FOOD BOOKS
Classic Afghan Cookbook, by Mousa M Amiri (2002, available from www.afghancuisine.com www.afghancuisine.com or at the superb restaurant, “Shish Kebab”, in West Hartford, CT). This reveals many of the secrets of the authentic Afghan cooking that the restaurant offers, including recipes for its home-made tomato sauce, yoghurt, steamed dumplings, shish kebab and much more. Special pleasure to eat there and enjoy their lean cuisine, but this will help you if not in the area and curious.
Asian Flavors, edited by Chuck Williams, recipes by Joyce Jue (San Francisco, Williams-Sonoma, Time-Life Books, 1999). The recipes (accompanied by appetizing photos) have been particularly well chosen. It is a case of quality, not quantity, and that can be an advantage when urgently looking for inspiration.
Asian Microwave Cooking, by K. Karuna (Singapore, Heinemann Asia, 1989). This is linked to promotion of a particular brand of Asian food products, but gives ideas and photos of some dishes one would not normally think of as microwavable, such as Chinese roast pork and tandoori chicken, that work.
My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method, by Jim Lahey (W. W. Norton & Co, New York, 2009). When I’ve not been near a good source of well-made bread, I’ve made my own in the traditional manner. This book is worth a try by those who want their bread of a quality they can’t find yet don’t have the time to try doing it themselves.
Boulevard: The Cookbook, by Nancy Oakes and Pamela Mazzola (Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, 2008). This offers some of the wonderful, complex recipes of their great restaurant in San Francisco (from which you can see the Bay and bridges). Personally, I would prefer they prepare this incredible food, but the book represents a pinnacle of a great fusion-type cuisine. And superb photos so you at least have an idea how it should look. If you go, you can also see the historic Audiffred Building in which it is housed. (The soldiers and firemen who came to demolish it after the raging fire that followed the earthquake of 1906 were persuaded by the bartender to take whisky and wine if they would leave it alone, which they did.)
The Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook, by Alice Waters (New York, Random House, 1982). Some guidance and classic recipes from the inimitable chef of Chez Panisse.
China Moon Cookbook, by Barbara Tropp (New York, Workman Publishing, 1992). This is all that remains of that original San Francisco restaurant. It is a masterful guide to making and using a range of fragrant oils and other preparation that result in a delightfully subtle cuisine. One can ignore her preoccupation with partial precooking of most meat and still end up with delicious dishes.
Chocolate (Paragon Publishing Book, Bath, UK, 2002). A chocolate lover’s book, offering 220 recipes, many innovative. I’ve made a version of its “Swedish chocolate cake) that turned out superbly, and a friend has tried many others, with pleasure.
The Complete Guide to Claypot Cooking, by Bridget Jones (Salamader Books Ltd, London, 1993). Cooking in a clay pot is my favorite way of cooking a Thanksgiving turkey. Really. (Get the largest pot, and one whose bottom half is glazed on the inside (I use a Schlemmertopf). Just put some aromatics inside the bird, salt all, rub with good butter, pepper, put in the pot. A 16 lb turkey will be cooked in about 1 ½ hours, at 500°. No fuss.) I had already learned this when I came across this cookbook. Not recent, but no matter. It is a very handy way to explore the range of what a clay pot can do better than many other ways of handling roasts (I’ve cooked a pork roast with kumquats, wild duck, smoked natural ham and much else).
Cooking in the Litchfield Hills, designed by Patricia and Kermit Adler (New Milford, The Pratt Center, 1993). A superb book which, if you've not got it at home, do by all means buy it. You can skip the (few) recipes that use processed foods like mayonnaise or salad dressing, and find some real inspiration here.
The Cooking of Singapore, by Chris Yeo and Joyce Jue (Emmeryville, CA, Harlow and Ratner, 1993). A guide to nonya cooking (a particular blend of Chinese and Malay). It can get boring as a steady diet but it's fun to try.
Cooking with Music: Celebrating the tastes and traditions of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (The Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston, 1999). This cookbook offers no hints of what music to play to accompany the food or improve your mood, but it does offer a wide-ranging, eclectic selection of enticing recipes from the culturally diverse members of the BSO. Fun book, with snippets of information on the musicians.
