MEZCLA: Recipes to Excite

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Our overall thoughts: Almost everyone had difficulty finding at least one ingredient, and we're in a major city with many specialty groceries stories. That said, this book is a flavor bomb that taught us that sauces can do a lot of heavy lifting. Opened us up to the idea that 'cooking for entertainment' can mean entertainment for YOURSELF - you want a challenge or to learn a new technique, not just to host others. The author is upfront that this isn't a book for throwing together a 10-minute recipe, and that's accurate. Personally I wish I'd had this book during summer tomato season, because a lot of these recipes are about making a tomato sing. Ixta Belfrage is a talented chef bringing something new to the table, literally.After five years of honing her abilities in the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen and co-authoring the bestselling Ottolenghi FLAVOUR,Ixta’s first solo cookbook is an exciting and personal delve into her culinary history and food influences. Ixta has spent her life exploring and enjoying food in Italy, Mexico and Brazil, so it’s no surprise that MEZCLAis a fusion of different cultures and food traditions. MEZCLAtranslates to mix Spanish, and every dish lives up to this definition, bringing aspects of traditional dishes into something new and exciting. The recipe I’ve chosen is the rapturous (and vegan-friendly) Tomato Salad with Tahini Ginger Sauce, Chilli Oil and Crumpet Croutons. And yes, I did say Crumpet Croutons!

Who’s the author? Ixta Belfrage is a food writer and recipe developer. She co-authored the bestselling Ottolenghi FLAVOUR, and has spent the last five years honing her skills in the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen. If you want to know more about Ixta, read our Q&A here.And while, as mentioned, it’s Belfrage's first solo title, she co-authored Flavour along with the great Ottolenghi and is at her most contagiously confident with big, bold bright flavours. Some recipes, to be sure, include ingredients you might not have in your kitchen cupboards already, but there’s generous room for manoeuvre and plenty of recipes that provide adventure more accessibly. Broil for 7–9 minutes near the top of the oven, until the cheese is bubbling and browned in patches. Set aside to cool for a few minutes (but not for too long, as the melted cheese will begin to harden). Place the mascarpone, yoghurt, vanilla paste and maple syrup in a large bowl and whisk together until completely smooth. Keep the bowl in the fridge until ready to serve. Mezcla, meaning ‘mixture’ in Spanish, is a celebration of fusion food and represents a journey through author Ixta Belfrage’s childhood experiences of Italy, Brazil and Mexico. You may recognise Ixta as the co-author of Flavour alongside benevolent culinary overlord Yotam Ottolenghi. Wer es nicht so scharf mag, muss aber keine Angst haben: In fast allen Rezepten stellt die Autorin mildere Varianten oder Zutaten-Alternativen vor, mit denen ebenfalls gekocht werden kann. Ebenso gibt es immer wieder Tipps, wie ein Gericht vegan gestaltet werden kann.

If you're interested in making Brazilian-, Italian-, or Mexican-inspired dishes at home and need a place to start, I recommend getting a copy of this book. Die Aufteilung von "Mezcla" macht allerdings schnell klar: Vegetarisch ist, ähnlich wie in der Ottolenghi-Küche, Trumpf. Die einzelnen Buchabschnitte heißen "Für jeden Tag", "Entertaining" und "Zu guter Letzt". Dabei sind die ersten beiden noch einmal aufgeteilt in Vegetarisch, Fisch und Fleisch, wobei die vegetarischen Gericht klar in der Mehrzahl sind. Während die "für jeden Tag" Gerichte meist ohne großen Aufwand zuzubereiten sind, dauert es bei "Entertaining" schon etwas länger. "Zu guter Letzt" trumpft mit Desserts, die ebenfalls nach Zeitaufwand und Komplizierheit sortiert sind. Ixta is what we all long for in a cook. Innovative, passionate, exciting and accessible.' Andi Oliver Coffee ice cream with Kahlua fudge sauce: One of the tastiest and best desserts I've ever made; will be whipping out when I need to impress but don't want much work. Each year, our staff and contributors round up their best gift ideas for cooks, eaters, and the kitchen curious. Read on for the best cookbooks of 2022.Mango and cheese salad -- which both me and my partner loved so much I have made it a few times since, and also made it to bring to a friend's BBQ, and people seemed to like it there too JAMES BEARD AWARD NOMINEE •100 recipes for everyday eating with built-in wow factor, from the Ottolenghi protégé and co-author of Ottolenghi Flavor shaking up the food world. All-in-all, the recipes in this book are creative, exciting, easy to follow, and more than half of what we tested were a smash. It must be noted as the Belfrage does in the foreword, that fusion food comes with baggage. Despite all cuisine in some way being a result of thousands of years of migration, invasion, trade routes and cultural exchange, there are legitimate concerns around appropriation and the dilution of tradition.

You can tell the chef author was heavily influence by her time spent in Yotam Ottolenghi’s kitchens as the recipes - to me - often looked like a homage to a dish that was bigger and better in an Ottolenghi restaurant or cookbook. JAMES BEARD AWARD NOMINEE • 100 recipes for everyday eating with built-in wow factor, from the Ottolenghi protégé and co-author of Ottolenghi Flavor shaking up the food world. We are in safe hands here though. Mezcla presents distinctive takes on recipes that feel familiar and new at the same time while still respecting the traditions from which they derive. It is a mezcla of playful, personal and imaginative cookery with recipes and inventiveness that you won’t find anywhere else. Ixta is an alchemist with flavor. Thrilling recipes full of life and imagination. I can’t wait to cook everything.” —Jessie Ware, singer and host of award-winning podcast Table Manners Read for our cookbook club- it's hard to mark a cookbook 'read' unless you've tested it, so my caveat is I've tasted the following recipes through our group's efforts:

Prawn Dumplings and Creamed Corn

One-in-a-million creativity, Ixta’s food is simply outstanding!” —Yotam Ottolenghi, chef and New York Times bestselling author of Ottolenghi Flavor Truthfully, it was hard to really quantify the Italian-Mexican-Brazilian thread that supposedly ties the dishes together. There is so much joy to be found in this book, not least from Yuki Sugiura’s photography which is almost as satisfying as eating the actual dishes. The recipes are positively unsubtle, vibrant and as if designed by algorithm for maximum satisfaction (there’s a recipe for half a loaf of sourdough with cheese, honey and chilli butter for goodness sake). What’s it about? Having spent her youth absorbing the diverse culinary traditions of Italy, Mexico, and Brazil, Ixta Belfrage’s style of cooking has always been defined by her inventive ingredient combinations and her bold approach to flavour fusions. In MEZCLA, her first solo cookbook, she draws on her many influences to create a truly exciting and unique set of recipes. The Spanish word mezcla translates as mix, blend, or fusion, and that’s exactly what this book is; expect classic Italian dishes infused with vibrant Mexican flavours, traditional Mediterranean ingredients sitting side-by-side with Brazilian spices, and thoroughly idiosyncratic twists on familiar favourites.