Cookbook Spotlight: Food by Joel Bennetts

In our latest series, we’re featuring some of our favourite cookbooks, both Irish and international. Whether you’re a novice in the kitchen or have professional experience, we’ll be highlighting a range of cookbooks that we think every chef should have on their shelf.

This week’s pick is Food by Joel Bennetts – A Chef’s Guide to Simply Stunning Cooking, which was published in 2022 by Sydney chef Joel Bennetts.

Food by Joel Bennetts’ is a journey into Joel’s life of food, travel, photography & “uncommon experiences”. With over 16 years (he started his culinary career at the ripe age of 15!) spent refining his abilities in various countries around the world, Joel has created a book of over 60 recipes that showcase a broad range of skills, cuisines & styles. He photographed every recipe in the book itself, and it’s an absolute visual feast.

What I love about this cookbook is that even though the recipes are beautifully curated, they’re still extremely approachable and not overly complicated. Even though the recipes themselves are minimalistic, each one is still impressive enough for even experienced cooks to recreate. Joel writes in this book that he hopes his recipes will be a “stepping stone” to discovering new recipes and techniques, and that the recipes are designed so that ingredients can be swapped out for others, “sauces can be manipulated, things can be burnt then scarped, and leftovers can be kept to be taken to work the next day.”

This a cookbook I come back to time and time again, whether it’s for a stand-out dish for a dinner party (the Banana Tarte Tatin is my new signature dessert) or simply to find inspiration for a different way to serve fish or pasta dishes.

Cuisine:

Modern Australian ft. seasonal, local produce.

Who’s it for?

Cooks of all skill levels (although novices should be aware that there are often few instructions with regards to seasoning levels/certain basic cooking techniques!) who appreciate creative plating & seasonal simplicity.

Price:

€56 + shipping (shipping can take up to 15 days as it’s delivered from Australia, but it’s worth the wait).

Favourite Recipes:

Oven Roasted Leeks, Stracciatella & Green Onion Oil

There’s something so simple yet so brilliant about this dish, and the green onion oil is a beautiful little garnish to have in your skill set.

Banana Tarte Tartin

You can swap out the bananas for ripe pears and it works just as well. My go-to ice cream to serve with the banana version is Murphys famous Brown Bread – it’s perfect.

Pan Fried Snapper (Cod or Halibut would also work well) Alla Puttanesca Soup

This sauce base is great for any type of pan-fried fish and is ridiculously quick and easy to make.

Prawn Toast with Chilli Jam

The ultimate hangover snack that is infinitely better than any prawn toast you can order for takeaway. Make extra of the chilli jam – you’ll want to eat this on everything.