Murdoch Books - Spice It

Like the other books in the “It” series published by Murdoch Books, “Spice Iit” is an excellent source for interesting, easy to follow recipes. Like its siblings, Spice It is a beautifully presented book jam packed with full page colour photos and smaller photos used to demonstrate any of the harder to follow techniques used by a particular recipe.

This book is divided into five different sections based on intensity of flavour: fragrant, intense, hot, sweet, and blends. I find dividing the book in this manner makes it easier to cater for guests, especially when they are not comfortable with dishes that use the hotter spices such as chilli, mustard, wasabi etc.

My favourite section of the book, “Blends”, is the last section where the ingredients for popular Asian and European spice blends are listed. In addition to these spice blends, recipes that use them are listed in succession.

The variety of recipes covered in this book cross Mediterranean, Indian, Asian and European. There is something in here for everyone. In addition, the first chapter of this book provides an insight into the types, preparation and storage of spices.


Whenever I’m in the mood for something spicy/aromatic, which is quick to cook, this will be one of the first books I reach for. My favourite recipes from this book are Pork Vindaloo and slow-cooked chilli beef.

This book is a pleasure for both the novice and more experienced cook.

Murdoch Books - It Series

In 2005, Murdoch Books released a lovely set of hard cover books called the “It Series,” which are compilations of recipes from the Murdoch Books Test Kitchen. Each book is dedicated to a particular cooking technique, whether it is steaming, whizzing (food processors, blenders, etc.), baking, grilling, stir-frying, or the use of spices.

Being a compilation, you may recognise recipes from other books published by Murdoch Books such as those from the “The food of” series. I do not think this is a bad thing, but it is something to be aware of.

These are beautiful, chunky, little books, each of which contains approximately 400 pages. Each recipe has a full-page colour photograph of the completed dish. In general, all of the recipes are simple, easy to read and well explained. If more explanation is required, additional photographs are included.

What I like most about these books, is that each one is not only contains gorgeous recipes, but they also quite educational for the novice cook. Each book includes a detailed discussion on the book’s topic.

I own four of the six books: “Wizz It,” “Spice It,” “Bake it” and “Steam It,” each of which I will review in this blog. If you have the other two books, please post a comment and let me know what you think of them.

Since purchasing my books, a number of these have been re-released as cheaper paperbacks in 2010.

Murdoch Books - "Food of" Series

 

The "Food of Series" is a fascinating seven book series, each of which is dedicated to one particular cuisine. The seven cuisines covered in this series are Indian, French, Italian, Thai, Chinese, Spanish, and Moroccan.

I first came across these books when my cousin gave me "The Food of India" as a Christmas present in 2007. This book had me hooked on the series. What I loved most about this book and the others in this series, is the use of raw ingredients i.e. I was not required to buy readymade pastes from the supermarket.

Making each dish from scratch can be time consuming, however, it allows you to get a true appreciation for the cuisine, and later adapt the dishes to suit your or your guest’s, individual tastes.

I later found "The Food of Italy" and "The Food of Morocco" at a book sale near work. Like its Indian sibling, these books exhibited all the characteristics required to make it a "must buy now" item. Each recipe was easy to follow, beautifully illustrated and the ingredients were relatively easy to find.

These books do an excellent job at demystifying each cuisine. For example, the food of Italy taught me how to make pasta and gnocchi. I remember hearing people tell me how hard it was to make pasta and gnocchi. To be honest, it is not that hard as long as you dust your dough with plenty of flour while you are working with it.

Each book includes a brief overview of the cuisine including a discussion of the regional variations, influences, and food myths. There is also a discussion on the eating style, so that you are able to create a realistic eating experience.

I have since purchased The Food of France, The Food of Thailand, and The Food of China. I am waiting eagerly for them to arrive. I will add individual reviews for each of the books in time and include pictures from my favourite recipes.

Now all I need to buy is the food of Spain and my collection will be complete!

