http://legoquescribo.blogspot.com/200...

This I have had for some time, and shows the first sign of a good cookbook, that is that I have adopted some of the recipes and techniques into my general repertoire: for instance her Italian Stuffed Aubergines, and techniques from some of her soups.

Of course this was written before Delias current slutish phase,(slutish in the Katherine Whitehorn sense, of course) and shares the problem common to many of her books, that of excessive complexity, priggish obsessiveness and a peculiar aversion to microwaves and tinned tomatoes.(Amongst other things...) These are obstacles I have learned to live with, it helps to know that if one can be bothered to follow Delia step by step one will cook excellent food, in many cases a definitive version of a dish: to the degree that a vegetarian can cook an excellent Christmas turkey. Delia also makes her explanations clear precises and easy to follow, making her dishes and techniques very easy to adapt, perhaps Delia is best used by the more confident cook who is comfortable with riffing with her.

Worthy of note here is the tenor of the dishes, which are without exception dishes I would be proud to serve to my parents. None are really comfort dishes, to be eaten in grubby jumpers in front of the TV. All are dishes for proper meals, which might be eaten at table. ( )

This book is lovely to look through. I think I might have cooked one of the recipes but I haven't done any more because you need lots of ingredients. Maybe one day...