The Cuisine of the Sun: Classical French Cooking from Nice and Provence, by Mireille Johnston (Biscuit Books, Inc, Newton, MA). This offers exactly what its title declares. I’ve not seen, at least in English, anything comparable in its inclusiveness and accuracy. No glossy photos, just a really nice book to have around when you want to immerse yourself in that cuisine.
Dim Sum: The Art of Chinese Tea Lunch, by Ellen Leong Blonder (Clarkson Potter, New York, 2002). This is a very clear explanation for those who would like to prepare these delicacies themselves. And it covers a wide range. I’ve found it useful, as I like to fill dim sum with natural ingredients that I prepare myself. And of course, you can prepare as vegetarian or not, according to preference.
A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America, by Lee Allen Peterson (Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1977). This can help in deciding before poisoning what to gather. It seems well planned, with drawings and photos plus some ideas for use.
Food in History, by Reah Tannahill (Briarcliff Manor, NY, Stein and Day, 1973). This major (and fun) book interweaves food habits and economic history (she studied history and economics, and subsequently wrote on cannibalism and on sex in history). It is complemented, not replaced, by the Oxford Companion to Food.
Foods of the World (New York, Time-Life Books, 1968-70). This series (14 volumes in all) still remains an amazing publication. An early introduction to authentic regional cooking across the globe, it found a winning formula for editing and authorship (outstanding local figures, who were allowed to focus on their area of greatest knowledge). This resulted in offering, e.g., Santha Rama Rau on Madras, for the cooking of India, and, for New England, Jonathan Norton Leonard, who managed cranberry bogs and provides specialties using them intensively). Volumes turn up in used book stores from time to time (I filled in some gaps thanks to Barbara Farnsworth)
Gourmet Today, edited by Ruth Reichl (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston, MA, 2009). This is a wonderful resource for a very wide range of recipes – wider culturally, on average, than the magazine was, in my recollection. Drawings, no glossy images to guide you, but full of ideas when you seek inspiration. I often buy produce – because it is especially fresh, appealing – and then at home look for unusual ways of preparing what I’ve bought (or brought home from the CSA to which I belong). Not exactly the basic reference for a kitchen but a valuable addition. Massive.
Great Women Chefs: Marvelous Meals and Innovative Recipes from the Stars of American Cuisine, by Julie Stillman, with an introduction by Alice Waters (Atlanta, Turner Publishing, 1996). As one might expect from its pretensions, this is a collection of starring dishes (plus many desserts), with the minor accompaniments relatively neglected. Still, the range is impressive, the photos enticing. It should no longer be possible to argue that only males make great chefs, and for that reason alone it is worth a second look.
Healthy Microwave Cooking: Better Nutrition in Half the Time, by Judith Benn Hurley (Emmaus, PA, Rodale Press, 1988). Out of print, but you can likely find a copy of this incredible cookbook on the web (bookfinder.com, for example). Whether you use a microwave or not, it is full of great ideas for an international cuisine. One of the most consulted books on the shelf. Take it to the desert island that has electricity and a microwave (assuming you wouldn't carry the Oxford companion to food, though it would keep you amused longer).
Healthy 1-2-3: The Ultimate Three-Ingredient Cookbook, by Rozanne Gold (New York, Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2001). A fine formula - to provide only recipes that use 3 main ingredients, and the book offers unusual and appetizing selections. One can carry the simplification a bit further and reduce the number of sometimes-excessive steps.
The Herb Book, by John Lust (Bantam Books, New York, 1974). The classic reference on herbs. Information is organized under ailments, and then alphabetically by herb, and in a number of ways that help one find highly useful information. Since it was reprinted recently, you should be able to find a "new" copy on the web. The frontispiece refers to it as "the natural remedy bible", and it is hard to argue with that; it is also full of serious information on nutrition and the effects of various herbs. It is not anywhere near as out of date as you might think.
Quick and Easy Korean Cooking, by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee (Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 2009). Some tasty recipes for one of my favorite cuisines (at least in its modern form, now that it is based on far more than cabbage, garlic and pork). Lots of photos also, both of the food and the culture. A particularly tasty dish is made with sweet potato noodles. Actually, it’s even easier to make than the recipe (I don’t bother to blanch the spinach, for example) and it’s excellent as a vegetarian dish (without the beef, though more traditionally, with pork). Many others are worth trying.
