Israeli food, and a recipe for Roasted Aubergine (Eggplant) with Feta

 I'll be eating lots of Israeli food in the coming few days, together with few other foodbloggers from England, France and the US, and you'll bound to hear much more about it. In advance of the foodie journey, we were all sent a gorgeous coffee-table/cookbook by Riga-born and Israel-based food writer and cookbook author Janna Gur, called The Book of New Israeli Food: A Culinary Journey. I've been browsing through the book and sticking enough yellow post-it notes on the pages to give my family and friends menu ideas till Christmas. The first dish (and certainly not the last one) I tried was a little number with roasted aubergines/eggplants.

Lovely on some rye bread crisps!



Please keep your fingers crossed that this Nordic foodie won't collapse under the Israeli sun - the dry heat is somewhat intimidating, I must admit. Nordic summers with about 20 Celsius and few degrees above that are what I'm enjoying most, you see, but sometimes we need to challenge ourselves, especially in the name of good food and good company ;)

Roasted aubergine with feta 
Serves four to six



2 firm medium-sized aubergines/eggplants, rinsed
200 g feta cheese, crumbled
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
a pinch of sumac
a pinch of dried oregano or marjoram leaves
3 chopped spring onions
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Roast the rinsed eggplants either on an open flame (if you've got a gas grill) or simply in a hot oven until soft and blackened. Cool slightly, then peel (discard the skin) and mash the roasted flesh with a knife and/or a fork.
Add the crumbled feta cheese and olive oil, season with sumac and oregano (I used a close relative, marjoram). Add the chopped spring onions (I used a mixture of chives, green onions and Siberian garlic chives from my garden), season to taste with salt and pepper, if necessary.


Note: if you season the aubergine/eggplant flesh while it's still slightly warm, then the flavours are absorbed much better!

Serve at once or cover and keep in a cool place until ready to serve. 

Other bloggers cooking from this book:
David Lebovitz tried the Tu bi'Shvat Cake
Family Friendly Food baked the Apple, Cinnamon and Walnuts cake
Noshes, Thoughts and Reves made the Beetroot and Pomegranate Salad

NB! Note that you can follow Nami-Nami foodblog updates - and my other food-related tweets - in Twitter now: https://twitter.com/#!/PilleNamiNami

And the winner is ....

... Joanna, a Brit living in Latvia. Please send me your postal address, so I can mail you your copy of Marika Blossfeldt's Essential Nutrition.

You can contact me at nami (dot) nami (at) yahoo (dot) com

Marika Blossfeldt's 'Essential Nourishment' and a recipe for Kabocha Apricot Soup (book giveaway)

NB! I've got one copy of this wonderful book (in English!!!) to give away to Nami-Nami readers. See details below!

I had seen the Estonian version of this book at my friends' place, and loved it. So when Marika, who divides her life between Estonia and New York, and whom I've met couple of times, asked me if I'd love a copy of the English version, I said yes. The book's full title is "Essential Nourishment: Recipes from My Estonian Farm. Your feel-good guide to healthful eating and energized living, one delicious meal at a time". It's divided into three major sections - Nutrition and Nourishment; Lifestyle; Food Guides and Recipes. Marika has been trained in integrative nutrition - meaning a reasonable and wholesome approach to eating and living healthily, and the resulting combination of information on nutrition and a collection on recipes is excellent.

I've got my own favourites - her beet, fennel and quinoa salad is wonderful, as is the recipe for Rye Porridge with Sesame Seeds. Our good friends regularly make her Zucchini Walnut Muffins and Carrot Ginger Soup (I'm especially partial to those muffins - our friend Peter bakes them in mini muffin tins, and they're addictive!) There are several healthy- and delicious-sounding recipes I'm looking forward to trying as soon as the festive season is over - Polenta with Roasted Sunflower Seeds, Quinoa Pilaf with Shiitake Mushrooms, Dandelion Greens in Creamy Sesame Sauce, Chickpeas with Sweet Potatoes, to give you just an idea.

But when I asked Marika which recipe she'd like me to share with my many American readers, she suggested this nourishing soup. Hope you'll enjoy it - and why not serve it as a starter this Thursday?

