Photo by Ben Dearnley
Alice Zaslavsky has many talents: she is an inspiring cook, an engaging entertainer, a human fountain of ideas and enthusiasm. But what she is, more than anything else, is a teacher, the sort of teacher we all wish we’d had: one who lights up a room with her passion, who lives to communicate and share her knowledge and energise others to achieve their potential. Her lessons are far from formal. Indeed, it’s not quite right to call them lessons at all. As she says in her introduction to her vibrant new book, “You won’t even know you’re learning, until the learning has been done.”
I’ve always felt that a recipe should aim to do more than simply give instructions for one particular dish: ideally, it should also reveal something of the nature of cooking itself. This, I’d say, is also the key motivation for Zaslavsky — and there’s not a page in The Joy of Better Cooking that doesn’t exemplify that. She offers tips, shortcuts, ideas for further additions, suggestions for spin-offs, how to use the leftovers or avoid waste, and in a way that feels liberating and exciting. This makes The Joy of Better Cooking a valuable resource for experienced cooks who might find themselves in a rut and, most of all, a perfect primer for the novice; it would be a wonderful present for students away from home and having to cook for themselves for the first time.
Just giving a list of some of the recipes herein doesn’t quite sum up the breadth and scope of the book, but it certainly gives an indication of the deliciousness on offer, which while emphatically Australian with its bold flavours and laid-back approach, has an appeal that radiates way beyond its shores. Let me begin with a particular favourite, the Loaded Potato Latkes; then the Cacio e Pepe Risotto (I know we’ve been bombarded with cacio e pepe everything over the past few years, but this is instantly compelling); the life-changing Wet-Fry Mushroom Noodles; Free-for-all-Fritters which went viral in Australian, being delicious, gluten-free, egg-free and nut-free; Max Bang-for-Cluck Roast Chook (Zaslavsky has never seen a pun she doesn’t like!) which leads to the lovely Pan-juice Pasta; Hubba-Babaghanoush, a hummus-babaghanoush mash-up; Braised Leeks with Blue Cheese Crumbs; Excellent Eggplant Lasagne; and the gorgeous, vegetable-rich, no-knead, slow-rise Overnight Garden Focaccia. And it would be just be plain mean of me not to tell you about some of the sweet dishes on offer, too, from the Oladiki Pancakes with Sour Cherries to the Chocolate Cloud French Toast; ThruppleButter Crumpets; Puffy Plum Muffins (Pluffins, of course!); Honey & Ginger Pears with Nutmeg Custard (I don’t need to be asked twice!); Lady Marmalade Melting Moments; Queen Hera’s Honey Cake; and the divine Coffee Pecan Babka Scrolls.
I’ve chosen a beautiful recipe to share with you today, one that, in true Zaslavsky style, is dazzling but not at all daunting: her Pumpkin-Wedge Mujadara.
The Joy of Better Cooking: Life-changing skills & thrills for enthusiastic eaters by Alice Zaslavsky (Murdoch Books, £25). Photography by Ben Dearnley.
