The Good Cook Book

This is a bright, bustling book, full of wit, enthusiasm and love of food. Allegra McEvedy is a formidably-gifted young British chef who, having early achieved the heights of cooking at the River Cafe and Robert de Niro's Tribeca Grill in Manhattan, has, some might think, downgraded. She is the cook at a community arts centre cafe in London's Notting Hill. It's plain that she regards this as the best move she has made: cooking to satisfy the demands of a clientele simultaneously rich and poor, young and old, within a wide scope of ethnic tastes, appears to have brought out the best in her. Anyone interested in sampling the approachable end of modern British cooking will find the The Good Cook a vivid source. The recipes really cover all bases, from simple to sophisticated, and are bursting with flavour and imagination. Among the former: "Lentil, Cumin and Yoghurt Soup", "Penne with Spinach and Garlic" (de Niro's favourite) and "Steamed Pudding with Whiskey Sauce". Among the latter: "Saffron Poached Monkfish with Braised Leeks", "Quail with Balsamic Vinegar and Capers" and "Orange and Rosemary Cornbread". McEvedy is not sparing of her opinions; she's a good story-teller, too, with more than her share of attitude: a memorable account of trying to work out through repeated, harrowing, attempts what Mike Tyson meant by "medium-rare" lamb stands out (burnt to a cinder is the answer. "I mean, honestly", she comments). --Robin DavidsonRead More