Larousse Gastronomique: The Encyclopedia of Food, Wine and Cookery, by Prosper Montaigne (New York, Crown Publishers, 1961). The most complete reference on classic French cooking in English, and a handy index on the English and French terms. It is preferable to the 1988 edition (edited by Jenifer Harvey Lang), which seems less complete (in this as in many other cases, newer is not necessarily better, in this writer's opinion).
Microwave Gourmet, by Barbara Kafka (New York, Avon Books, 1987). This small paperback is another handy reference. No photos, but some good ideas and recipes.
A Book of Middle Eastern Food, by Claudia Roden (Harmonsworth, Penguin, 1970; hardcover - Thomas Nelson, 1968 and Alfred A Knopf, New York, 1972). The New Book of Middle Eastern Food (Alfred A Knopf, New York, 2005) is an expanded and updated version.This is the real classic on Middle Eastern (especially Egyptian) food in English. A great book that explains how to cure fish roe, stuff all sorts of vegetables, and much more. It covers most of what you would need for an authentic and complete cuisine, and it is easy to follow. I find some recipes preferable in the original or the revised edition, so get the one you can find.
Modern French Culinary Art, by Henri-Paul Pellaprat (New York, The World Publishing Co, 1966). A traditional classic on French cooking. It was one of the books that helped to advance serious cooking in the US, and is still of occasional use when one wants to produce an elegant French-style meal.
The Oxford Companion to Food, by Alan Davidson (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1999: published in paperback as The Penguin Companion to Food, 2002, Penguin Books, New York, London). This is an amazing book - a readable reference that most any cook would quickly find indispensable. Twenty years in preparation, its 892 pages reflect not only the erudition and literary skill of the food-historian author but also his exposure to many cuisines during his years as a diplomat. Not a single recipe in sight. Not even a color photo. It is in a class that it created. To offer a hint, here is a sequence of topics literally chosen at random: "crumpet, crustacean, crystallize, cubed, cucumber, cucurbits, cudbear, culatello, culinary ashes". To illustrate why it can also be fun to read, an example of the style (from the conclusion of the entry under "squid"): "All squid are remarkable in one respect. The processes of natural selection have operated on them in a manner which suggests that fitness for being stuffed by cooks in kitchens was a criterion for their survival." Enjoy.
Salty Sweets: Delectable Desserts and Tempting Treats with a Sublime Kiss of Salt, by Christie Matheson (The Harvard Common Press, Boston, 2009). Not having much of a sweet tooth, appreciative of a range of exotic salts, and occasionally called upon to prepare a dessert, I was intrigued by the approach of this cookbook. So far, only tried one recipe – for “lemon sugar cookies with zesty lime salt” – and the result was amazing. A view confirmed by the many who ate them. Thin, crisp, they offer an intense jolt to the palate. Am looking forward to trying others. The idea is not to produce salty food but to add a touch of very good, clean-tasting salt (usually crystals) that excite the taste buds and satisfy without over-indulging. Good concept.
Southeast Asian Cooking, by Barbara Hansen (Tucson, Fisher Books, 1992). No pictures, but some good and straightforward recipes.
The Book of Tempeh, by William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi (Harper Colophon Books, New York, 1985). Though this book was published a long time ago, this is what I have on my shelf, and it remains a guide to the myriad ways one can prepare tempeh – which is increasingly popular in view of the interest in vegetarian meals and the role of soy. Supermarkets often sell a variety of tempeh (soy, wheat and other grains may be used), and it is an easy-to-cook addition to the choices we can make. I tend to take a three-grain tempeh, cut in cubes, and quickly sauté them, add a little tamari, water and spring onions, cover briefly, and serve. That is just the simplest.
Thai Cooking Class, by Somi Anuntra Miller and Patricia Lake (Kensington, NSW, Bay Books, n.d.). This also may be hard to find, but it makes sense and has helpful photos, so if you come across it, add it to your bookshelf.
Easy Thai-Style Cookery, from the Home Library series of the Australian Women's Weekly (Sydney, 1991). Maybe not too easy to find, but the recipes are good and the photos very helpful. The Wise Encyclopedia of Cookery (New York, Wm. H. Wise Co, 1954). An easy to use cookbook that is still not wholly outdated (and certainly progressive for its time) - mentioned in case you find it on a dusty shelf. (There are lots of dusty ones that should remain there.)
And, of course there are myriad books in which food features prominently. Among those that are entertaining as well as informative: The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food, The Man Who Ate Everything, Kitchen Confidential and French Lessons.