Kabocha Apricot Soup
serves 6

What could be a better treat than a squash puree soup on a chilly autumn day? Although the original recipe calls for kabocha squash, any winter squash or pumpkin can be used. The dried apricots add a little twist of sweet and tart and a hint of sophistication.

1 kabocha squash, about 2 pounds (1 kg), cut into quarters, seeds and fibrous parts removed
4 cups (1 l) water
1 onion, cut into wedges
12 dried apricots, cut into halves
1 piece fresh ginger, about 2 inches (5 cm) long, sliced
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions

Place the squash in a steamer basket inserted into a large pot. Add 3 cups (750 ml) of the water and steam for 20 minutes. Reserve the cooking water. Place the cooked squash onto a plate to cool. Use a spoon to scrape the meat from the peel.

Boil the onion, apricots and ginger in the remaining 1 cup (250 ml) of water for 10 minutes.

Combine the squash with the onion mixture. In batches, pour into a blender or food processor and puree, adding some of the reserved squash cooking water for a smooth blend.

Return the puree to the pot. Add the butter and bring to a boil. Add more cooking water if the soup is very thick. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour into soup plates and garnish with chopped scallions.

ENJOY!

NB! In the month of November Marika offers her book for sale on her website at a discounted rate. You will receive a signed copy and shipping is absolutely FREE in the United States: http://www.marikab.com/store/2021318/product/en
Hint: this beautifully designed cookbook might just be the perfect Christmas present for all your health conscious friends and family members.
European readers, you can order Marika's book on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.de

Furthermore, I've got ONE copy of this book to give away to a Nami-Nami reader (I'll ship anywhere in the world). To win one, just leave a comment with your name, location and the name of your favourite healthy cold weather dish. I'll randomly choose a winner on Monday morning (November 28th).

Tasty apple and oat morsels that don't look much, but taste wonderful

Disclosure: I was sent a free review copy of the Green Market Baking Book: 100 Delicious Recipes for Naturally Sweet and Savory Treats by the publishers. A proper book review is yet to come, but here I sing praises to one little recipe from that book - apple oat pecan drops (page 121). These soft oat cookies (or morsels) don't look much, but I've made them no less than three times during the last week. As pecans are prohibitively expensive - and hard to come by - over here, I've used chopped almonds instead. I love them - they're soft, yet ever so slightly chewy, naturally sweet (apple! raisins!), healthy (no added sugar and virtually fat-free), very simple and quick to make, vegan, and rather addictive. I baked them last Friday, just to try a recipe from the book, then made another batch to take along to a a pop-up apple cake café on Saturday (the first person to try them bought 20!), and then another batch to a little village fête yesterday - and I will certainly make them again soon.

Apple and oat drops
(Õuna-kaerahelbeampsud)
Makes about 25-30 tasty morsels



1,5 cups rolled oats (about 350 ml or 130 grams)
1 Tbsp whole wheat flour or spelt flour
2 large apples, coarsely grated
1 Tbsp mild oil (I used rapeseed)
0.5 tsp vanilla extract or 1 tsp vanilla sugar
4-5 Tbsp (hot) water
0.5 cup small seedless raisins or currants (about 75 g)
4 Tbsp chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C.
Using a fork, mix together oats, flour, apples, oil, vanilla and water. Mix in the raisins and the nuts. Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop the batter onto the baking sheet by the spoonful (either a heaped teaspoonful or a scant tablespoonful).
Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, until the morsels are light golden brown.
Cool a little, then enjoy!

The Scandinavian Cookbook review and a recipe for Brunsviger

Here's a post that I've been mulling over for ages. I received the review copy of Trina Hahnemann's latest cookbook, The Scandinavian Cook Book – A Year in the Nordic Cuisine, early last summer (I'm talking 2009 here, folks!), and loved the book a lot. The choice of recipes was inspiring and the photography by Lars Ranek was utterly delicious! I've tried several of the recipes, but somehow never got around to writing up a review post. It's about time, as I really do think the book is worth buying if you're into Nordic/Scandinavian food.

