Food and gardening
A recipe from Smith & Daughters - Warm Spanish Doughnuts with Chocolate Pâté
Shannon Martinez and Mo Wyse are the brains behind celebrated vegan restaurant Smith & Daughters, and they’ve just released their first cookbook, Smith & Daughters: A Cookbook (That Happens to be Vegan).
We’ve featured a delicious recipe from the cookbook below, and if you drop by our Carlton shop on Thursday 3 November you can meet the talented duo themselves! Find details here.
WARM SPANISH DOUGHNUTS
Rejoice! The doughnut recipe! Shannon’s got many a doughnut recipe up her…
We test out recipes from Grown & Gathered
Earlier this week we roadtested six different recipes from Grown & Gathered – a gorgeous new how-to book from Matt and Lentil Pubrick all about growing, gathering, nurturing and cooking your own food. Matt and Lentil came by to share our dishes with us, and select the best one. Here are the results…
Stella Charls made Caponata (pg. 284):
I love chopping fresh tomatoes. It makes me feel like I’m part of an extended Italian family because as I chop…
Delicious new cookbooks in October
Australian Fish and Seafood Cookbook by John Susman
This enormous book is the definitive guide to cooking and buying great, sustainable fish. Written by the most respected authorities on seafood in the country, this remarkable tome contains all you need to know about selecting and preparing over 60 types of fish and seafood found here in Australia, including catching methods (if that’s your thing), notes on sustainability (so important), and recipes for everything from frying fish to the most scrumptious…
A recipe from The River Cottage A to Z - Chocolate, Brandy and Star Anise Ice Cream
A gorgeously grown-up ice cream, this mingles the fruity, bittersweet flavour of chocolate with warming star anise, a hint of orange and a sup of brandy. Serves 6 – 8.
INGREDIENTS
3–5 star anise
200ml whole milk
300ml double cream
Finely grated zest of 1 large orange
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
4 medium egg yolks
100g caster sugar
200g dark chocolate (70–75% cocoa solids), finely chopped
75ml cider brandy or calvados
INSTRUCTIONS
Using a pestle and mortar, bash the…
Which recipe is the best from Hetty McKinnon's new cookbook?
Earlier this week we roadtested seven different recipes from Hetty McKinnon’s new cookbook, Neighbourhood and invited Hetty to come in and select the best one. Here are the results of the cook-off…
Jan Lockwood made ‘Israeli chopped salad with tomatoes, cucumber, radish and feta’ (pg. 123):
No cooking involved here, just chopping, chopping, chopping. You do need a great knife for chopping tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and radish. And another great knife for finely chopping fresh green chilli, Chinese shallots, and…
Best new cookbooks in August
Alimentari by Linda Malcolm and Paul Jones
Alimentari literally means ‘good food and camaraderie’ and that is just what is celebrated at the adored cafes in Fitzroy. Full of classic cafe choices and The Very Best Sandwiches in Melbourne, Alimentari recipes are perfect for sharing and entertaining. It’s where Mediterranean meets Middle Eastern, so think incredible salads, those sandwiches and easy one pot dinners for entertaining or for the family. If you love Ottolenghi, or the dishes in Community…
Delicious new cookbooks in May
Seasons to Share by Jacqueline Alwill
Not everyone is embracing the term ‘wholefood’. If you fall into that category and are tired of having quinoa and kale pushed onto you then step away now, my friends, step away. But do so and risk missing out on some pretty tasty treats that could actually become staples in your family. Nutritionist Jacqueline Alwill has a talent for creating food that brings friends and family together over wonderful meals. Her cauliflower rice and…
Making miniscapes with Clea Cregan
In Miniscapes, Clea Cregan presents a beautifully designed step-by-step guide to creating your own terrariums!
This week our staff put Miniscapes to the test, and the author dropped by to judge the best one!
I like pot plants, but I also have a cat, which means terrariums are the only way I can introduce a bit of greenery into my home. I have a few that I’ve bought here or there, but they’re fiendishly expensive so I was excited…
Delicious new cookbooks out this month
Real Food Projects by Kate Walsh
I am not overwhelmed by this delightful book, rather, I am encouraged. I am not filled with guilt as I turn the pages, but rather inspiration. Yes, I say to myself, I could make that. I will make sauerkraut, or preserved garlic (so stupidly easy) and a quick cucumber pickle. I will be the talk of my friends with gorgeous gifts, the school fete committee will be beside themselves and my own family…
We trial artisanal toast
By now, artisanal toast is an established staple of the breakfast scene and so naturally – there’s cookbooks too. We invited our staff to bring in recipes from Kristan Raines’s new cookbook, On Toast: Tartines, Crostini, and Open-Faced Sandwiches, so that we could see what all the fuss was about…
Here, staff reflect on the success of our ‘toast party’.
