COOKBOOK CHALLENGE
Editor Keith Kendrick loves the foundations of simplicity that inspire the cookery of this former Great British Menu winner
During my time as a housedad to our three kids, I reduced all of my parenting to three steps – “put your pyjamas on, brush your teeth, go to sleep” being the main one. And, when it came to feeding them: “boil stuff, put in bowls, weep over mess they’ve made.” “Three” works, which is what Selin Kiazim’s book encapsulates.
Selin, a British chef of Turkishcypriot heritage who owns and runs Oklava in London, explains: “The idea behind Three is simple: to share with fellow passionate cooks the tools I use in order to make flavourful dishes that sing with acid, texture and contrast, the building blocks that make a good dish a knockout one.”
Three is divided into three sections: basics and foundations, ideas and inspiration, and recipes. It’s the foundations – acid, texture and contrast – that are at the core of all the recipes. In a nutshell: acid acts as a base and provides balance (such as vinegar cutting through fat); texture fills the senses (think crisp pork crackling); and contrast could be as simple as cold bread with hot butter. Bringing these principles together, Selin shares more than 100 recipes, from oils and condiments, to gorgeous showstoppers. I made celeriac steaks with lemongrass caramel, dried shrimp & citrus peel sambal and coconut sauce, which was well worth the effort. Butter beans with paprika, sherry vinegar & piquillo peppers (see recipe, right) was a midweek meal, the smokiness of the paprika contrasting with the sharp vinegar and buttery, tender beans. And so easy – as easy as one, two, three, in fact.’