Del-icious!

Category 1

Useful Books

These are the books that I return to again and again when I need information on how to do something. I actually cook from these books, (as opposed to my categories of beautiful or inspirational books, which, for me, are really only to look at). The recipes are my go-to standbys when I'm craving something that only that certain recipe can provide.

Some of these books are classics, such as Delia Smith's 'Complete Illustrated Cookery Course', which taught me to make such vintage classics as Coq Au Vin and Beef Stroganoff and Jamie Oliver's first book, 'The Naked Chef', whose recipe for pickled chilies I still use on a regular basis. (I once tried his more obscure recipe for beetroot pasta, which has a magnificent fuchsia hue in the photograph, but didn't blend the beet and dough together enough, so the finished lump of dough resembled a brain! I thought it would be a beautiful, marbled affair, but it was just really unappetising!)

Some of the books are less well known though, and probably no longer available. The Good Cook Pork book was a recent purchase from a fantastic used and new bookstore in Portland, called Powells. The whole Good Cook series is celebrating a renaissance after a certain 'foodie' in a magazine declared them his favourite cookbooks ever.

I find these books, more than any other, have helped me to teach myself to cook. For a book to be in this category for me, it has to have taught me a basic cooking method, such as pasta making or a good, reliable tomato sauce and also have recipes that I return to on a regular basis

I will try to list each book and give my thoughts on them and why I love them so much.