“I was one of those people going, ‘Avocado on toast isn’t a recipe, Nigella!’, so when our toast…
On food and fiction
From an early age, books would whet my appetite. I would read glorious descriptions of food and immediately start dreaming of it.
I imagined myself high on a cliff above the seas with the sky a glorious blue and a Famous Five-inspired feast before me: hard boiled eggs, pickled ham sandwiches, slabs of cake, and lashings of ginger beer. I also thought frequently of the food in Enid Blyton’s The Magic Faraway Tree. The characters who populated that…
The best cookbooks of 2015
Here are our top ten cookbooks of the year, voted for by Readings staff. Displayed in no particular order.
A Modern Way to Cook: Over 150 Quick, Smart and Flavour-Packed Recipes for Every Day by Anna Jones
The quirky and successful food blogger extraordinaire is back with another collection of delicious, healthy, inspiring vegetarian recipes. Jones’s no-fuss, no-mess approach is refreshing and accessible. I love that the book is divided into time slots (recipes for under 15, 20, 30 or…
Signed cookbooks from Matthew Evans and Hana Assafiri
Here at Readings we are pretty big fans of Matthew Evans. Earlier this week he dropped by to sign copies of his wonderful new cookbook, Summer on Fat Pig Farm. This gourmet farmer is a fair charmer; within minutes, he had booksellers and customers alike laughing – and wondering why we were not making our own ice-cream every day.
I asked him a few questions about his new cookbook. He told me that his favourite recipe for hot windy…
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…
Which recipe is the best from Karen Martini's new cookbook?
Yesterday we roadtested some recipes from Karen Martini’s latest cookbook, New Kitchen, in a bid to find the best one. Six of our staff selected recipes and we were thrilled (terrified) when Karen came in to select her favourite. Here are the results of the cook-off…
Danielle Mirabella made Kale and spinach gnudi with burnt butter (pg. 178) and Homemade ricotta (pg. 28):
I’m a huge cheese lover – frankly, who isn’t? – but I’ve always been a little…
A quick chat with Christine Manfield
A Personal Guide to India and Bhutan really does seem like the perfect book for lovers of spice and travel. Is that how you would describe yourself?
I am a travel addict and a lover of spicy food, so I seek out those places that inspire me. Travel is always a revelation and this guide book is a wealth of information that I wanted to share with other curious travellers – a comprehensive list of the best places to eat…
Best new cookbooks in October
The Moroccan Soup Bar by Hana Assafiri (available 26 October)
Over the last 17 years the Moroccan Soup Bar has become a much-loved Melbourne institution. It’s a unique dining experience with Hana, head chef and owner, telling you what’s what on the menu. She says: ‘At the Moroccan Soup Bar we strive to rectify the imbalance where women in all societies and religions are among the most vulnerable and marginalised. Modern cooking is underpinned by the innovation and creativity of…
Which recipe is the best from The Great Australian Cookbook?
Yesterday we roadtested some recipes from an excellent new cookbook: The Great Australian Cookbook. Four of our staff selected recipes and two of our staff acted as judges in a bid to find the best one. Here are the results.
Stella Charls made Pierre Khodja’s Couscous with Peas & Mint (pg. 210)
I’m pretty besotted with this cookbook. I think the range of contributors is incredibly impressive, and their recipes feel so personal. I especially love the handwritten comments…
A recipe from Cornersmith - Pickled Fennel with Chilli
by Alex Elliott-Howery and James GrantCornersmith’s all-time favourite winter pickle! We use this on sandwiches with salami, chilli and ricotta, tossed through salads or with barbecued fish. Once you’ve finished eating the pickles, keep the jar of brine in the fridge. Whisked with some extra virgin olive oil, it makes a great salad dressing.
PREPARATION TIME
45 minutes
COOKING TIME
10 minutes, plus 15 minutes heat-processing
STORAGE
up to 12 months
MAKES
2 x 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cup) jars
INGREDIENTS
2 large fennel…
Is Nopi home cook friendly?
We’ve had some questions from customers about the new cookbook from Ottolenghi, all of which boil down to just one main concern: Is Nopi home cook friendly? Our resident foodie Chris Gordon investigates.
If you are considering purchasing Nopi, the lush new cookbook from Yotam Ottlenghi and Ramael Scully, I already know you are one of two types of people.
