Neil's cookbook of the week: Mediterra by Ben Tish

Ben Tish is a chef I admire immensely; he cooks very tasty food, and I am hooked by what is in his recent book ‘Mediterra’. He ventures around the Mediterranean and shows us dishes from all over that vast area. It is not easy to cover such a huge region in one book, but he does a great job and the dishes look wonderful. It is the sort of tasty summer food we all like to eat—colourful and full of flavour. Think Italian, Croatian, Moroccan and beyond.

There are 140 recipes from the Med. Highlights for me are in the North African section: lamb kofta, grilled prawns, and a cardamom-scented custard with strawberries—absolutely delicious. It’s not easy using spice well, but he does it cleverly here, and of course the food from the eastern Med is so tasty—spicy, sweet, sour, and flavoursome. The simple use of ingredients makes these dishes sing.

It will take me a while to get through this book, but I suggest it as a real encyclopaedia of good food from such a vast region. There is something for everyone—aioli, ratatouille, spicy and heady harissa. Ben takes you on a voyage to places and gets you hooked on food you thought you would never know how to cook—now you can. Ottolenghi describes this book as “simple, seasonal, heartfelt,” and I agree.

Neil's cookbook of the week: Eat NYC by Yasmin Newman

I have chosen one that is part guidebook, part cookery book, and great fun. ‘Eat NYC’ by Yasmin Newman is a collection of iconic recipes that feed the city. I have to confess I have never been to New York—but one day I will, with this book tucked under my arm as I step off the plane and decide where to eat.

We all have an image in our minds of what New York is like—Empire State Building, steam rising from the pavements, Wall Street, yellow taxis, hot dogs… After reading this big book, I feel I know the place already and have been pulled into the whole vibe of the Big Apple. You get a real sense of the personalities behind the food—from restaurants and pizza joints to hot dog stands. We all have to try these things if we go to New York, right?

It is a brilliant idea for a book, and a bit of fun too—not too serious. There are far too many dishes to mention, but you can imagine what is in it. The food city that never sleeps.

Neil's cookbook of the week: Indian Cookery by Madhur Jaffrey

This week I am going to surprise you—it is my dad’s favourite book, I think. 'Indian Cookery' by Madhur Jaffrey is a book of which I have very fond memories. My father worked in India for quite a while when I was growing up. He was on an exchange trip with Westminster College, where he taught cookery, and on his return we ate like kings as he had learned how to cook very good Indian food from some brilliant chefs in Delhi at the Oberoi—a rather swanky hotel/college. I remember he interviewed Madhur Jaffrey for his dissertation along with Sally Clarke, another famous chef. But the use of subtle spice here is crucial.

This book was published by the BBC to accompany a television programme. There are dishes I remember with great fondness from my youth, and still to this day I often talk to my father about a dish from it, ask his advice about a method or just talk about the delight of cooking with various spices. Here, the use of spice is not all about heat and strong use of chilli. Yes, it can be, but one of my favourite dishes my dad used to make was a cauliflower dish with black mustard seeds, cumin and turmeric—not spicy at all, but very flavoursome. The prawns with courgettes is a good dish, and the naan recipe is brilliant—we make it at home every time we make a curry.

I would urge everyone to have this timeless classic in their collection. Remember, this book is from 1982—the year we went to war over the Falklands, when we all ate mince and tatties and pots of cottage pies, hot pot, a roast on Sunday, and ‘spag bol’ was still very new. So this book broke the mould, I would say. I was talking to Pete, my sous chef, about it, and he is aware of the book too and has cooked from it—so that made me smile.

Neil's cookbook of the week: Edinburgh on a Plate

This week we are showing off and blowing our own trumpet, as the book ‘Edinburgh on a Plate’ has arrived—and we are in it! It is a collaboration of many restaurants coming together to showcase the dishes we like to cook for you when you come to eat with us. I do not want to give too much away, as I want you to buy a copy of the book—available at Cafe St Honoré or Waterstones.

Reading through the list of chefs is mighty impressive, with Stuart Ralston of Lyla, Lloyd Morse from The Palmerston, and so many more great chefs here in the capital. The dishes I chose to cook—and for you to cook at home—are classics at Cafe: a cod and bisque with aioli, venison with black pudding rosti potato, and of course a Montezuma organic dark chocolate fondant. There are a few tips to help make these dishes easy to recreate at home.

