From Japan to Morocco, and beyondโฆ
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There is a delicious diversity to the new books landing on ckbk this weekโyour tastebuds can thank us later.
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Born and raised in Japan, before moving to the US in 1999, Hiroko Shimbo is a multi-award winning cookbook author, a cooking educator, a food writer, and a trained sushi chef.
Her book The Sushi Experience focuses on the subject of sushi which many of us think we are familiar with.
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As Hiroko puts it in the introduction to her book: โFood trends come and go. Few suddenly fashionable foods survive long in a world of fickle tastes. Sushi, though, is so healthy, delicious, attractive, and adaptable that its popularity only continues to expand.โ
But how many of us take the time to go back to the source inspiration for all the variations on the theme that now fill counters in supermarkets, and win Michelin stars in restaurants you have to book months head? Now, with guidance, you can do just that. The book includes key advice on the basic equipment needed, and plenty of encouragementโ'Preparing sushi is a lot like putting together a sandwich and not much more difficult.โ
The book contains over 150 recipes, both for sushi, and for accompaniments to eat alongside it.
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Heading over to North Africa, we bring you Modern Moroccan from Ghillie Basan, a specialist on Middle Eastern and North African cooking, going right back to her very first cookbook on Turkish cuisine. In the words of the author: โThere are some cuisines in the world that, undoubtedly, make me feel hungry when I think about them. The cuisine of Morocco is certainly one of them.
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โWith its sweet and spicy combinations, and its exciting use of cumin and coriander, honey and ginger, saffron and cinnamon, chillies and turmeric, and olives and preserved lemons, it is both inspirational and divine.(โฆ)Moroccan food and cooking is also a fascinating reflection of the history of a country whose invaders have come and gone, each leaving a stamp on the cuisine.โ
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The book shares the authorโs understanding of food culture in Moroccoโsuch as the now globally popular concept of mezze. There are foundational recipes, such as that for the Tunisian spice mix Tabil, for hot Harissa sauce, and one for Preserved Lemons. Your only problem with her recipes will be in choosing what to make first!
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Pictured above: Tokyo-Style Decorated Sushi from The Sushi Experience by Hiroko Shimbo
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A trip down memory lane with Prue Leith
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Founder of the Leithโs School of Food and Wine, food writer, author, and of course long-standing judge of The Great British Bake Off, Prue Leith is no stranger to us, or to writing a cookbook. It is a treat, therefore, to explore her back catalogue, indulge in a little culinary nostalgia, and remind ourselves what makes her so great. So, we are pleased to have Cooking for Friends, first published in 1978, now in full on ckbk.
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This book is a much-loved companion guide to entertaining, with the emphasis on the approachable and the informal. To help your budgeting the recipes are divided into the Cheap, the Not So Cheap, and the Simply Extravagantโthe whole endeavour is imbued with Prueโs trademark straight-talking charm.
Enjoy dinner Prue-style and make Fish Soup, followed by Roast Leg of Lamb with Flageolets, and then the wonderfully named Stripy Fool for dessert.
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Would you like to know more about how ckbk came into being? Our founder Matthew Cockerill was interviewed for the Levels podcast on Trophy Labs about what his starting point was, what those crucial early stages looked like, how it all works now, and the complexity of wrangling hundreds of thousands of complex pages into the clear and readily searchable content you have on ckbk. Matt also talks about the human choices and interactions both behind ckbk, and from our community of wonderful subscribers, which make ckbk so much more than a digital database.
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ckbk Cookbook of the month: Fiori di Zucca
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Our cookbook of the month for September isโฆ drumroll pleaseโฆ Fiori di Zucca: Recipes and Memories from My Familyโs Kitchen Table by chef, author, and hugely respected authority on Italian food Valentina Harris. The most recent addition to our growing collection of her superb books, Fiori di Zucca, is a journey through the authorโs family history, and the rich culinary heritage it contains.
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โI have wanted to write this book for a very long time. It is a collection of my familyโs stories dating back to the 15th century, all connected to family recipes. Some of the stories and recipes in this book originate from Rome, some from Tuscany, while others come from such far-flung places as Russia, Serbia, Belgium, Turkey, Paris, Provence, Morocco, China and America. Every ingredient used in these recipes has made me who I am, both as a cook and as a person.โ Valentina Harris
From a Parmesan & Butter Risotto, via Pork, Paprika & Chicken Casserole, to this beautiful Nougat Semifreddo, this book is a feast. We canโt wait to see what you make!
If you havenโt taken part in our cookbook of the month activities before, all you have to do is join us on Facebook at #ckbkclub, get cooking, and post your photos and comments there.
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Ingredient focus: acorn squash
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Acorn squash is a variety of squash shaped like a large acorn, with a hard skin ridged from the stalk down. The flesh is mild and sweet, a rich orange in color, and responds well to boiling, steaming, or mashing, while roasting intensifies the flavor.
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6 of the best salami recipes
September 7 is Salami Day! A salami is not just for sandwiches, but an ingredient ready to add bags of flavor to soups, pasta dishes and more.
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from A Lombardian Cookbook by Roberta Muir and Alessandro Pavoni
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from Fish for You by Spencer Watts
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from The Weeknight Cook by Brigit Binns
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from Antonio Carluccio's Italian Feast by Antonio Carluccio
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from Making Dough by Russell van Kraayenburg
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from Prue: My All-time Favourite Recipes by Prue Leith
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