Either: 1. You are a qualified chef, or 2. You are, like me, an armchair traveller cook. If you’re…
A recipe from Nopi: the cookbook - Courgette and manouri fritters
These were first developed for the NOPI breakfast menu by Sarit Packer and John Meechan, during the restaurant’s early days. Rumour spread and, due to popular demand, they quickly made their way on to the lunchtime and supper menus as well, where they’ve remained ever since.
They make a lovely light lunch or impressive starter and are also great as a snack or canapé with drinks. If you are serving them as a snack, make them slightly smaller – 1…
Which recipe is the best from Vegetables, Grains & Other Good Stuff?
On Monday we roadtested some recipes from Simon Bryant’s new cookbook, Vegetables, Grains & Other Good Stuff, in a bid to find the best one. Five of our staff selected recipes and Simon himself came in to taste their dishes.
Here are the results.
Stella Charls made Pumpkin, Chickpea and Tahini Soup (pg. 224):
We’ve just come through the middle weekend of MIFF (I’m a bit of an addict), so I’m finding my free time fairly limited and I…
The beginner's guide to vegetarian cookbooks
If you’re a reluctant vegetarian try…
Who you are: You’ve agreed to ‘test the waters’ of the no-meat lifestyle, barely. You just really, really love burgers/pies/sausages okay. You remain unconvinced any vegetarian dish could be as simple as a steak. You think tofu is weird.
Why this book: A Modern Way to Eat is my new favourite cookbook and conversation topic. I bought it a few weeks ago and have already made its vegetarian versions of burgers and pies (sausages…
Three cookbooks to get you through winter
Maggie Beer’s Winter Harvest Recipes by Maggie Beer
I associate Maggie Beer with quinces, with pheasant pâtés, mushrooms, and with delicious slow-cooked country cooking. This delightful collection of recipes has everything you could expect for cold nights. The recipes are from the winter section of Maggie’s bible, Maggie’s Harvest. Included in this collection are detailed descriptions of meals (think perfectly planned menus for you to copy, step-by-step) with family and friends. I love this glimpse into Maggie’s life, her…
Q&A with Michelle Crawford
Our resident foodie Chris Gordon chats with Michelle Crawford about her gorgeous memoir / recipe book, A Table in the Orchard: My Delicious Life.
Your book is a sweet parcel of family adventures and recipes – I love it! – and the move from Sydney to Tasmania with little kids on tow must have been huge. Were you scared? Do you have any advice for others dreaming of greener fields?
People often asked if we were scared, but you…
Our favourite family recipes
We’re loving the gorgeous new cookbook, Margaret and Me, in which Kate Gibbs explores how her grandmother Margaret Fulton has influenced Kate’s own passion for food.
Inspired by Margaret and Me, we recently tried our hand at making some of our favourite family recipes and sharing them over lunch. Here’s our staff on their own culinary influences…
Jan Lockwood:
I’ve decided to make my mum’s cottage pie, mainly because I loved it, and also because I haven’t eaten…
Why you should bake your own bread
Two of our staff members talk about why they bake their own bread.
Bronte Coates, Digital Content Coordinator:
While I’m not an entirely successful home baker (my success rate hovers around the 50% mark) I am an enthusiast one and bread is far and away my favourite thing to make at home. I love the science experiment aspect of it and I feel very impressive serving it to people. My housemate Maggie was the first person to teach me…
Chris Gordon interviews Rachel Khoo
Our resident foodie Chris Gordon chats with British chef, writer and broadcaster Rachel Khoo.
First, congratulations on your second cookbook! With your background in art, I imagine you have quite a lot to do with the layout of your books? What’s that process like?
I really enjoy that part of creating a book. It all starts on the photo shoots where I work with a really talented team: David Loftus (photographer), John Hamilton (art director), Frankie Unsworth (food stylist) and…
Chris Gordon interviews Alice Zaslavsky
Chris Gordon chats with local foodie Alice Zaslavsky about her new fact-filled, kid-friendly cookbook.
Alice, it’s all going on for you! You must be super busy with your new book, your television show, your new business, being the face of Prahran Market – and goodness, do you have time to relax?
Ha! When you put it like that, it does sound like I should have way less time on my hands. I’m pretty sure that most of the people I…
Which is the best recipe from Mr. Wilkinson’s Simply Dressed Salads?
We put Matt Wilkinson’s salads to the test this week with six of our staff making recipes from Mr. Wilkinson’s Simply Dressed Salads for a blind-tasting.
These same staff were absolutely delighted (read: horrified) to learn that Matt himself would be acting in the capacity of guest judge, along with three other staff members.
Here are the results.
