Even with the vast number of recipes available on the internet these days, there’s nothing quite like leafing through a beautiful book full of recipes. It’s a medium that’s stronger than ever before, with cookbooks topping bestseller charts throughout the year. If you’re anything like us then you’ll have shelves upon shelves of them in your home – some kept in pristine condition, others earmarked, stained and scrawled over after years of use.
It’s this national love for cookbooks that has prompted us to start our very own cookbook club. Each month we’ll select a cookbook that we think stands out from the rest and ask you, the Great British Chefs community, to cook a recipe from it. We’ll publish a small selection of recipes on our site so, even if you don’t already have the book, you can still get involved and see how your cooking compares to everyone else’s. Apply to join the Facebook group here and take a look at this month's book (and recipes) below. We've also included the winning post from last month's book, as well as some of our other favourite entries.
Venice is one of the most famous cities in the world, and for good reason – there are few places as beautiful and enchanting as this city of canals and breathtaking architecture. But the food found here (and across the rest of the Veneto region in northern Italy) is just as much a reason to visit. For those who would prefer to enjoy the culinary gems of this area at home, however, there's Valeria Necchio's beautiful book Veneto – our cookbook of the month for March.
Filled with dishes ranging from snacks and starters to pasta and other delightful mains (plus a healthy dose of delicious desserts), it's the ultimate tome to get stuck into when exploring northern Italian cuisine.
For a taste of what’s inside, take a look at the three recipes below. However, to really get to grips with Veneto's wonderful regional cooking, head over to Amazon to bag yourself a copy.
A wonderfully simple seafood spaghetti dish, the giant langoustines in this recipe are certainly the star of the show. Bolstered by chilli, garlic, white wine and tomato, it's ready in just half an hour.
Duck is a rare sight in pasta dishes, but this rich ragù proves we should all be using it more often. Served with bigoli, a sort of thick, hollow spaghetti, it's the perfect dish to prepare when you're hungry and after some serious comfort.
Have you ever seen such a pretty, simple cake before? This simple bake is enriched with plenty of creamy ricotta in the batter, before being baked until light, fluffy and incredibly moreish.
Last month we explored the world of Indonesian cooking with Eleanor Ford's Fire Islands. Congratulations to Hayley Evans who took the top spot this month – she wins a prize! Take a look at her dish and all the other honourable mentions below.
Make sure you post photos along with commentary of the dishes you cook from Veneto in our Facebook group to be in with the chance of winning.
