishes that Contaldo demonstrates online.
Looking at the summer selection, there is a pasta salad with grilled peppers and olives, a seafood spaghetti bake, tomato and mozzarella linguine and an octopus linguine, among others.
If you don’t possess a comprehensive pasta cookbook, this is an ideal title to acquire, with enough ideas to keep the family pasta-happy for a year.
100 New Herbs, by Margaret Roberts, published by Struik Nature, 2015.
If ever there was a person who offers proof of the benefits of researching, growing and consuming herbs, both for culinary and medicinal purposes, it is surely Margaret Roberts, who has been a household name in South Africa for decades. Along with her famous herb nursery and gardens in North West province, she is also renowned as a prolific writer, broadcaster, and speaker.
This collection reflects dedicated work and research Roberts started 20 years ago: she points out that while there is little new about the herbs listed, the uses to which we can put them are new. As we all look for new foods and medicines while hearing that antibiotics are losing their potency, many are turning to the world of herbs. Roberts uses herbs “to heal, uplift restore and satisfy…”
In place of the usual parsley and rosemary, the focus here is on plants, including shrubs, climbers and trees, some of which we would not regard as herbs. Following advice on starting a herb garden, she gives her trusted recipe for a herbal elixir that will help regain vigour, stimulate brainpower, ease ailments due to fatigue, stress and wrong eating, and help build wellness.
Herbs are listed alphabetically, illustrated with colour photographs, and instructions are given for cultivation, harvesting and processing, as well as culinary and medicinal uses.
A Taste of Israel, by Nida Degutlené, published by Penguin Random House, 2015
The author is a Lithuanian businesswoman, food blogger and freelance journalist who married a diplomat who was sent to Israel in 2009 as Lithuanian ambassador.
While there, Nida not only relished unearthing Jewish culinary traditions, but found that dishes from her childhood are based on Jewish recipes that have become part of Lithuanian fare. She started sharing her discoveries on her blog, and now has 30 000 followers.
Meze and appetisers make a colourful start, followed by some interesting breakfast dishes. For a chicken recipe enjoyed in winter when it’s citrus season, add orange, lemon juice and zest to chicken quarters, along with honey, Arak, garlic, chilli and cardamom.
The chapter on street food is an enjoyable trip and there is a great selection in the vegetarian section. Bakes include a latkes selection, and information on kosher wine precedes the final chapter on sauces and preserves.
Nida Degutlené is a publisher’s dream – not only does she write well and compile an enticing recipe collection, but she does her own styling and food photography.
Home: Food from my kitchen, by Sarah Graham, published by Struik Lifestyle, 2015.
Raised in Zimbabwe, now living in Joburg, Graham leapt on to the local culinary scene a couple of years ago with her first title, Bitten, with the second – Smitten – following soon after. Today this engaging foodie’s blog enjoys enthusiastic support, and she hosts her own television series, Sarah Graham cooks Cape Town.
Her third book is an appealing hardback that follows the menu formula, and clearly shows she has a knack of putting together simple, healthy and delicious food that can be both cooked outdoors and in the kitchen.
Many of the recipes are accompanied by personal anecdotes, and most are illustrated in colour. What will entice many readers are her modern takes on traditional South African favourites. She also includes dishes from Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique. As with all recipe titles from Struik Lifestyle, the instructions and tips are guaranteed to be accurate.
More Allergen-free recipes for the whole family, by Sylvie Hurford. Published by Human & Rousseau, 2015
Hurford has worked on several successful local cookbooks and contributes to some of our top glossy magazines.
When expecting her first baby, she found that there was an 80 percent chance that the child would be allergic, and she undertook early research with the help of a paediatrician, learning that by excluding known allergens in the early years, the onset of genetic allergies could be prevented and delayed.
This involved keeping the infant off dairy, wheat, eggs, fish and certain seeds for up to two years.
This collection of recipes is the result – and, as food allergy is increasing both in prevalence and in severity, the need for such a book is self-evident.
Pancakes are made with cornflour, potato flour and rice milk. Fruit is transformed into “sushi” or sorbets and lollies. Bread is made from rye flour and mashed potato, and veggies are made into croquettes.
The meat section offers appealingdishes like ostrich bobotie with banana custard, Bolognese sauce with egg- and wheat-free pasta.
This is a well-illustrated treasury of easily prepared delicious food that will enable parents to manage or prevent children’s allergies.
Myrna Robins, Cape Argus