Alice Zaslavsky shares some great ideas in her new book The Joy of Better Cooking

I was flattered. I don't consider myself a good cook at all.

"I learned how to cook because I like eating," I told her. I like eating delicious food, comfort food, light salads and chocolate cake, roast chicken and buttery garlic prawns. And biscuits.

That was my first step towards being a cook. I realised if I didn't cook I couldn't eat.

That's the premise of this new book from Alice Zaslavsky, whose In Praise of Veg was one of the best-selling cookbooks of 2020.

"The Joy of Better Cooking is all about providing you with the confidence to become a better cook," she says.

"Forget about being a 'good' cook, and replace it with the idea of becoming a better cook. Better cooking is a lifelong journey ... every step along the way gets you a bit closer to cracking the codes that unlock the confidence to feel freedom and joy in the kitchen."

This book, however, is far from being a mere instruction manual.

Alongside 70-ish recipes, there are pages and margins and corners filled with all kinds of tips and tricks. Think those folded crabby eggs look good? Swap the crab and cream for goat's cheese and dill and see what happens? And to perfect the cooking, slowly on a non-stick pan.

The book couldn't be more perfectly timed. So many more people are cooking at home now, post pandemic, keen to improve their skills, expand their repertoire.

"I like to think of myself as a teacher, maybe you've picked up some skills, but want to know a little more," she says.

"Even if you don't know which end of the knife to hold, there'll be something in this book for you."

She says the rising cost of living and other issues such as food waste have us all thinking about how we can better use produce to feed our families.

Zaslavsky came to prominence in 2012 with a stint on season four of MasterChef where she narrowly missed out on final's week. Current judge Andy Allen was the winner that year. Since then Zaslavsky has gone on to host television and radio programs, write an award winning children's cookbook, and share her love of food through her social media @aliceinframes.

"If you've ever found yourself thinking about dinner over breakfast, if bringing pleasure and nourishment to the people in your orbit gives you a glow, heck - if you already enjoy the eating part, you can find the fun in getting the food to the table too."

Here's a play on a Catalan snack - pa amb tomàquet, a.k.a. pan con tomate or tomato bread, which is usually as simple as rubbing garlic and then tomato on to crusty bread (see shortcuts). Here, though, the tomatoes are given a quick confit on the cooktop in oil and chorizo fat to make them a bit jammy, and slicing and baking the Turkish bread slab the way we do here turns it into a giant tanned and crispy crostini. If you're only making this for a few of you, save the upper crust of the Turkish bread for the toaster - it'll be perfect as an accompaniment to dips. This softer top is also where the expression "upper crust" comes from - the bit saved for the upper classes!

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.

2. Pop the chorizo out of its skin in chunks into a large heavy-based frying pan with a tablespoon of the oil, then let it start cooking out its own flaming red fat over low heat for a minute or so. Add the onion and gently sweat for six to eight minutes, until softened.

3. Splash in the cider, sprinkle in the sugar and toss in the tomatoes. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat back down to a simmer. Let the mixture bubble away for 25-30 minutes, until it looks syrupy and the oil floats to the top. Season to taste with salt flakes and cracked black pepper.

4. Meanwhile, place the bread slices on a baking tray, then slip another tray on top to flatten the bread and stop the slices curling up into half-moons. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and crispy as all heck.

5. To serve, rub some fresh garlic over the open faces of the bread, then arrange on a platter and pour the tomato mixture over them. Shave the manchego over. Sprinkle with the parsley and some more salt and pepper. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and serve with lemon wedges.

Serves 4-6.

Shortcuts:

Rub a piece of toast with garlic and the cut side of a halved fresh ripe tomato for the original version. You could also grate the tomato on the coarse side of a box grater for a saucier fresh version.

Subs:

Uncooked chorizo is softer in texture than cooked chorizo, so it can be squashed out of the casings as you might a sausage. Cooked chorizo will need to be cut into discs before adding, which I like to do straight into the pan using my kitchen shears, to save having to wash up a chopping board.

You can easily go plant-based by subbing out the chorizo, adding a few cloves of garlic to the confit tomato mix and upping the oil.

If tomatoes aren't in season, good-quality tinned cherry tomatoes will do the trick. They won't need as long to cook down; just watch for the jamminess to set in.

