dinah corley's gourmet gifts

The holiday season is still stretching on through New Year's Eve and along with it the tradition of bringing something edible/drinkable to a gathering or party.  Or even mailing out a final care package or two. Rather than the usual cookies or candies or bottle of merlot, etc., it might be fun to try one of Dinah Corley's Gourmet Gifts:  One Hundred Delicious Recipes for Every Occasion to Make Yourself and Wrap with Style.  Just a quick note about any kind of homemade food gift -- you need to know that your recipient will be comfortable receiving something creatively homemade and not just accept it with a polite smile then exile it to the back of the fridge for a month before quietly throwing it away. There are people who are just kind of persnickety about this and unless a food delicacy or beverage comes from Trader Joe's or the local bakery or liquor store -- or unless they're quite sure of your culinary skills -- they'll feel uncomfortable partaking.  Another thing to keep in mind is presentation.  The gift may be homemade but if it's delightfully presented and looks semi-pro and not like a hot or cold mess, it can be a great success and make its recipient feel quite special.

Gourmet Gifts offers a good deal of guidance about preparation and presentation (and your budget), and what to mail and what to just carry over to the next door neighbor's.  Standouts for me were the Dark Chocolate Pate, Blond Biscotti, Italian Style Crackers, the Olive Bar Selections and Cucumber Vodka.  The Mumbai Mixed Nuts in a Tiffin Box were gifted to a friend who loves India and with the addition of a pinch of curry powder were a total hit.  Some recipes like the Tomato Marmalade and the Mango and Tomatillo Salsa are more seasonal, but the Pistachio Sugarplums and Port-Glazed Walnuts and Stilton Biscuits in a Faux Book Box would definitely be an excellent offering for any upcoming Downton Abbey viewings.  As winter settles in, I also loved the Feel Better Herbal Tea Sachets, to be delivered to a cold or flu sufferer with a vintage tea pot and jar of honey.  All in all, I really enjoyed Gourmet Gifts and think that with the right recipient and the right occasion, what you make can be very much enjoyed and well-remembered as thoughtful and creative and unique.

bryant terry's afro-vegan

Bryant Terry's Afro-Vegan: Farm-Fresh African, Caribbean, and Southern Flavors Remixed is a wonderful cookbook full of flavor and spice, story and song.  (Yes, there are songs...as in the musical selections suggested for a personal cooking soundtrack at the beginning of each chapter.)  As a vegetarian who tries to be vegan every now and again, this vibrant collection of recipes makes that transition fairly painless for me -- and, to add even more of an endorsement, the recipes are easily served up to people who claim to be staunch meat and dairy eaters, even the ones who make fun of vegans and their stereotypical plates full of mealy soy substitutes or sprouts and beans.  They don't really know they're eating vegan food, and so much the better for that.

Lil-Tofu Po-Boys with Creamy Red Pepper Sauce, Verdant Vegetable Couscous with Spicy Mustard Greens, Cumin-Pickled Onions, Pumpkin-Peanut Fritters, Date-Almond Cornbread Muffins, Fig Preserves with Thyme -- that's just a sampling of Afro-Vegan's fare.  Along with Cocoa-Spiced Cake with Crystallized Ginger and Coconut-Chocolate Ganache or Date, Nut, and Cranberry Balls for dessert.  The recipe inspirations are creatively detailed and interspersed with African, African-American and Afro-Caribbean historical and culinary context.  Like the Congo Square, concocted from coconut milk and coconut water, dark rum, nutmeg and cinnamon -- this unique cocktail came to mind via Terry's musings on the many Haitians who fled revolution and immigrated to New Orleans during the late 18th century, and how they brought their tastes and traditions with them.  And one of my favorite recipes is the simple basil sea salt mixture, which quickly becomes part of your own cooking repertoire and which has a musical recommendation of Jelly Roll Morton's "Salty Dog." 

All told, Afro-Vegan is really a must-own cookbook if you want to try a spicier, sweeter, creamier or more satisfying vegan lifestyle, bolstered by Bryant Terry's sage philosophy, i.e., “start with the visceral, move to the cerebral, and end at the political.”  While sipping some Ginger-Lemongrass Tonic along the way.  

the suffrage cookbook

Here's an interesting little historical gem from Project Gutenberg -- The Suffrage Cookbook, published in 1915 by The Equal Franchise Federation of Western Pennsylvania and edited by Mrs. L.O. Kleber.  Aside from recipes, the book contains endorsements for equal voting rights from various U.S. governors, intellectuals, writers, judges, progressive-minded society women and actress Alla Nazimova.  And then there's author Jack London's best wishes, along with his recipe for roast duck.

