A Literary Feast

A post by guest author Heather...

Sometimes the best books can also serve a higher purpose. Yes, I'm talking about cook books. While books satisfy my mind and soul, cook books satisfy the inner beast, and the BEST cook books satisfy all three.

In my dream house, my dining room is a library, the walls covered with books and a large wooden farm-style table running down the center of the room. During the day the table is covered with homework, books, atlases, the works - at night all of that is cleared away and candle lit, the room becomes a place to enjoy good conversation and food.

OK, I ripped that off. I admit it. That's Nigella Lawson's dining room as I saw it in her wonderful TV series, "Nigella Bites". (Stop right here if you don't know Nigella. She's British, beautiful and a superb cook. I want to be her when I grow up. No, I just want to look like her. Anything else would be icing on the cake. Here is her website. You may now proceed. ) I've looked everywhere for a picture of that dining room, and can't find it, so I'll just have to recreate it in my mind.

In Nigella's dining room, the shelves are lined with her collection of cookbooks. I don't have enough to line an entire room, but the few I do have are wonderful! Here are four that I can recommend as being a delicious read.

"The Flavor Principle"

How to Create the Authentic Flavors of 30 International Cuisines by Elisabeth Rozin

This is probably my favorite cookbook of all because it actually explains what is going on under the lid.

Rozin's thesis is that basic combinations of flavors make up every ethnic taste. The combinations are predictable, and once you know them you can use them to make your ethic dishes taste exactly as they should. Even more interesting, at least to me, is to watch how the flavor combinations change, just a little, from one region to a neighoring region but with huge differences to the flavor.

For example, the basic southern Italian flavors are Olive Oil/Garlic/Basil plus Tomato. Move to Greece and you retain the Olive Oil but change the Garlic/Basil for Oregano and add Lemon. The Tomato remains but is almost always paired with Cinnamon. Intriguing, no?

Here's another. Japanese flavors revolve around light soy sauce, rice wine and sugar. Move to Korea and you change to a heavier soy sauce, garlic and brown sugar (plus hot chilies for fun).

The book is full of easy, delicious recipes that clearly illustrate the points the author has made, and is just as much fun to read as it is too cook from. A word of caution - this book has been out of print for years. My first copy was called "The Flavor Principle" and I loaned it out, never to see it again. I looked for a replacement for years and finally found it under the new title "Ethnic Cuisine". You can still find copies at used bookstores or at my favorite online used book search service, Abebooks as well as Amazon. (Why bother with the snooty staff at Powells when you can order from the comfort of your home?)

"The Splendid Table"

Recipes from Emilia-Romagna, the Heartland of Northern Italian Food by Lynne Rossetto Kasper

I have to admit that I've never made any of the recipes from this book. Not that I don't want to, but I just haven't. However, I have spent considerable time reading it, savoring it and wafting along on the imagined heavenly aromas. I don't know where I first picked up this book. It's a tome for certain, not some little leaflet, and beautifully accented with woodcuts, lavish photos and aside sections. A perfect book to curl up with.

The recipes all seem to be grounded in the 15th and 16th centuries, and a history of the dish and the ingredients is fascinating reading. One of my favorite chapters is entitled "Sweet Pastas of the Renaissance". Here are some of the mouth watering offerings: Chestnut Ricotta Cheesecake, Lamb with Black Olives, Almond Spice Broth, Sweet Fennel Jewish Style.

There are two recipes in this book which I must make before I die.

The first is Lasagne Duchi di Ferrara - Lasagne Dukes of Ferrara. I'll let you read the description for yourself:

"Inspired by a 16th-century banquet dish, sheets of sheer pasta are layered with a ragu of chicken and sprinklings of nuts, raisins, spices, cheese, and a touch of cream. What emerges is a lasagna hinting at the extravagance and exotica of The Arabian Nights." (pg. 168)

Heavenly!

The second is a masterpiece that I will serve at Christmas. Some year. Not this year, but some year.

Pasticcio di Tortellini con Crema di Cannella

An Unusual Tortellini Pie

"A lavish piece of the past, this tall pie with its sweet crust and layering of tortellini, ragu, and tiny meatballs is well-known feasting food in Emilia-Romagna, especially in Bologna and Romagna. What sets this recipe apart is the sweet, cinnamon -scented custard that is added just before the top crust is put in place. It accents the meaty flavors of the pie's filling. Save tortellini pie for the most important of occasions." (pg. 175)

Maybe I'd better just plan to travel to northern Italy around Christmas... might be easier.