Murdoch Books - The Food of India

This book began my addiction to “from scratch” cooking. Being able to pull half a dozen spices out from your pantry and use them to create a meal is very rewarding, especially when you are entertaining. Nothing beats being able to tell your guests that you made it all yourself.

The Food of India does not require the use of store brought pastes or spice mixes. Before you buy this book, I recommend you locate your nearest Indian grocery store, because there are certain spices (e.g. e.g. black salt, ajowan and amchoor powder) that may not be able to be purchased from your local grocery store. It is well worth going out of your way to buy these spices, as the resulting meals are amazing.

Recipes in this book are plentiful, well written, and easy to follow. Being a novice cook, I am glad to see that there are photographs for each of the recipes showing the completed dishes. The author has included a brief overview of Indian cuisine, including its regions, influences, food myths and the way in which meals are served. There is also a generous glossary which includes alternative names for some of the ingredients should you have trouble locating them.The recipies are divided into the following sections:

• Tiffin
• Fish and Seafood
• Poultry and Meat
• Vegetables
• Pulses
• Rice and Grains
• Breads
• Accompaniments
• Sweets and Drinks
• Basics

Chicken with corriander and almonds,
chucumber, aloo chaat and rice

What I like most is that you can grab dishes from either of these sections and put them together to make an outstanding banquet. I use this book a lot when entertaining guests, especially foodies. According to our Indian friends, authenticity wise, this book is a winner.

Some of my favourite recipes from this book are lamb madras, naan bread, chana masala, aloo chaat and chucumber. The peanuts used in chucumber are lovely. I always make extra peanuts and serve them as a pre-dinner snack. They also make good homemade Christmas gifts, especially for the people who make a point to get as many peanuts as possible in their serving of chucumber.

If I were allowed only one Indian cookbook, The Food Of India, would be that book. It is suitable for all levels of cooking ranging from complete novice to experienced cook (this was my first cookbook!). I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves Indian food.

Sophie Gray - "Destitute Gourmet" Series

I first discovered the “Destitute Gourmet” series of cookbooks in late 2007. At the time, we were scrounging together enough money to move out of home. We had to buy everything, but more importantly, I had to learn to cook.

I wanted to learn how to cook properly, not just open a few jars, reheat, and serve. I wanted to learn how to stock a pantry and cook from scratch. Sophie’s books fit perfectly with what I was trying to achieve. Destitute Gourmet is centred around three principles: shop smart, eat healthy and in season, and make something luxurious go a long way.

When I found out that a male friend of mine was planning to leave home for the first time, the first gift I gave him was Delicious because I did not want him to fall into the trap of takeaway meals and microwave dinners.


When you go to a bookstore and browse the general cookery section, there is no shortage of novice cookbooks. I chose a Destitute Gourmet book because:

• it is educational. Each Destitute Gourmet book contains a few pages discussing the three core principles;
• the recipes are interesting, easy to follow, and work; and,
• most importantly, all of the ingredients used are easily obtainable at your local supermarket.

I was surprised to find that the Destitute Gourmet series is not available for purchase through Amazon.com , because The Destitute Gourmet message is universal.

I have learned a lot from these books. Initially, you will find that many of the tips Sophie incudes in her book are common sense, but it is not until you apply them that the message really starts to hits home.

If you want to get a feel for the Destitute Gourmet principles, and their style of cooking, I would recommend you visit the Destitute Gourmet website.

Unlike other recipe series, Destitute Gourmet does not re-hash old recipes. Each book contains new and interesting content. I would not hesitate to recommend these books to any number crunching, every day, sensible foodie.

Like many people, I am addicted to this series. I own five of the six Destitute Gourmet cookbooks and will be reviewing each one over the comming months. Hopefully it will not be long before I am able to review the sixth book: 100+ Tasty Ten Dollar Meals. If you have it, please leave a comment and let me know what you think.