But first, a little detour. Living in Estonia, we think we're rather different from our two southern Baltic neighbours, Latvians and Lithuanians. We tend to look more up north for inspiration and identification, you see. But when you look from a distance - say, the USA - there are many more similarities between Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians (yes, also in culinary sense) that we often give credit to. I guess it's the same when you try to make sense of the Scandinavian cooking when living in the centre of the culinary region (say, Stockholm :)). Differences between your own cuisine and that of your neighbours seem much bigger when you're in the midst of it, than they look from afar...

For me, living just on the outskirts of the region that's traditionally considered to be Scandinavia (that is, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland; Finland is usually not included on the list), there are many more similarities that there are differences between the various. I'm slightly biased, as I'm most familiar with Danish food, having spent a year studing there in early 1990s. But I have been to Norway and Sweden on many-many occasions, trying to sample local food, that I feel I'm at least somewhat authorised to generalise here :)

The cookbook follows the seasonal trend - furthermore, the recipes are given in monthly chapters. It has most of the recipes one would think of when thinking of Scandinavian dishes - Danish pastries, rye bread, several smørrebrød recipes, gravlax, cardamom buns and cinnamon rolls, Captain's Stew (I should blog about that as well, totally addictive!), Biff Lindström, couple of herring recipes, kransekage almond cakes, meatballs with lingonberry jam, rødgrød med fløde (the famous Danish tonguetwister), the Danish summer soup koldskål (similar to this one), Swedish crayfish feast, Västerbotten cheese tart, glögg, Swedish Lucia bread Lusekatter and Christmas ham, caramel potatoes, risalamande, to name just some of the 100 or so recipes included in the book. Granted, I would have wanted to see a recipe for Jansson's Temptation, syltkyssar, Toast Skagen, Tosca Cake or some other Scandinavian classics, but having just completed my first cookbook, I know one has to draw a limit somewhere..

So if you're looking into buying a cookbook with a lovely selection of Scandinavian recipes, then do buy this one.

Brunsviger is a lovely soft Danish pastry - basically a yeast-dough tray-bake with a caramel topping. Trina introduces the recipe like this:

"This soft, breadlike cake originated in Funen, Denmark. I think it deserves to become world famous. Sweet and tender and best the same day it is baked, it is traditionally eaten in the morning or with the afternoon coffee, but I also think it is perfect with a cup of tea. The only problem with this cake is that I can eat almost half of it all by myself."

You'll find the original recipe here (and in Danish here). Below is a very lightly adapted version that I've been successfully making on several occasions now.

BRUNSVIGER
(Taani pehme suhkrukook)
Adapted from The Scandinavian Cook Book
Serves 12 to 16



40-50 g fresh yeast
250 ml milk, lukewarm
2 large eggs
500 g all-purpose/plain flour
2 Tbsp caster sugar
0.5 tsp salt
75 g unsalted butter, melted

Caramel sugar topping:
150 g soft brown sugar
150 g unsalted butter

POUR THE MILK INTO A BOWL, add the yeast, and stir with a wooden spoon until the yeast has dissolved. Add the eggs and mix well, then add the sifted flour, sugar, salt and finally, the melted butter.
Stir the yeast mixture with a wooden spoon (or simply use the dough hook on your KitchenAid) to make a dough. When the dough comes cleanly from the edge of the bowl, transfer to a floured counter and knead for about 5 minutes. Return the dough to the bowl and let rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.
LINE A 25 BY 35 CM BAKING DISH WITH PARCHMENT PAPER and press the dough evenly in the dish. Cover with a dish towel and let rise again for 15 minutes.
MAKE THE GLAZE. Melt the brown sugar and butter together in a pan over a moderately low heat, stirring until the mixture is smooth and the sugar is no longer crunchy. Do not let it boil.
PREHEAT THE OVEN to 200 C. Press your fingers down into the risen dough, making small indentations across the surface. Spread the glaze evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-2 cm border. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the sugar has melted, and is brown and sticky. Let the brunsviger cool a little before cutting into pieces and serving.

Other foodbloggers reviewing this book:
Anne's Food
Icelanding cooking, recipes and food
Gourmet Traveller
Wrightfood: recipes & culinary adventures from a Brit in Seattle

Cooking from The Cook's Book: Salmon with Cajun Blackening Spices

I haven't had any fish recipes on the blog for a while (not since the picturesque teriyaki salmon, but that post didn't contain a recipe), so it's time to remedy the situation, especially as 'eating more fish' was one of my 2007 foodie resolutions.

