Allegro Al Dente, Pasta and Opera ~ Rinaldo Di Stasio, Jill Dupleix, Terry Durack

Allegro Al Dente features 75 pasta recipes accompanied by a CD of 15 classic operatic arias. The set came out in the 1990's when there were a few similar offerings such as 'Hot Food Cool Jazz'. Although somewhat gimmicky, it has been done very well, pairing each of the 15 songs with a pasta recipe. Puccini's 'Recondita armonia' is paired with Spaghetti con le melanzane and his 'Un bel di' from Madame Butterfly is of course paired with a butterfly pasta in Farfalle con uovo di pesce.

The recipes themselves are perfect examples of what can be done with pasta, full of rich vibrant flavours like the Pappardelle con la lepre or the subtlety of less complex flavours such as in the Tagliatelle con asparagi e uova or Fettucine al salmone affumicato. Cook them once and you'll want to cook them again and again.

Recommended for lovers of pasta, for lovers of opera, or for lovers.

- kath

Ground Beef and Frypan Cookery ~ June Houghton

OK, you're right - this book is very 1970's, but having been published back in 1974 that is to be expected. And that said, and despite the fact that I was vegetarian for almost 5 years, I kind of like this book. It is unpretentious, and despite almost every recipe being mince based, it has some interesting ideas.

The book starts with the winners, the burger recipes, and this is where it first appeals. June obviously had a little bit of a sense of humour, naming the 'devilled' style burger featuring Tabasco and horseradish Satan Burgers. There are some quite reasonable offerings in this section, such as the Tarragon Burgers, though I suspect most of us would skip the Liver Burgers - it was 1974 though, so bear that in mind when you judge.

Following the burgers come the meatballs and then the meatloaves. Pies, casseroles and forcemeat are followed by ground beef dishes from abroad, such as Korean meatballs and Moussaka, and bringing up the rear are the gourmet frypan recipes. This last section is a little more diverse with Glazed ham steaks and Curried cod, and other non-beef recipes ~ I think this is where the Frypan cooking comes into the title. The recipes are simple to read and simpler to follow. Most of them are quite edible and although simple and a bit outdated it's a handy little cookbook.

Recommended for those without a family history of heart disease. Not recommended for vegetarians. Your dad might like it.

- kath

Cooking with Kurma, More Great Vegetarian Dishes ~ Kurma Dasa

This cookbook accompanied an SBS cookery show of the same name, presented by Kurma Dasa. Kurma began his cooking career in the Sydney kitchens of the Hare Krishna movement, going on to become head chef at Melbourne's vegetarian restaurant, Gopal's.

Kurma's experience with vegetarian cuisine is evident in this offering which features recipes from across the globe, such as Azerbaijan-style savoury rice with broad beans and fresh dill, Mexican spicy bean and cheese stuffed burras, and Jamaican pepperpot soup. There are also of course a great variety of Indian inspired vegetarian dishes featured throughout the book, and these in particular highlight Dasa's familiarity and comfort with highly fragrant and spiced vegetarian offerings. Hearty and inviting dishes like the Chickpea and cauliflower curry and the Simple Gujarati pumpkin will leave you wondering why it was that you thought you needed meat in the first place. The book is written to cater for lacto-vegetarians, so while many of the dishes aren't suitable for vegans, they will be suitable for most other vegetarians.

Also notable in this book is the large section of sweets and desserts, such as the Flaked almond and saffron halava and the Ginger, saffron and pistachio kulfi. These are quite often overlooked in vegetarian cookbooks, however it is nice to be able to pick up this book and know there are 25 odd offerings that I don't need to go through for gelatin references (or for eggs). Very handy.

Highly recommended for any cooks looking for a variety of tasty and nutritious vegetarian recipes. If you are the vegetarian child of omnivorous parents give this book to your mother so she stops trying to just add lentils into every dish she serves you.

- kath

Taste Le Tour; Regional French Cuisine ~ Gabriel Gaté

Gabriel Gaté is a household name in Australia, having featured over many years on a number of popular cooking shows after emigrating from France in the late 1970's. As the Australian representation of the quintessential french chef he has appeared on the Australian coverage of the Tour de France since 2005, presenting a segment featuring the best local gastronomy in the regions the Tour passes through. Taste Le Tour is a collection of the recipes prepared for the show between 2005 and 2010, when the book was published.

Gaté's experience as a food writer is evident in this offering, with the recipes well thought out for the reader to follow. The ingredients are explained and examples provided where necessary (such as in the Sardines á l'escabéche where he indicates the type of vinegar he uses), and the recipes don't feature difficult to obtain localised ingredients. The method is laid out logically and steps are sequential in the order you need to undertake them - no getting halfway through and realising you have missed preparing parts of the dish because you hadn't read ahead. Each recipe is titled in English with the French title underneath, which is handy, though I'm not sure I'd have done it this way when you get to recipes like Yabbies in Puff Pastry, which sounds much lovelier as Ecrevisses en chausson. The region the dish hails from is indicated under the title, and a brief note about the recipe also features. All in all very well presented and easy to follow.

The recipes themselves are a delight - focussing on fresh produce and presenting some of the classics of French cuisine. From a delicious sounding Bouillabaisse all the way through Cassoulet Toulousain to Macarons Gaté excites the palate. I am keen to try the delicious sounding Lapin aux pruneaux.

Recommended for cooks interested in French regional cuisine.

Many thanks to my lovely sister Jane for this delicious gift.