Stella Charls made Noodles with broad beans, peas & spicy lemon dressing (pg 69.):
I am not a confident cook, and was…
Our favourite (and worst) Christmas recipes
Our staff share their favourite – and sometimes their least favourite – recipes for Christmas time.
Christmas is an excuse to combine dairy and liquor at any and every opportunity. Eggnog. Cheese and wine. And the best of them all: brandy butter. Cream together unsalted butter, icing sugar and brandy. I don’t measure anything because it leaves me with an excellent excuse to eat at least half of it along the way while I check the balance of ingredients.
–…
The most memorable foodie trends of 2014
Our resident foodie shares four books that epitomise popular food trends of the past twelve months.
I Quit Sugar for Life: 148 Recipes + Meal Plans for Families and Solos by Sarah Wilson
It now seems that there are many people who want to be free of pesky sugar for the rest of their lives. In I Quit Sugar for Life, Sarah Wilson has designed a program complete with 148 sugar-free recipes, to show families and individuals how to…
The Best Food & Garden Books of 2014
Here are our top ten food and garden books of the year, as chosen by our resident foodie and gardener Chris Gordon. Displayed in no particular order.
Nonna to Nana by Jacqueline & Jessie DiBlasi
Melbourne sisters Jessie and Jacqueline DiBlasi explore the connections between love and nourishment, inspired by their grandmother, Nonna Giovanna. The book shares stories and recipes from the living culinary traditions of 15 Australian grandmothers across diverse cultural backgrounds.
Mr Hong by Dan Hong
This is…
Robyn Lawley Eats: Cherry Ripe slice & Slow-roasted jerk chicken
by Robin LawleyIn addition to being an international supermodel, Robyn Lawley is a self-confessed foodie, and her new cookbook, Robyn Lawley Eats is an inspiration to girls who just love to eat. Here, she shares two recipes from the book.
CHERRY RIPE SLICE
Preparation time: 50 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Makes: 15-20 squares
Ingredients (base):
11/2 cups plain flour
3 tbsp Dutch (dark) cocoa powder
¾ cup caster sugar
½ tsp baking powder
100g salted butter, chopped and softened
50ml cold…
Which is the best Ottolenghi salad from Plenty More?
We put Ottolenghi’s salads to the test this week with four of our staff making recipes from Plenty More, and four other staff members acting as judges. Here are the results.
Elke Power made Pink Grapefruit and Sumac Salad (pg. 32):
After turning every page of the book and being overwhelmed with choice, I chose the first salad with in-season ingredients. Even so, I could not find any red chicory and had to choose between giant green chicory or…
Q&A with Yotam Ottolenghi
Our resident foodie Chris Gordon chats with chef Yotam Ottolenghi about his gorgeous new cookbook.
The Sydney Morning Herald recently called you ‘the man who sexed up vegetables’. What’s the one ingredient you couldn’t live without to spice up a veggie dish?
As it takes two to tango, I’ll definitely need more than one, please!
Something to provide the background strength to a dish – tamarind paste, for example, which I’m using a lot at the moment. It’s very easy…
Q&A with Adam Liaw
Our resident foodie Chris Gordon chats with chef Adam Liaw about being a workaholic, and his recommended cooking plans for a variety of evening plans.
First, congratulations of your new book! Second… are you a workaholic?
Haha I think I am! Honestly, writing cookbooks is an all-consuming process. When I’m working on a book I’m thinking about it around the clock for months – eating potential recipes from the book at every meal, trying to find ways to make it…
Q&A with Simon Rickard
Chris Gordon interviews Simon Rickard about his gorgeous new gardening book.
Simon, firstly a huge congratulations from one novice gardener to you, an experienced gardener for your beautiful and accessible book on veggies. Have growing veggies always been a passion for you? Why?
One of my earliest memories is of my father coming home from work and carrying me around his veggie garden, giving me corn silks to smell. I remember the feeling of warmth and wonder. Dad’s mother, who…
Cookbooks we love (and actually use)
Our staff share stories about their favourite cookbooks!
Chris Gordon:
Pork and Sons is the archetypal pork cookbook. This book provides handy information into the history of the pig, the farmers and, of course, how to transform pork into meals suitable for any occasion.
In the book are 150 recipes presented by a three-generation-old family of pig butchers and farmers in rural France. Honestly, if my bloke didn’t work in data management, and didn’t reside in urban Melbourne, he would…
Attempting handmade loafs with Dan Lepard
I first learnt how to make a very basic bread a few years ago while living in a rickety Queenslander where if you kneaded the dough with too much vigour the floorboards would shake. Since then, bread has become one my favourite things to make in a kitchen, though I can’t say I’ve ever progressed past novice stage. My ‘bread’ still frequently suffers from an alarming similarity to cakes, though I do think I make pretty good pizza dough. This…
The Best Food & Garden Books of 2013
Here are our top ten food and garden books of 2013, as selected by our resident foodie and gardener Chris Gordon. (Displayed in no particular order.)
