The Cookbook Challenge

Greene on Greens

2008-02-20T10:50:00.000-08:00

Greene on Greens by Bert Greene, copyright 1984
Roots in Escabeche, page 390
Prepared on February 17, 2008

Greene on Greens is a great vegetable cookbook. As an 80s cookbook, it is heavy on rich recipes: lots of cream and butter and cheese. But, it is also chock-a-block full of interesting and vibrant recipes as well.

Roots in escabeche is a refreshing dish: turnips, carrots and rutabegas are boiled until tender, then tossed with a vinagrette, sliced onions and chopped olives.

Super Natural Cooking

2008-02-20T10:11:00.000-08:00

Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson, copyright 2007
Black Tea Spring Rolls with Mushrooms and Mango Chutney Dipping Sauce, page 132
Prepared on February 19, 2008

Heidi Swanson runs the website 101 Cookbooks. Her cooking style focuses on natural foods. She is single-handedly responsible introducing me to quinoa and reintroducing me to muhumarra (these are great things). Super Natural Cooking has a lot of interesting recipes and I tried a few already.

These spring rolls are delicious but weren't exactly what I was hoping for. The filling is good, and the dipping sauce is great. After reading the recipe through, I was pretty sure these wouldn't end up as crispy as I wanted, and I was right. That said, I am going to try them again: they were easy to make, I could make them ahead and they look great on the plate.

Chow!

2008-02-20T03:52:00.000-08:00

Chow! Secrets of Chinese Cooking, 75 Selected Recipes with Notes on Table Etiquette by Dolly Chow (Mrs. C.T. Wang), printed 1954 (original copyright date is 1939)
Sour Tientsin Cabbage (Suan La Pai Ts'ai), page 116
Prepared on February 18, 2008

This is a slim book, containing, as advertised, 75 recipes and information on meal etiquette. The recipes are simply written and interesting. There is not a lot of information on ingredients, so I had to do some quick research to find out that Tientsin cabbage is Napa cabbage. She also leaves out preparation instructions for vegetables, so I made the assumption that I should chop the cabbage into thick strips.

Dolly had the right idea. This was a great dish - there was a great contract between the sourness provided by the vinegar and the Napa's cabbagey funkiness. This one's going into my repertoire.

Since Chow! appears to be out of print, I will go against my normal rule and provide the recipe for all of you:

Sour Tientsin Cabbage
Serves 2-3

2-3 tablespoons peanut oil (the original called for lard)
1 1/2 pounds Napa cabbage, cut into thick strips
2 hot chili peppers, sliced
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/3 cup white vinegar

Mix the cornstarch, soy sauce, sesame oil and vinegar together.

Heat the peanut oil in a wok or skillet and fry the chili peppers. Add in the cabbage and stir fry for 3 minutes. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir fry 3 minutes until the liquid is thickened.

Serve immediately.

Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian

2008-02-18T14:14:00.000-08:00

Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian by Madhur Jaffrey, copyright 1999
Spicy Eggplant Stew with Potatoes, Mushrooms and Chickpeas, page 196
Prepared February 13, 2008

Madhur Jaffrey's books of Indian cookery are fabulous resources for anyone interested in cooking in that style. This cookbook, as you can see by its title, takes a broader view. The recipes are varied and interesting. At over 700 pages, this book has something for everyone. I do think that her Indian, Pakistani and Sri Lankan dishes are the heart of the book, but many cultures are represented and those recipes do not seem like an afterthought.

This dish was fantastic. We served the stew over basmati rice with roasted cauliflower on the side. It was filling, and the mushrooms gave it a meaty texture.

It was also a quick fix - much faster to pull together than I thought. I was planning on making something else, and from inspiration to service, the stew took about 40 minutes total (with only 10 minutes of active work). It is a saucy mess (note the puddles under my cooking dish) so make sure you use a large enough pot (I should have used my Dutch oven, instead of this gratin).

Dr. Chase's Recipes; or, Information for Everybody

2008-01-22T09:30:00.000-08:00

Dr. Chase's Recipes; or, Information for Everybody: An Invaluable Collection of About Eight Hundred Practical Recipes, for Merchants, Grocers, Saloon-Keepers, Physicians, Druggists, Tanners, Shoe Makers, Harness Makers, Painters, Jewelers, Blacksmiths, Tinners, Gunsmiths, Farriers, Barbers, Bakers, Dyers, Renovaters [sic], Farmers, and Families Generally, To Which Have Been Added A Rational Treatment of Pleurisy, Inflammation of the Lungs, and other Inflammatory Diseases, and also for General Female Debility and Irregularities: All Arranged in their Appropriate Departments by A.W. Chase, M.D., copyright 1866 (my copy is the 38th edition
Molasses Candy, page 58
Prepared January 15, 2008

Part of dessert in our Molasses Disaster Memorial Dinner, this candy was delicious. I used some fun little molasses pulled-sugar curlicues as a garnish on our ice cream.