I chose a recipe from Jill Norman's The Cook's Book: Step-by-step techniques & recipes for success every time from the world's top chefs, a book I gave to K. as a Christmas present last year after reading Sam's enthusiastic praises to Jill Norman's hefty tome. The book is divided into sections, each full of great instructions and recipes by the masters of their field - Dan Lepard (Breads & Batters), Ferran Adria (Foams), Marcus Wareing (Meat), Ken Hom (Chinese Cooking), David Thompson (Thai Cooking), Pierre Herme (Pastry & Sweet Doughs; Desserts), to name just a few. I've tried quite a few recipes from the book (Pierre Herme's recipe for pâte brisée with a twist is a particular favourite of mine; K. has been taken by Madame Guérard's method for deep-frying eggs), and due to the accumulation of our newest kitchen gadget have been reading up on Adria's chapter recently :)

The recipe is from Peter Gordon's chapter on Flavourings, and has been very slightly adapted. I reduced the recipe to feed the two of us; only used whole spices, as that's what we keep in the house; used fresh garlic, as I've never understood the appeal of dried garlic powder. I also cooked my salmon fillets for a wee bit longer than prescribed by Peter Gordon, yet still leaving salmon tantalisingly opaque-pink inside. Note that although it is usually recommended to dry-roast your whole spices first, it's not necessary here, as the spices will be coming into direct contact with the heat anyway.

And yes, of course it's a keeper. I wouldn't be sharing the recipe with you otherwise.

Salmon With Cajun Blackening Spices
(Peter Gordoni lõhefilee Cajuni vürtsidega)
Source: Peter Gordon in The Cook's Book (p 99), very slightly adapted
Serves 2-3



2 salmon steaks or fillets

1tsp cumin seeds, crushed
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
2 tsp smoked Spanish paprika, pimenton
1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed
1 tsp dried thyme
a pinch of dried oregano
2 tsp fine salt
1 garlic clove, finely minced

olive oil or rapeseed oil, for frying

Crush all cumin seeds, coriander seeds and peppercorns in the pestle & mortar, add other spices and finely chopped garlic clove. Mix and rub over salmon fillets or steaks (both sides!). Cover the tray and leave to marinate at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Heat a heavy-bottomed frying pan on a moderately high heat until hot, add the oil. Place salmon fillets in the pan. Leave to cook for 2-3 minutes, without moving them (this helps to get a nice and even browning).
Turn salmon fillets around, cover the pan with a lid and cook for another 2-3 minutes, depending on how cooked you like your salmon.
Transfer onto warmed plates and serve with a cucumber salad and a dollop of thick yogurt/sour cream.

Granny's cookbook: beef rolls and carrot ragout

My dear K turned 35 last November, and his mum included two precious items in her present - his grandmother's handwritten cookbook from 1934, as well as his great-grandmother's handwritten cookbook (in three slim volumes!) from 1894. Precious! As I promised last month, I'll be cooking from these handwritten cookbooks a lot during the coming months, as they were full of tempting and surprising recipes. These beef rolls, for instance, included ginger in the recipe - and I thought that Estonian dishes back then only used salt and pepper...

Here are the first two recipes I tried from the 1934 booklet. They're next to each other in the booklet, so I assume they're meant to be served together. They definitely did go well together, which is not surprising, as the more modern versions of these beef rolls include carrot strips in the recipe.

Grandmother's beef rolls
(Loomaliharullid ingveriga)
Serves 4



600 grams beef (I used sirloin)
salt
black pepper
ground ginger or minced fresh ginger
1 onion
some celeriac
butter and vegetable oil for frying
boiling water
single cream (optional)

Cut the beef into 1 cm slices, across grain, and flatten'n'soften with a meat hammer.
Sprinkle some finely chopped onion, ginger and celeriac on top, roll up and tie with a undyed kitchen string (or you might end up with the infamous Bridget Jones moment!)
Fry the beef rolls in oil until browned on all sides.
Now add enough boiling water to cover the meatrolls and simmer on a medium heat until the meat has softened (this can take anything from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on your meat).
A little before the meat is cooked, add the cream.
When ready to serve, lift the meat rolls out of the gravy, remove the strings and place meatrolls on a heated serving plate.

