Stephanie Alexander. I love how she explains the background to the ingredients and then gives recipes for each thing. So she gives some info about eggplant and then some recipes. I have two of her books, The Cook’s Companion and the Kitchen Garden Companion. Wonderful books that inspire me to cook and include both very simple and more complex recipes. I also saw her interviewed on television recently and she runs a school program that encourages children to get out in the garden and grow their own vegies and then to cook those vegetables. She was very inspiring and interesting to listen to in the interview.
Another author I am thinking of buying is Maggie Beer’s Maggie’s Harvest. Again a down-to-earth cook whose books include real recipes that real people can cook.