Some of you know about my total addiction to cookbooks, so when Bookworld approached me to review a couple of their cookbooks and do a cookbook giveaway for them, I was not about to say no! More about the giveaway at the end of the post…
The first review is the latest cookbook by the ever fabulous Lyndey Milan, Taste of Australia. This book is the companion to the TV series Lyndey Milan’s Taste of Australia. While I missed the TV series, this delightful book had me smiling from almost the opening page, when I saw the recipes were broken down to reflect the landscapes of our beautiful country: The City, The Vines, The Waterways, The Bush and The High Country.
The recipes and the stunning photography within reflect the myriad flavours, colours and senses I have experienced in my travels to these parts of Australia – cue many happy memories 🙂
There are many features of this book that I really like.
Primarily, it’s that more than a few of Lyndey’s recipes include the use of native Australian foods – from the common kangaroo and macadamia nuts – to the less common crocodile, wattleseed, lemon myrtle and native pepperberries. Anyone who helps increase our knowledge of how to cook with these ingredients gets a bit tick from me!
A number of recipes have been provided by the who’s who of Australian food – Maggie Beer (yes, I love her!) and Neil Perry are two – and plenty of first-class Australian food producers such as Yarra Valley Dairy who share a recipe with their stunning Black Savourine goat cheese (I’d rather just eat it on a cracker, but apparently it goes well with roast plums) and numerous wineries (remember the section titled The Vines?).
All the recipes note the preparation time and the cooking time, as well as a recommendation for a matching wine. Quite a few also include “Lyndey’s note”, an aside that might be information about making the recipe ahead of time or how to blind bake pastry for a tart or a tip to make the prep or cooking a little easier.
Many recipes have elements that can be used independently. I made the Aji sauce (p23) to go with BBQ chicken and BBQ vegies as part of a quick lunch (note to self: next time don’t use four jalapeño chillies…), and I’m eyeing off the beetroot tzatziki (p83) to make as a dip. The coconut and almond crumble and the raspberry sauce (p202) as part of the deconstructed peach Melba is screaming at me to be eaten with vanilla icecream. None of this peach Melba bizzo (although that does sound pretty good too!).
Quick facts:
The title – Taste of Australia: A culinary adventure from the vines to the waterways
The author – Lyndey Milan
The publisher – Hardie Grant Books, September 2014, rrp $39.95 (AUD)
The recipes – over 90, showcasing regional food from around Australia
Highlights – beautiful photography of both the food and Australian scenery
Who this book is for – people who love Australia whether they live here or overseas. It would be a great memento to take home after a holiday. The few recipes I’ve made so far were fairly quick and easy to make, even for more novice cooks, as the instructions are clear and easy to follow.
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The second book I chose was Simon Bryant’s Vegies. I’ve met Simon a few times at various food events in recent years and am a huge fan. It wasn’t until I heard him speak at a bloggers’ conference that I realised he is vegetarian. As I’m trying to eat more vegies and less meat, this book joined my collection almost as soon as it was published a little over two years ago.
I must confess while I look at this book a lot and drool over the photos (of the FOOD people, the food!), I haven’t cooked a lot of dishes from it, and those I have made have been served with meat. Sorry Simon.
I should say there is really no excuse for serving these dishes with meat, as many recipes suggest other recipes in the book to serve them with.
The cauliflower roasted with panch phoran and fresh turmeric (p198) is one of my favourites (if you make your own panch phoran as I did, make extra as it’s divine with roast potato), and the Chinese greens with garlic and Sichuan peppercorns (p44) is a little flavour explosion unlike the usual fairly boring way of cooking greens (this flavour combo also rocks with broccolini and asparagus).
The recipes in this book are divided into seasons, and the headnotes preceding each usually provide some great tips on many of the ingredients, particularly those that might be lesser known. Ingredients also have a focus on native Australian (a little more adventurous than Lyndey Milan’s Taste of Australia) and include Warrigal greens, desert limes, saltbush, bush tomato and more.
If you think eating vegies is all about steamed carrots or roast potato, then this book will open your mind to many new types of vegie and ways to cooking them.
Quick facts:
The title – Vegies
The author – Simon Bryant
The publisher – Penguin, July 2012, rrp $39.99 (AUD)
The recipes – all meat and fish free (Simon is reluctant to call it vegetarian, even though it is), including quite a few luscious looking desserts
Highlights – it’s by Simon Bryant (not much else to say really!)