The Suffrage Cookbook has a similar range of offerings as other cookbooks of the day, including tea sandwiches, main dishes, soups, cakes, preserves, pies, breads, and helpful kitchen hints. You can see the influence of ethnic recipes like Polenta and Goulash...and a probably not so great Americanized version of Chop Suey involving butter and Worcestershire sauce.  And there's a kind of wry humor every now and then, like in the recipe for Pie for a Suffragist's Doubting Husband, which uses the Milk of Human Kindness and advises the cook to "[m]ix the crust with tact and velvet gloves, using no sarcasm."  Meat recipes are plentiful, which was also common in cookbooks of the time, but there are some vegetarian recipes for nut roasts and the like, though this seemed mainly to offer economic and protein-packed alternatives to meat as opposed to any concern about animal suffering.  I guess it was one battle at a time back then and animal rights would come later.

With Election Day coming up, it is important to think about how just a century ago, women were still fighting for the right to vote, whether with protest and force and/or velvet gloves and tact.  So many thanks to those who put this cookbook together and who demanded their turn at the ballot box, and additional thanks for this simple but delicious Cheese Savories recipe:

Butter slices of bread and sprinkle over them a mixture of grated cheese and paprika. Set them in a pan and place the pan in the oven, leaving it there until the bread is colored, and the cheese set. Serve very hot.

Eating and drinking are so essential to our living and to our usefulness, and so directly involved with our future state, that these must be classed with our sacred duties. Hence the necessity for so educating the children that they will know how to live, and how to develop into hale, hearty and wholesome men and women, thus insuring the best possible social and political conditions for the people of this country.

The Suffrage Cookbook, 1915

checking out the smitten kitchen

Deb Perelman's The Smitten Kitchen began as a food blog -- as many cookbooks nowadays seem to start out -- then became a collection of recipes which she describes as something like "comfort foods stepped up a bit."  And there's a general comfort to the tone of Deb's accompanying text -- her words are friendly and welcoming and funny, and her basic approach to food is realistically creative.  Her home base is in NYC, where apartments are small and kitchens even smaller; she dislikes fussy or overly foodie concepts and won't include "truffle oil" or costly "Himalayan pink salt" among her ingredients.

Among the standout offerings are Greens, Eggs and Hollandaise (the DIY remedy to ordering $14 Eggs Florentine of varying quality at brunch), Fig, Olive Oil, and Sea Salt Challah, Ratatouille Sub, Vinegar Slaw with Cucumbers and Dill, Sesame-Spiced Turkey Meatballs, Harvest Roast Chicken with Grapes, Olives, and Rosemary, and Marbled Pumpkin Gingersnap Tart.  And the Whole Lemon Bars, which came from a generational desire to put her own twist on the classic and make it "lazier, louder, and lush with butter."  And the meaty but meatless Mushroom Bourguignon (click here to give it a try).

I also enjoyed the Party Food section with more recipes and advice on putting together a gathering you can manage to be part of, and not just as some frazzled hostess on the sidelines.  A few Amazon reviewers noted how the actual printed Smitten Kitchen is a tad user-unfriendly, but I was working with the Kindle version, which is fully searchable and I had no issues at all.  (Lovely photos by the author included as well, for those of us who like really lovely food photos.)

indian...made simple

Indian...Cooking Made Simple is an intriguing not-too-long (but not-too-short either) collection of recipes from Parragon Books' LOVE FOOD series.  Each recipe is accompanied by a generally lovely photo, if that's as important to you as it is to me, and there are -- not surprisingly -- Indian standards like Tandoori Chicken, Lamb Rogan Josh, Samosas, Curries, Paneer, Chapatis, Pakoras, Pooris, Raita and Mango Lassi.  Beyond that framework, however, are variations on familiar themes like Chile-Cilantro Naan, Mussels in Coconut Sauce, Shrimp and Pineapple Tikka, Mint and Spinach Chutney, and Ginger Ice Cream with Date and Tamarind Sauce.  And this delicious Tomato Kachumbar, which is as easy to make as salsa and just as versatile:

Tomato Kachumbar (from Indian...Cooking Made Simple, Parragon Books 2011)

4 ounces lime juice
1/2 tsp sugar
6 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cucumber chopped
8 scallions, chopped
1 fresh green chile, seeded and chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
salt

Mix lime juice, sugar, and a pinch of salt together in a large bowl and stir until sugar has completely dissolved.

Add tomatoes, cucumber, scallions, chile, cilantro, and mint and toss well to mix.

Cover with plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.  Toss the vegetables before serving.

frutas de tequila

This isn't a cookbook review but really just a quick post to remember the short publication life (2006-2008) of Martha Stewart's Blueprint: Design Your Life magazine.  There are new and different magazines named Blueprint out there now, but they're just not the same and they aren't going to tell me how to make a full length skirt out of an old bridesmaid's dress or give me three alternatives to a hamburger bun (English muffin, Portuguese roll, and a brioche).  Not sure went wrong along the way with Martha's Blueprint, but 2008 was a rough year for America's economy and probably the magazine business was no exception.

