Top 5 Cookbooks for Lockdown
I’m really settling into lockdown. As with everyone, there are some things that are far from ideal, but I’m finding such gratitude in simple things. And while I’m not twiddling my thumbs all day I have found more time on my hands to cook and give my beloved cookbooks a bit of an airing.
With little to no income I’ve very much been looking into my cupboards and comparing with my cookbooks. So a month (can you believe it’s been that long?!) into lockdown and I’ve really got to grips with which of my cookbooks are suited to this time. Of course it does depend on what kind of foods are in your stores - for me herbs, spices (especially eastern), pulses and grains are all to hand so the following have worked so well for me.
All of them have varying amounts of ease to the recipes but each one contains recipes you can just knock up when you find yourself with an hour or so to spare. Perfect for long weekends stuck indoors.
Cannelle et Vanille by Aran Goyoaga
Aran Goyoaga is a Seattle based food author, stylist and photographer. This book is beeeeeeeeeautiful - the photography inviting and sublime and the design simple and pleasing. Aesthetics aside the recipes are really wonderful - everything is gluten free and flicking through you just want it all in your mouth. As the tagline says, there is something here for every mood and I think what’s great about this book in comparison to other gluten free books is that there are some amazing treats in here so you never feel like you’re going without. I’m yet to make the cinnamon buns but know they’re going to be mega!
The recipes in this book vary from simple to more complex. I made the pizza dough the other night and had a ridiculously good courgette and goats cheese pizza with it. Here are a few more examples of what you can find inside:
Egg tostada with fennel, radishes and yoghurt
Ricotta Gnudi with slow roasted tomatoes
Artichoke, fennel, sugar snap pea and parmesan salad
Peach and hibiscus sorbet
Chocolate, olive oil and citrus cake
Buy the book here.
Taverna by Georgina Hayden
I recently did a shoot with Cookbookbake and asked Julie to recommend me a book and she very cleverly opted for this one for me. Having been to Greece a few times and fallen in love with the food and general vibe this couldn't be more welcome in my home. The tagline is Recipes from a Cypriot kitchen and Georgina herself was raised above her grandparents Greek Cypriot Taverna in Tuffnell Park. Now a food writer, stylist and illustrator she put all of her skills into this colourful book. The photography is wonderful - really up my street with it’s documentary vibe with a focus on community. Out of all 5 of these books I would say this is the one that might take a little more ingredient sourcing but it would be so worth it. Maybe one to use once the main food shop is done. Here’s some examples from the book:
Fennel stuffed flatbreads
Halloumi and mint ravioli
Tuna, baby onion and red wine stew
Spice roasted squash with dried cherries and tahini
Spicy tomato mussels with feta
Buy Taverna here.
Persiana by Sabrina Ghayour
Anyone who knows me well knows this is my kitchen bible. It’s covered in splatters and stains because I use it a LOT. There’s something about this book that is just so accessible. Sabrina actively encourages the swapping out of ingredients if there’s something you don’t have and I’ve found I can make most of these recipes from things in my store cupboard. Again, it does boil down to the type of store cupboard you have. Sabrina is English-Iranian and a very accomplished Persian cook making a name for herself through a series of Persian and Middle Eastern supper clubs in London. All of her books are brilliant but this one for me just has something utterly magic about it.
Some recipe examples:
Cumin roasted carrots with honey-lemon dressing and goats cheese
Seafood and saffron stew
Za’atar cod with relish
Blood orange and radicchio salad
Spiced carrot, pistachio and almond cake with rosewater cream
Buy Persiana here.
Rosa’s Thai Cafe - The Cookbook
This is a hero in my kitchen. I LOVE Thai food, especially so when I want comfort food or am hungover. But I was never able to achieve the delicate, fragrant flavours I so loved about it. Until I bought this book. I only cook from it a few times a month but it feels like an old friend when I do full it off the shelf.
Rosa’s Thai Cafe was founded when Thailand born owner Saiphin walked down Hanbury Lane, Spitalfields, with her husband after a day of their Brick Lane stall and spotted a cafe called Rosa’s for sale - they bought it and decided to keep the name for respect of the local area and a lack of money for new signage. There are now multiple locations in London and even a few further afield in Leeds and Liverpool.
Everything is fairly easy to make and if you’re using to cooking Thai food you should have most of the ingredients in your stock.
A lot of the recipes are meat based but you can switch up, Rosa’s also has a veggie version. Sample dishes are:
Green mango salad
Salmon red curry
Rosa’s green curry
Steamed Sea Bream with red curry paste
Banana fritters with coconut batter (perfect if you’re bored of banana bread!)
Buy Rosa’s Thai Cafe - The Cookbook here.
Simple - Yotam Ottolenghi
It might be obvious but it can’t not be included in this list! Ottolenghi’s renowned Middle Eastern style has found its way into a whole series of cookbooks but for lockdown I think this one is the best. All of the 140 recipes are designed to take less than half an hour and require minimal ingredients but have those trademark Ottolenghi elements. Everything is filed under a different letter of SIMPLE to identify what the recipe brings - whether that’s ease, time, make ahead or pantry.
I love to make three or four of his vegetable dishes to make a main.
Sample dishes are:
Pumpkin, saffron and orange soup
Tenderstem broccoli with soy, garlic and peanuts
Whole roasted celeriac with coriander seed oil
Puy lentils with aubergine, tomatoes and yoghurt
Honey and yoghurt set cheesecake
Buy Simple here.
I hope you enjoy cooking with these books!