Soltalk September 2018 | Page 51

Mann; Dead Men Whistling (p), by Graham Masterton; The Clockmaker’s Daughter (l), by Kate Morton; Macbeth (p), by Jo Nesbø; I Invited Her In (p), by Adele Parks; Leverage In Death (l), by JD Robb; and, The Piranhas (l), by Roberto Saviano. regional customs and the Basque kitchen, and vivid photographs of both food and place. It is not about exotic ingredients or flashy techniques. It is about starting with the right fish or cut of meat or peak-of-ripeness tomato, and then bringing forth its depth of flavour. It is the marriage of simplicity and refinement, and the joy of cooking. Four new cookery books command attention this month. In Etxebarri (l), John Sarabia delivers the first and highly anticipated book on the Asador Etxebarri restaurant in Atxondo in Spain’s Vizcaya province, which is considered one of the best grills in the world. Employing the oldest culinary technique in the world, fire, chef Bittor Arginzoniz grills food using utensils designed by himself, uses specific woods, and searches obsessively for the best product, revolutionising the way people roast meat, fish or vegetables. He cooks everything over a grill, even pudding, so everything has a unique taste to it. In words and stunning photography, this book describes the chef, his kitchen and his recipes. Catalan Food (l), by Daniel Olivella and Caroline Wright, serves historical narratives alongside 80 carefully curated food recipes that are simple and fresh. These traditional dishes and inventive takes on classics are intended to be cooked leisurely and with heart. One of the humblest of vegetables takes centre stage in Cauliflower Is King (p), Leanne Kitchen’s collection of 70 recipes that prove it. Here, the vegetable is roasted to golden perfection, barbecued, stir-fried, baked whole or in a pizza crust, and turned into the slimmer’s delight, Cauliflower Rice. Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, French, Spanish, Italian, Indian and Anglo dishes are represented via snacks, starters and soups, salads, mains, baked and accompaniments. Marti Buckley’s cookbook, Basque Country (l), unlocks the mysteries of the País Vasco’s culinary world by bringing together its intensely ingredient-driven recipes with stories of Key: (l) hardback or large paperback (p) small paperback 49