Dr. Chase was a very opinionated doctor (all you need to do is read the full sub-title of his book to see that). He self-published this book to as a great service to mankind. During the 19th century, his books were well-known throughout America; it's estimated that over copies of this book were sold.

That said, some of his cooking ideas were a bit cockamamie. Check out the instructions on checking the candy's progress: "... when you have dipped your hand in cold water and passed one or two fingers through the boiling candy and immediately back to cold water ...". Then turn immediately to page 110 for informatino on the treatment of burns.

Since the sugar syrup is supposed to get to 300 degrees, I used a thermometer and the glass of cold water to measure temp - not my fingers. Dear Lord. Kids, do not try this at home.

Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book

2008-01-12T05:34:00.000-08:00

Open-Faced Sandwich with Braised Leeks, Hard-Cooked Eggs and Anchovies, page 30

Prepared January 9, 2008

Nancy Silverton and her husband, Mark Peel, own and run Campanile restaurant in Los Angeles. It's a high-end Italian restaurant and is well-respected in the foodie community. This book was born of Campanile's Sandwich Night (Thursdays, if you happen to be in L.A.). The selection of sandwiches is really very interesting and I have made a few different items from the book. The pictures are gorgeous, by the way.

This sandwich requires that you make an aioli, braise leeks and marinate anchovy fillets, in addition to hard boiling a few eggs. All the components can be made ahead of time. This makes what could be a fussy sandwich really simple to prepare.

A few days ahead, I braised the leeks. Silverton's method calls for braising in the oven and I am sold on this method. You place the leeks into a roasting dish, pour chicken broth over them and then lay sliced lemon over the leeks (I had no lemons in the house, so I used a blood orange instead). Then you cover the pan and roast the leeks in the oven for 45 minutes covered and another 45 minutes uncovered. These leeks were really delicious. They were silky soft and perfumed with orange.

On the day I made the sandwiches, I marinated the anchovies in olive oil, lemon zest and parsley. The oil and zest reduced the incredible fishiness of the anchovies. After an hour or so, they were still fishy, but not unbearably so.

I was supposed to make an aioli (garlic mayonnaise) and failed. I couldn't get the sauce to emulsify. Sooooo ... I cheated and took some Hellman's from the fridge, added crushed garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. The end result may not pass for authentic in Provence, but in myhouse it worked just fine.

Finally, I hard boiled some eggs. Now I was ready to make the sandwiches.

The sandwich is composed thusly: grilled bread, spread with aioli; sliced breaised leeks; hard boiled egg; anchovy; anchovy marinade. It was good: we agreed that we liked all the components, but decided we almost preferred them individually as opposed to together. You have to eat this sandwich with a knife and fork and that gives you a nice opportunity to mix and match flavors to your liking.

The Art of Simple Food

2008-01-10T11:00:00.000-08:00

Winter Minestrone with Turnips, Potatoes and Cabbage, page 73

Prepared January 7, 2008

This could have been unfair. The Art of Simple Food is a lovely cookbook. It's organized in two sections: Part One provides you with master recipes and tips (and a lot of recipes), Part Two is called "At the Table" and gives you even more recipes. It's a lovely cookbook and I can't wait to really in to it, especially this summer.

Alice Waters lives in California. She has ready access to farmers with four growing seasons and can get gorgeous produce all the time. With that in mind, I thought I would try one of her "winter" recipes. I decided on the Winter Minestrone. I could have picked the Fall version too as I have good access to kale and butternut squash.

This soup was really good. Really. A soup of turnips and cabbage. You might also assume that the kitchen would stink after this. A soup of turnips and cabbage. One trick to stink-free cabbage and turnip cooking: cook these vegetables in uncovered pots. For some reason, covering the pot makes 'em stink right up. Cover off: no such problem.

You make a soffrito of celery, carrots and onions. Then you add in garlic, thyme, chopped turnips and potato and water (I did use some vegetable stock because I had it on hand). When the turnips and potatoes are softened, add in cooked white beans and cooked cabbage. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and drizzled with olive oil.

