Donna Hay book a no fuss affair
Donna Hay’s new book reflects relaxed approach to cooking
As an author, magazine editor, TV chef and partner in a line of homewares, Donna Hay is somewhat akin to an Australian version of Martha Stewart.
Both woman have created careers out of a love of food and sharing recipes and expanding their empires from there. However, what draws me back to Hay time and again is that her focus always seems to be more on fuss- free than fancy dishes and perfection not as much of a goal as perfectly good. Her latest book — to join the previous 23 she has authored — is no exception. The New Easy ( HarperCollins Publishers Ltd) is full of straightforward, enticing recipes that are entirely approachable.
Her books always reflect a more relaxed, simple approach to cooking. The New Easy, with its aim of making cooking, well, easier, for both busy weeknights and less- hectic weekends continues to reflect the cooking ethos seen in her other titles.
Along with that theme of making dinner an attainable goal, all her books also have a similar look to them, including having each recipe paired with an equally appealing photo.
The New Easy has that clean esthetic with lots of white space and tidy photographs of neatly laid out dishes against a plain background that are signature Hay. There are sometimes splatters of sauce or crumbs, but they are always artistically scattered or splashed. In this way, there is a comfort to her books. You know what to expect: reliable recipes, tempting images and a soothing look to the book overall.
Of course, her being Australian does mean sometimes having to translate the names of ingredients into those more familiar to those of us in North America and finding some can be trickier here — though not overly difficult and definitely not impossible — than it might be in the grocery stores Down Under. The New Easy does include a glossary to help with those translations.
Her recipes reflect a number of cuisines from around the world, with a slight skew to Asian ones, particularly Thai and Vietnamese. But also there are a number of pasta dishes, which, in my opinion, pretty much meet the definition of easy.
I was intrigued by the one for a Crispy Cauliflower Pasta that takes chunks of cauliflower and blitzes them in the food processor with some rich pine nuts and then fries up the lot with fresh oregano, garlic and some chili flakes for a warming heat. It seemed enough of a departure from the standard bolognese or tomato sauce that it was worth trying.
Notwithstanding the fact I overprocessed the cauliflower the first time and ended up with bits that were probably more paste- like than Hay intends, it still turned out. It was even better when I made it correctly the second time.
Cauliflower and pasta seems like an odd combination, initially. But it gets golden brown over a long saute in olive oil with the herbs and garlic, while the pine nuts add some nice richness. I held back a few from the food processor to throw them into the pan whole, which I liked, though it is not called for.
And while I always follow the recipe correctly the first time around, I did like sprinkling a few fresh leaves of oregano over the lot at the end for just a little freshness.
It’s a hearty recipe in a way that’s unexpected and I liked the fact is vegetarian without being overtly so.
And this is what I really appreciate about Hay’s books: the recipes are easy, but easily delight at the same time.