- kath

Is there a Chef in the Kitchen? ~ Mary Barnes

This book was published in 1968 and looks every day of it. In fact I'm certain it was looking dated the day it hit the shelves. Mary begins our culinary journey by titling her book "Is there a Chef in the Kitchen?". My hope is that if Mary was ever asked this question she answered with a resounding NO.

The introduction to the book makes for an interesting read, advising in no uncertain terms that "When women are able to assert their right to the domain of the kitchen, they too become chefs". Interesting. The introduction goes further to advise that the book describes every step and itemizes every ingredient, giving the novice cook the capacity to aspire to "the peaks of gourmet cooking". I'm not quite sure I'd put it that way myself.

Take for instance her recipe for Fish Head Soup which doesn't list the ingredients at the start, and takes a very blasé approach to the method. After boiling your fish heads with salt and pepper and straining the resulting stock you "add 3 large onions, and boil for a few minutes until these are almost cooked", add either a cup or two of milk, thicken with arrowroot and add parsley and a spoon of butter. Yummo (not). Despite not itemizing the ingredients at the beginning, and not describing to the novice how you thicken with arrowroot, or that you really ought to chop the onions or they'll take quite a while to cook, the result is still going to be fishy, cloying and just not what I would label gourmet by any stretch of the imagination - even for 1968.

If you are looking for a book that can help a novice cook aspire to become a gourmet then I'd look away now, however that said there are lots of recipes within the book that make what promises to be perfectly edible family food. The Hot rhubarb layer sponge looks promising, as does the Golden top steamed pudding, and there are also a few noteworthy preserves such as Tomato and lemon jam. Where the book has really failed is in describing and selling itself properly - in overreaching and overstating its claim. There is not a chef in that kitchen.

Recommended for descendants of Mary Barnes and those after a bit of a chuckle. While it's not a bad book for the average family cook, there are plenty of better examples.

- kath

The Wizard of Oz Cookbook; Breakfast in Kansas, Dessert in Oz ~ Sarah Key, Jennifer Newman Brazil, Vicki Wells

Alright, I'll admit this doesn't really seem to have been written with serious cooks in mind, but rather 'friends of Dorothy' and other fans of the movie. The chapter on Cocktails at the Witches Castle attests to the book not being necessarily aimed at children, though there is another chapter which specifically features kids party recipes, so they are trying to cover a fairly broad fanbase with this book.

There are quite interesting snippets of Wizard of Oz trivia scattered throughout the cookbook, and almost every recipe has relevant lines from the movie at the top. It was fascinating to learn how the horse of a different colour had been done, back in the days before special effects (think Jelly crystals).

Honestly I haven't tried terribly many of the included recipes, though I have made Glinda's Magic Wand Star Cookies for a children's birthday party and they were fine - ordinary but fine. The recipes themselves are ordinary, but pleasant, gaining their appeal as much from the carefully thought out names as from the making of them. That said I'm thinking the Rusty Tin Man (Scotch, Campari, Soda water and a lemon twist) might be worth a try sooner rather than later.

Recommended for fans of the Wizard of Oz, friends of Dorothy, and nine year old girls alike.

- kath

Sophie Grigson's herbs

This cookbook accompanies a BBC television series of the same name that screened in the late 1990's.

Sophie Grigson is the daughter of esteemed English food writer Jane Grigson, and she does not disappoint with this offering. Unlike many recipe books featuring herbs, this book focusses squarely on delicious and inventive recipes centered on a wide variety of common edible herbs. Whilst many books on herbs do feature recipes, these are often a side interest in what is really gardening or natural therapy subject matter.

The book is bright and colourful, and the recipes are cheery and interesting - try the Lemon Grass and Ginger Lemonade or the Almond and Lemon Syrup Cake with Violets or Heartease. I can also personally recommend the Middle Eastern Herb Salad with Cracked Wheat, Saffron and Chickpea's, and if you don't get through all the salad toss in some egg and breadcrumbs the next day for the most delicious vegetable patties.

Each herb featured in the recipes has it's own section, beginning with some background information about the herb and details about storage and preservation, followed by several recipes featuring that herb. I was particularly impressed looking up recipes for Elder to find the book featured five recipes ranging from cordial to mousse and to fritters, equalling the number of Elder recipes in all my other cookbooks. At a little over 200 pages it satisfies the culinary herbalist in me.

Recommended for cooks looking for fresh idea's for fresh herbs.

- kath

The Commonsense Cookery Book ~ NSW Teachers Cookery Association

This is the book I first learnt to cook with. My mother had a very tatty copy which had lost both the front and back cover and which we'd flip through on weekends and in the school holidays to look for cake and biscuit recipes. I recall a particularly vicious marble cake in chocolate and three shades of green that went down a treat, once you got over the colour. Mum's original copy went missing in a move when I was in my teens and so I bought my own copy of the revised edition once I moved out of home - and so did my mother (who also later gave copies to both of my brother's-in-law).

The book is quite basic, even down to a recipe to make a cup of tea, however what it does is cover the basics very well. The book was originally published back in the 1920's or 30's with several revisions along the way, and the recipes do hark back to a simpler cuisine, but there are some gems within that are both simple and guaranteed to keep you cooking (try the Chocolate sauce pudding).

I would recommend this to beginner cooks and to primary school aged children. It would also be a handy gift to a son or daughter moving out of home for the first time without extensive culinary skills.

- kath