If Waters can make this rather pedestrian sounding list of ingredients into a soup this good, I can't wait to see her in action with a ripe eggplant or a bag of tomatoes.

By the way, this was my turnip. It was huge (weighed 1.25 pounds) and dipped in wax to preserve it. I actually think it may have been a rutabaga (it was pale orange inside). Either way, it was delicious. Despite its size and stodginess, it cooked up sweet and tender.

The Italian Country Table

2008-01-09T09:30:00.000-08:00

The Italian Country Table: Home Cooking from Italy's Farmhouse Kitchens by Lynne Rossetto Kasper, copyright 1999
Torta della Befana, page 356
Prepared on January 6, 2008

The Italian Country Table provides a great overview of Italian country cooking. As opposed to The Splendid Table, Kasper's encyclopedic Emilia-Romagnian cookbook , The Italian Country Table is full of simply-prepared, interesting and toothsome dishes.

January 6 is the day of Epiphany and is also the Day of the Befana. The Befana is a witch who brings little Italian children presents (left in their stockings) if they have been good. If they've been bad they get coal.

I made one modification to the recipe: I made two smaller turnovers instead of the one large turnover Kasper specifies in the recipe.

First, I made the pastry dough and put it in the refrigerator to chill. Then I prepared the filling, but chopping up apples and combining them with raisins, candied citron, sugar and spices (including ground black pepper!).

I rolled the dough out into two 8" circles and put the filling into one half of each circle. I baked the turnovers at 400 until golden brown.

These were a little like a traditional apple turnover, but the addition of citron and raisins made it something a little outside the ordinary. This was a great recipe and one I'll go back to again. I think the filling would be great in a traditional apple pie format too.

Biba's Taste of Italy

2008-01-09T08:18:00.000-08:00

Biba's Taste of Italy: Recipes form the Homes, Trattorie & Restaurants of Emilia-Romagna by Biba Caggiano, copyright 2001
Warm Salad of Shrimp, Radicchio, Arugula and Balsamic Vinegar, page 44
Prepared on January 6, 2008

The title of this book: Biba's Taste of Italy is a little misleading. This is really Biba's Taste of Emilia-Romagna. You will not be disappointed by this cookbook. Emilia-Romagna is the source of so many wonderful foodstuffs and dishes, there is something for everyone. Seafood from the coast? Linguine alla Bolognese (otherwise known as bolognese sauce)? Vegetables? Desserts? Check, check and check.

This recipe is a great example of how an interesting recipe doesn't have to be difficult. Wash greens, saute shrimp, make dressing, serve. We had this as an appetizer. To make this an entree salad, just double the amount of shrimp.

Warm Salad of Shrimp, Radicchio, Arugula and Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 head radicchio, torn into bite-sized pieces, washed and dried
3 cups arugula, torn into bite-sized pieces, washed and dried
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
16 medium shrimp (about 1/2 pound), shelled, deveined and dried
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup dry white wine

Toss the radicchio and arugula together and arrange them on four salad plates.

In a skillet large enough to hold the shrimp in one layer, saute the shrimp in the olive oil. When the shrimp has started to color, pour the balsamic vinegar and wine over the shrimp and add a pinch of salt (the liquid will sputter and spit, be careful). Cook another 2-3 minutes, until the shrimp is cooked and the liquid is reduced by half. (If the shrimp finish faster than the reduction, remove them so they don't overcook.)

Remove the shrimp from the pan and arrange them over the greens. Pour the contents of the skillet over the salad plates. Serve.

The Splendid Table

2008-01-07T14:50:00.000-08:00

The Splendid Table: Recipes from Emilia-Romagna, the Heartland and Northern Italian Food by Lynne Rossetto Kasper, copyright 1992
Tortellini alla Bolognese, page 140
Prepared on January 6, 2008

The Splendid Table is a must-read, must-own book for anyone interested in Italian cooking. It covers the region of Emilia-Romagna, a province in the northeast of Italy. Emilia-Romagna has gotten more attention lately (Mario Batali is a pretty big fan of the region). It's the home of parmigiano-reggiano cheese, prosciutto, mortadella, balsamic vinegar, and other such wonderful foods.

We made the Bolognese-style tortellini. Dave and I traveled to Bologna a few years ago and ate this type of tortellini a number of times. There is a great article in the New York Times about tortellini classes in Bologna.