You know that version of the song Lady Marmalade, where Christina Aguilera pumps out that EPIC note as she begins her verse? What a MOMENT, right!? That's what these melting moments remind me of. The slightly bitter tang of the marmalade in the buttercream is enough to splice through the richness of the biscuit and filling, and as it melts on your tongue, you'll find yourself having a moment, too. I've adopted the custard powder of the classically Aussie yo-yo biscuit, because I like the colour and flavour it provides. Most melting moments recipes use cornflour - either of these additions stop the flour and fat binding too tightly, which means the biscuit will, quite literally, melt in your mouth.

1. Line two light-coloured (see Tips) baking trays (ideally biscuit trays) with baking paper.

2. If your icing sugar is lumpy, pop it into a food processor and blitz, or into a zip-lock bag and mash with a rolling pin.

3. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter until uniformly soft, then add the icing sugar and beat until the mixture is pale and creamy (more is more here).

4. Sift together the flour, custard powder and baking powder. Add to the butter mixture, along with the salt, and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined.

5. Use a teaspoon measure dusted with a smidge of flour to scoop out two level teaspoons (about 5g) of the mixture, rolling into walnut-sized balls between your hands. If your hands are hot, pat a little flour onto them to stop the mixture sticking. Evenly space the balls out on the baking trays. Don't worry if they're a bit mangy; you can always smooth them out once chilled.

6. Pop the trays in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes, or even overnight.

7. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 150C. Use a floured fork to press each dough ball into a 2cm disc. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the biscuits are set enough to be dislodged with a gentle prod, are custard-yellow in colour and the bottom is still blonde. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack before filling.

8. Make your buttercream in the stand mixer by creaming the butter and icing sugar together until super pale. Add the orange zest, juice and marmalade and beat until incorporated.

9. To fill the biscuits, either transfer the buttercream to a piping bag and squeeze it over half the biscuits, or spread a teaspoon of filling over them. Pop the unfilled biscuits on top of the filled ones like hats, squashing ever so slightly to more evenly distribute the filling.

10. Give the whole lot one last dusting of icing sugar as a final flourish.

11. The biscuits will keep in an airtight container in a cool place for up to five days. They can also be frozen (filled or unfilled) for up to three months; thaw for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Makes about 25 filled sandwiched biscuits

Tips:

Place any left-over dough on a piece of baking paper, roll up into a log (twisting the edges so it looks like salami) and stash in the freezer. When you have a hankering, simply slice off 1cm pieces and bake as normal.

There are entire books and blogs dedicated to tweaking the various variables on the biscuit/cookie caper, but some tricks of the trade are so tried and true that you simply must capitulate - after all, it's science!

For evenly coloured biscuits, using an aluminium or lighter-coloured biscuit tray will make all the difference - the darker the tray, the more heat it absorbs, which leads to toasty bottoms (not in a good way, sadly). Biscuit trays are also almost entirely flat, which means that the heat can access each side of the biscuit evenly.

The more butter/fat you add to the dough, the shorter your biscuit will be, meaning the more easily it crumbles.

Subs:

You can use cornflour if you don't have custard powder; if so, add one teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste PLUS an extra one tablespoon icing sugar to your biscuit mixture.

Amazingly, gluten-free flour is just as good here!

You know those ads for tacos where the little girl says, "Why not have both?" Well I am that girl, asking, if you're deciding between making hummus or babaghanoush, why NOT have both? In this mash-up of the two, the chickpeas help make the baba even smoother and creamier, while the eggplant makes the hummus infinitely more interesting. And the pickled cauliflower florets just cap it all off - like chewed-up bits of purple Hubba Bubba bubble gum. On toast with avocado, as a "purée" with Middle Eastern mains, or straight from the fridge, this dip is just hubba-hubba.

1. Drain the soaked chickpeas and place in a large saucepan with three litres cold water and the kombu, if using - but no salt! Bring to the boil, then simmer for about 90 minutes. Once the chickpeas are soft enough to squash between your fingers, drain and allow to cool slightly, removing the kombu. At this point I like to peel the chickpeas for the smoothest hummus, but you are SO welcome to skip this step. I'm already asking a lot.

2. While the chickpeas are simmering, roast the eggplants over a gas cooktop (see Tips) or barbecue over medium heat, rotating occasionally, for 30-45 minutes, until blackened on all sides and completely soft in the middle. Alternatively, pop the eggplants on a rack over a baking tray and roast in a 200C oven for an hour or so, until the skin has charred, and when poked seems more balloon than eggplant. Leave until cool enough to handle, draped over a clean sink to leak out a whole lot of schmutz that will otherwise make your baba way too watery.

