Nordic Light: Lighter, Everyday Eating from a Scandinavian Kitchen

Focusing on contemporary Scandinavian cuisine, Nordic Light, written by food/travel writer and photographer Simon Bajada, is not for casual home cooks. The recipes are written for more dedicated cooks and are more for weekend cooking. Each recipe has a preparation and cooking section; and the total time may not be too long. It’s the collection of ingredients that will be the most time consuming. Many recipes require a number of food items that will take some searching, some more than others (e.g. nettle powder, bottaga). Luckily, Bajada gives a long list of ingredient substitutions at the end of the book. The estimated preparation times given are about right for very experienced cooks but may be an underestimation for the average home cook. It is always a good idea to read the entire recipe first—some require hours of drying time in the oven before the next step, others pickling a day ahead. The recipes are well written and the text introducing the chapters is excellent reading, as is the introduction. Here is a typical recipe: Roasted Celeriac, sill Röra & Pomegranate. Each recipe is illustrated with a photo and scattered around are beautiful scenic photos. The index is very good.