Who this book is for – people who want to eat less meat and fish and more vegies. This book is definitely different to many of the vegetarian cookbooks I have as it combines flavours and textures in an original way that I have not often seen. If you have a few skills in the kitchen (you don’t need a lot, but you need to be a little more advanced than a total novice) and want to shake up your meals from the humdrum, then this book is for you.
Now to the GIVEAWAY!!
Thanks to Bookworld I have one copy of Simon Bryant’s Vegies to give to a lucky reader!! To be in the running just leave a comment below telling me what your favourite vegetarian dish is – if you’ve never cooked or eaten vegetarian, tell me your favourite vegie (my fave is mushrooms but currently asparagus is giving them a run for the money!). The winner will be the one that makes my mouth water the most 🙂
Competition is only open to readers with an Australian postal address, and closes Monday 27 October at 5pm Brisbane time.
Note: Thanks to Bookworld for inviting me to partner with them on this post and for providing the prize. This post has been written according to my editorial policy, which basically says it’s all my opinion.
My absolute favourite thing I’ve made recently was baba ganoush… cups, I suppose? Super rich baba ganoush encased in deep-fried eggplant strips, then baked, and turned onto a slice of toasted sourdough. Incredibly rich, but soooooo delicious! (and should probably be served with two slices of sourdough so you can soak up everything!)
YUM James! I love eggplant too, but have never made baba ganoush.
It’s super easy! But you really need a gas oven or BBQ to properly char the eggplant to get the smokey flavour. I am sadly electric at home 🙁
Hi Mel, great giveaway! After much deliberation, I would have to say that my favourite vegetable is sweet potato. Basically because I eat it so much these days, sweet poatato and cashew dip, sweet potato fries and my sweet potato bake! Mandolin the sweet pots as thin as possible, layer them on a buttered pyrex baking dish, add layer of thinly sliced brown onion, a few blobs of butter or sour cream and a tiny grating of pecorino cheese (or cheese of choice) and then repeat with as many layers as you like. Pour some of your preferred milk down the side of the tray so it’s covering about 1cm of the bottom, cover with foil and bake at 180 for 30-40mins, uncover for the last 5 mins of a more golden top! Yum!
That sounds gorgeous Alisha. I’m going to have to make that one too. Love a good potato bake, never thought to make it with sweet potato. mmmm
The best way to cook asparagus as a side is to season with salt and pepper,
place in a baking tray, covered with a lovely serve of butter and sprinkle a few drops of lemon juice.
Cook in the oven for twenty minutes at 180c and then serve.
Looove asparagus
I love asparagus with a bit of parmesan cheese shaved over the top. Never thought to oven bake it.
I need more vegie recipes, but one of my favourites is a Chargrilled Vegetable and Haloumi Strudel. Layout a sheet of butter puff pastry. On approximately 1/3-1/2 of the pastry lay chargrilled zucchini strips, then smear with pesto, then on top of zucchini, lay chargrilled eggplant strips, smear with pesto, then a layer of roasted capsicum, pesto and finally the layer of Haloumi, then more pesto. Fold pastry to enclose all the layered vegies and cheese, give an egg wash and finally a dusting of grated Parmesan. Bake at 180C until pastry is golden brown (20-30mins). Delish on its own or as a side dish. P.S. Do I get bonus points as I am currently baking your Oaty Choc Orange biscuits? 🙂
YUM Melissa! Bonus points only if you send me some biscuits 🙂
That strudel sounds divine. Going to have to make that one. I reckon even Mr Meatosauraus would love it!
Potato and sweet potato bake. It’s not fancy, but it is delicious and easy to make. I put crushed garlic and cream in it. I have also added mushrooms a few times.
Mmm I love vegetarian meals but that word never passes my lips as my husband and sons are absolute carnivores but we do have some delicious vegetarian meals that even they are happy to eat – dhal, spanakopita, spinach and ricotta lasagna and and the absolute favourite is a pumpkin and ricotta cannelloni courtesy of Bill Granger. I’m currently working my way through “community” a book full of delicious main course salads.
