The Good Cook by Allegra McEvedy

This is the book that resounds to the happy tapping of knives on chopping boards and saucepan lids gently rattling. And Allegra McEvedy is the girl who almost said ‘Boo' to Mike Tyson during her stint working at Robert de Niro's Tribeca Grill in New York. They had a difference of opinion on what ‘medium rare' actually meant. In the end, she succumbed and he had a charred lamb cutlet, which was perfect (to him).

Allegra, at the tender age of 29, has cooked for some of the world's greatest, she has travelled extensively, behaved badly at times (as she herself admits) and cooks brilliantly. She is a no nonsense girl and Mr. Tyson should remember that if he ever eats at her new restaurant, the Good Cook in Kensington High Street. The poor girl has even been given the title of the female version of the Naked Chef. Where does it all end when all you want to do is to cook and do the job well?

The Good Cook is simply a good book. It is an entertaining read and the recipes are as diverse as they are eclectic: Prawn laksa picked up from Singapore to Beef and Guinness stew with horseradish dumplings, courtesy of Ireland. If you feel that you need to broaden your horizons, then this is the good value book to buy. It is a one-stop cookbook: you don't need any others. As a real test, just cook from it for a week or so and see how you feel at the end. There are so many delicious things that may be a week is just not long enough.

The lists of ingredients she uses can be disarmingly long. Fine if you live in Notting Hill with the fabulous market and the Spice Shop, not so easy if you live in Nether Wallop. But with a little prior planning, you should have no problem flinging together caponata, an Italian version of ratatouille with chocolate or John Dory with fennel puree and clams. Besides the recipes, there are lots of titbits of useful information. Did you know that tamarind is good for cleaning silver? Or cooking the heart of a cauliflower very slowly with double cream makes a deliciously rich paste, which should be served with red meat or game.

The presentation of the book is simple and easy to use. The photographs are excellent, although slightly frustrating in that they do not marry up with the corresponding recipes. Each recipe has information on preparation time, which is fairly accurate and a chilli-ometer reading, where applicable. Allegra is a great fan of the chilli but realises that not all her readers will be able to take ‘em like she does.

Allegra McEvedy is undoubtedly the new kid on the block. She is a girl on a mission and she has only just begun. She has her feet firmly on the ground and will not be turned into a media icon of the kitchen. She's such a nice girl that a percentage of the profits from her restaurant go to local causes. You can't get much nicer than that.


AD.
****

Publication Details:
pp. 207. Photography by Amanda Heywood. £14.99
ISBN 0340767928. Published by Hodder & Staughton

2000



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