With Christmas fast approaching I felt the urge to review my cookery book collection and devise a Top Ten Cookery Book List according to my own personal usage and the results that have been achieved over the years. Some books are written to be used over and over again whereas other books are written to be read just the once, almost as a novel. I have based my Top Ten on the success of the food cooked from them and the learning curve they have taken me through the years from a student with little idea to a Mum of two with a healthy interest in cooking tasty food.
- Nigel Slater’s Real Food. This book wins the prize hands down for food splattered pages where recipes have been used over and over again. The pictures are of real food – colourful, vibrant and realistic. The dishes involve cooking unpretentious food – every day fresh ingredients with simple instructions and delicious results. I love the fact there is whole chapter on sausages as well as garlic. My favourite dish is Pork with Mushrooms and Garlic – simple, fresh, spicy and scrumptious. Also try the Crisp Fish with Garlic, Chilli and Basil or the Pork with Cashews, Lime and Mint. This book also contains my favourite Thai Green Chicken Curry recipe ad you can’t fail to love the Really Good, Simple Chicken Supper – just six ingredients to produce heaven on a plate.
- Delia Smith’s Complete Cookery Course. This was an anniversary present for me in 1994 and should be a part of any decent kitchen. It has all the relevant basic cooking information such as roast joint timings as well as conversion tables, how to bake bread and how to boil an egg. This book is perfect as a reference book and is highly likely to have all your favourites in it – Boeuf Bourguignonne, Coq an Vin and Boiled Beef and Dumplings. I still use this book for classic barbecue sauce, French Onion Soup, Smoked Mackerel Pate and a simple crumble topping. Instructions are detailed and clear with good results guaranteed. A perfect book for a beginner who is looking to progress bt also great for an established cook who wants a few classic dishes in their repertoire .
- Jamie Oliver The Naked Chef. This book completely invigorated my interest in cooking. When he first appeared on the TV Jamie Oliver was a breath of fresh air with fantastic new ideas – strip it bare, cut out the jargon and produce great food. Simple ingredients, uncomplicated instructions with quick, impressive results. This book contains two of my top ten dishes which I always pull out as a fail safe easy option: Tray-baked Salmon with Olives, Green Beans, Anchovies and Tomatoes; and the North African Lamb with Chilli, Ginger, Chickpeas and Couscous.
- Rick Stein’s Seafood. No kitchen is complete without this comprehensive guide to fish cookery. He covers how to prepare all types of fish and shellfish ready for cooking with step by step photographs which are idiot proof. This book took away my fears of preparing whole fish and opened up a whole new genre of cooking for me! I’m not sure this is ideal for the beginner – there are a selection of quite challenging dishes but there are some simple dishes too. The Tuna Carpaccio with Rocket and Parmesan Cheese is a fantastic starter and my two favorite mains are the Baked Sea Bass with Roasted Red Peppers, Tomatoes, Anchovies and Potatoes: and the simple but lovely Roast Monkfish with Crushed New Potatoes, Olive Oil and Watercress.
- Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals. This is quite a new book (2010) to make it into this list but it deserves it’s place at number five in the Top Ten. The TV series was inspiring and although I can categorically say I never managed to cook any of the dishes in less than 30 minutes I still thoroughly enjoyed both cooking and eating them! My two favourites are the Stuffed Cypriot Chicken with the Pan-Fried Asparagus and Vine Tomatoes and the Steak Sarnie which is served with a delicious garlic mushroom. The Piri Piri Chicken is a winner as is the Killer Jerk Chicken. These recipes are easy to follow and produce fresh, adventure food without too much complication.
- Nigel Slater’s Appetite. Nigel needed a second book in the Top Ten as he is officially my favourite cookery writer and although all his books are fabulous this is my second choice. The photographs make my mouth water and the recipes are so unpretentious and simple – it is all about good basic ingredients and a little time. I have tried so many dishes from this book that It is difficult to choose from them all but I think the Lamb Shanks in Red Wine (a rich meaty braise for hungry friends) is fantastic for a dinner party or try the Sausage and Mash Supper for a perfect winter’s evening comfort meal. The Thirty-Minute Fish Supper is simple and impressive and the Lamb on the Grill is only 5 ingredients, quick, simple but heaven on a plate.
- Good Housekeeping Cookery Book: The Cook’s Classic Companion. I’m sure this is a book that gets updated on an annual basis – my copy dates from 1998 and as far as I’m concerned in still current with many classic recipes which I refer back to every now and then. This is perfect as a first cook book as it covers all areas of cooking as well as a list of herbs, spices and flavourings and when to use them. There are some great soups (try the Split Pea and Ham Soup), easy starters (my favourite is the Stuffed Mushrooms with Garlic and Bacon) and great mains. My daughter loves to cook the Thai-Style Beef Curry and I regularly cook the Mustard Pork Casserole With Cherry Tomatoes.
- The River Cafe Cookbook. When this came book came out in 1996 it was a refreshing change from other books that were being published. The ingredients were fresh, the instructions were simple and the dishes were surprisingly easy to produce. Nowadays the ingredients are much easier to find – pecorino cheese, prosciuttos and salamis, smoked and salted pancetta as well as the huge variety of vegetables are all available on the high street. I love the Penne ith Tomato and Anchovy Sauce as well as the Crab Linguini. A great book if you like Italian cuisine.
- Delia Smith’s Winter Collection. I loved this book when it came out and still love it now. It followed on from Delia Smith’s Summer Collection which my Aunty Jenny bought me as my first ever proper cookbook when she decided I needed to learn to cook. The Winter Collection is the ultimate in comfort food and always inspires me on a cold, winter, lazy Sunday. There is an interesting Apple, Cider Salad with Melted Camembert Dressing and some tasty winter seafood recipes. The Venison Sausages Braised in Red Wine was a staple dinner party dish through the nineties and one of my Top Ten recipes of all time (Braised Lamb with Flageolet Beans) appears in this publication. The Pork Stroganoff with Three Mustards is simple to follow and I still use this book when cooking Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding. This is a must-have book!
- How To Eat: Nigella Lawson. The only disappointment with this book is the lack of photos but that hasn’t stopped it getting in to my Top Ten. This was early Nigella and there are plenty of delicious recipes from quick lunches to slow cooked Sunday lunches. The Gigot Boulangere (slow cooked garlic stuffed leg of lamb cooked over boulangere potaotes) is scrummy as is the Ham cooked with Leeks, Carrots and Potatoes. I also use this book for classic Victoria Sponge (after Delia’s recipe let me down one year!)
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