Serve with boiled potatoes, carrot ragout and the gravy.

Serve with this slightly sweet carrot ragout, also adapted from K's grandmother's handwritten cookbook:

Carrot ragout
(Porgandiraguu)
Serves 4

500 grams organic carrots
200 ml water
1 onion
ca 50 grams butter
3-5 Tbsp concentrated tomato puree
salt
black pepper
a spoonful of brown sugar

Peel carrots and cut into thick coins (about 3-4 mm thick).
Bring the water to the boil, add carrots and boil until slightly softened, but still crisp (about 5 minutes).
Add chopped onion, simmer for a few more minutes.
Add tomato puree, season with salt, pepper and sugar. Stir in butter and simmer, until carrots are al dente, if you know what I mean:)

UPDATE 14.2.2007: Alanna mentioned this story in her BlogHer post - check it out here. Thanks, Alanna!!

A few dishes inspired by Moro

Back in March I had the pleasure of attending a cookery demonstration by Sam & Sam Clark of the Moro fame at Valvona & Crolla in Edinburgh. Valvona & Crolla is a real treasure, a wonderful Italian delicatessen & wine merchant, founded back in 1934, and they also host various events at their premises. It was a really enjoyable evening, starting with a choice of tapas and a glass of chilled La Guita Manzanilla sherry. Then the Clarks prepared some of their chosen dishes on a makeshift kitchen, and we all had a chance to taste their produce. I watched carefully to learn the secrets of making the paper thin warka dough by tapping the elastic dough on the hot iron skillet; I tried to remember the right way to wrap and fry a Tunisian brik; and watched how a tub of milk was transformed into fresh cheese with the help of just couple of drops of rennet during the cookery demonstration. It was fascinating to see these two chefs in action, and I went home that evening with a bag full of goodies bought from the fabulous Italian delicatessen (incl. a bottle of above-mentioned sherry and a large jar of El Navarrico's Judion de la Granja), and a mental list of dishes to replicate at home.

Oh, and obviously I had my book signed:)

In the days following the cookery demonstration, I successfully made fresh cheese at home, using some organic goat's milk. The resulting fresh cheese was silky, creamy and extremely light-textured. I mixed some with fresh herbs and seasoned with salt - great on some sour rye bread, and the rest I ate with some cinnamon-scented stewed prunes for a pudding.

I slowly caramelised some savoy cabbage wedges in olive oil, bringing out the sweetness of the cabbage. I then seasoned them with salt, garlic and capers - just like Sam & Sam Clark did during their demonstration, adding some bacon to make the dish more substantial. It was a flavoursome and welcome meal on a dreich Scottish winter night.

And as for the giant butterbeans - these I savoured last. Believe me, these butterbeans are so delicate and soft and tasty, that they are good enough to eat straight from the can. I fried some smoked top-quality bacon rashers on my sauce pan (I'm a great fan of the oak-smoked rashers from Puddledub Pork & Fifeshire Bacon Co), then added some cream and half of the beans, heated through and seasoned with fresh dill. This was such a good combination that I prepared the rest of the beans exactly the same way on the following day. I guess it's time to walk down to Leith Walk again and pick up another jar of those tasty buttery giants..

Edinburgh International Book Festival for foodies

If anyone is - or is planning a trip to - Edinburgh in August, then there are couple of events at the Edinburgh International Book Festival that might be of interest. The festival takes place from 12-18 August @ Charlotte Square Gardens. In addition to talks by distinguished speakers like Francis Fukuyama, James Naughtie, Alexander McCall Smith, David Lodge, Melvyn Bragg, Steve Bell, Tony Benn, James Meek, Mark Haddon, Seamus Heaney, Loz Lochhead, Alexei Sayle and many many others, there are also events that should please a foodie:

Saturday 12 August 2006, 2 pm - Sue Lawrence
"A literally mouth-watering treat as award-winning food writer and master chef Sue Lawrence takes us on A Cook's Tour of Scotland - explaining and showing some of the regional specialities which define different corners of our nation."
£ 7.00 (conc. £ 5.00)

Sunday 13 August 2006, 2 pm - Joanna Blythman
"Are we in the grip of a growing food illiteracy? Britain seems obsessed by food - TV chefs, latest diets - yet we consume vast amounts of junk food and seem to neither know nor care about true quality. Award-winning journalist Joanna Blythman takes a witty tour through Bad Food Britain."
£ 7.00 (conc. £ 5.00)

Monday 21 August 2006, 7 pm - David Wishart
"Whisky, Scotland's water of life itself, is analysed, classified, explained and above all enjoyed by Dr David Wishart in a comprehensive survey of the complex glories of single malt. Why do whiskies taste so different? How to describe them? Where are the distilleries and why are they there? All this and more in a fascinating talk for novice and connoisseur alike."
£ 8.00 (conc. £ 6.00)

Monday 21 August 2006, 8 pm - Whisky tasting
"A tutored tasting with Highland Park taking you through the different characters of their fine whiskies from the Orkney Islands. In the world of single malts, there are few other brands so consistently lauded - a unique tasting experience."
Sponsored by Highland Park
£ 8.00 (conc. £ 6.00)

Tuesday 22 August 2006, 8 pm - Hugh Johnson
"World renowned wine expert Hugh Johnson comes to the festival, bringing all his vast knowledge of the unique pleasures of wine. Telling of his own lifelong passion, he educates and entertains with the culture, history, variety and sheer enjoyment of wine."
£ 8.00 (conc. £ 6.00)

Friday 25 August 2006, 3 pm - Claudia Roden
"Stories, memories and whole societies unfold as the incomparable Claudia Roden reveals culinary traditions. The renowned food writer does far more than introduce us to new and exotic dishes. Arabesque provides potent insight into the cuisine but also the history and daily lives of Turkey, Morocco and the Lebanon."
£ 7.00 (conc. £ 5.00)

Saturday 26 August 2006, 2.30 pm - Kathryn Hughes
"Mrs Beeton bestrode an age. The Book of Household Management defined manners, cleanliness and cooking in the Victorian era - yet she herself was not the matron of legend and died aged only 28 (possibly due to bad hygiene). Kathryn Hughes has written a masterly account of her fascinating life and times. "
£ 7.00 (conc. £ 5.00)

Saturday 26 August 2006, 5.00 pm - Shirley Spear
"The Three Chimneys on the island of Skye is one of the world's finest restaurants, serving stunning food in a spectacularly beautiful location. Shirley Spear and her husband created it all with their own hard work, ambition and vision. Come and hear her stories."
£ 7.00 (conc. £ 5.00)

There can never be enough food programmes?

Source: BBC website

Channel-hopping on a cold January evening in Edinburgh - if you can describe switching back and forth between BBC1, BBC2, ITV Scotland and Channel 4 'channel-hopping' - I came across some kind of food programme starring two middle-aged, beer-bellied, bearded English men, who were motocycling through Portugal and talking about food. The men - though neither looking particularly handsome - were really charming and sounded intelligent and fun. They were not chefs, but during the very laid-back and relaxed programme they were cooking up rustic and delicious meals on a beach or riverside. Not sure why, but I was totally captivated and hungry for more. I was rather annoyed that I had missed the beginning of the show, and very disappointed that I couldn't find it on TV following week - I had hoped that it's another regular food programme. But no..

Imagine my joy then when I spotted these two guys in The Independent last Saturday! The article by Indy's arts correspondent Louise Jury was called Move over, Nigella: TV's new chefs are hairy bikers. Turns out the guys are called Dave Myers (from Barrow-in-Furness, former furnaceman in a steelworks and now a make-up artist at BBC specialising in prosthetic limbs! He's also a keen sailor) and Simon King (from Newcastle upon Tyne, is an assistant film director). The episode I saw in January was a pilot for their new show, a cross between travelogue and a culinary programme, The Hairy Bikers. Apparently the public went mad and really liked it, so they've since been commissioned by BBC 2 to do a total of 12 shows, taking them to Portugal, Transylvania, Namibia, Mexico, Lebanon, Syria, Vietnam, Ireland among other places.

The first of the two Hairy Bikers' Cookbooks is due next Spring.

I'll be waiting. There can never be enough good food programmes..

