Best new cookbooks in November

Mietta’s Italian Family Recipes by Mietta O’Donnell

Welcome to Melbourne, where we pride ourselves on having the very best café and food landscape in Australia. We have this landscape because there are certain families and undeniable creative identities that years ago fostered a culture so rich and welcoming that we, as a city, have not dared to look back. Mietta O’Donnell and her family and friends represent such culinary trailblazers.

O’Donnell’s grandparents established a restaurant, Mario’s, when they first arrived here from Italy, which they ran for 30 years. Influenced by their entertainment flair, in 1974 Mietta, along with her partner Tony Knox, opened up the restaurant Mietta’s in North Fitzroy. And so it began: a Melbournian tradition of sharing and rejoicing. This beautifully presented cookbook is homage to such wondrous times and provides a concise, pleasing collection of recipes for classic Italian food. There are recipes for every antipasto dish you can imagine, recipes for pizzas and broths, for game and fish and for desserts.

Mietta’s Italian Family Recipes is also a history book. It is the tale of the people and places in our city. Each section has an introduction by Mietta musing on the importance of music, art, or theatre, and the people whose talents delighted her. The recipes in each section are simple, generous and achievable. However, don’t buy this book just for the recipes. Buy this book because you are proud to be a Melbournian and you want to know more about many of the people who have contributed to making this city the cultural heart of Australia. Buy this book because you believe in living well, together.


Special Delivery by Annabel Crabb & Wendy Sharpe

This book makes me sing: ‘For auld lang syne, we’ll take a cup of kindness yet…’ Here, in this truly delightful cookbook, long-term friends have created a collection of recipes that is all about benevolence. Think Women’s Weekly, but with an air of grit and humour. As you can imagine, all the recipes are there from Crabb’s Kitchen Cabinet television series, as well as some wonderful extras. There are handy tips at the back the book on the art of giving food – from the meaning behind ‘bring a plate’, to dropping off food for new mums and grieving friends. All in all, this cookbook is not only about Australians but also about being generous.


Greek by George Calombaris

I reckon George Calombaris has been great for Melbourne. His restaurants are innovative, fun and the food served is delicious. Sure, there are a few gimmicks, but I worship his feet every time I eat one of his souvlakis – whatever time of the night it is. So if you are like me and reckon Greek street food, party food and family food is hands down the gift of gods, then this book is for you. All his mum’s and his yiayia’s favourites are listed, and his own specials from his restaurants. The food is fine, not fancy and therefore completely accessible. The book is splashed with street art and there are even fun stickers included  – like I said, there are a few show tricks, but essentially the book is a celebration of really good, honest food for each and every one of us.


Tokyo Cult Recipes by Maori Murota

We pride ourselves here in Melbourne as being the food capital of the country. Melbourne, we say, has become the great culinary melting pot of the world, celebrating every nation. I’m starting to believe, however, that Tokyo has taken over. It seems like everyone I know has just returned from Japan and all of those people are talking about either the Japanese train system or the delicious fresh food. If we consider the glorious food in Tokyo Cult Recipes, it does seem possible that Tokyo is superior to us in both areas.

This wonderful cookbook has over 100 recipes from Tokyo. Think Japanese soul food with recipes for miso, sushi, soba noodles, bentos, and sweets, and – wait for it – burgers and spaghetti! There are also step-by-step features on key essential cooking techniques which, in theory, make it all very accessible. Every recipe has a wonderful image and dotted throughout the collection are beautiful pictures of food markets, street scenes, divine Japanese kitchen interiors, as well as Japanese producers.


Simply Nigella by Nigella Lawson

After a turbulent couple of years, Lawson has returned to what she knows best: simple, breezy food prepared with a minimum of fuss. Lawson understands the rhythms of a busy person and her book is designed to be used with ease. There are no complicated ingredients or testing methods, but rather straightforward recipes like Asian-flavoured short ribs and chocolate-chip cookie dough pots. Welcome back Ms Lawson, we are delighted to see you.


New Kitchen by Karen Martini

You’ve been to dinner parties where the talk of the town is some new diet fad, or some new grain or seed that is apparently essential to our way of life. Perhaps, like me, you have been mystified by this talk, or confused by your friend’s new dietary conditions, and have felt that to cook some wholesome new grain/seed/leaf/root dish is beyond you and your time. Free yourself with Martini’s new book. Here is a collection of wonderful dishes that celebrate our new vision of eating well without all the drama. This is Martini’s seventh cookbook, and it shows how neatly her finger is on the pulse of our changing world of food.


Chris Gordon

Cover image for Tokyo Cult Recipes

Tokyo Cult Recipes

Maori Murota

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