This tortellini filling is made of about equal portions of mortadella, prosciutto, pork and turkey with some egg and parmesan (parmigiano-reggiano) cheese. These tortellini are traditionally served in a rich capon broth. We used a rich chicken broth because I could not find a capon and I used chicken breast in the filling because I could not find any turkey breast other than pre-ground turkey breast (which would have been the wrong texture for the filling).

I made the pasta dough first, using the proportions Kasper gives on page 81 (Villa Gaidello Egg Pasta). It's important to make the dough ahead. The rest gives the flour time to absorb moisture. It also allows the gluten you've activated through kneading the dough time to relax. That makes rolling the dough out so much easier.

I used the traditional "eggs in a mound of flour method" to make the dough. I usually just use a bowl, but this method worked well and provided a few exhilarating moments when we thought the well was about to be breached by egg.

Then we made the filling. First we cut the pork and chicken into small strips and sauteed it until done. After the meat was cool, it was chopped very fine (not pureed) with prosciutto, mortadella, parmesan cheese, egg and seasonings.

Then we rolled out the pasta dough and made the tortellini. (Funny how the hardest, most challenging part of the recipe gets the shortest description, huh?) One trick for filling tortellini, or any other small filled pasta: pre-portion the filling first. We portioned out 1/4 teaspoon nuggets of filling on wax paper prior to rolling out the pasta. Traditionally, tortellini are made with circles of pasta. Our circle cutter wasn't sharp enough, so a late-game decision was made to cut and fill squares instead.

This recipe made enough for about six people. Since we are two people, we froze the rest.

To serve: Heat the broth (about 1 1/2 cups per person) and keep it warm while cooking the tortellini. Boil a large pot of water and boil the tortellini until the pasta is cooked through. This takes anywhere from 3-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pasta. Put the cooked tortellini into soup plates and then ladle the broth over the tortellini. Grate additional parmesan cheese over the top and serve.

The Italian Baker

2008-01-06T11:02:00.000-08:00

The Italian Baker by Carol Field, copyright 1985
Pane Integrale alle Erbe (Whole-Wheat Bread with Herbs), page 175
Prepared on January 5, 2008

If you are a fan of Italian baking, this is a book for you. The Italian Baker has everything from Ciabatta to Panetonne to Pizza to Biscotti. There's a lot here and Field has a good writing style. She's very educational and interesting.

This is a very wholesome, hearty bread. Field suggests that the dough be baked into rolls. They are chock-full of whole grain goodness and the herbs and olive oil make them taste good, not just good for you. That said, it's still whole wheat bread. If you want a light airy, make-me-garlic-bread bread, make me something else.

The recipe contains: yeast, water, white and whole-wheat flour (1 cup to 3 cup ratio), olive oil, rosemary, parsley and salt.

I put my yeast into warm water to proof. While the yeast was proofing, I chopped up parsley and rosemary. I used my Kitchen Aid to pull the dough together (Field gives you instructions for mixer, food processor or by hand). I did the final kneading by hand.

Since Dave and I needed to run errands, I let the dough rise in the fridge. After three hours, the dough was perfectly risen. I formed the dough into about two dozen rolls and left them on the counter to rise again. After 90 minutes, I baked the rolls in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.

These turned out really well. I think they'd be a great base for sandwiches as well as served alongside a roast leg of lamb. They are few nice when they are served warm; the rosemary's fragrance is best then. Stale rolls, because of the parsley and rosemary, would make good stuffing (or dressing, if you prefer).

The Challenge

2008-01-03T07:27:00.000-08:00

In a flush of enthusiasm for new starts, new days, new years, etc. I gave myself a challenge for 2008: this year I will cook a recipe from each of my cookbooks.

I did a quick cookbook inventory yesterday and I currently have at least 160 cookbooks on the shelf (I am sure I will find more hiding in the house). I am not counting pamphlets, clippings or magazines as a cookbook. I am counting books of essays or food writing that contain recipes.

A few guidelines:

If I've made it before I can't make it for the challenge. To apply to the challenge quota, the recipe must be something I haven't cooked before.
I am allowed to make small adjustments to a recipe if it appears to be poorly tested or has an obvious error in it. (No voluntary walking off of culinary cliffs.)

I also reserve the right to scale a recipe up or down as needed (no way do I need to make anything that serves 12 people).

Any additional cookbooks acquired during the year will be added to the challenge quota.
As a rule, I won't post recipes. I will post the page number of the edition I am using. If a book is out of print, or the recipe is really interesting, I might make an exception and post the full method.

Each cookbook and recipe will get a mention on this site as I complete it. I'll also post the cookbook listing as soon as I complete the catalog.