All in all, it is a great book. Please do pop in to buy a copy next time you are passing. If all goes well, we may need to do a reprint, which would make our friend and editor Ferrier Richardson—himself a very talented chef—extremely happy. This was Ferrier’s idea many years ago. He first published ‘Glasgow on a Plate’, then Scotland, then Glasgow again, and now Edinburgh once more. I am thrilled to say I have appeared in three versions. What a show-off. And for those of you who know, I have not aged a bit in those 25 years. Go and buy a copy before all the first editions sell out.

Neil's cookbook of the week: Home Cook by Thomasina Miers

Some of you may remember that I used to present a programme on BBC Radio Scotland called The Kitchen Café. It was a great time in my career. Cooking on the radio is harder than you think. I met so many great people and for several years we recorded groundbreaking radio, different every week. I got to interview so many of my culinary and non-culinary heroes.

Ottolenghi was a highlight. We spoke for about an hour about garlic and cumin—he was a lovely guy. I interviewed Thomasina Miers, the founder of Wahaca. She had just written a book called 'Home Cook'. I was sent a copy, and I read it cover to cover. It really gelled with me. I understood it and wanted to eat almost all the dishes—and that is over 300 recipes.

She was so warm and gentle, and it was a great interview. I was looking through my old notes of that day. Yes, I was a tad nervous, but it is great to be able to ask some different questions about how and why. For a while, I felt like the great Terry Wogan… OK, maybe not.

This book is for the home, yes—but as we all seem to be edging towards simpler food in restaurants (and about time too), this book is timeless. There is something for everyone here.

Obviously her thing is Mexican food, with tacos and spice—which I adore—but there is a universal food approach here that includes shepherd’s pie, crispy chicken thighs, gnocchi, curry, a delicious grilled halloumi and peach salad, and so much more.

I had not picked this book up in a while—now I can’t put it down.

Neil's cookbook of the week: Steak by Tim Hayward

‘Steak, The Whole Story’ by Tim Hayward is a great book. It contains a huge amount of knowledge and has everything you need to know about meat and beefy goodness: how to buy it, where to buy it, store it, butcher it, season it, cook it, rest it and carve. Then the important part—how to eat it and what with.

I really like Tim, and his writing has always fascinated me. He even reviewed us years ago, for the Financial Times I think it was. With a vast encyclopaedic knowledge of all things food, Tim delves right into the subject. He acknowledges that he learns himself from the process, and what I adore is always the simplicity he craves.

This is bold and brash. A book for meat lovers, steak lovers, full-blown carnivores. A book for people who dream of that fatty bit in the middle of a rib-eye steak, who save the last chip to mop up the juices on the plate, who are quite honestly one step away from being a vampire—and folks, I am one of these people.

There are great recipes here and techniques, but I really like how this book is laid out. It is easy to follow and fun too. There are pros and cons for every steak, and everyone has their favourite. Me? Depends on my mood, I suppose.

There is a time and place for every steak, but the thinking man’s steak—the rump—is good, full of flavour, you have to work at it. Fillet is rather posh, very tender. Sirloin is a real favourite in our house, as is the mighty rib-eye, but a flat iron has a delicious, almost gamey or offal-like feel about it.

To be fair, there is too much choice. I love them all—and with watercress, chips (beef dripping ones), and béarnaise please, if you are offering.

Neil's cookbook of the week: The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan

This week’s book is a big one—quite literally—as it is over 700 pages of incredible information about the food of Italy. ‘The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking’ by Marcella Hazan is a real go-to for a technique, a style, a recipe, a dish, a classic favourite, or how to do something. It has hundreds of recipes and guides you through the basics to slightly more complex dishes. It is a valuable book to have on your shelf, although a bit daunting due to the size.

