12

Books

of the

year

Which authors had us

leaping to the stove in

2018? PAT NOURSE

presents his pick.

EAT AT THE BAR
($50, Hardie Grant Books)
Looseness and flexibility is the
theme here as Matt McConnell
and Jo Gamvrosdiagram the
Spanish, Portuguese and Italian
traditions that make Bar
Lourinhã an essential part
of Melbourne nightlife.
The dish:anchovy montaditos.

SALT, FAT, ACID, HEAT
($49.99, Allen & Unwin)
Maybe you missed the book
on the first pass, but with the
success of her recent Netflix
show, Samin Nosrat has shared
her philosophy of teaching
cooking rather than recipes to
an appreciative new audience.
The dish:the avocado matrix.

THE NORDIC BAKING BOOK
($59.95, Phaidon)
What at first glance might seem
rather sober and niche becomes,

in the hands of sane genius

Fäviken chef Magnus Nilsson,

a surprisingly broad, deep and

funny exploration of the magic

of the oven and more.

The dish:Danish rye bread.

MARKET COOKING

($60, Artisan)

Full disclosure: this book was

published in 2017. But it was

too late for the 2017 list, and

has been the book I’ve cooked

most from in 2018 – and I can’t

recommend it strongly enough.

David Tanis finds that perfect

point between ease and interest

every time; crack any page and

you’ll find a winner.

The dish:the 10-minute

Provençal garlic soup is magic.

THE VILLAGE

($45, Plum)

It’s been a big year or two

for tree-changers, suburban

farmers and anyone else keen

to connect the kitchen, the

garden and the community,

and in this, their second book,

Victorian farmers Lentil and

Matt Purbrick unite the real

with the ideal.

The dish:wild fennel and

bread soup.

LATERAL COOKING

($45, Bloomsbury)

Much likeSalt, Fat, Acid, Heat,

this one is easier to enjoy than

it is to explain. Niki Segnit’s

first book wasThe Flavour

Thesaurus, andLateral

Cookingis likewise a codex

of sorts, brimming with

inspiration, the recipes aligned

along a sort of continuum of

culinary DNA. If that sounds

dry, rest assured Segnit is a

lively companion, thrillingly

partisan and as virtuosic in

her cultural references as

she is in the culinary world,

namechecking Vincent Vega

and The Sopranos alongside

Robert Carrier, Paula Wolfert

and Mrs David.

The dish:cherry-beer sabayon.

FEAST

($80, Bloomsbury)

Whether she’s writing about

ofal or the food of her native

Lebanon, Anissa Helou is

always eminently readable,

and her research never fails

to unearth unfamiliar dishes

or a new way of looking at

a classic. This epic global

survey of culinary food of the

Muslim world, which reaches

beyond the Middle Eastern

cradle of Islam to also explore

traditions in China, Senegal,

Indonesia, Nigeria and beyond,

is no exception.

The dish:Iranian scrambled

egg and eggplant dip. PHOTOGRAPHY WILL HORNER (BOOKS). STYLING AIMEE JONES (BOOKS). ILLUSTRATIONS BILLIE JUSTICE THOMSON (DISHES).