3. For the pickled cauli, bring a large-ish saucepan of well-salted (preferably filtered) water to the boil. Add the cauliflower florets and beetroot and bubble away for three minutes to soften slightly. Drain, reserving 750ml of the now magenta-coloured water. Divide the veg among two sterilised containers, each about 300ml in capacity. Sprinkle the caraway seeds evenly on top, finishing with a bay leaf.

4. Pour the reserved poaching water back into the pan. Add the vinegar, garlic, salt and sugar and bring to the boil. Pour this mixture over the veg to cover and seal. If there isn't enough liquid, boil a little more vinegar and pour over the top. The cauli and beet will get even better after a day of hanging out in the pickling liquid, and will last comfortably for up to a month in the fridge.

5. Scoop the eggplant flesh into a food processor. Toss in the chickpeas and remaining ingredients (including the ice cubes) and blitz until smooth and velvety, adding more olive oil if you want it even creamier. Taste for seasoning.

6. Serve warm or cold, topped with the pickles, extra herbs and pomegranate seeds, with falafels and soft pitta breads to round it all out. The hubba will last for up to a week in the fridge in an airtight container - just cover with olive oil to help stop a skin forming, and give it a good stir before serving, if need be.

Serves 4-6 as a dippy starter, or as part of a main meal.

Shortcuts:

To speed up the chickpea-soaking process, pop them in a big saucepan and pour in enough cold water to cover them by a good inch or so. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes, then turn off the heat. Leave to soak in this water for one hour, then drain and cook as per the instructions; they'll cook in around half the time!

A pressure cooker is another option, if you have one - once it comes up to pressure, 15 minutes is enough time to cook the chickpeas, once soaked.

In even more of a hubba-hurry? Go the tinned route, of course, but please do rinse them - keeping the aquafaba if you like - and consider popping the chickpeas out of their skins for the smoothest finish.

Subs:

If you're out of tahini, you can use sesame oil instead

Tips:

The ice cubes help the hummus become extra fluffy - a very cool trick I learned from Noor Murad at Ottolenghi Test Kitchen. If you're worried your food processor or blender can't handle it, skip this step.

If using a gas cooktop to char the eggplants, use some foil as a splatter guard. Take the trivet off your chosen burner. Poke a hole in a sheet of foil, so it will skirt around the heat source, and place it over the top, to cover the rest of your cooktop. This will catch the eggplant weepings and make for easier clean-up.

If you're roasting the eggplant in the oven, to save on energy, bake something else in there too - like, say, a halved butternut pumpkin, or some veg.

To cut the cauli into florets, place upside-down on a chopping board, and hold onto the stalk end while you twist or snip away at the florets from the base. Cut the florets in half again so that they're all roughly the same fork-friendly size.

A semifreddo is a no-churn ice cream that is usually made by creating a whipped custard first. In this instance, you're letting someone else do all the work of whipping air into the mix by using a store-bought vegan ice cream. Peruse the ingredients list and you'll note that this one is also very plant friendly. You might even call it a Veganetta, because it so resembles that very nostalgic dessert log that used to get rolled out for every fancy family do. And you won't hear a peep out of even the most discerning vego - except maybe the odd hum of delight.

1. Grease a 1.25 litre loaf tin and line with two layers of plastic wrap. Our loaf tin was 17.5cm long, 7.5 cm wide and 8cm deep.

2. To make the choc coconut rough, melt the coconut oil in a saucepan. Stir in the cocoa powder and maple syrup until combined, then divide between two bowls. To one of the bowls, add the toasted shredded coconut, stirring to unite into a gritty goop I like to call "mocklate'" The bowl without the coconut will be destined to become the drippy sauce when you're ready to serve, so cover it and set aside in the fridge until needed.

3. Take the ice cream out of the freezer and let it soften enough to be pliable. Spoon one-fifth of the ice cream into your lined loaf tin, smoothing the surface. Add two tablespoons of mocklate and use a small palette knife or spoon to spread it evenly. Repeat the layering four more times, finishing with ice cream. Place in the freezer overnight.

4. When ready to serve, gently warm the remaining chocolate sauce in a small saucepan over low heat to loosen it a little, then allow it to cool slightly.

5. Turn out the loaf onto a serving platter (I find chilling the platter helps to stop the bottom edges getting soupy too quickly) and remove the plastic wrap. Drizzle the sauce over and crown with the toasted flaked coconut. Slice and serve immediately.

Serves 12.

Skills spotlight: Toasting dried coconut

Place the dried coconut in a cold frying pan over low to medium heat and toss or stir continuously for a minute or so, until it becomes a light golden colour. Once it starts to colour it will do so very quickly - it might even be worth switching off the pan and letting the residual heat finish things off.