However...back in the happy carefree days of the July/August 2007 BP issue, there was a fun feature on having "Mex Modern" food or Baja California style fish tacos, grilled corn, pan-fried olives and chiles stuffed with goat cheese, and tequila-soaked fruit skewers.  Here's the recipe for the refreshing-with-a-bite/buzz fruit on a stick, and a raising of a skewer to Blueprint for what it was when it was:

Cut 1/4 watermelon (2 pounds) and 1 peeled mango into 1 inch cubes. Slice rind and pith from three oranges and cut in half lengthwise; place flat sides down and cut into semicircles.  Place all fruit in a large dish and sprinkle with 1/4 cup tequila reposada.  Set aside for an hour or so, then grate 1 tablespoon lime zest over fruit, skewer and serve.  (Makes 18 skewers)

classic italian cooking for the vegetarian gourmet

Classic Italian Cooking for The Vegetarian Gourmet (Beverly Cox with Dale Whitesell) was published in 1984 and is indeed a classic full of great Italian meatless recipes from antipasti to pasta to pizza, risotto, egg dishes, breads, salads and sweets.  The pasta and sauces offerings range from the more creamy dishes of the northern parts of Italy to the spicier and/or sometimes (but not always) simpler cuisine of the south.  The pizza recipes also tend to be regional.  Pizza alla Siracusana, for example, includes olives, eggplant, red peppers, tomatoes and zucchini, all representative of the noted "influences of Greek cooking" found in Sicily.  Pizza Veneziana, on the other hand, has asiago baked into the crust with a fennel and tomato topping.

My mom bought this cookbook years ago and I happily appropriated it, and you truly could just make a point of using only this collection of recipes for a whole month and the variety would be delicious.  You'd also learn quite a bit about the diversity of Italian cooking and never miss the taste of chicken, beef, pork or fish.  Just some sample offerings beyond pizza and pasta are Caponata (or eggplant caviar as we call it), Rice-Stuffed Tomatoes, Tuscan Bean Soup, Grilled Vegetable Polenta, Fontina Salad with Creamy Mustard Dressing, and Olive Oil & Herb Bread,   Then for dessert are Almond Macaroons, Pears Stuffed with Gorgonzola and Hazelnuts, Cheesecake, Biscotti and Sambuca Sherbet, plus many more. There's a glossary of Italian cheeses as well and a basic overview into what to have on hand for a well-stocked Italian kitchen.  And here's a fairly easy but memorable recipe for Green Beans with Mint:

2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh mint
2 ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and crushed
2 tablespoons olive oil, preferably extra virgin
2 pounds green beans
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Crush garlic and mint in a mortar or finely chop them together.  When you have a fine paste, add to the tomatoes, stir in the olive oil, and reserve.  Trim the ends from the beans and cook in several quarts of salted boiling water, or steam over salted boiling water, for 3 to 4 minutes until just tender yet still firm.  Drain the beans and toss them with the mint sauce.  Season with salt and pepper and serve. (Serves 6).

vegetarian cooking: a commonsense guide

First post!  Vegetarian Cooking:  A Commonsense Guide is a wonderful and obviously vegetarian recipe collection with plenty of great photos as well.  This is an Aussie publication (Bay Books) from 2008 and I believe it's out of print, but being Australian there are going to be words like rocket instead of arugula, fibre instead of fiber and of course courgette as an alternate version of zucchini.  The metric conversions are already done, though, so you won't need to worry about any of that.  Recipes include Fruit Salad with Lemongrass Syrup, Tunisian Eggplant Salad, Roasted Mushrooms with Tarragon and Lemon Creme Fraiche, as well as vegetarian classics like Insalata Caprese, Minestrone, Veggie Burgers, Focaccia, Tabouleh and even roll your own Udon Noodle Sushi.  For sweet tooth cravings, there are recipes for biscotti, cakes, biscuits, tatins, brownies, puddings and the exotically delicious Banana Fritters in Coconut Batter.  This is one of my absolute favorite cookbooks even though it got in the way of an overturned half-cup of olive oil years ago and now gives off kind of a funky smell.  It has a small but enthusiastic following on Amazon and is available in used condition there at very low prices (and my not too good photo is surprisingly better than the one on Amazon).  And since it is out of print, I'll offer a sample of the contents in this tasty and summery Corn Spoonbread:

3 cobs sweet corn
1 cup creme fraiche (or 1/2 cup whipping cream + 1/2 cup sour cream)
1/4 cup self-rising flour
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons butter
sea salt 
black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Slice kernels off corn cobs and place in a large bowl.  Add the creme/cream, egg, flour, cayenne pepper and half the parmesan.  Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix together well.

Spoon mixture into a greased, shallow 7 inch baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining parmesan over the top; dot with the butter and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until firm and golden. Serve hot, straight from the dish.