It is with the greatest excitement ever - like heart popping out of my chest excitement - that I can FINALLY tell you all that this year, I WROTE A COOKBOOK!
Crazy I know - writing, styling and shooting an entire cookbook all by myself during a global pandemic and multiple lockdowns (which we are still in) in Melbourne, where I live!
This was a labour of love for me and saw the culmination of everything I’ve been working towards since walking into university aged 21 to begin my studies in food and nutrition come to fruition. It seems unreal that I am finally sharing this project with you after completely pouring my heart, soul and life into it for the last 10 months, especially after dreaming about it for so many years. I’m bursting with pride and happiness. Can you tell?? :P
Late last year I was approached by the lovely Jenna from Page Street Publishing to author a cookbook. It was really fitting because at the time I was on a workshop in Tuscany with the formidable Emiko Davies and was able to get a little advice from her and bounce ideas off some of the wonderful friends I made there. A true privilege.
I was a fish out of water and wriggling with nerves and excitement at the prospect of fulfilling one of my lifelong dreams so it was a huge help to anxiously talk it through, with food lovers no less, to get my thoughts together while away from home.
That night I jotted a few things down in my notebook, about what kind of book I wanted to write. Ultimately, I wanted to produce a book full of easy, affordable, wholesome recipes inspired by my heritage that anyone could make. Whether you’ve cooked all your life or are just getting started in the kitchen, I wanted this collection of recipes to be approachable, un-intimidating and inviting. I guess that’s the Italian in me as well as the nutritionist. I wanted to make healthy food and recipes accessible.
Coming from an Italian background, and having studied Turkish culinary culture at university, I felt this would be a perfect fit. After a couple of months back and forth working out the finer details (such as how to get this done when the world had shut down!), Frugal Mediterranean Cooking: Easy, Affordable Recipes for Lifelong Health was born. The aim of this cookbook is to utilise and combine the pillars of a traditional Mediterranean diet with all the joy I get from cooking to everybody else in an approachable, accessible and inexpensive way – no need for flashy kitchen skills, fancy appliances or a second mortgage to buy some niche ingredient you’ll probably never use again. All you need is a splash of effort and a dash of time.
I cover some of my most favourite dishes that were inspired by my upbringing, my studies, and my travels throughout the Med, all of which cost less than $3USD per serve! God love my economist husband for flexing his spreadsheeting skills and documenting ALL the ingredients, weights and costs to work this out haha!
This book truly has something for everyone. To give you a sneak-peek, all these images are recipes within the book and I’ve categorised my recipes into the following chapters so you can see there’s a section for everything!
Hearty, Wholesome Vegetables
Luscious Legumes, Glorious Grains and Primo Pasta
Super Simple and Satisfying Soups
Seafood for ALL Seasons (Not Just Summer!)
My Favourite Chicken Recipes
Braised, Baked and Barbecued: Mediterranean Meat Dishes
Good-For-You (and Your Wallet) Sauces, Spreads and Dips
A Sweet Note to Finish On
It’s also super exciting to mention that I am sharing some key recipes that have been long sought after such as my perfect pizza dough, ricotta gnocchi and olive oil shortcrust pastry as well as family recipes that have never been written down or shared before like riso e patate, my nonna’s tiramisu and my mum’s pasta e fagioli.
The book will be released in the US and Canada on December 15 this year and by February 2021 for Australia. However, my publisher’s have let me know that you can order it from one of the big online book stores, you should have it in your hot little hands at a similar time to the US release date as it ships from America. No need to wait until it’s in stores in Australia to pick it up! You can of course order it online from wherever you usually buy books from - just check the shipping date to see when it’ll be sent out :)
I’ve included the pre-order links below and it would mean the entire world to me if you would pre-order a copy (it would make an amazing Christmas present just quietly and arrive right in time!) if you’re able to. Pre-orders helps authors be ‘seen’ on the browsing pages of book shop websites and I’d love nothing more than to bump one of those pseudo-scientific crazy diet books out of the best-sellers list! My Christmas wish if you will ;)
Book Depository: Order here for FREE international shipping!
I am so excited and proud to finally have it almost out in the world and I cannot wait to share this labour of love and deliciousness with you all!
Finally, I just wanted to say a sincere and huge thank YOU for following and supporting me through the years, I couldn’t have done this without YOU!!
Happy cooking as always,
Mel xx