Cooked by Michael Pollan
In Cooked, Michael Pollan explores an essential human activity – cooking – which is at the heart of our culture. It seems insane that fresh food is flown in from all over the world when we can produce most of it in our own patch. Pollan’s marvellous book is…
How to host Christmas at home
This Christmas will be the very first time our events manager Chris Gordon hosts the day from her own home in Australia. Here, she shares what she’s planning to dish up for her guests.
Being a mother I’m going to start the day relatively early and I plan to do so with a strong coffee, closely followed by a sparkling wine. I may eat chocolates also… And given the indulgent opener, I’m thinking an easy summer lunch for friends and…
Stefano Manfredi on Italian Food
Chris Gordon chats with Stefano Manfredi about his new cookbook
Stefano, I reckon this book is one of the most comprehensive collections of Italian dishes, suited for Australian produce that I’ve come across. How long did it take you to pull together - and why did you feel a need to create such an ode to Italian food?
It took two solid years to write but in effect it’s a lifetime of cooking, travelling and research. It became apparent to…
Jamie Durie on Edible Garden Design
Chris Gordon chats with Jamie Durie about
I love the layout of this book, especially where you show what you grow. Lovely design. Yours?
I’m so happy that you like it, I am very proud of it! The design of the pages where we show what plants are grown in each garden came from the design of a Florence Broadhurst fabric. In fact, the end papers and chapter openers of arranged vegetables are also based on Florence Broadhurst fabrics. I’m…
Monet’s Garden for Kids
Angela with her daughter at the exhibition of Monet’s Garden.
The Monet’s Garden exhibition at the NGV is undoubtedly a feast for the eyes, but the crowds can sometimes make it a little overwhelming for kids. Cue this wonderful book which allows children to engage with Monet and get to know more about the exhibition in their own time. Filled with fascinating facts about Monet, photographs of the actual paintings that appear in the exhibition and fun activities…
Roadtesting Courgette Cake
Chris Gordon road tests the recipe for ‘Courgette’ Cake as seen in the delightfully quirky
As much as I am completely in love with this sweet book of delicious recipes, and even more delicious illustrations, I am equally concerned that these three wonderful Australian writers and food-lovers (all sisters) seem driven to use French words when there is no need. Does it make your food taste better? No. So let’s start again…
I recently put my hand to the Zucchini…
Roadtesting Rizogalo
Chris Gordon uses a rainy day as an excuse to test out
It’s raining outside. Pouring in fact. The air is cold and it seems winter is laying its heavy head on me already even though I’m sure I was outside frolicking in the sunshine only last week. Now I’m looking for warmth and Kathy Tsaples, bless her, has the answer.
I skim through her cookbook, Sweet Greek, before coming to rest on the great comfort food of all…
Roadtesting Broccoli Pesto
Chris Gordon shares a delicious antidote to an overly-decadent weekend.
It’s been a time of indulgence. I’ve eaten Easter buns, chips, bad chocolate and good chocolate and I’ve drunk wine & G&Ts and most importantly, have enjoyed a super fun holiday. But now it’s time to look after myself.
I pick up of the gorgeous cookbook, The Green Kitchen and flick through the pages looking for something that will revitalise my liver. Ah, the broccoli pesto.
Here are some things…
Roadtesting Margaret Fulton's Hot Buns
In the lead-up to Easter, our resident foodie Chris Gordon has been experimenting with recipes. Here, she shares some hot tips for hot buns.
Easter is here and I am gobsmacked by the cost of Easter buns for sale. Really $18 for 6 buns just seems excessive and so with my trusty food encyclopaedia at hand - Margaret Fulton’s Encyclopedia of Food and Cookery - I decided to go for the feel-good factor. It was time to cook my own.
…
The Story Of My Book: Philosophy in the Garden
by Damon YoungThere are many books about gardens and gardening: ‘how to’ manuals on bonsai, lavish photo essays on Italy, scholarly histories of design. Philosophy in the Garden is something else entirely: the intelligent garden-lover’s detective story—less of a ‘whodunit’, and more of a ‘why do it’.
Why was Jane Austen gazing at lilacs instead of writing Mansfield Park? Why was Friedrich Nietzsche wandering in a citrus grove? And why was George Orwell, ill with tuberculosis, hacking at dry dirt with a…
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