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Turkish Delights by John Gregory-Smith

Turkish Delights: Stunning regional recipes from the Bosphorus to the Black Sea

⭐⭐⭐⭐

A sprinkling of sun…

Although I really don’t mind the winter,a sprinkling of sun in the kitchen is a welcome present.
And both the recipes and the photographs (mind you not all the recipes have photographs but most of them…)bring a bit of sunshine in your daily diet.
The problem with a lot of “international ” cookbooks are the ingredients. How does anyone expect you to find some obscure vegetable or an unheard of spice blend? Well,the author gives you alternatives . For instance certain Turkish cheeses are replaced by feta,cheddar and even mozzarella! Those alternatives and the fact that most recipes are not overly complicated make this a very pleasant introduction to the Turkish cuisine.

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Simply Pho by Helen Le

Simply Pho: A Complete Course in Preparing Authentic Vietnamese Meals at Home - Helen Le

 There are some magical dishes on this planet and pho is definitely one of them.A very tasteful and savoury broth served with fragrant “toppings”such as rice noodles,bean sprouts,fresh herbs, lime juice,sliced chillies,spring onions…and so much more.You just know it is going to taste fabulous.

So this a cookbook about pho,but not just pho.There are also recipes for several different spring rolls,crispy roasted porc,noodle dishes,vegetarian(and vegan)alternatives,condiments and not to forget, the famous Vietnamese sandwich,bánh mì.

The recipes are not unduly complicated and therefore well within everybody’s reach.Of course you’ll need many different ingredients but then Asian cuisine,in general,tends to use just more than pepper and salt.

As for the photographs, they are really mouth watering and just cry out:try me!

Very well, pho is on the menu next week !

 

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Smörgåsbord by Johanna Kindvall

This is a wonderful, unpretentious cookbook. The name says it all, bread(of some kind)on the table.The recipes really do sound good, are not over complicated and feasible for those who don’t live in Scandinavia. (I’m thinking pickled dill cucumbers, chicken salad with peppery cress, smoked salmon salad with apples and horseradish,Danish remoulade and many more…)The drawings that illustrate the recipes are adorable but it would have been nice to have some photographs of for instance :different jars of pickled herrings and vegetables,a set  table (winter, summer ) with all the trimmings of a real Smorgasbord….Still 4/5