This was given to me as a gift from my youngest son Louis and his girlfriend Frank, who is from Sicily. Some of you may recall our carbonara cookery competition, which I lost. This was given as an olive branch, as I was in a huff, and to teach me how to cook proper Italian food—and it is very good. No pictures here, but a few good illustrations about how to fill ravioli or roll pasta, but it is a book to read, not to gaze at images. Trust me, everyone would get something from this book. Nigella Lawson said, “If this were the only cookbook you owned, neither you nor those you cooked for would ever get bored.” I agree.

Neil's cookbook of the week: Hokkaido by Tim Anderson

This week I am sharing a beautiful cookery book—a book that recently has helped me open my mind and understand food from different cultures. ‘Hokkaido: Recipes from the Seas, Fields and Farmlands of Northern Japan’ by Tim Anderson has been such a great read. It takes you on a food holiday to somewhere we did not know existed. An incredible story, with wonderful people, and an almost forgotten region.

The Ainu people migrated many centuries ago from northern Russia to this island, and the word ‘Ainu’ means ‘land of humans, land of gods’. These proud people have been treated badly in history, with governments allowing logging and dam building—but now, with help from the UN, these Indigenous people have their ancestral lands forever.

This book tells of the power of food, food history, and the connection we all have with it. It focuses on different places around the island and what is good to eat there. Some familiar dishes—like ramen and noodles—to sashimi, scallops, clams, and even a smoked venison sausage using Ezo deer (a species new to me).

The images in this book are fantastic. It has a colourful, almost Japanese cartoon feel. One chapter I really enjoyed was on croquettes. There are so many potatoes grown on the island and they are lovely with a curry, burger—who knows! Let us open our minds and enjoy this book for being fun, different, and educational.

Neil's cookbook of the week: The Balkan Kitchen by Irina Janakievska

It could only be one book this week, and of course it is 'The Balkan Kitchen' by Irina Janakievska, winner of 'Narrative Cookbook of the Year' at the inaugural Food Seasons Awards at The British Library, which I was lucky enough to help judge. This is a great book—one that delves into under-explored food communities, with food history and culture at its core. I adore it and know I am going to learn so much from each chapter.

It shows the power of food, and many of the dishes are completely new to me. It is a book for teaching and exploring another part of the world, where inspirations collide and flavours mix—from hints of the east, west, and everything in between. A treasure trove of delicious recipes and very good photography.

I especially enjoyed the personal stories—heartwarming tales that show just how much food and its history can mean. I love the dish that is similar to haggis, and Imam Bayildi—a dish that looks incredible. I adore aubergines, and according to legend, this one made an imam faint from sheer deliciousness.

The bread section is excellent, full of interesting ideas. One that stood out for me is Soparnik, a herby chard and wild garlic flatbread-style pastry, generously drizzled with olive oil.

This is a brilliant cookbook, shining a light on an often-overlooked food culture from the Balkans, and showing how food sits at the heart of a place, even in a rapidly changing world. Rush out and get yourself a copy.

Neil's cookbook of the week: The Edinburgh Book of Plain Cookery Recipes

This book is very special to me, given as a thoughtful gift by a dear friend on our five-year anniversary at Cafe. It is a wonderful book, and again from the 1930s, when a cookbook consisted of so much more than just dishes with recipes. It was about how to run a house, how to be frugal, thrifty, sensible, and how not to waste food. Keeping a tight ship is always a good idea, and 'The Edinburgh Book of Plain Cookery Recipes' is so good—it is fabulous reading, prepared, as it says in the front pages, for The Edinburgh College of Domestic Science.

This really appeals to me, as my great-grandmother went to a cookery school in Edinburgh in the later part of the 19th century. I do not know which school it was, but flicking through this book makes me wonder if she would have known this place. She worked as a cook at The Royal Hotel in Coupar Angus and met her future husband, my great-grandfather, there. He was an ostler—someone who looks after horses and carts—and the rest is history.

There are some incredible dishes here, with my favourite being ‘Poor Man’s Goose’, which contains no goose at all, but sheep’s liver and heart, bacon and onions, layered up with sliced potatoes, sage and onion—it actually sounds quite nice. And still with a French influence, as there always will be, with croquettes and a good recipe for Maître d’hôtel butter to go with grilled steaks.

With a section on invalid cookery and how to make sandwiches, there is something for everyone here. If you can find a copy of this book, I would buy it—it is quite rare.