Letter to Santa, North Pole – Page 2

Best of the Rest

Sorry if I rambled on about Ms. David – if you haven't already realised she is a favourite of mine!

Moving on, now for the best of the rest :

If you are a lover of Indian cuisine and want to learn how to cook it from scratch, then I'd highly recommend “Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery” first published in 1982 – yikes! What is brilliant about this cookery book is that it speaks to you in language that is uncomplicated.

I'd have this book in my collection for three stand-out dishes – cocktail koftas – Mughlai chicken with almonds and sultanas and finally, samosas. These days we take snacks like samosas for granted, mostly because they come ready-made. As I look at my edition of this book the marks around this recipe are there to be seen. I make no apology for these marks – I earned them, struggling with making samosa pastry and then following a diagram to complete them. Please don't be put off – nowadays it it more than acceptable to make samosas with filo pastry – easily I might add. I still refer to this book from time to time – 33 years on!

Ms Jaffrey has published heaps of cookery books over the years – I mention this one because it's close to my heart – Ms. Jaffrey is not only an accomplished cook and author but an established and successful actor too.

If you like a reference book then you might want to add to your collection “The flavour Thesaurus” by Niki Segnit. This book is invaluable, whether you are an inexperienced cook or an old hand. The book contains “Pairings, recipes and ideas for the creative cook”. It's informative and entertaining, cleverly written and a definite “must have”.

Here's a snippet :

“Parsnip & Banana: When bananas weren't available in Britain during the Second World War, mock bananas were made from parsnips....Now that bananas are no longer threatened by U-boats, a mock parsnip might lend a Caribbean lilt to your Sunday roast”.

Despite the fact that it is a reference book it is eminently readable and, as so often happens, you dip into it for help in one direction and finish up in a completely different place!

I hope Santa is in a good mood and you receive all that you wish for – failing which you could always ask for a “book token” - it's like getting a present twice.

Happy reading and cooking!