We’re like you, we pretty much have a little meat with every meal! We have two favourite vego dishes though; for family dinners we love a simple mushroom carbonara (2 kinds of mushroom, onion, garlic, sage, egg, evaporated milk and parmesan). For a party I always get love for my potato, onion and goats cheese tart (shortcrust, onion, garlic, thyme, goats cheese, potato, eggs and creme fraiche). Can’t choose between them, both so good! 🙂
Hi Mel
One of my fave vego dishes is camels balls! Yes I did make up the dish and the name. It is basically roasted and puréed eggplant, mixed with herbs and spices and cornflake crumbs then rolled into balls and deep fried. Delish!
What brilliant books you got! I love them both. I’ve never seen Simon cook something I didn’t like and what’s not to love about Australian recipes?
My fave veggie dish is a curried quinoa salad that I can eat. It’s my food crack.
Great books Mel. Simon is a very interesting character and I sure this book will be fabulous. My favourite vegies dish?. A bowl of peas….really.
I love peas – especially freshly podded peas (ideally someone else has podded them!)
Thanks to all the other entrants so far – your ideas have inspired me! For a hearty, delicious veggie meal to please even the meat lovers in my family, I can’t go past an old Minestrone with Basil Pesto and Parmesan recipe I’ve cooked many times (meat addicts can cheat and add chicken, that works too). It’s choc full of so many veggies that I love – kale, pumpkin or sweet potato, chickpeas (vego if not veggies) and heaps of garlic, basil and rosemary. Love it! Thanks for the inspiration Mel, great comp.
mmmm, favourite vegetable recipe would have to be cauliflower cheese. Or stuffed mushrooms as a close second.
I love vegetarian meals as I grew up being a vegetarian (the only one in my family – I refused to eat the Sunday roast when I was 3 because I loved animals so much and figured out that we were eating a chicken!). I’m no longer a vegetarian, but I still lean towards vegetarian meals when I am eating out and I like to go meatless a couple of nights a week. I can’t go past a good vegetarian lasagna (so versatile – throw anything in) or any type of pattie made with legumes. My new favourite is a Walnut Falafel Burger that we made last week – the nuts and chickpeas really give it a ‘meatiness’ that is really satisfying (even for the carnivores) and there is plenty of flavour from the herbs, spices, garlic and lemon zest. The walnuts make it really heart healthy too! You can find the recipe on my blog here – http://www.shouldyoueatthat.com.au/walnut-falafel-burgers-with-beetroot-carrot-apple-slaw/
Im not a vegetarian but we regularly eat vegetarian meals. In winter I love a chickpea and vegetable curry and in summer a quick and easy fetta and cherry tomato frittata makes a great midweek dish.
French ratatouille is my favourite vegetarian dish. If cooked long enough the eggplant falls apart and makes for a creamy, unctuous sauce.
Mine is so so good and I’m ashamed that I’ve just discovered it here in my early 40s! You simply toss eggplant with crushed garlic and a little bit of olive oil, and chuck it in a hot oven for 30 mins or so. It’s sooo delicious. You can either eat it as is or mix it with cream cheese to make an eggplant dip.
I make a yummy strawberry and baby spinach salad – it has a dressing of olive oil, white wine vinegar, sugar and paprika and is always a favourite of the vegetarians and meat-eaters alike at BBQs.
Minestrone with alphabet noodles – a childhood favourite I have tweaked the recipe and it still brings forth the, “inner child,” when words are created.
Pumpkin lasagne with béchamel sauce, cheese and pumpkin seeds on top!
Lentil soup, I know it sounds gross but this recipe is delicious, so rich and hearty very similar to minestrone, drizzled with balsamic prior to serving. Yum 🙂
Roasted Eggplant is the favorite in our vegetarian household. It is so delicious & roasting it totally changes it’s consistency to tender and almost meaty. Just cut it in half and marinate with Asian spices, vegetarian oyster (mushroom) sauce & sprinkle with sesame seeds. Try it.
My favourite vegetarian dish is Baked Cherry and Labne bruschetta. Not cherry tomatoes…. yes…whole black cherries. Delicious. Simply bake pitted cherries with some olive oil and thyme, until softish, sprinkle with a light balsamic vinegar and add brown sugar if you want to sweeten the dish further. Leave to cool to room temperature and develop its flavour. Scoop onto bruschetta that has been spread with garlic and a savoury home made labne. A great seasonal dish that heralds the Aussie summer and is a little different to the tomato based recipes (which I love too!). Cheers …
So many fantastic ideas! THANK YOU!! But unfortunately there can only be one winner and today it’s Michelle for her potato, onion and goats cheese tart. Thanks everyone for entering.