Cookbook review #1

My bookshelves groan when I come back from a bookshop, as it usually means a new addition to the already stuffed bookcase of cookery books (and yes, I am that sad that I have a separate bookcase just for cookery books). Recent additions have included the latest River Cafe, Two Easy. I must confess to some disappointment with earlier River Cafe books, but with the latest two (Easy and this one) Rose and Ruth seem to have hit their stride, or at least matched pace with mine. It's not that I shy away from non-easy recipes but in these two they seem to hit a better balance of ingredients in the dishes; maybe the focusing in on simplicity forces one to work harder at what remains, somewhat like a short story. There is the usual emphasis on using top quality ingredients, and when there are so few, they need to work that much harder. I feel though that the dishes go further than that - I especially like the starters and simple small dishes (broad bean, pecorino and mint bruschetta from the first easy book is a favourite) that work well as both appetisers and simple suppers.

So this will do to bide my time until the next expedition reaps more weight for the bookcase. Imminent books to look forward to are Dough: Simple contemporary bread by Richard Bertinet and Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries.