To our eye (and palate), Matt Wilkinson’s Mr Wilkinson’s Favourite Vegetables is one of the cookbooks of 2012.

Matt is a Yorkshire born, British trained, and now Melbourne based Chef and gardener who cooks at his restaurant Pope Joan in inner Melbourne.

Matt’s strong views on the importance of eating locally produced and seasonally grown vegetables are deftly and amusingly put. Scattered amongst the 24 or so chapters on common and less common vegetables (Nettles anyone?) are Matt’s childhood, family (most infamously with his Nan) and professional encounters with what are now his favourite vegetables (or at least 23 of them!). Matt is an ambassador for the Victorian Farmer’s Market Association and his committment to local producers and regional cuisine shines through. Each chapter begins with useful and practical information about cooking and growing or sourcing each vegetable. Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower and even Zucchini are redeemed by simple beautiful dishes. We particularly liked the ‘Salad of Brussels Sprout Leaves, Mozzarella, White Anchovies’, Salad of Cauliflower, Smoked Salmon & Strawberry’ the ‘Frozen Vanilla Syrup-coated Fennel’ and the ‘Salad of Radish, Figs, Walnuts & Blue Cheese’.

Reflected in his Yorkshire upbringing and classical training, Matt’s dishes are mostly British/European or Mediterranean in style and perfectly suited to casual eating, shared plates or even informal restuarants. Despite Matt’s highly regarded fine dining background, this is not a restaurant book. Both beginner and competent cooks will be rewarded as the dishes are never complicated, but there is enough innovation to suit almost anyone. Matt’s plating is elegant but casual and his dishes light but driven by flavour. Lovers of recipes by Yotam Ottolenghi, Karen Martini or Anna Hansen will find this a perfect addition to their kitchen library. Although Matt also champions locally and carefuly raised meat, vegetarians will also be rewarded with innovative and interesting dishes throughout.

Mention must also be made of the beautiful matt photography by Jacqui Melville, and the striking personal design by Studio Racket; we particularly like the uncommon coptic binding and the graphic vignettes

Highly Recommended

Sometimes, perhaps even most times, the best things in life are the simple ones.

This philosophy is one of the themes, and driving forces behind Neil Perry’s hugely succesful Rockpool Bar & Grill restaurants; and it is this that makes Neil Perry’s new, beautiful, heavy cookbook, highly desirable.  The simplicity of the food, using the best meat and seafood in the country, stands out and screams ‘cook me!’

For those who haven’t been, Rockpool Bar & Grill is now three restaurants; in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.  All three restaurants have been critcally acclaimed and awarded multiple ‘hats’ and ’stars’ by the various guides, national and international.  Their signature, perhaps put crudely is ’surf & turf’ but certainly not as you may have once known it!  The stars at Rockpool are the local ingredients and produce carefully and sustainably sourced direct from the farmgate/fisherman; that are quite simply ‘the best’.  Each of the meats is handled differently and dry-aged on site.  Each restaurant has their own ‘butcher’ and ‘fishmonger’ so that whole beasts and fish are delivered and broken down appropriately.

The chapters of the book are laid out like the menu at Rockpool Bar & Grill.  It starts with the story of Rockpool Bar & Grill and then offers you a drink - just like when you sit down at the table.  You then move onto the Raw Bar, the starters and pasta, the mainplates and then from the charcoal oven to the wood-fired rotisserie and then the wood fired grill; along with the condiments and sides (as one of our staff said yesterday - you could live off the sides!).  The cheese of course, is before dessert.  As you work your way through ‘the menu’, Neil introduces you to his team and his ‘extended’ Rockpool family - his suppliers for each course.  We meet his executive chefs Khan Danis and Catherine Adams who play a large part in the success of Rockpool Bar & Grill; and of course there is the ‘Wagyu Burger’.

At 450 odd pages, this is a generous cookbook, much like the hospitality at the restaurant.  Every dish is beautifully & simply photographed.  The production values and the design are world class.  There are lucid and helpful chapters on choosing and working with ingredients; how to choose a scallop; why Wagyu beef should be at least cooked to medium rare; how to handle seafood; Beef 101 on dry-ageing and cryovac; using a charcoal grill etc. Even the advice on how to cook a steak…

Some of the dishes have a long heritage - the seared king prawns with goat’s cheese tortellini is one of the first dishes we ever tasted at Rockpool in Sydney in the early 90s.  It’s a classic and we were so glad to see it in this book.  Whilst some would say that not all of the dishes are everyday recipes for home cooks - many of them are or could be - particularly with access to a good barbecue or grill.  Good food is often that simple.  And even if you don’t eat Wagyu every night (who does?), the chapters on sides and condiments make it an indispensable book.

The modern cookbook of course needs a backstory and great images as well.  Rockpool Bar & Grill delivers these in spades.  Whilst generous with the recipes, it is much more than just a cookbook; the story of Rockpool Bar & Grill, its chefs and its suppliers - all focused on delivering the best possible produce to the diner - is inspiring.  It is reassuring to learn of farmers, fishermen, suppliers and chefs focused so clearly on sustainable production whilst chasing perfection.

Good cookbooks, always draw comparisons.  To us, Rockpool Bar & Grill is like a version of Thomas Keller’s books Bouchon and The French Laundry; elegant beautiful and evocative books that are almost timeless.  Neil Perry’s pursuit of excellence, championing of local terroir and local produce and the sheer dark beauty of  Rockpool Bar & Grill probably justify putting this on the same shelf in the home library.

Signed copies are available…and we’ll leave the last word to Neil…

Released in the UK to coincide with the release of his new 4 part BBC series on regional Spain, this is for our money - a worthy cookbook!  While we wait for the series down under (apparently early 2012 - and possibly earlier if you can find the DVD) there is plenty to cook from this book.

Normally we are cautious about TV/cookbook adaptations, but there’s something about Rick - maybe we fell in love with his dog Chalky - maybe its his uncomplicated honest outlook - maybe its his love of sustainable and local produce that forms the basis for the local, simple cuisine he loves to cook  - whatever it is, we can’t help but get excited about another Rick Stein cook book!

Most people associate Rick with seafood recipes, and there are a good few in this book - but the heart of the book is Spanish regional cuisine - both traditional and contemporary.  Some dishes are Rick’s interpretation and others come from the people he meets during his travels.  Many will surprise as he has made an effort to ‘get off the beaten track’ and whilst the obvious recipes are included, there are many that are interesting.  Our list of recipes to make is already long: Fresh Broad Beans with Black Sausage & Garlic Shoots; Pot-roasted Chicken with Chorizo, Leeks & Cider; Pearl Barley Stew with Morcilla, Bacon & Wild Fennel; Pork in Almond Sauce; Veal Pork, Serrano Ham & Porcini Mushroom Cannelloni - to name just a few.

The book is filled with large rich photographs, but for us, after the recipes, its Rick’s text that is most rewarding,  In an age where some publishers often take the adage ‘a picture is worth a 1000 words’ as a reason to cut the text in a cookbook to an absurd minimalist position, Rick continues to provide thoughtful, enriching introductions to most of his recipes. Perhaps because the book is a companion to the series where he is talking to us on camera, the book feels personal, conversational, almost in camera…

There is a useful glossary of ingredients, cheeses, cooking implements and basic recipes as well as a directory of suppliers (including a number of Australian & New Zealand suppliers)

Who: If you like Rick Stein, you’ll love this.  If you cook from Movida, Moro, or love bold Mediterranean flavours, you’ll find something to cook.  Armchair travellers will also be rewarded

When:   Due 1 August 2011

Price: $49.95