The Free Range Cook

The Free Range Cook

The companion cookbook to the TV series of the same name, Annabel Langbein: The Free Range Cook shares the secrets to cooking great food in a simple, natural way. In the words of Annabel Langbein: 'It's not about impressing people with culinary acrobatics or turning out complicated plates in the theatre of a restaurant. It's about having fun and celebrating what nature has so graciously provided for us.'

Photographed at and around Annabel's lakeside cabin in Central Otago, at the foot of New Zealand's Southern Alps, The Free Range Cook is much more than a recipe book. Alongside the photographs of fresh, seasonal dishes, gorgeous images transport the reader into Annabel's country life - where she cooks on a simple double gas burner and chops wood to fuel an outdoor bread oven. Here, luxury is a glistening fish just out of the water, a perfectly ripe peach or a beautifully aged piece of farm meat, rather than exotic, hard-to-find ingredients. It is this simplicity that inspired the idea of free-range cooking - where a pared back approach to food and cooking celebrates a spirit of resourcefulness and the ability to enjoy whatever is in season at its very best.

Recipes are organised according to their source: From the Garden, From the Farm, From the Oven, From the Larder, From the Orchard, and From Lake and Sea. Interspersed throughout the book are delicious menus taken from the TV series that provide three or four impressive courses to share with friends and family.

Annabel's signature 'Fridge Fixings' - useful flavour bases, rubs, sauces and dressings - are flagged throughout the book and cross-referenced to a multitude of quick, easy recipes. Cooking methods are clearly explained, and handy preparation tips, serving suggestions and storage advice introduce every recipe. Thanks to Annabel's clever cooking tricks and techniques, home cooks are offered the chance to recreate restaurant-style dishes they might once have thought were too difficult or time-consuming.

Colourful chapter introductions and essays scattered through the book share Annabel's passion for gathering, cooking and eating the best of what nature has to offer. Along the way, she shows how city cooks can embrace this free-range cooking style by using farmers' markets and supporting artisan producers and local providores.

Annabel Langbein is one of New Zealand's most celebrated food writers and cooks. She is the author and publisher of 17 bestselling books, which have sold close to 1 million copies throughout Australasia, North America and Europe. In 2010 Annabel stars in her own TV series, Annabel Langbein: The Free Range Cook, which will be distributed internationally by the media giant FremantleMedia Enterprises. Annabel's books have earned numerous international awards, including Best in the World for Easy Recipes at the Gourmand World Media Food Awards, 2006 (Assemble - Sensational Food Made Simple) and Best Entertaining Book in the World at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards (Cooking to Impress - Without Stress).

Annabel Langbein: The Free Range Cook is a 13-part TV series that will screen on ABC1 from Saturday 28 August. The series was filmed at Annabel's cabin on the shores of Lake Wanaka in Central Otago. Each episode features Annabel preparing a three- or four-course menu to share with friends, using home-grown and locally sourced produce. Annabel's food-hunting expeditions take her to secluded fiords to harvest giant crayfish, see her brave a local beekeeper's hives for the purest honey, and cast a line for fresh salmon. In Annabel Langbein: The Free Range Cook you'll see how choosing the freshest seasonal ingredients is the first step to cooking great food in a simple and natural way. Add in some clever cooking tricks and in next to no time you'll have a delicious meal.

The Free Range Cook
ABC Books
Author: Annabel Langbein
ISBN: 9780733329524
Price: $49.99