GALLIMAUFRY is one of my favourite words. Originally it was a kind of stew; then transmogrified (another fave) into meaning a jumble or medley, which is appropriate for my eclectic selection of food books to buy for Christmas 2015 (and you don’t need to consult a dictionary to get into them).
All would make lovely Christmas presents, either to swell a pristine ‘foodie library’ shelf or, by the hob, get evilly stained with passata or greased with thumbprints.
They are not necessarily the year’s best but are interesting, in no particular order and mostly with Manchester connections, starting with a compendium of profiles and recipes that seeks to convey what a helluva lively culinary scene we have on our hands…
The Manchester Cookbook (Meze Publishing, pb £14.95)
It’s not comprehensive, indeed it’s tinged with ‘vanity project’, just one of several such collections rolled out across the nation’s cities. But it’s neatly produced, covers everything from small producers/cafes to top-end dining (Manchester House’s Aiden Byrne supplied the introduction and a recipe for mallard baked in hay) and like the apocryphal Christmas pud, you can pull out the plums.
Mamushka: Recipes from Ukraine and Beyond by Olia Hercules (Octopus, hb £25)
Ukraine-raise food stylist turned author Olia Hercules gave this interview to Lucy Lovell after her demo at this year’s Manchester Food and Drink Festival. She told her that the debut book she was promoting, Mamushka, was more than just a collection of family recipes, it was a means of preserving generations of tradition that were at risk of being forgotten – traditions that stretch out into Russia and the endless Russian plains. It’s also a very user-friendly cookbook. The first recipe I tried, for garlicky, spatchcocked Georgian poussins offered sticky, high flavour rewards (and pages 130 and 131 are still half stuck together!).
Let There Be Meat: The Ultimate Barbecue Bible by James Douglas and Scott Munro (Orion, hb £25)
The barbecue pit obsessed boys from Leeds have come a long way. This year they even dared to open a Red’s True in the hipster heartland of Shoreditch, where they talk of little else but dry rubs, pickleback crusts and burnt ends. It came on the back of this Barbecue Bible topping best-seller lists. I interviewed co-author and co-founder James Douglas at our own Albert Square True BBQ and he gave me some tips to enhance my own pitmaster skills (yes, I do have a beard and drink craft beer from cans).
Hawksmoor at Home by Huw Gott, Will Beckett and Richard Turner (Preface Publishing, hb £25)
Not published this year, but its inclusion is justified since Hawksmoor opened its first restaurant outside London on Deansgate in early spring (review ). This celebration of all things Hawksmoor is scholarly and stylish and dispels the myth that it is just a steakhouse for fat wallets. Still it is the steak cuts, even as illustrations, that set you salivating.
Comptoir Libanais by Tony Kitous and Dan Lepard (Preface Publishing, hb £20)
For Hawksmoor read Comptoir Libanais, who brought out this tome in 2013 (there’s been an ‘express version’ since. This fellow London chain made its colourful bow in Spinningfields towards the end of the year, a canteen cum souk, whose canny Lebanese branding is mirrored in this book. Like the dishes served, the recipes are surprisingly simple, perfect for the home cook to replicate.
Nopi by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ramael Scully (Ebury Press, hb £28)
The blessed Ottolenghi’s demo and book signing at the Royal Exchange generated the kind for excitement among urbanites that used to be reserved for gigs by The Strokes or the White Stripes. Through his books and Guardian columns he has been hugely influential in the way we dine. ‘Jerusalem’ is still my favourite of his works, a tender celebration of a city’s food both Jewish like himself and Palestinian like his co-author Sami Tamimi. For his latest, Nopi, celebrating his more formal restaurant of that name, he has moved on to annex the very different culinary influences brought to the table by its globetrotting chef, Ramael Scully. Revelatory again.
Vegan Street Food by Jackie Kearney (Ryland, Peters & Small, hb £16.99)
Globetrotting also describes Chorltonite Jackie Kearney, for whom finishing as a finalist on Masterchef has been a launchpad for a street food/pop-up/dining club career, always influenced by the cuisines she encountered in Asia. This, her first book, came about as vegan not by design but because the most typical veggie food from Vietnam to India was just that. Again, the recipes are very user-friendly, gorgeously and could almost convert me, tofu ’n’ all to veganism. I caught up with Jackie at its launch in a Central London offshoot of our own Tampopo (she has acted as a consultant on their vivid new menu). As usual, she was behind the stove.
I Don’t Know Much About Wine But I Know What I Like by Simon Woods (www.simonwoods.com, pb £7.99)
Not content with coming up with the The World’s Shortest Wine Book, the Grape Sage of Saddleworth has now come up with an even better, commonsensical yet comical, demystifying handbook for everyman. Follow his advice and be more adventurous in your choices of wine. It doesn’t have to cost the earth. His own website, Drinking Outside The Box, is full of excellent bottle recommendations.
Ham’s Tales (available from the two Friends of Ham bars in Leeds and Ilkley and also online, pb £7.50)
This is my piggie wild card, really more of a pamphlet with recipes celebrating the Observer Food Monthly’s Bar of the Year, a pantheon of all things porky with great craft beer and staff. I’ve just baked their breadsticks featuring chorizo and Iberico ham offcuts and, from their handy tips, I’m now reconsidering how I care for cheese at home. Best thing about Ham’s Tales, though, is it’s the perfect excuse to visit Friends of Ham.
Dim Sum: Small Bites Made Easy by Helen and Lisa Tse (Kyle Books, hb £16.99)
Those hyperactive sisters from the Northern Quarter’s Sweet Mandarin have come up with a cutting edge take on the traditional Chinese titbits – cuttlefish dumplings in spicy broth or chrysanthemum pastries using sweet potato and petals, anyone? Don’t be scared – the recipes are presented with fine clarity and, thanks to our inestimable Cjhinatown, sourcing authentic ingredients is no problem.
Bitter by Jennifer McLagan (Jacqui Small, hb, £25)
Almost the bitter end. No Manchester connection for this meditation on “the world’s most dangerous flavour”, written by a Toronto-based chef and author, but it’s a real foodie’s food book, my personal favourite of the year. Who needs Umami when you’ve got Bitter, writes your reviewer topping up his Negroni with extra Campari while anticipating a supper of radicchio, dandelions and cardoon salad.
My Guide to Manchester by Jonathan Schofield (MCR Books, pb £14.95)
Not a cook book but a general visitor’s guide to Manchester, probably the best ever and one which offers great, often wry, advice on where to eat and drink (it should do – the author is no stranger the drinking dens or the fine dining establishments in his reviewing roles). The city’s manically evolving culinary scene means places where the paint is still drying haven’t made the cut. Keep up with the latest arrivals via Taste of Manchester. Schofield’s guide and his more recent ‘Lost and Imagined Manchester’, a recommended stocking filler, come from local imprint MCR Books, who also publish acclaimed cookbook Crispy Squirrel and Vimto Trifle by Robert Owen Brown. Buy it direct from MCR Books at at £9.99 p&p.
