I can't think of a book I've anticipated more. Paula Wolfert has inspired more of us than she knows with her seminal books like Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco and The Cooking of Southwest France. It's because of her that I became a clay pot freak, now never coming through customs without something clay and heavy with me.

Her new book is Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking: Traditional and Modern Recipes to Savor and Share and I'm like a kid on Christmas morning. All of the recipes look great, some are a little challenging and all of them are bound to make you a better cook. As usual, her recipes are authentic and uncompromising. I am smitten. And flattered that she mentions Rancho Gordo a few times!