Salmagundi by Sally Butcher – review
Salmagundi: Salads from the Middle East and Beyond has a rather exotic title, although the word ‘Salmagundi’ is a 17th-century English word for a salad dish of everything available. The author takes advantage of that broad latitude.
Sally Butcher, one of my favourite authors, considers salads from across the globe. There are 150 recipes here so something for every taste. The book has fourteen chapters of veggies, leaves and salad fixin’s. Yes, this is healthy food but tempting, often smart and all laced with the Sally Butcher irrepressible mark of humour. Lots of lovely pictures by Yuki Sugiura as a colourful garnish, too!
I have quite a few ‘pick of the book’ recipes here. Marmite dip is a real winner, well, if you love Marmite. A simple preparation and, to my Marmite-loving mind, a great nibble with drinks, along with celery or crackers for scooping. This has got to appeal to posh foodies, who will wax lyrical about that mysterious umami component. Don’t tell ’em!
Sally has a great recipe in Salmagundi for a whitebait salad. I order these little fishes whenever I find them on a restaurant menu. They are simple to prepare at home and Crispy Chilli Whitebait Salad shows that seafood ingredient to great advantage.
Illustrates how easy food preparation can be
Black-eyed Beans with Lemon and Dill is a hearty salad. It makes a one-dish lunch as it’s substantial, but it constitutes a marvellous and refreshing side for barbecued meats. You will need nothing more to add than some green leaves, for a wonderful summer dinner.
Spicy Sumatran Fruit Salad could work as a dessert or a tangy side dish to an exotic summer meal. Yes, it has fruit and some of that is tropical, but it’s the dressing that elevates this bowl into something remarkable. It’s made with tamarind, shrimp and chilli pastes. It sounds like an unusual combination but it is, in fact, quite a common preparation in the Far East. Sally will likely not be looking, so you could, if the budget is tight, use this dressing over some very English apples and pears.
Salmagundi: Salads from the Middle East and Beyond is a book that will encourage chopping, whisking and sprinkling. It’s a book that illustrates how easy food preparation can be. There are recipes here that work for quick snacks to be enjoyed behind the till of the corner shop. There are dishes that can be produced from the fare available in Peckham. There are plates that might only demand a visit to Persepolis – the deli, not the city in Iran. Mrs Shopkeeper Sally Butcher has penned another brilliant volume.
Salmagundi
Author: Sally Butcher
Published by: Interlink Books
Price: £25.49
Language: English
ISBN-10: 156656994X
ISBN-13: 978-1566569941
See more books by Sally Butcher here
Cookbook review by Chrissie Walker © 2018
