The Hungry Girls' Cookbook Vol. 2

The Age

Tuesday September 9, 2008

Nikki Fisher

The Hungry Girls' Cookbook Vol. 2

Rachel Pitts, Leah Holscher and Katherine Bird

Self-published, $35

It's rare to find a cookbook from which you want to cook every recipe. This is one. OK, so there are only 12 recipes, but it's a diverse collection that doesn't call for fancy ingredients or intricate cooking methods. From an earthy mushroom, polenta and ricotta bake to Nepali dahl with an excellent, simple-to-make eggplant pickle, Rachel Pitts' recipes translate into satisfying, unfussy food. The trio brings together their talents for cooking, photography and illustration creating books that befit the claim that each "is more like a work of art than a regular cookbook". In these times of fast food and mass-produced cookbooks, the Hungry Girls slow things down, binding each book by hand and lining the cover with cloth. Printed on 100% Australian recycled paper, Katherine Bird's playful illustrations and collages decorate the recipe pages alongside Leah Holscher's understated photography. -- NIKKI FISHER

© 2008 The Age

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