A list of ten most useful cookbooks

Many British newspapers reported today on a list of ten most useful cookbooks, as compiled by Waitrose Food Illustrated. The panel consisted of restaurateurs, chefs and consumers, among them Aldo Zilli, William Sitwell, John Torode, Sophie Grigson.

Here are the ten most useful cookbooks:

1 Roast Chicken and Other Stories by Simon Hopkinson with Lindsey Bareham

2 Delia's Complete Cookery Course by Delia Smith

3 Real Fast Food by Nigel Slater

4 The River Cottage Meat Book by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

5 A New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden

6 Leith's Techniques Bible by Susan Spaull and Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne

7 Elizabeth David Classics by Elizabeth David

8 Rick Stein's Seafood School Cookbook by Rick Stein

9 Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook by Alice Waters

10 The Cook's Companion by Stephanie Alexander

And the most useless cookbook? According to the panel, this title goes to the Larousse Gastronomique. Apparently it's "overrated, esoteric and stuffy" as well as "heavily biased towards all things French."

The list may seem a bit surprising, considering that many best-selling cookbooks (f. ex. by Gordon Ramsay, Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver, Mrs Beeton) are absent, but apparently the jury panel was looking for durability, reliability and not celebrity.

Any comments on the above list from well-read foodbloggers?

If you're interested in more detail, check out the Waitrose Food Illustrated, or Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, London Evening Standard for instance.

Reading about food: Eat Me

I picked up a copy of Alexandra Antonioni's Eat Me at a bookstore last Thursday. The book, bylined 'Love, Sex and the Art of Eating', is a pink girly paperback and I guess I was tempted by the luscious-looking cake on the cover. I fancied some light reading and light it was - I finished it in less than 2 nights. So it's not exactly a brainteaser, but it was entertaining, enjoyable and fun. Here's the synopsis:

Sex and the City meets the culinary goddess within, in this delicious offering on love, sex and the art of eating.

Let Alexandra Antonioni take you on an entertaining journey through the highs and lows of modern-day relationships, set against a backdrop of culinary flirting and romantic probability. From first-date dinners to post-coital snacks and comfort food when it all goes wrong, this book is interspersed with delicious recipes as well as relationship advice, personal anecdotes and the author's own dating distasters.

An ideal read for those who appreciate the mouth-watering marriage of food and love.

The synopsis is pretty accurate. There's also an element of Bridget Jones' like musings, so overall it felt like reading someones romantic love-cum-foodblog:)

I did skip some of her recipes. As I don't eat seafood other than fish (long-long story)*, Antonioni's recipes for oyster and prawn dishes to be eaten in bed wearing close to nothing left me cold. But I did made a mental list of many delicious-sounding dishes that are provided in the book, e.g.

Alex's Love Juice (a Thai soup to be eaten in sickness and in health)
Bellini Cocktails (esp good in moments of thunder and lightning)
Chicken with Goat's Cheese and Roasted Vegetables (Meet Me After Work and Bring Your Toothbrush dinner)
Chicken Liver Parfait (to be served at your first joint housewarming cocktail party)
Chocolate Dacquise (see Bellini cocktails)
Chocolate and Raspberry Log (meeting La Famiglia)
Cigliege Sotto Spirito (Boozy Cherries are good for any time)
Risotto with Taleggio and Pumpkin (see Chicken with Goat's Cheese)
Seared Duck Breast with Sour Cherry Sauce (should re-spark the relationship)
Watermelon Margarita (see Chicken Liver Parfait)

She inserts lots of amusing food and love-related aphorisms and statements from various literary heroes (from Shakespeare to Woody Allen to Homer Simpson), and also suggests what music to listen while eating her recommended dishes (Leonhard Cohen when you're heartbroken for instance).

And I just realised that I must be an advertisers' dream. How the hell did I manage to buy another Nina Simone and Edith Piaf album when shopping for a new suitcase last weekend? Was that because Antonioni recommends them both for romantic dinners or was it just a coincidence???

* Alexandra Antonioni quotes Woody Allen saying I will not eat oysters; I want my food dead, Not sick, not wounded ... dead (page 42). Maybe I should use it next time instead of explaining and justifying my aversion for shrimps, oysters, calamari, octopus, mussels, crayfish etc etc etc...