Angela Day and Elinor Storkey review cookbooks that would make great gifts for foodies this festive season.
TAPAS REVOLUTION
Author: Omar Allibhoy
Publisher: Random House Struik
Price: R370
Reviewed by: Jenny Kay
When I visited Spain a few years ago I fell in love with tapas and have been obsessed with trying to reproduce some of the delicious dishes I ate.
Omar Allibhoy, a dishy young author of this book, comes with excellent credentials. He trained under the famous Ferran Adria in Spain and worked with Gordon Ramsay before going on to open his own tapas bars in London.
He made me believe I could make authentic tapas in my own kitchen. In his introduction, he says: “I want to show you that Spanish food is not complex or difficult and can be cooked every night.”
The book is filled with familiar recipes such as tortilla de patatas, (Spanish omelette), gambas al ajillo (prawns with garlic), chorizo with cider membrillo (chorizo with quince jelly), paella Valenciana, ajoblanco (chilled almond soup), and churros con chocolate. Some ingredients are not readily available in this country, but the book has plenty of recipes that use easily accessible ingredients.
I have bought a few tapas books, but I find this is the one I turn to for simple and practical recipes.
BUNDU FOOD
Author: Rita van Dyk
Publisher: Random House Struik
Price R180
Reviewed by: Jenny Kay
If you spend your holidays and weekends camping or caravanning, this book will provide you with lots of inspiration.
Being a camper myself I know how easy it is to get into a rut and just have braaied meat or chicken and foil-wrapped potatoes every supper time.
The recipes take for granted that you have access to a fridge (most people who camp do have battery or gas operated fridges) and the space to take along a generous variety of spices and condiments.
There is even a 10-day menu suggestion which you could follow and would help you buy the ingredients you need to take.
The only section I found unusual for a camping book was the fish section, but if you camp at the coast and catch your own fish, then you could find it useful.
This book will make a good gift for 4x4 adventurers who spend time in the bush.
The recipes also give instructions for cooking the food at home, so if you like to eat camping-style food even when you do not on holiday, you will enjoy the book.
VELD TO FORK
Author: Gordon Wright
Publisher: Random House Struik
Reviewed by: Jenny Kay
Price: R225
The Andries Stockenström guest house in Graaff-Reinet is one of South Africa’s culinary oases, thanks to chef Gordon Wright.
Having stayed there and enjoyed one of his meals, I was thrilled to see his new cookbook.
Wright is not a chef by profession, but an investment banker who decided to give up the corporate life for life in the Karoo.
Wright and his wife, Rose, run the guest house and restaurant and source all their ingredients locally as well as grow many of their own vegetables and herbs.
In the book, which is beautifully photographed, each picture tells a story, whether it’s about the town or the recipes themselves.
Many of the recipes in the book Wright credits to “his mates” and family members. There are lots of meat and venison recipes. Wright believes in hunting the game himself, satisfied that he knows where the meat comes from and that it is ethically culled.
He also gives recipes for making sausages, salami and smoked bacon. The prized bread served at the guest house also features in the book.
LOW-CARB LIVING FOR FAMILIES
Author: Monique le Roux Forslund
Publisher: Random House Struik
Price: R180
Reviewed by: Jenny Kay
Professor Tim Noakes, who has been punting the low-carb diet, has written the foreword to this book.
In it, he credits Monique le Roux Forslund, who was born in Cape Town but now lives in Sweden, with being instrumental in helping convert Swedes to the LCHF (low carbs, high fat) way of eating. Today up to 9 million Swedes follow it.
Forslund, a teacher, fitness instructor and health coach, explains in the introduction all about carbs and good and bad fats. It also has lists of recommended foods and foods to avoid.
The recipes cover a variety of topics like food for babies, breakfast, lunch and dinner, sides and sauces, healthy snacking and desserts.
Many of the recipes use loads of fresh cream, butter and coconut oil which, if you do not follow this lifestyle, may seem a bit extreme. Other recipes will appeal to anyone wanting to eat less carbohydrate, such as muesli, crisp bread, pancakes made with psyllium husks and a cheesecake.
If pictures of the author are anything to go by, she is a walking advert for a low carb, high fat diet.
EVERYDAY DELICIOUS
Author: Christine Capendale
Publisher: Human & Rousseau
Price: R230
Reviewed by: Elinor Storkey
Uncomplicated and full of flavour is how to describe this book from Christine Capendale, a chef who is well known for her cooking classes in Langebaan.
Anyone who is looking for inspiration in the kitchen will find this book a helpful companion.
It is West Coast inspired but Capendale adjusts local ingredients with enough alternatives to make the recipes accessible to all, even those living far away from the ocean.
There is a section on breakfasts, brunches and lazy lunches, sunset dinners and sweet endings.
The recipes are straightforward and quick to prepare using fresh and seasonal ingredients.
With simple methods and additions, Capendale shows us how to turn everyday dishes into special meals using an interesting twist. Homemade focaccia topped with moist biltong slices and rocket, and apple and green fig samoosas are two recipes that I would love to try.
The book is well illustrated and has helpful hints and tips for most of the recipes.
MERLE’S KITCHEN
Author: Merle Parrish
Publisher: Random House Australia
Price: about R400
Reviewed by: Elinor Storkey
I always check recipe books to see if they have a section on baking so I was pleased to see one in this book.
Merle Parrish is a baker of note and has been baking since the age of 7. She was a guest on Australian MasterChef 2011 where a contestant had to produce her now-famous peach blossom cake.
She has won many cookery competitions and shares some of these prize-winning recipes with us.
The introduction gives a bit of information on her life followed by useful baking hints and tips.
The book is well illustrated and has a nostalgic feel about it. It brought back memories of tried and tested favourites which have been around for generations – like lamingtons, Swiss rolls, chocolate éclairs and rock cakes.
The recipes are clearly written and easy to follow. There is a section on cakes, sponges, puddings, biscuits, slices and afternoon tea.
On page 4 is the famous peach blossom cake. Undoubtedly there are many places you can buy baked products these days, but honestly the satisfaction you get from baking your own cakes is hard to beat.
TASTE THE WORLD
Author: Jenny Morris
Publisher: Sunbird Publishers
Price: R295
Reviewed by: Elinor Storkey
In her latest book, well-known chef Jenny Morris revisits her favourite travel destinations and cooks her way around the world.
Using ingredients that are readily available in supermarkets, and inspired by the people she meets along the way, Jenny recreates authentic and mouth-watering dishes. It is well narrated, recounting her experiences in the different countries, some of which were quite humorous.
There are more than 150 recipes and, although not all are illustrated, there are pictures of the places she visited and people she met
Paging through the book, I decided my favourite country is Greece. I can’t wait to try the prawns with feta and tomatoes and the yoghurt cake with walnuts and orange syrup.
Morocco is also a firm favourite, with dishes such as Moroccan chicken salad and sweet couscous omelette with date and honey syrup.
With this book tucked away safely in your home, you can taste your way around 13 countries without leaving your kitchen. - The Star