Lambs’ Ears Cookbook Club Update- July

June is on the way out, and July is bearing down on us, so it’s time for another Lambs’ Ears Cookbook Club update – and our new cookbook selection.

It’s almost July, so it’s time for the Lambs’ Ears Cookbook Club update. Half the year has gone so quickly, and we are still dealing with lockdowns in parts of the country. I hope any Sydney readers/members are doing okay, and maybe using the time to explore our monthly and yearly cookbooks.

June’s cookbook selection, “Parwana”, had a mixed reception. Many of us enjoyed the flavours, but struggled with the sometimes complicated cooking processes – I know I did. I found it easier to simplify some of the recipes by using my multi-cooker, and was perfectly happy with the results.

I still love this book very much. I think it has a powerful story to tell, and the food is an integral part of that narrative. However, while culinary tradition and authenticity is important to the Ayubi family, I’m content to enjoy the flavours without the fuss.

We’ve been chatting about the book on our Facebook group – I’d love you to join in and share your opinion too.

July’s Lambs’ Ears Cookbook club selection is the very delicious “To Asia, With Love” by Australian cookbook author Hetty McKinnon. McKinnon is the author of the hugely popular cookbooks, “Neighbourhood” and “Community” – two books that secured her place in our hearts and our on our tables. This volume is a tribute to her childhood experiences as an Australian-born Chinese (ABC) growing up in Sydney, and the food that made her memories.

I really think you will enjoy this one – her dishes range from the traditional – salt and pepper eggplant, congee, a perfectly simple egg, pea and ginger fried rice – to her own localised interpretations, such as buttery miso vegemite noodles, stir-fried salt and vinegar potatoes, cacio e pepe udon noodles and grilled wombok caesar salad with wonton crackers. All the recipes I’ve tried so far have been delicious – and it took me some time to realise that there is not a meat dish among them!

If you have the time in your life to listen to podcasts (Sydney, I’m looking at you), you might like to listen to this excellent interview with her on Salt and Spine, a weekly podcast that tells the stories behind cookbooks.

Our August Lambs’ Ears Cookbook club selection will be Samin Nosrat’s “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat”. First published in 2017, this book is one that I’d urge you to consider purchasing. Using her to guide you in mastering these four elements will have a permanent impact on your culinary confidence – but more on that later.

Don’t forget our yearly selection, Alice Zaslavsky’s “In Praise of Veg”. We’ve had a few posts from members exploring this tribute to the vegetable world, and have all year to get really up close and personal with it.