Again, not just recipes and another classic:
An Omelette and a Glass of Wine
by Elizabeth David
Quote:
“"An Omelette and a Glass of Wine", offers 62 articles originally written by Elizabeth David between 1955 and 1984 for numerous publications including "The Spectator", "Gourmet" magazine, "Vogue", and "The Sunday Times".
This revered classic volume contains delightful explorations of food and cooking, among which are the collection's namesake essay and other such gems as Syllabubs and Fruit Fools, Sweet Vegetables, Soft Wine, Pleasing Cheeses, and Whisky in the Kitchen.
Her subjects range from the story of how her own cookery writing began to accounts of some restaurants in provincial France, of white truffles in Piedmont, wild risottos on the islands of the Venetian lagoon and odd happenings during rain-drenched seaside holidays in the British Isles.
She writes so vividly that we can see, taste and even smell the dishes she describes. Many of these pieces, such as "I'll Be with You in the Squeezing of a Lemon", from 1969 - about cooking with lemons - barely show their age. But even if they did, you wouldn't care, because of the rich store of information that David shares and the literary grace with which she imparts it.
Some articles include recipes, but for the most part this is a volume nicely sized to curl up with or to take on a trip. Articles, book reviews and travel pieces, they will be new to many of her readers and a delight to all for their highly personal flavor.”
One I want to buy is:
The Settler's Cookbook: A Memoir of Love, Migration and Food by Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
Quote:
“This is a warm, personal memoir from one of Britain's most high-profile and vocal immigrants - a mouth-watering exploration of the author's East African Indian roots through the shared experience of cooking.
Through the personal story of Yasmin's family and the food and recipes they've shared together, "The Settler's Cookbook" will tell the history of the Indian migration to the UK, via East Africa.
Her family was part of the mass exodus from India to East Africa during the height of British expansion, fleeing famine and lured by the prospect of prosperity under the imperial regime. In 1972, they were one of the many families expelled from Uganda by Idi Amin who moved to the UK, where Yasmin has made her home with an Englishman.
The food she cooks now, in one of the world's most ethnically-diverse cities, combines the traditions and tastes of her family's hybrid history. Here you'll discover how Shepherd's Pie is much enhanced by sprinkling in some chilli, Victoria sponge can be wonderfully enlivened by saffron and lime juice, and the addition of ketchup to a curry can be life-changing...”
. One of them - Apples for Jam, I think - has a honey cake that is absolutely lovely.
