Monday Morning Cooking Club: The Food, the Stories, the Sisterhood

First published in Australia, this thoughtful and inspiring collection of recipes drawn from Sydney’s culturally diverse Jewish community was put together by a group of women who began meeting in 2006 to cook, eat, drink, and share stories. They became the Monday Morning Cooking Club, setting out to find the very best home cooks by e-mailing everyone they knew. After compiling a list, they wrote to each cook, asking for his or her best recipes. After several years and hundreds of recipes, six club members decided to pick their favorite dishes for the group’s first book. Each recipe opens with a personal story from the cook and a history of the dish, followed by clear instructions and beautifully simple photographs. The appetizers, entrees, and desserts are all special. Chalmers shares Mum’s Rice Paprikash, which she describes as “Hungarian risotto” made with veal shin. Barbara Cohen, who grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, contributes a Mediterranean fish stew. Goldberg grew up eating dishes made by her Polish grandmother. Her family recipes, Paula’s Calf Brisket and a Polish potato cake, are standouts. Viv Green shares her mother’s recipe for apricot cake. The dishes in this warm-hearted collection may be unfamiliar to many, but they add to the book’s charm, as they reflect the soul of a community. (Sept.)