A trio of new books to suit the season... wherever you are
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Those of us in the Northern hemisphere are starting to feel the cold, and yearn for warming stews, and hearty suppers. But depending on where you are in the world, cooking for the coming season could mean a very different thing indeed. Perhaps you are just venturing outside, for grills and fresh sunshine-soaked days. Wherever you are, our trio of new books have something for you.
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As Andrew Schloss writes in the introduction to his book Art of the Slow Cooker: 80 Exciting new Recipes:
“By measuring culinary ease with a stopwatch, we forget that there are ways to cook, as old as fire itself, that take little work and even less attention as they infuse food with a goodness that only time can give.”
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Pictured above:Fish and Fungi from Islas: A Celebration of Tropical Cooking by Von Diaz
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A consuming passion for dates
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In the latest feature in our Consuming Passions series, Joel Haber, food historian and specialist on Jewish food and its history, tells us of his Consuming Passion for Dates. He writes of the long history and varied stories interwoven with date trees and their sweet fruit, the fruit’s origins in the Middle East, and he details the plant’s complex and interesting genetics.
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He is also keen to encourage us to see the wide diversity of ways to eat dates – they are so much more than just a dried fruit snack. With Joel’s pick of recipes from the simple and traditional to the modern or unexpected, there is much to discover.
Try these Fennel Marzipan-Stuffed Dates or this Chicken Tagine with Dates and Almonds.
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Q& A with Radhika Howarth - Author of Radikal Kitchen
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As she puts it:
“Each ingredient adapts and transforms, adopting new flavour profiles and embracing local cultures and cooking techniques as it travels across the globe.”
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Ingredient focus: pumpkin
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A vegetable fruit, usually a rich orange in color, the pumpkin can grow to enormous size. Its size and color, and its arrival in the fall, make it a natural centerpiece of Thanksgiving and Halloween meals and celebrations – don’t forget the Pumpkin Pie!
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Thanks to their robust skin, pumpkins are ideal for carving into jack-o’-lanterns – a tradition derived from the ancient British and Irish practice of carving turnips and other root vegetables to make lamps, depicting strange lights or will-o’-the-wisps.
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Pumpkin flesh can be fibrous, and needs to be well cooked to be soft and palatable. Their taste is earthy, with a gentle sweetness. It absorbs other flavors well in cooking and is a natural partner with spices, and so works in both sweet and savory dishes.
There are some great pumpkin recipes in our newly launched books – see above. Also try a Sri Lankan Pumpkin Curry, these Pumpkin Ravioli from Lombardy, or any of the recipes in our collection of 12 Ways with Pumpkin.
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6 of the best recipes with oatmeal
Oatmeal, a fine breakfast, a cookie classic, nourishing and adaptable! Here are six recipes that make the most of the soothing toasted flavors of one of our favorite grains.
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from Lavender & Lovage: A Culinary Notebook of Memories & Recipes From Home & Abroad by Karen Burns-Booth
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from Simple and Delicious Vegan by Michaela Vais
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from The Art of the Cookie by Shelly Kaldunski
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from My South Texas Kitchen: Traditional Recipes And Modern Tips by Yvette Zuniga Jemison
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from Frozen Desserts by Francisco Migoya
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from Bien Cuit: The Art of Bread by Zachary Golper
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