Nope. I take that back. I'm going to make this.

A little personal aside - I served in the New York, New York mission and one of the sisters who served at the same time was Sister Pavan from Italy. She was from Trenton (pronounced Tren-TOE), Italy and we both served in Trenton (pronounced Tren-TON), New Jersey. That always made us smile.

Sister Pavan was never my companion, sadly, but we did share a common companion, Sister Sindergaard. So - Sister Pavan taught Sister Sindergaard how her mother made lasagne back home in Trenton, Italy, and Sister Sindergaard taught me (we were out on Long Island at the time, but that's not part of the story).

Sister Pavan's lasagna is hands down THE BEST lasagna I've ever had. The secret was a generous layer of rich nutmeg scented bechamel spooned over a layer of sauteed grated carrots, all if this hidden within the normal layers of riccotta and tomato-y ground lamb. Makes me hungry to think of it, even now. Perhaps the layer of bechamel is what is drawing me to the custard in the tall tortellini pie. Whatever it may be, one Christmas day we shall dine like kings! Or maybe Dukes.

Nigella Bites by Nigella Lawson

Yes, we've come full circle. I hardly know which of Nigella's books to recommend. Her "How to Be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking" is sinfully delicious, and "How to Eat: The Pleasures and Principles of Good Food" is satisfying reading and tempting eating. However I went with the first of her books that I aquired, the one which showcased all the lovely recipes from her television show. Honestly, whichever of these you pickup, you'll be a happy little cook.

Nigella's style has been called both "cheeky" and "chatty", a perfect combination for the kitchen. One tiny word of warning. These books were all written for the UK market, and with one of them, when the US conversions were done they messed up rather badly. I believe it was the book "Feast" which I don't own. They corrected the problem, but some old copies are likely hanging out there. My advice would be to check these out from the library and give them a test drive to be sure they are working. Of course, you can always read and not cook... but Nigella makes that very difficult.

50 Chowders

One-Pot meals - Clam, Corn and Beyond by Jasper White

This is the newest addition to my library. It arrived in the mail last week. I was pointed to this book by the author of "Hungry Monkey" who gave it rave reviews.

I'm a great chowder lover. Take me to Skippers and I've been known to ignore the fish and just take two bowls of chowder. However, Skippers (and every other chowder I've found on the west coast) is that thick, spoon coating stuff. This book describes real New England chowders, which are surprisingly light soups, almost broths.

I was frankly shocked by the idea, but as I read I decided it was worth a shot. I chose to make a Chicken Corn Chowder, and believe it or not I was a good girl and followed the recipe exactly.

OK, not exactly. The recipe says to brown the bacon bits, then remove them. I forgot and left them in when I added the onions. Bad move! It was still yummy, but I can promise you, you want to remove the bacon bits. Then you get to sprinkle the crunchy bits over the steaming heavenly broth just before you eat. Oi.... soooooo good!

As for reading, this book is perfect for history buff and history minded cooks. It starts off with a history of Chowders in America. Did you know that the first chowders were put together as an attempt to make hardtack palatable? They'd layer those rock hard biscuits with salt pork, fish and onions, and cook it down until it resembled a porridge! er.. yum? I think not. Potatoes were a much later addition, and tomatoes.... well that's another story.

Easy to read, easy to make - this book has it all. Even better, I found it on Abebooks for $3, brand new, so there was no excuse not to buy it! Warning, once you taste the rich flavorful broth that you've made with your own hands, you won't be going back for any more of the gloppy stuff that the chain restaurants sell. Be prepared.

Other titles

There are so many more, but I have to reign myself in. Let me wrap up by leaving you with some of the wonderful titles that I've run across, that are both good eats and good reads.

• "Dictionary of Cuisine" by Alexandre Dumas (yes, THAT Dumas)
• "The Saucier's Apprentice" by Raymond Sokolov
• "An Exaltation of Soups" by Patricia Solley
• "Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking"
• "InterCourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook" by Martha Hopkins (sorry about that title, but it really is a very good book)
• And of course, the inevitable "Two Fat Ladies: Gastronomic Adventures (with Motorbike and Sidecar)" by Clarissa Dickson Wright and Jennifer Paterson

My advice for the season? Stop cooking and start reading!