The Book
My Petite Kitchen
Author (s)
Eleanor Ozich
What it says on the back cover
My Petite Kitchen Cookbook, written and photographed by Eleanor Ozich, is a complete menu of more than 100 simple, wholefood, gluten-free recipes that feed body and soul.
What made me pick up this book
OK so it’s another gluten-free, wholefood cookbook… do we need another book like this on our shelves? Well it’s up to you. I am not going to force anyone to read it nor I am going to suggest you try the recipes but I genuinely really appreciated this book. Not because it was photographed and written by the author but because it was a book written here in New Zealand. A book that New Zealanders can pick up and appreciate. Now if you are not a Kiwi like me, don’t worry, honestly this book will be fine for you too.
As New Zealand is growing and our population increases, we are seeing more people flock to our beautiful country. With it these people bring their culture, their heritage and their own beliefs and customs. Up until thirty years ago we didn’t have all that and as a result we didn’t always have the ingredients that other countries had. If we did, they were expensive and more often than not we would have to make a special trip to the local delicatessen that was home to many overseas food or somewhere like a health food shop or even our local pharmacy for something as simple as rosewater.
These days the food we eat is becoming a wonderful place to express who we are. People are creating the most incredible things such as craft beer, delicious items made from blueberries, our wines are some of the best in the world, and our savoury spreads are more than just a pate. There is so much more variety now and for this reason, I’m glad there is a book like this here on our shelf. While browsing through the book there are many recipes in here that contain simple ingredients that are found in most home cooks kitchen. There is the odd thing that one may be baffled by but generally this book shares a number of ingredients we all know.
Is this book worth buying
I believe this book is a little treasure. I purchased my own copy after standing for some time in the aisles of my local bookstore before purchasing the book and am glad I did. What this book has taught me is that with some of our ‘newer’ products we see on the market are actually worth purchasing such as gluten free flour in place of plain or self raising flour. I also have purchased some agave syrup to substitute sugar from some of my sweet dishes. Due to the bloating feeling I have after consuming carbohydrates I am mindful of how my reacts and so I don’t eat certain dishes as much or I substitute one ingredient with something else, something Ozich has chosen to do while trying to cure her own child’s severe eczema (the reason behind the creation of this book). It is for this reason this book is worth purchasing for my own health. I wanted to learn how I can live a normal life and still enjoy the food I like but how I can modify it somehow so it does not make me feel uncomfortable just as flour sometimes does. This book is about showing you how to achieve this and it’s wonderful that Ozich has already tested the recipes out on her family.
A book worth purchasing.
On Carmalised Pumpkin with Black Onion Gremolata.
We enjoy this dish on a hot summers day, with grilled chicken or fish. The salty, citrusy gremolata gives the sweet, crispy baked pumpkin a refreshing zing. Although I suggest butternut pumpkin here, this dish works well with most types of pumpkin (Ozich, pg 62).
The Bookaholic Bookworm 