One of the adjectives used after his death to describe the late John F. Kennedy Jr, was "courtly", one of those old terms which have gone out of fashion, but which are accurate and precise and which manage to convey a hinterland of values.
The curious coincidence about once again coming on the term "courtly" is that it perfectly describes the two books in which I have been immersed in recent weeks.
Both Denis Cotter's Cafe Paradiso Cookbook and Fergus Henderson's Nose to Tail Eating could be termed courtly, though you are probably wondering how a book with a title like Ferguson's could ever earn such a tender epithet.
The books both merit such a term because they are books by chefs which are written with great originality, and even wisdom. The Cafe Paradiso Cookbook achieves that rare thing: it genuinely and truly tells you all about cooking. It tells you all about the art of cooking, the craft of cooking, the very culture of cooking. Simply by explaining why he does what he does, and what he thinks about what he does, Denis Cotter has produced a genuinely inspiring book.
Fergus Henderson writes much less than Cotter - in fact, he writes very little - but there is something so evocative and affectionate about his approach to food and cooking that I find it quite loveable.
"Nose to Tail Eating means it would be disingenuous to the animal not to make the most of the whole beast; there is a set of delights, textural and flavoursome, which lie beyond the fillet", writes Henderson, who runs two restaurants in London, St John's and The French House. He goes on: "This is a book about cooking and eating at home with friends and relations, not replicating restaurant plates of food. Do not be afraid of cooking, as your ingredients will know and misbehave. Enjoy your cooking and the food will behave; moreover it will pass your pleasure on to those who eat it".
Of course, you might by now have twigged that these cookery books could hardly be more different. Denis Cotter does not use meat in his cooking - Cafe Paradiso is a "vegetarian" restaurant, though no one actually ever calls it that: everybody just calls it a brilliant restaurant.
And Fergus Henderson has a relish for Rolled Pig's Spleen. He cooks Duck's Neck Terrine. He gives a recipe for Pig's Cheek and Tongue. He tells you how to do Crispy Pig's Tails. He acknowledges that Lamb's Brains are banned offal in the UK, but he still gives us four recipes for cooking them.
The books could scarcely be more different in terms of the raw materials used by the two cooks, but otherwise they are remarkably similar, as being the true expression of considerate cooks. I love both these courtly books, and commend them unreservedly.
Denis Cotter's Watercress, New Potato and Avocado Salad with Spanish Paprika and Yoghurt Dressing
For four
1 clove of garlic, crushed
100mls olive oil
100mls yoghurt
2 teaspoons paprika
hot water
salt and pepper to taste
400g new potatoes
300g watercress
1 bunch of spring onions
2 avocados
To make the dressing, put the garlic in a jug with the olive oil, yoghurt and paprika. Whisk these together to get a fairly thick emulsion, either with a hand whisk or electric blender, then dilute this to the consistency of pouring cream by whisking in a little hot water. Season with salt and pepper.
Boil the potatoes until just cooked and cool them a little under cold water.
Halve them if they are very small, or slice bigger ones fairly thickly. (Slicing the potatoes before cooking them works just as well and is also a little quicker). Prepare the watercress by washing and drying it carefully, then pick through it to discard any dodgy leaves or woody stalk, bearing in mind that most of the stalk is edible. Tear the watercress into fairly big pieces - these will maintain a structure on the plate, where small pieces would fall flat and limp.
Chop the spring onions, and toss them with the potatoes and watercress. Add some dressing and gently toss the salad to lightly coat the vegetables, then put a mound of salad on each of four plates. Cut the avocados in half and remove the stones, then scoop out the flesh in one piece with a spoon. Quickly, slice the halves into thickish pieces, then tuck these into the salads. Drizzle a little more dressing over any parts of the salads that look a little bare or neglected.
Fergus Henderson's Roast Pork Loin, Turnips, Garlic and Anchovies
About 2.5kg pork loin on the bone (you will want six chops out of it at the end): ask the butcher to chine it and not to score the skin
2 onions, peeled and chopped
freshly ground black pepper and sea salt
18 cloves garlic with skin on, separated, roasted in the oven until soft and sweet, then squeezed out of their skins and mashed
1 small tin anchovies in oil, drained and finely chopped
a handful of capers (extra-fine if possible)
a handful of curly parsley, chopped
a healthy splash of extra-virgin olive oil
a splash of red wine vinegar
12 small or 6 large turnips, peeled and chopped, turnip greens reserved - if there's none rocket makes a good substitute
Remove the skin of the pork in one piece (this is not hard: with a thin sharp knife, gently slice under the skin, following it around the pork), then gently score it (if in doubt your butcher will remove it and score it for you). Place the skin back where it was before. In a roasting tray lay out your onions and place your pork and skin on top of them, then season. Put into a hot oven for two and a half hours.
Meanwhile, make your dressing: mix the garlic, anchovies, capers, parsley, oil, vinegar, and pepper, and keep at the ready. 15 minutes before the pork is done cook your turnips in boiling salted water. When cooked add the greens then drain straight away. Place these into a serving bowl, dress, and toss so all get to know the dressing. Remove pork from the oven; it will hold its heat well and will enjoy a rest if things are a little out of synch.
If the skin is not crispy enough return it to the oven to crisp up while you slice the loin into chops. Place these on top of the dressed turnips and greens.
Finally, remove the crisp skin from the oven and roughly chop it with a big knife. Top the dish off with this and serve.
The Cafe Paradiso Cookbook, by Denis Cotter (Atrium £20)
Nose to Tail Eating, by Fergus Henderson (Macmillan £20)