Best cookbooks of 2015

Mexico from the Inside Out, Enrique Olvera

The inspiring and highly inventive food Enrique Olvera cooks at Pujol is juxtaposed to winning effect with homestyle dishes and Araceli Paz’s verité images of the Mexico from which it all came. Must cook: corn-husk meringue and corn mousse. (Phaidon, $75)

A Lombardian Cookbook, Alessandro Pavoni & Roberta Muir

Sydney chef Alessandro Pavoni shares a lesser-known side of Italian cuisine, showcasing dishes he grew up with, whether it’s spit roasts from Brescia or his grandmother’s recipe for stuffed hen with radicchio. It’s also something of a masterclass in risotto. Must cook: tagliatelle with fresh salami sauce. (Lantern, $59.99)

The Nordic Cookbook, Magnus Nilsson

Regardless of your interest in cooking cod, let alone seal intestines, this is the must-buy book of the season. It’s a hefty volume packed with history and carefully observed detail, all delivered with Fäviken chef Magnus Nilsson’s quiet charisma. Rigorous, but also sane, humane and frequently brilliant. Must cook: a proper Jansson’s temptation. (Phaidon, $59.95)

Nopi, Yotam Ottolenghi & Ramael Scully

“Not just another Ottolenghi book”: not that anyone would complain. Nopi, like the Soho restaurant that inspired it, brings Asian ingredients into the mix – green papaya and miso mingling with Ottolenghi staples such as pomegranate and lentils. Must cook: three-citrus salad with green chilli, stem ginger and crunchy salsa. (Random House, $59.99)

Hartwood, Eric Werner & Mya Henry

Unquestionably the most FOMO-inducing release this year, Hartwood explores the magic (and the sometimes mucky reality) of this singular open-air restaurant on the Yucatán Peninsula, clinging to the shoreline between the jungle and the sea. Expect to see a lot more mescal, cactus and chilli oil in your cooking in 2016. Must cook: agave pork belly with grilled piña. (Workman, $79.95)

Tacopedia, Déborah Holtz & Juan Carlos Mena

Yes, everything seems to be coming up Mexican this year. But a dip into this detailed examination of the humble taco might also shed some light on why. This single dish shows the stunning diversity and complexity of Mexican cuisine, wrapped here in tasty bite-sized packages, sparkling with colourful graphics and seasoned with plenty of humour. Must cook: cochinita pibil. (Phaidon, $39.95)

A Girl and her Greens, April Bloomfield

Following on from her pork-rich cookbook début, The Spotted Pig chef proves she’s no one-trick piglet, presenting vegetable-driven (if not vegetarian) recipes written with equal parts gusto and diligence. Must cook: braised peas with Little Gem lettuce. (Canongate, $49.99)